Another Day. . .

So this morning, we all got up, sleepy-eyed and half-heartedly ready for the day ahead. But, as soon as we got into the van and started on our viciously bumpy ride to the work site, everyone seemed to perk up. There are few things that get teenagers excited at 7:45 in the morning. And that is this: we have all met people that make us excited to come to work, whether that be digging dirt out of the ground, playing with adorable kids, or pouring concrete. And that, my friends, is a beautiful thing.

This afternoon, we stopped work at lunchtime in order to make it to the Swaziland Cultural Center where we learned a lot about traditional Swazi culture. We got to see some traditional Swazi dance by some natives. . . and some of our group picked out from the crowd! Ken was dancing like there was no tomorrow (and Katherine got it all on video!). We then got to hear some traditional Swazi songs, which were gorgeous and soulful. Afterwards, our group got a tour of a mock-living situation in Swaziland. It was so complex! Many, many huts all for certain people. It was a little difficult for our 17 females on the trip to hear about the extremity of the patriarchal society here in Swaziland, such as the ability for the men of the family to have a number of wives and the fact that they "buy" these wives with cows. I don't know about you, but I do NOT like being equalized with cows!

Soon after, we took a small hike to see a quaint waterfall, which was a brillant photo-op for all. We took many small group pictures, so don't worry, Lois! :-)

However, since we have been on this trip, we have been keeping a running tally of the number of marriage proposals offered to many of the girls on the trip. . . especially one in particular. But, the problem is, none of the boys that have offered had enough cows!

After a wonderful dinner here at Emafili Retreat Center, we had a informative session with Chris McClain, the long-term VIM volunteer here in Swaziland, who told us about her mission here so far. She works mostly with the Methodist School system here, finding out each school's needs and trying to meet them with the resources she has been given.

Tonight at devotion, we started to realize how each of us have started to change, whether it be our thoughts about Africa or how we live our lives personally. We are beginning to understand what pilgrimage means and how it's different than just a mission trip. It is as much of an internal struggle and spiritual awakening as an external show of love. We've already noticed the difficulty from spending time with children and young people who have only the necessities, and then going "home" to a nicely cleaned room with comfy beds, clean towels, and a hot meal waiting.

Please be in prayer with and for us as we journey along with God, trying to find our place here and back home.

~ Keller