July and August

So the internet here is slow, but that is no excuse.  I have made several attempts to update my blog in July, but alas it has not worked.  I want you to know I have not dropped off the face of the earth.  I am still here in Swaziland, and I am alive and well.  Praise the Lord for he is good!  Let me bring you up to date on what has happened in the last month.   July 1: I was the only Canadian here.  So I made a Canadian flag from construction paper and duct taped it to my shirt. July 4: Celebrated Independence Day with the Americans.  We went to a local game park and we hiked to the top of Execution Rock (where they used to do just that).  Its very high and you can see for miles.  On the way down we were nearly charged by a stampede of zebras, as some of the group in the back chased them from their field. July 5-8: Opening week at Emmanuel Wesleyan Bible College.  The students arrived back, and we had "missions week," chapel services in both the morning and evening.  Its nice to have more people my own age around, especially another girl.  There is one female student, Sibo with whom I have become very good friends.  There are several other women on campus, but they do not speak much English. July 11 and following:  Settled in somewhat of a routine.  I work in the library Tuesday mornings, Thursday nights and an hour on Friday.  Chapel services are Monday and Friday, Prayer Hour is on Wednesday.  I also have two discipleship groups I attend on Wednesdays, one is for Good News (Saturday children's club) and the other for the church I work at.  Monday nights we are watching a video series on the Muslim faith and will hopefully start an outreach on Fridays.  July 20:  Turned 21!  I got a phone call from home, and even though it was short it was so good to hear my family's voices.  I had to fight back the tears at times.  It seemed as if they so close, like a regular phone call from Truro to Sussex.  Had kudo (its like a antelope/moose) and warthog for supper as the Cox family (missionaries here in Swaziland) had gone hunting the previous week.  July 25:  Fires came unto campus.  Since the fields are so dry (its winter), they burn easily.  I had seen several at a distance, but this one was around the perimeter of campus when I went to bed.  At 2:00 am (July 26) they came awful close to three of the buildings and two of the huts with grass roofs, but God is good, nothing but the grass burned. July 31:  Preached, unscheduled.  The pastor, Babe (Mr.) Maziya dropped us off at the church, without the key and left.  Perhaps he said something in siSwati, but the two students I were with didn't know what was going on either.  So we had Sunday school/a mini service at 10:30; Sunday school is supposed to start at 10:00.  At 11:00 some one showed up with the key, and I preached having about half an hour to prepare.  There were only 30 women and children present, the rest of the church had gone to the District Men's convention.  (Women are allowed to attend, even though its directed towards men). After the service to get back to the college, we used public transport. Public transport=waiting at the bus stops until either a Combe (15 passenger van) or another vehicle stops. well it was a truck, and so we just hopped in the back and went the 4 km back to campus at a cost of 1 Rand or 20 cents.   Aug 1-5: "Work and Evangelism Week"  We have been building The Fortress during the day and holding revival services in the night. Lev Bradley and Dave Buckingham are here this week and I learned how to build the African way.  Aug 2: Tuesdays are laundry days.  I found a mouse in the washing machine, the lid was closed so I am not sure how it got in there.  Its the third mouse I saw this particular week. The fires brought them from the fields onto campus.  We've been warned about snakes, but have not seen any yet.   Well thats all for now, I will fill in more about last week in my next update.  Thank you for praying for me, pray especially for language learning as I am working with some orphans who don't speak English and I am finding it difficult.    Please pray for Babe Maziya as he was stabbed 4 times last Saturday night by some people who did not want to pay his Combe driver, and they attacked him as they were on the way to the police.  He is recovering, but please pray against infection.