Our weeks here are packed with ministry, and it’s been great. We move around to different schools, care points and hospitals. There is a little boy named Nhloso in the Manzini hospital that I go to, and I visit him every time I’m in there. We go twice a week. I’m sure he has been sitting in this hospital bed for over three weeks because he has been there since our first time visiting. Every time I go there during visiting hours he is alone. Both of his legs are severely burned.
He is a five year old cutiepie, and he has the most adorable smile. I wanted to share what I’ve experienced with him because I just believe that the Lord has woven himself deeply into this child’s life even when it seems like this little doesn’t have much outside guidance. The Lord is so near to him.
Communicating with him is sometimes difficult because he doesn’t know any English. A couple weeks ago I was sitting with him, and he kept going on in his excited high-pitched Siswati voice. He was getting frustrated because I couldn’t understand him. He stretched out his little hand to my face, touched my face and shut my eyes, and then he started to pray. Another patient’s mother who was in the room told me that he always prays, in the morning, in the middle of the night and all during the day.
He wants God to heal his legs, and it gets me so excited to know that God is forming a clear dependence on him even as a little child. I love seeing God work like this.
Oh…how beautiful..so beautiful! Wow Danielle! Please give Nhloso a hug for me next time you visit him! I’ll pray for him too! So sweet the way God loves his children. If everyone only knew and had the hope and prayers of this one child!
Psalm 119:145
Love you so much!
Mom 🙂
This makes me smile. :]
I know you’re making God smile, too!
Danielle, I am sure that little boy takes comfort that you care and pray for him. Bless your good heart. I have a cousin here who was in Swaziland and still has a “mother” there. My best, virgil
Dear Danielle, what a blessing it was to learn of your work in SD! I’m a cousin of Virgil’s. I lived in Nhlangano, SD in 1970 in my last year of high school, with Charles and Mary Mncwango and family. Mary lives now in Jozini, SA, the family’s homeland and I’m praying I’ll have a chance to see her again there. Charles is home with the Lord. It was an experiment at the time by the American Field Service to have white students living with black families. When we came home, we’d forgotten we were white. The family accepted me immediately as one of their daughters and their Christian faith and love were a huge inspiration to me in planting seeds to bring me to Christ! I am still in touch with my sister Bongi, who lives in Mbabane, and a friend, Busie Masuki, whose family is also in Mbabane, and while she lives in Wash., DC, she goes home several times a year. She is active in helping parentless children back home through a local Catholic school, and others in her own family. She has a sister who runs an AIDs clinic in SD, I think in Mbabane. I would love to have you meet Busie when she comes back over there as she has been a true sister to me since we met all those years ago! I also have a sponsor child, Babhekile Dlamini, who’s part of the World Vision Maphalaleni ADP Project in northern SD. She will be 11 in March. My husband I have friends, Shaun and Deshni Pillay, who are Indian missionaries from Durban, who are planting a church here in CT, and are home now waiting for their visas to return to the US. We’re working with them to keep the connections with our brothers and sisters in that area of the world. My prayers are with you and your team members! God bless you! Louisa Watrous, Mystic, CT
Hey Daniellee… I always read your blog first so I hadn’t read Meagan’s blog to learn of your experience in the hospital with the little one with chickenpox in the dark room. It saddens me that they don’t seem to have enough staff to give the proper care. 🙁 Grandma said that a person with chickenpox can feel sick and need to stay in a dark room. It has an effect on the eyes. Obviously they’re not keeping him clean and his room is not ventilated. I am so sad for him and have to believe your visit to him, in which he may have seem frightened, hopefully let him know that he is not forgotten. Will you see him again? I read the bios on Frank the Tank and Kristen Torres-Toro and got recharged and more affirmation on your leadership! We continue to pray for you and the team and the people there in the Swazi nation. Love you so much….. be strong..Dad says…she/you will! She’s a really strong girl, Margaret!! I know you are!!! XXXOOO
“From the mouths of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.” Ps. 8:2
My bible says that the word praise, can also be translated as strenght. Beautiful, I love it!
So proud of you Danielle! It’s been an honor praying for you!