“the joy on the faces of the people”
Introduction
A team of nine from Oasis Church went to Swaziland to work in the Mnisi area. The team comprised David & Nels Trelease(joint leaders), Alan & Sue Hardy with their sons David & Alex Hardy, Anna Neville, Amanda Windsor and Rob Davies.
Summary
The whole trip went extremely well, with no illnesses or injuries, and the whole team worked well together. Pastor Eric, Stoffie and John Potter met us on arrival, and provided great support, information and encouragement throughout. Stoffie made sure we got to places on time, and because of him, we were able to give away many Bibles in the local language
The construction team(mainly the guys) worked with the local builder to construct the walls, install the roof timbers and zinc sheeting, and concrete the floor. Sufficient funds had been raised to purchase doors, windows and glass plus sand and cement for the internal and external rendering for the builder to complete the building after the team departed.
Children’s ministry took place at Mnisi, Phonjwane and Phuzamoya, generally in the mornings, with Bible stories, drama, songs and games which the children loved. In the afternoons, the Oasis ladies did hut to hut visits in these three villages. The “Jesus” film was shown at all three locations, and at Tambuti Lodge where the team were staying.
Ladies’ meetings were held at Mnisi and Phonjwane, and much laughter was heard
The team had taken 47Kg of clothes for the people at Mnisi, which were gratefully received by children and adults alike.
The accommodation at Tambuti Guest House was excellent, and Joy plus her staff went out of their way to make our stay most enjoyable. It was only about 20 minutes drive to Mnisi.
Construction
Prior to the arrival of the team, the builder (Calvin) and helpers had dug out the foundations, concreted them and laid blocks up to damp course level. On arrival, construction of the walls commenced. It was very interesting adapting to the Swazi style of building, but Calvin was very patient with us and we started to get the hang of laying concrete blocks on 50mm thick mortar beds, using rather unorthodox(and rather dangerous!) methods of access as the walls got higher etc. The team soon bonded with Calvin and his helpers, who taught us a number of Swazi words and we had a lot of fun practicing them. We were all very pleased to be able to complete the roof, and the team also commenced digging the pit for the long-drop toilets.
We experienced a miracle of God’s provision concerning the delivery of crushed stone for the concrete. Eric had been trying prior to the trip and during the trip to arrange delivery at a reasonable price, and by Wednesday evening had almost given up hope. When we arrived back at Tambuti, Joy introduced Eric to a guy called David Roberts who happened to be at the bar that evening in the guest house. He was one of the bosses at a South African company who were doing a lot of construction in the area, and he was able to arrange delivery free of charge!!
Clothing, work with children and ladies, evangelism
While the guys were helping to build the church, the Oasis ladies worked with the local children in the mornings, at the three villages in turn. An additional session was held with the children at Mnisi on our last morning as we felt it important to pray for them, and many children wanted to give their lives to Jesus on that last morning. Ages ranged from 2 to 12 years old, and attendance varied between 40-80. Prior to the church service in Mnisi on Sunday, the team conducted Sunday School for two different age groups. The childrens’ clothes which we had taken with us had been sorted out into named bundles, one for each child in the |Sunday School, and after the service, the church members handed these out. Other children received an item of clothing each. Gifts were also left behind, including a parachute for use at the pre-school in Phonjwane, and materials for Sunday school at Mnisi. The adult clothing was later distributed by Pastor Mkaliphi and his wife to the local community and to members of the congregation.
During the afternoons, the Oasis ladies visited from hut to hut in the three villages, with further visits in Mnisi on the Saturday morning, and many gave their lives to the Lord during these visits. The ladies’ team also held two meetings for the local ladies, at Mnisi and at Phonjwane. These were a mixture of fun, Bible teaching, building up self-esteem, teaching on health & hygiene and safe sex, plus sexual abstinence outside marriage. Many questions were asked about the last subject.
We showed the “Jesus” film at Mnisi, Phonjwane and Phuzamoya on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, with an extra showing which the local pastor had requested, at Tambuti Lodge on the Sunday afternoon. We found that reaction to the film in Swaziland was generally very reserved, but on the last evening, many came forward to give their lives to the Lord. There were some interesting problems with the electrics, which some members of the team were able to solve, and at Mnisi, the borrowed generator proved not to be powerful enough. However, a quick phone call to someone in the village produced a more powerful generator, and the film went ahead as planned, albeit a little late! — praise God!
On the last day, just as the team were about to leave, Pastor Mkaliphi introduced us to three orphaned girls, who had no means of support. This reminded us of two ladies in our home church of Oasis who had said before we left that they were willing to sponsor one or more children. We quickly took a photo and obtained names and details of the girls. This was surely God’s plan and purpose in bringing these things together. We saw God’s hand at work so clearly in many things on this trip, and we would not have been able to achieve all that we did without His help — all glory be to Him.
Conclusions
The knowledge and information about the country and it’s culture and people provided by John, Eric and Stoffie was invaluable. John and Eric in particular had a profound effect on the younger guys, and some said meeting them was the highlight of the trip. For others, it was the joy on the faces of the people as they watched their church building being constructed (particularly Pastor Mkaliphi and his wife), and working with the children and the adults. The highlight for some was seeing the local ladies dancing with joy when they received a local language Bible provided by Stoffie. It was also good to watch team members move out of their comfort zones, try new things and grow in self-confidence as the trip progressed.
Our thanks as a team go to all those who worked to make the trip possible, both in the UK and in Africa, to the generosity of the people of Oasis Church in raising funds, donating clothes etc, and to the pastors and people of Mnisi, Phonjwane and Phuzamoya for their warm welcome.
David & Nels Trelease