What just happened?
We have officially been back on African soil for a couple of weeks and were getting back into the swing of things here in Swaziland until this whole Coronavirus thing hit the world. The day after we arrived, we hit the ground running with a team of 12 people who will be serving with us for the whole of March. A few days after that team arrived, we had another team of 20 World Racers who would also be serving with us for the month of March. So, to say that we were a little busy was an understatement! But then things starting changing worldwide and we had to get all of our teams out of the country because borders were starting to close, so within 60 hours, all 3 of our teams in country were in America. But I wanted to give an update on what all happened while we were Stateside on Furlough and currently what is up here with a worldwide pandemic.
For the month of December, we didn’t do any fundraising. We wanted to spend that time with family and friends. Flying to the States, we flew into NYC and spent a few days sightseeing, getting over jetlag and just enjoying some family time before things got crazy! We were so excited about NYC, but our bodies were not prepared for the FREEZING COLD! Poor little Jonathan was dressed in so many layers…and still cold! It was fun to show Bongani and Jonathan NYC and see different famous spots. After NYC, we flew down south to start our crazy adventure of furlough. I will be honest; December was probably the hardest month while being in the States. One thing that I love about Christmas in Swaziland is the slowness of everything and it is all about spending time together with your family and just having a nice meal. I feel like Christmas has gotten way out of control in the States and it was very draining for our little family! Now don’t get me wrong we had some good times as well but talk about some culture shock for all of us!
We started fundraising once January came around and we went all over speaking to churches and monthly supporters. We spent that time sharing what all the Lord is doing in Swaziland and what all we have been up too since we last came to the States. We spoke all through January and up to when we left in February. We had a great time speaking at churches and getting to meet more and new people! Thank you to all of the churches that we spoke at…Stone Ridge Baptist Church, Grace Covenant Worship Center, New Beginning Baptist Church, Compass Church, Mulberry Baptist Church, Cedar Creek Cowboy Church, and Millerville Baptist Church. With this furlough, we were able to pick up a couple more monthly supporters, which we are beyond thankful for. Without your help, we wouldn’t be in Swaziland. So thank you all for the support…financial and prayer!
Now…to give you an update on this worldwide Coronavirus pandemic. We still only have 1 confirmed case of the Coronavirus here in Swaziland. As a lot of people that we work with here are in the high risk of the virus, we as a ministry have made some changes to what every day looks like for now. Every Monday, we usually have our staff meeting, where we gather and worship together and plan for the week. Well since it is a big group, we have decided to not gather on Mondays for the next 4 weeks. Also, since our Bomake/Bogogo are in the high risk, we have closed the carepoints for now. As a ministry, we provided rice boxes for those kids who are child headed or who would simply not eat if the carepoint was closed. We have a risk management team that is keeping up with the situation and keeps us informed. For now, we are self-containing ourselves in our house and enjoying getting to unpack our luggage, wash clothes and keep up with a busy 1 year old!
Thank you for loving on us while in the States and for continuing to pray for us on a daily basis…not just us, but also for the country of Eswatini.
We love you all!
-Bongani, Morgan & Jonathan
