A typical weekend in Swaziland – football, HIV/AIDS, and preaching

Hey
everyone! I know I just posted a blog on Friday but we are trying to get into
the habbit of our communication days being on Mondays (our off days). So
instead of going more than a week without a blog, I thought I’d write one
today.

For
all of you that have been praying for my computer to work again, thank you!! It
finally turned on again this morning!

So
Saturday we went to the soccer (football) game. There was also a tournament for
the boys under 13. We met a few missionaries from around Swaziland that were
helping to organize the event. Many of these football teams are being discipled
by local Swazi pastors in what is being called whole life coaching. In the
past, there has been a division between the church and football. Now with these
groups the gap is being bridged and they are keeping the young boys and men
involved in God and church through soccer. Pastor Gift told us that according
to testing done last July, in this part of Swaziland, 80 to 90% of the adults
are HIV positive. Something has to change or these young boys will become part
of those statistics, that’s where this idea of whole life coaching comes in.

At
the games, there were some Peace Core Volunteers (PCV) there to talk to the
boys involved in the tournament about HIV/AIDS. We’ve met some of them before
at Matata (the closest town with reliable internet) but there was one of the
PCV that is from Austin! So I had fun reminiscing with her. I’ve mentioned
before that I have no idea what my focus of community education should look
like. Well I now have some ideas after seeing them give a presentation about
it. Ask and you shall receive!

For
those of you praying about me preaching yesterday and for what I should talk
about thank you! I got a lot of guidance Saturday night and Sunday morning. At
the football game, my teammate Jon asked me what I was going to preach about, I
replied I had no idea and he asked me, “Well what has God been teaching
you lately?” Before I knew what I was saying the word
“surrender” came out of my mouth. Its definitely been something I’ve
been learning for the past few years but it has been hitting me hard the past
few weeks. Learning to surrender my plans, wants, desires to what the Lord has
for me, because his plans are going to be so much better than anything I try to
do myself. Even in the simple things, like putting others before myself
especially in my thoughts. As I praying about how to preach about that, I
realized that the only way I can surrender anything is to put my faith and
trust in the Lord alone. So I talked about examples from my own life, Moses
mother having faith and trusting the Lord and Daniel trusting the Lord in the
lions den and his actions leading up to it. Trust in the Lord, easy to say,
difficult to really do and wait on his timing.

Shout
outs to: My parents as it is their anniversary on Thursday and it was my
brother’s birthday on Saturday! Happy Belated Birthday to Mary Carol! Happy
Early Birthday to Thomas Johnson, Amanda Roberts, Joe’s Dad – John and my
cousin Zoe, Aunt Judy!

Love
you guys! Thanks for all of your prayers, keep ‘em coming! And please be
praying for our teammates in Uganda, they have been facing some tough stuff
lately with sickness and other spiritual warfare issues. Thanks everyone!