One day at a Time!

A Day in the Life of Lia:

I pick one of my two skirt options to wear for the day and walk on over to the kitchen to eat the meal one of the girl teams has prepared. The only teams here on base are the girls as the guys are in the city doing other work. Once my team has finished our morning devotional, I step outside on the red dirt road with one of my teammates. The two of us head early to the care point to help teach in the “Anchor Center” preschool.

Upon walking through the door of the cement, ramshackle and stained building, all the little voices call out with one of the few English phrases they have been taught, “Hello, my friend! My friend!”

We teach them, play and dance with them. It’s a complete joy to dance with all my energy while the jumble of 3-foot-tall kids dance around me, each trying to hold my hand or be the one grabbing onto my skirt. Their joy overflows and fills me.

Our preschool time soon ends and we head outside to the playground where all school grades meet after classes. The preschool comes out first and the primary school comes out next as classes end.

All the while, my team of 5 girls and I lift kids up to the monkey bars and answer to the high pitch cries of “My friend! My friend!” My arms grow tired but I am filled with energy from the Lord.
Sometimes I hold a kid on my lap while we both just silently think and ponder our lives (though our thoughts are likely polar opposites).

Lunchtime arrives as a break from playtime. We eat our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and our apple and our “nik naks” (the Swazi version of Cheetos) for lunch. At the same time, the masses of children eat their rice mixture for lunch. How I wish they could have a balanced meal even once a day!

Once everyone has been released from school, all the children from preschool to high school come to the small playground. I chat with the older ones who know English while carrying or lifting the younger ones who simply want attention. So many little ones come up to me, looking up into my eyes to ask, “What is your name?” And I say, “Lee-ah” And they repeat either contemplatively or laughing, “Lee-ah.” Yup, that’s me.

Ungubanilikamalakho (Oong-goo-bah-nee-lee-kah-mah-lah-koh): What is your name?

Unangakiwemunyaka (Una-nn-gah-key-way-moo-nia-kah): How old are you?

I have learned some phrases of Seswati, the language here, from one of my middle school friends who speaks very good English. His name is Mokosonke, but his nickname is Coffee so I call him either interchangeably. I am continuing to gain words in Seswati to better communicate with the other children.

After a hot day (or chilly- there have been many days with cool weather here!) of playing and playing, I return to base (a whopping 30 second walk) and just sit and think. I think about my day, I think about the Lord, I think about all my questions in my life right now. But I have come to the conclusion that the Lord doesn’t want me to try to solve all my big questions at once. He is helping me to ask Him each day, “Lord, what do you want me to do right now?”

Please keep praying for: to be able to live for the moment with joy!
Please also pray for: strength of mind to rely on the Lord’s plan when I desire to make my own faulty plans.

I love and cherish you all!

With my heart, Lia.