Sunday, May 11, 2014

10 Sleepovers

It seems like just moments ago we arose bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and scurried our way to the airport ready to set-off for this beautiful country. Now just hours away from actually crossing the border to Swaziland, albeit a little less bright-eyed and not-so-bushy tailed, but soaking up some comfortable sprawled-out rest in our lovely accommodations (no sarcasm folks, it’s flat-out beautiful), I’m left to reflect on how we arrived here.

For Shelli and I, it began six years ago. Tom Davis first spoke at Capital Church and we eagerly raced back to sponsor our special friend over the last few years: little 8 year old Menzi. That’s where this journey began. Menzi is 14 now. Fourteen. That little boy is almost a young man. Given the circumstances of many teenagers out our carepoint, he is almost certainly more a man than I ever had to be at that age. Six years of growing, changing, writing, praying, and dreaming.

My son has been going on non-stop these last few weeks telling anyone and everyone about his pending “10 sleepovers” with Nana and Boppy (his grandparents that he will be spending time with while we are away). He impetuously refuses to wait for the appropriate moment to interject the conversation with this information and chooses to blurt out mid sentence of anyone who is currently speaking, with hands his tiny hands pressed straight out in front of him all five fingers on each tiny hand sprawled out in emphatic fashion: “Guess what I’m gonna do? I’m gonna have 10 sleepovers at Nana and Boppy’s.” His excitement is so pure and innocent and fun, if not even a little annoying. I imagine I’m a little like that 5 year old boy. Lacing every conversation over the last 6-8 months with my own version of “Guess what I’m gonna do?” Eagerly building up to this adventure at every twist and turn. Purely excited and hopeful and, yes, probably a little annoying. It's finally here. We are finally here!

And now today, after hours upon days of travel, not only do we begin our “10 sleepovers” in Swaziland, but for some of us it’s the culmination of so much more. It’s sponsorship and prayers and hopes and dreams... from all of us at Capital, not just these 14 team members and one little red T-Rex named Sharpy (FYI: you follow Sharpy’s adventures on social media: #SharpyInSwazi), but each of you who have poured into this ministry and these children, physically, financially, personally and spiritually. For years we’ve seen this carepoint grow. For years we’ve corresponded with these children. We’ve prayed for their futures and we’ve cr ied for their trials. We have loved one another. And in just a little over a day we will drive up to that carepoint, grinning from ear-to-ear, on the edge of our seats and we will pour out of that van like a herd of circus clowns and we will laugh, cry, sing, dance, play, hug and love those beautiful children relentlessly for the next 5 days. Your sponsored children. We will pour our hearts into them and we will love them and we will be loved by them. And God will smile on Mkhombokati.

Thank you to all of you who are part of this journey, both new and old, from the beginning all the way up to just days ago. If you are not already part of this amazing journey I encourage you to jump on the bandwagon. I know there are a few children yet to be sponsored, please consider being part of this amazing ministry (you can do so here). Thank you for your prayers, your support, your resources, you energy, for all of it... thank you. Thank you for sending us here, for letting us be part of what God is doing here. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I am beyond ready to start my “10 sleepovers” here in Swaziland. Of course, that means that I actually have to sleep. So for now, I say “goodnight.”

- Kelly J