It’s been unbearably hot the past few months. “Shisa kakhulu” for the Swazi speakers out there. Thankfully, the last few days saw a drop in temperature, but along with it came the rain. Lots of it. “Liyana kakhulu” as it were. And for numerous reasons, rain was extremely unhelpful for me. For example, I’m trying to coordinate painting the roofs at my office. Everybody I know is getting sick. Two new puppies died at my homestead and more are probably going down that road. So many people owe me money I can’t keep track of it anymore. Of course the list goes on and on.

The simple truth is that I really want to go home. I miss it so very much. I miss my family. I miss my friends. Every once in a while, I think about the short time ago when three of my close grandparents died in the span of two years. When my thoughts move in this direction, I wish to turn back time. Sometimes I wish that I was a small child again, unaware of all the problems in the world. Problems like poverty, injustice, and war. Just like every place on earth, Swaziland has its share of colossal problems. But man oh man is it difficult to live here on your own.

I knew this would be the hardest year of my life, but I never imagined it would be this tough. I don’t regret coming to Swaziland. There is so much that I have learned about myself and the world around me. It’s just that the processes and situations which caused me to learn these things have been really, really difficult to handle.

Anyways…my cousin is visiting next week and we’re going to have a wild and crazy time together. He’s a great friend of mine. I just hope the vacation will rejuvenate me enough to survive the remainder of my time here in Africa.

When thinking of a title for this post, I was originally going to name it just "Books." But then I thought of the legendary Anchorman, Ron Burgundy, and how he loves to chant the name of his favorite drink. If you've seen the movie, you know what I mean. Well enough shenanagens. Here's my literary update that nobody cares about.

The Original Revolution: Essays on Christian Pacifism by John Howard Yoder.
Amazing stuff. Actually, some of the most thought-provoking ideas I’ve ever come across. Here is a description directly from the book: “The author seeks to restate in various moods and modes the conviction that the renunciation of the sword to which Jesus called His disciples is one of the keys to the rest of the problem of Christian faithfulness and to the recovery of the evangelical and ecumenical integrity of the church.”

A Declaration on Peace: In God’s People the World’s Renewal Has Begun by Yoder and others.
Good stuff. Not as incredible as the above title, though. Description from the back cover is as follows: “This text contends that peacemaking is essential to Christian discipleship. It is the vocation of the church as a whole. Moving beyond the traditional debate around pacifism, this statement seeks dialogue concerning a renewed vision of the entire purpose of God in the world.”

Prayer by Philip Yancey.
Could have been a classic if one-third of the text was edited out. He repeats himself quite a bit, but when you hear the idea for the first time, it’s as good as gold. I used this book almost like a devotional. I’m not yet sure if it helped my prayer life, but maybe in time we’ll see.

So that's about all I got. You stay classy, San Diego.

The past week at work I was so busy and stressed that it caused me to become thoroughly sick. Eating a diseased-looking piece of chicken may have contributed to the stomach virus as well, but it wouldn’t explain the head pains and fever. On top of this, I had a major funding proposal to finish by Friday, so I still had to work like crazy, even if it was partly in a state of delirium. The good news is that the proposal was finished (sort-of) in time. It’s quite unique as well. I embedded a case-study of one of our patients, Themba, throughout the different sub-headings of the proposal. See below for one of the pictures which was included. This is actually the only happy-looking one, since he is now a paraplegic and his wife is constantly trying to find money to take care of their two young girls. My boss also advised me to take a picture of Themba’s pressure wounds, which was one of the most horrific sites I have ever seen. For everyone’s sake, I obviously won’t post that picture, but just imagine a six-inch diameter circular hole on the upper area of the rear-end. There is no longer any skin, while the inner parts of his body are easily visible. The reason for this condition is that Themba has been bed-ridden for so long without the proper equipment. It means he can’t sit in a wheelchair because of this extreme pressure sore, forcing him to stay in bed. But staying in bed all the time is unfortunately the cause of the sore. Might make you think of Themba next time a catch-22 situation crosses your path.

Themba and his wife

On a somewhat brighter note, I’ve started doing some vocational rehabilitation with a very pleasant man named Patrick. He has previously been a long-term patient at Cheshire Homes. I’m helping him find employment after a prolonged absence from the work environment due to illness. I find this slightly ironic, though, seeing how I’m also currently applying for jobs back in the States. Although I’ve already had a few set-backs regarding Patrick, I’m fairly optimistic that we’ll be able to find a placement. He’s also a good friend of mine, and if we’re successful, it just might be the most meaningful accomplishment of my year in Swaziland.

my friend Patrick