Delivering HOPE in Swaziland
It’s just over a year since we began engaging church leaders in Swaziland in our HOPE (Holistic Outreach Partnership Empowerment) programme, which looks for lives to be transformed through the local church.
We have been working with 25 local churches, helping them to dentify their own resources and work to solve their issues in their own community with what they have.
And in a country beset by poverty and the highest rate of HIV and AIDS in the world, we are seeing some remarkable results.
Planting potatoes
Like in Kaphunga, where one Pastor Shabangu, from the Resurrected Church, attended the first envisioning sessions organised by Samaritan’s Purse in August 2009. He was so impressed by what he had heard that he returned to his church and challenged them to begin planting sweet potatoes for some of the child-headed homes in the area. When his first crop was ready for harvesting he invited us to come and see what he had achieved with his church. To our amazement the church had planted almost two acres and had grown a very healthy crop of sweet potatoes.
"My church is a different church now, our agenda has changed. We are not just praying and preaching. Now we can also provide tangible nourishment to the suffering. The sweet taste of the potato is the sweet taste of the gospel."
But feeding and caring for orphans isn't the only outcome for churches involved in our HOPE programme.
Challenging perceptions
A tribal chief’s deputy had heard about the soap and polish project which a local church had setup in Khuphaka. Out of curiosity he decided to make an unscheduled visit to a committee meeting held under a large tree to find out what all the excitement was about. He listened very intently to the discussion. As an important member of the community he was given due respect and given an opportunity to speak at the end of the meeting.
He promptly gave a 40-minute talk on how useless the church in the community had always been. Committee members were initially upset to hear him attack the body of Christ in this way before he paused and said: “But this church is different, this church is all about putting right what has kept me from going to church and getting saved all these years. For the first time I hear of a church that has chosen to move out of the pews and demonstrate what God is all about, where it matters.”
He spoke about a Pastor he once knew who always dressed impeccably and always wore suits. He even carried his own folding chair because he feared ruining his apparel by sitting where everyone else did.
“What a useless man!” he retorted. “He was of no use to anyone, just a stooge of the church and community. Is this the Jesus we are told about? No! The Jesus we know washed the feet of others, he got down and dirty solving the people’s problems and empowering them in practical ways!”
Mr Gagagula stood up and, before leaving said: “I will see you all in church this Sunday!”
To read more about the transformation taking place in Swaziland, download a copy of our ‘Delivering Hope – Swaziland’ newsletter.
To get involved in the work we are doing in Swaziland, find out about our Church Partnership programme or make a donation towards our work there.
