I attend a woman's Bible study every Wednesday, we have been doing a study on hearing the voice of God. A few weeks ago while we were going over the homework someone challenged the group to not just hear God's voice but to do what He says and to do it immediately. A lot of times we know God wants something from us and we intend to get to it eventually. A lot of times eventually never comes around and that thing that God has called us to is forgotten completely. We miss out on becoming more intimate with God as a result and whatever other blessings that God may have had in mind based on our obedience to His voice.

 

All that being said, I went home that day, encouraged and excited. What was God asking me to do? How would I know it was God? Would it be something that I would willingly respond to in His time and not my own? That night as I was trying to go to sleep, I started having all these great ideas of how I could bless the people of Swaziland. I spent at least 3 hours lying there and planning out all this stuff I could do for people. I knew of a church that has been raising money FOREVER, just for some new chairs, I could easily give to them. I knew of a girl that was trying to get into university and had spent all her resources just on transportation to get the right paperwork in, leaving no money left even for a meal. I see children all the time in rags, others that can't be in school because of school fees, mom's that need formula for their babies.  And the list goes on.

 

Then I thought of the children in Nsoko, those sweet sweet children that don't have shoes, the ones that wear rags that are shredded in many areas, the ones that eat only if the carepoint has food that week. The children that are raising their siblings because one or both parents in dead and many times the other had abandoned them. The ones who come to play at the Center in Nsoko because they know they won't be turned away no matter what. These same children sometimes sleep on the porch of the center because there is no one to go home to. These are the children that God has called me to do a clothing drive for. It seemed like so little for their so many needs, but I knew without a shadow of a doubt that God was telling me to do it and to do it immediately. 

 

I started calling around to a few missionary families in the area that I knew had children and asked if they wanted to donate, I then went through my own stuff and pulled out the clothing that I won't get back into no matter how I watch what I eat, I grabbed shoes that I never wear. Then I asked a team that was leaving if they wanted to donate anything for this clothing drive. There was a family on the team and so more kids clothes, but adult sizes. I then ran out to a store to purchase girls and boys underwear. As I was about to drive the 90 min. drive to surprise the pastor and the children, I passed by a truck on the side of the road, a man was selling oranges in bags of 30. I bought 4 bags and was finally on my way.

 

 

When I got to the carepoint, I told the pastor my intention and he was thrilled, him and his wife were so thankful, they do what they can, sometimes giving children food and leaving theirs with none for a night. We organzied the kids by age, youngest to oldest and washed all their hands and feet and faces, then we redressed them in the new clothes and gave them all an orange. We got to the adults and were able to bless them with new things as well and gave them all an orange.

 

 

God is so amazing and I am so thankful that I listened to His voice, because I was blessed beyond anything I could imagine that day. One little boy got a new pair of sneakers and socks. He started strutting around and the older children kept calling out to him what nice shoes they were. I never saw a boy so proud to wear used shoes.  At the end of the day everbody was dressed in clothing the right size and there was about one black bag left of clothing we hadn't used. Nobody went home without something new. About 90 people in all.