I asked some of the people that joined on the Vision Trip to Swaziland, Africa this past two weeks to write down some of their experiences or thoughts… this is from Debi Ferrarello; mother, wife, co-laborer
In C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe four children step into a wardrobe in the English countryside and step out into another world called Narnia where everything is different. Going to Swaziland was, for me, a Narnia experience. The biggest differences are not in the vegetation or topography but in the culture, the priorities, and the sense of God’s presence.
On my Pennsylvania home side of the wardrobe, I am ‘Type A’, driven, living by lists and moving at a ridiculous pace. On the Swazi side, I am patient, unhurried, and much more in tune with the Holy Spirit. My currency changes completely as my focus shifts from tasks to moments, people, and things of eternal significance look at child deeply and communicate worth and the love of Jesus to this one. And this one. And yes, absolutely, this one, too.
As a mother in Pennsylvania, I would send my children off to school with a blessing. I laid my hands on their heads and prayed to the Father on their behalf. It was an honor, in Swaziland, to lay hands on a child of two, of ten, of twelve or more years, and intercede for each one. When they are just one of many small children whom no one calls their own, who looks into their eyes? Who touches their soul? Who prays for them? It was an honor to be able to do just that.
What might be my most touching moments came on the very last day of the trip. With a couple of hours before our flight, several of us visited a care point nearby. A young girl of perhaps two stretched out her arms to be picked up. I eagerly complied, whispering words of love. As I held her close, her little body relaxed into sleep. I, the list-making, overachieving, ‘busy’ woman, just sat and rocked this dear little one as I sat on a bare cement step. So clearly my heart heard my Savior tell me, “Be my arms. Hold my baby.” I will be forever grateful for the holiness of the moments and the lessons learned about life. I do believe that I will carry that lesson back through the wardrobe!
