garyblack - Why should you care about Swaziland?

From Seth Barnes, as he was preparing to leave for Swaziland yesterday. Today, he and I are connecting in Africa for the vision trip we are leading:

What is going on in this country? These
are real people who are coping with the implosion of their country as
AIDS consumes it in ever more terrifying ways. They live in a country
consumed by death, a place with a 30-year life expectancy, the world's
lowest. It plays itself out daily in the whimpers of hungry children
and in the conversations of Becca Christian. Whatever else I'm doing,
whatever you're doing, how does it stack up to this? What do we say at
the end of our lives to a God who asks us to care for the poor and
needy who are just a plane ride away?

Tomorrow
Karen and I put our money where our mouth is - getting on a plane to
Swaziland. We're going to one of the worst sections of the country to
spend the better part of a week with 300 orphans who have nothing - no
parents, no food, no real homes, no prospects. They've never lived in
a place where getting a hug was normal. They've lived their whole lives
with the dull throb of pain - hunger, fear, loneliness, sickness. It never goes away.

I'm serious about this stuff. We need to do something other than
just
figuring out how to make our lives a little more comfortable here in
America. Sometimes we make this out to be more difficult than it needs
to be. Could you comfort a teenager who just found out they have
AIDS? Could you hug ten orphans every day and tell them that they're
special? Could you encourage a pastor who has buried half his
congregation?

If you could do these kinds of things, and if you can commit to
listening more than you speak, and if you don't mind living simply,
then you can spend a year alongside Becca. You say money is an issue?
You can live in style on $1000/month. You worry about the language?
They speak English.

Four
years ago God introduced me to Swaziland and its nightmare and two
years ago he told me to apply Isaiah 58 by bringing them right into my
own home. Two months ago my son answered the call to Swaziland - too
late to help baby Moses, but not too late to bury him and
comfort his mother.

When he spoke to me, God told me that many of the people I hang
out with would get to do this stuff. I hope that includes many of you
reading this blog right now. And if it doesn't, I hope that what
you're doing is something that makes God smile and leaves you
fulfilled. Otherwise, let me bold and challenge you this way: You
really should join me.

No, you can't get on the plane tomorrow. But join me in
committing to something bigger than your present world and it's
demands. Join me in making a difference in this world. Two couples I
know (the Bowmans and the Deetlefs) went there and got so wrecked they're going back to bring a little hope to some of these people.

Some of you really should read through that list above and pray
something like this: "God, if there are any of these people who I can
love in some way, please show me. And I don't have a clue what that
might look like. Still, while I may be busy and I may be a little
conflicted, God, I'm available if you want to tap on my shoulder."

And if he does that, there are many of us who will help you figure out what to do next.