Yes, I am glad to be your father…

Nqobile (No-bee-lay) is one of my African daughters who I dearly love.  I met her a couple years ago when I first visited Swaziland – we instantly became friends; when I was leaving from that trip, I promised her I would be back. When I showed up with my family almost a year later – she ran up to me, tears streaming down her face, “You did what you said, you came back, people never come back, but you did”! 

Nqobile is humble, in love with the Lord and full of life… she calls Lisa “Queen Mother” (that is what they call the mother of the King of Swazi, she is really the one that runs things here) and she calls me her American Father, or just dad.

Just before Christmas she was involved in a roll-over accident with the rest of our Swazi discipleship team that we have here.  I went to meet them at the hospital as soon as I got the call.  Nqobile’s arm was twisted, her knee looked like it was broke and she had blood on her head and face. When I first arrived she just started crying and said, “dad, you’re here, it’s going to be ok now” and it was… pastor Walter and I laid hands on her, asked God to make the bones straight and heal her body – she left a few hours later with NO broken bones and ready to go once again.

The other day I asked her if the Lord was speaking to her about marriage and if He had put anyone special in her heart. As we talked about how the Lord brings us our life-long mate and how it is a gift; that we don’t have to even look for the person – God has been waiting to introduce us and awaken our heart – she looked at me and said, “oh, you are being my dad right now aren’t you; you are fathering me”, and in tears, once again, she said “thank you”.

When we have to leave Swaziland, people like Nqobile is what we will carry for the rest of our lives… thanks for being my Swazi daughter, Nqobile, I am proud of you…and, yes, I am fathering you…