Here's what I wrote for Crestwood's newsletter, The Crest, just before we left for the trip. Might explain a little more about Ndomiso for those of you who don't know!
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In a few weeks I will be returning to Swaziland. This time Lindsay Toll will be joining me as a representative from Crestwood along with ten other members of our mission team from Indiana, Vermont, Cynthiana, and Lexington.
Experiences that were written on my heart in Swaziland two years ago changed things in my life and the lives of our team. I have an image of Andrea Nielsen holding a big-eyed, snot-nosed Swazi child who had attached himself to her one afternoon following the church service. His belly was bulged and he appeared sick and. I believe she would tell you that he was one of many seeds that lead her to Lillie. I can recall my own joy as I eagerly gobbled up every word of siSwati Joseph taught me and the thrills it gave me to listen to the musical cadence of my Swazi friends' voices and discover new awe at language.
Swaziland showed me the power of connections formed with people living a world apart from me. My Swazi friend Ndomiso, stripped of a future by the death sentence of HIV, transformed my perspective on my own life and the opportunities I am blessed with every single day. She's just a year older than I am, but she cannot dream and plan and delight in all of life's possibilities the way I can. Talking to her was like talking to any dear friend of mine. Our conversation was easy, comfortable, and punctuated by smiles and laughter. She still has a sparkle of youth and vigor in her eye, despite the visible weakness of her body. Meeting Ndomiso gave me new respect for the way the Swazis live: with pure, undeniable joy in the face of overwhelming sorrow. I don't know how long Ndomiso will continue to live on this earth, but her story will live forever in my heart because I've known her.
I am returning to Swaziland because for me the story is not over. I am going to return to the people I love , to grab for hope and faith through understanding, and to offer what skills I have to ease their pain. When I come home to Crestwood, I will again want to tell you the stories of my family in Swaziland, about the lives they lead in a land riddled by disease and injustice. The people of Kukhany'Okusha have called me again to tell their stories. I know you will listen.
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