The Story of Gege: Part 1, Meet the Zwanes

This is part 1 of a 5 part story telling about the Christmas party I got to be a part of in Swaziland last month...
Meet the Zwanes. Make (Mah-gay, Swazi name for "Mrs.") Zwane is the Vice Principal at one of the schools I used to teach bible study at in Swaziland. I met Make Zwane in 2006 and we hit it off almost immediately. She became like a mother [the literal meaning of "make" (mah-gay)] to me during my stay in Swaziland by always checking up on me throughout the week to see how I was doing and always had an open invitation for me to stay at her home. Make Zwane and I would usually talk and pray before I would teach the bible studies and one week she asked me to pray for the people in the church where her husband was a pastor.

Babe (bah-bay, Swazi name for "Mr.") Zwane's first wife passed away a few years ago and married his current bride 4 years ago. In Swaziland it is normal for a pastor in a rural area to have another job because the congregation cannot financially support him and his family. Babe Zwane is no exception; he also works for the government. Babe Zwane grew up in Gege and raised 5 children there but Make Zwane is still transitioning from urban Swaziland to rural Gege, located on a bumpy, African, dirt road about 1 hour in the dirt from the main road. I mention that because she isn't used to the situation that is so common in so many rural areas in Swaziland. She couldn't believe that people were literally starving, that parents die leaving children to raise their younger siblings alone etc; she has an outsider perspective like I do.

While at first Make Zwane asked the Lord why He had chosen her to live here and go to church here (Apostolic Faith Church of Gege, pictured above) she now believes God put her there to help tend to the needs of the congregation. She has told me countless stories about how she will unexpectedly receive some money and on Sunday someone will tell her a need that costs the exact amount she received earlier that week.

I went to Gege last year for the first time and the only way I can describe it is"death". Normally in Africa there are people walking up and down the roads, sitting outside of their houses chatting, etc but when I went to Gege it was eerily quiet. As we drove past houses Make Zwane showed me countless households where the whole family had died. The parents died because of HIV and the children starved. Make Zwane and I have prayed for this community so much during my stay in Swaziland.

About 1 month ago (2 months after I'd returned home from Swaziland) I was sitting in my room praying and the Lord prompted me to call Make Zwane. I'd tried to reach her countless times that month with no avail but of course this time she answered the phone. I let her talk as I didn't want to prompt her i.e. "The Lord told me to call you" - I just wanted to hear what was going on.

Within a few minutes she began talking about the people in Gege. She said the people are literally starving. The elderly people in her church could no longer come to church because they were too weak to walk. The children also constantly ask her for something to eat when they come to church. She gives where she can but her finances are also limited. Then she told me her desire to throw a Christmas party for the people in her church and send them home with food that would last a month. I asked her how much it would cost for everything and told her I would pray the Lord to provide. I hung up the phone and sent out a few emails telling people here of the need...

...more to come tomorrow