My mother taught us how to pray. Even from
her sickbed we would hear her praying, and she would often ask us to pray for
her too. So we prayed. Before we left the house, we prayed. When we came back
home and before we went to sleep, we prayed. Even when we knew there was no
food in the house, we prayed. My mother would say, “Pray for food. God will
provide.” And so we prayed and indeed He provided.
I grew up in a town in the northern part of
Eswatini called Piggs Peak. My father worked at a hotel nearby and my mother
was a stay-at-home mom. My 2 siblings and I went to school there and often got
rides with my father. It was just the best! But in 2006, my father got sick and
passed on, and things slowly began to change. My mother was sickly and
struggled to put food on the table. We didn't have school uniforms or shoes for
us to go to school. So my siblings and I would often walk 20km to school and
back - barefoot. Sometimes, the teachers would even send us back.
It was not easy growing up. The walk to
school was not clear terrain; it had thorn bushes and long grass. Not only
that, but the cold winters bruised our feet as we walked. The situation at home
was not getting any better as my mother’s sickness got even worse. So, when I
was 8 or 9, our community came to our rescue. Some elders in our community
contacted social workers around our town and they in turn contacted Bulembu
Children’s Homes.
I arrived at Bulembu in February 2009 with
my two siblings - my younger brother and older sister. It was a scary road
there, and I began thinking that maybe we were being kidnapped, but the two
adults travelling with us assured us that we were going to a safe place. They
told us that where we were going, we would meet many other children just like
us who had been excitedly awaiting our arrival. They had even been asking about
us! So, straight through the forest we went and finally arrived at a BIG house
- our new home!
We were received by 2 big families and an
Auntie who we all called our house mother! The family we joined was incredibly
pleasant. The rooms were divided into ‘boys’ and ‘girls’ rooms, so my sister
and I joined the girls room and my brother found good company in the boys room.
We were so warmly welcomed that it felt just like home.
Life at Bulembu was so good - bathing with
warm water, having new clothes, and being asked what we would like to eat. It
was the best life we could have ever asked for after all that we had been
through. It was a better life than the one we were living before. I continued my
studies from where I had left off in Piggs Peak, in Grade 3. I had shoes on my
feet, a new uniform and had lunch to carry with me to school. My new school was
only a short walking distance away and I had made friends with everyone. It was
JUST SO GOOD!
God blessed me with the opportunity to
receive good education and indeed, I flourished where I was planted. I passed
with distinctions all through my primary and high school education and quickly
adapted to speaking English. Then, I applied to Regent Business School in
Manzini (Eswatini). When I applied there, I found that the full-time classes
were full. So, I opted to learn part-time. However, this presented a problem
for me. Bulembu was very far from Manzini, so I would need a place to stay
nearby.
The favour of God upon my life was ample in
that it did not take long for a solution to present itself. In the same year
that I applied to Regent, CMS needed an intern in the Accounts department. So,
straight from high school, I was able to join CMS as an intern in accounting
while studying Accounting and Human Resource at Regent Business School. I
graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in December 2021.
The journey is far from over for me. I
still want to spread my wings. I would love to start my own business one day
and be competent enough to run my administration. In the future, when I have
the capacity to provide employment for others, I would love to still understand
the ins and outs of my business and be in a position to apply sound decision
making, especially in terms of finance and administration.
Today, I am grateful to the parents who
raised me and the community that saw my family’s need and reached out to help
when we couldn’t. I am also immensely grateful to Bulembu Children’s Homes. God
brought them in the midst of our despair. I can only imagine what would have
happened if my mother had died. We probably wouldn’t have even gotten the
opportunity to go to Bulembu. But she lived, and was able to take better care
of herself because we had someone taking care of us. When Bulembu took us in,
they treated us as their own. We were raised in a good environment - a place we
can call home. Even today, if ever I want to visit, I am more than welcome.
Bulembu Ministries saw a future in us. They
saw leaders and never gave up on us. Sometimes we misbehaved as all children
did, but they corrected us with love, and continued to support us in all the
ways they possibly could. They continued to sponsor us in all areas of life
that they could. So as I look at my future, I feel even more grateful, knowing
that I can spread my wings because I was given a good platform to stand on. I
was given a good foundation on which I can build.
Beyond the physical things we can control, my heart is filled with gratitude for the gift of life. This life I live is quite the miracle. You know, while growing up and seeing my mother sick, I often wondered if tomorrow would come. When we slept on empty stomachs and didn’t know where the next meal would come from, I didn’t know if I would continue to live. But perhaps because my mother is a prayerful mother, we got to see another day. And so it’s this one thing I would like to tell people … pray.
I believe we are where we are today as a family because of prayer. Prayer works! Today, my family remains a close-knit family. My younger brother, my older sister, my mother and I, are each on our different journeys but held together by the same God - a God who continues to fight for our lives, and our cause - His purposes. I often communicate with my siblings and maintain a close relationship with them and my mother. I can’t begin to express my gratitude for these relationships and for the improvement of my mother’s health over the years. She is getting better and can take better care of herself than when we were all home. To God be the Glory!
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