I've come to the end of my first month in Swaziland. It's been an overwhelming time, one that seems entirely too short to have incorporated so much. After being pulled by the Spirit into many ministries, studies, and relationships I finally find myself settling in. To "settle" for me at this point means not to find a place of contentment, but rather a place of willingness. To put it simply, I've begun to abide and settle into the spirit. It is very evident to me the blessing that follows after pressing in to what the Holy Spirit desires. I have countless stories and accounts giving praise to the Spirit, ones that would not do Him justice with my short blurbs. Nonetheless (as Davie would say) I will describe several highlights so you can get a better image of what these blessings have been all about.

            It would be most convenient for everyone if I just ran through a typical "Spirit driven" day, although typical isn't very appropriate seeing as the Spirit is full of surprises. That being said, I'll just dive right into it and try to organize the latest events. I'll begin with team discipleship. The eighteen of us come together on Tuesday and Thursday mornings to discuss the book of Romans. We've been reading one or two chapters individually throughout the week so that we can be prepared for the two hour long conversation we'll have as a team. The hours entail a rereading of the chapter along with the exchange of thoughts, insights, and questions; pretty standard stuff. To be perfectly honest, although we had good intentions, rarely was the spirit ever a part of our meetings. I don't doubt that He brought clarity to many of the things we read, but fear tended to run our discussions. It was only until the fourth meeting that the spirit was let run wild and our hearts along with Him. We didn't lose our intellectual stance on the scripture, but it was made into a product of truth rather than a product of fear. We even admitted as a team that a lot of us would only voice up when we were sure that our words would impress others. What good is it to say something profound and not have it change your life? This realization made room for honesty, tears, and more questions. I love questions. It means more seeking is required as the Lord is the only one who can give a clear answer. I ended up getting the most out of our time together that day, and I don't even think we finished reading the chapter. Since then, we've only had two other team discipleships, but they've been fruitful. I can see our tense hearts and minds being "unhinged" so that we may be moved to settle into the Spirit through our readings. There's part A of our days. Moving onto part B:

            As I've mentioned before, my main ministry here in Swaziland is at the Hope House. I've been visiting with the patients and their families there on a pretty consistent basis. My two teammates, Layne and Sarah, and I have been amidst laughter, suffering, death, healing and of course awkwardness during our time at Hope. In fact, we had the privilege of experiencing all of the mentioned in one day alone. It was extremely overwhelming, but extremely Spirit-filled. We begun this visit embracing the awkward by heading towards the house of Jabulile, a primary school teacher her sacrificed many of her days caring for her sick father, who we've come to know as Makhulu, meaning "grandpa" in SiSwati. We arrived to find that Jabu was teaching for the day so that left her non-English speaking sister and mother taking care of Makhulu. We definitely contemplated leaving after 10 or so minutes of silence, but anyone who does house visits knows that silence is embraced. Allowing the Spirit to lead rather than following our human tendencies made for one sweet hour. It was filled with a lot of fanning, a tasty lunch, and many laughable moments. After having created some good memories the three of us went to see a couple and their three year old daughter whom we gave a puzzle to the previous day. We walked in to find that the 1000 piece puzzle might not have done the trick as it had been packed away. Choosing to take no offense to this, the three of us took our seats and observed the unbreakable bond between a mother and her daughter. We may not have been able to give anything outside of our presence, but we most certainly were blessed by them and the love that filled their relationship. The encouragement that came through this visit pushed me to suggest something that would be more difficult. We ventured towards a home that was burdened with intense suffering. A KhoKho (grandma) was dealing with the affliction of her HIV+ son. On my last visit I had learned that she already lost her firstborn of 9 children to AIDS. Praise God that she had the help and support of her third son, a high school teacher, during their time at Hope House. So knowing all this, we three girls were eager to lend our support through love and prayer as we made our way to this destination. We were taken aback to find the house being cleaned out by the nurses. Apparently he had passed away over the weekend. My heart was shattered. It's hard to describe what really went on during the next fifteen minutes. I certainly didn't expect to step out of the darkness so soon, but the Spirit proved it to be possible. Desiring some consistency, we girls went to visit with our friend Sihle, whom we see on a regular basis. She's been recovering nicely since the first time we met with her, so it wasn't a surprise to find that she'd been detached from Hope House and now living back in the swing of things. Praise God! She had really grown with the Lord during her time at Hope and we are so pleased to see the immense blessings He has showered on her. Her birthday is on the 22^nd of this month, so we plan on seeing her next week to celebrate with lunch at KFC, her favourite. The Holy Spirit allowed this discovery to lift our spirits once again, so we decided to take a risk and go to a home we had never been to. The patient, a young lady named Nomsa, was in a dreadful state. She was extremely weak and barely talked. The few words that were said were making reference to her death, and the contentment she felt. Her trust in God was inspiring, but all of us felt the Spirit pulling us toward a greater sense of hope. As we listened to her speak of her children the feeling was solidified. It took courage, a definite abiding in the Spirit, but we finally confirmed her belief that she could be healed and prayed for it. Once again, it's difficult to describe what really went on during those moments, but the movement of the Spirit was incredible. I'm so happy to say that she is getting stronger each day and has many visitors who fellowship in a joyful atmosphere. What a day! As Sarah stated to me afterwards, "We saw all sides to servant hood and the blessing that comes with it; from laughter, to fellowship, to death, to victory, and finally to life.

            With all that said, I have to reiterate my previous statement and admit my inability to record all of the blessings the Lord has revealed since my "spiritual settlement". Even today, I must have encountered ten possible blog stories! I look forward to writing more as I'm led. In the mean time I leave you with some wise words from my most recent reading, "Rees Howells: Intercessor"

John 15:7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will and it shall be done unto you." As this "abiding" was to take such a central place in his future life of intercession, it is important to see what the Holy Spirit taught Mr. Howells about it. This key text, John 15:7, makes it plain that the promise is unlimited, but its fulfillment depends on the abiding. That is why in all cases of intercession; Mr. Howells constantly spoke of guarding the "place of abiding."

            The scriptural key to abiding is in 1 John 2:6, "He that says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk even as He walked." In other words, it meant being willing for the Holy Spirit to live through him the life the Saviour would have lived had He been in his place.

            The way Mr. Howells maintained this abiding was by spending a set time of waiting upon God every day during the period in which the intercession lasted. The Holy Spirit would then speak to him through the Word, revealing any standard that he was to come up to, particularly in the "laws of the Kingdom" – the Sermon on the Mount. Any commandment the Spirit gave him, he must fulfill because the way of abiding is the keeping of His commandments (John 15:10). The Spirit would also search his heart and throw light on his daily life, revealing any motives or actions that needed confession and cleansing in the Blood.

            ... During the first week of abiding, the Lord spoke to him nightly on many things. "He began to deal with my nature," he said, "and show me things I never dreamed were there,getting deep down to my motives. It was a daily dying.