12p0601sw - Ministry details & Packing Info.

Hey Swaziland team,
It’s finally time to give you a few more details about your trip! This summer is going to be an incredible one where you’re going to see God do great things in you, and in the people of Swaziland. It will be hard at times, but know that it’s all worth it. Get excited!

You guys will be working with our AIM Base in Swaziland! The team may stay in Manzini (city) the whole time, or they may want to take you guys up to Nsoko (village) for a few weeks to work on the project up there. AIM Swazi’s vision is: To see the Swazi people provided with a life-giving church body, become economically stable, and to overcome AIDs.

Your team’s main ministry in Swazi will focus on developing 4 “Carepoints”: infrastructure, discipleship, church, and sustainability. This will include working at the 3 new large Carepoints in Mazini and working with AIM staff/volunteers at those care points, do street ministry, and visitation in the Mazini hospital. In Nsoko the main focus will be building relationships. Visitation of families and people in the community throughout Nsoko is key! Learning the culture and taking part it will really help is building relationships. Also, there are lots of people that hang around the compound in Nsoko. So if specific ministry is not scheduled for teh team, pray about and be proactive in how you can continue to do ministry wherever you are.

Check out AIM Swazi’s website for more information about their work in Swaziland. (Please do not contact the ministry on your own or allow your parents to contact them either. We want to protect and honor their privacy.)

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Cultural Norms and Sensitivities:

Religion: Freedom of religion was only established recently in 2006. The Government generally respects freedom of religion in practice. Although indigenous religions are not widely practiced, traditional Swazi culture remains strong, and important ceremonies, such as the Incwala and Umhlanga have religious overtones.

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There is a general packing list that can be found in your Profile by going to Mobilization Info tab and then to the preparation section. There are no additional items that you need to bring.

These are already listed on the general packing list but I want to emphasize them:

Sleeping bag and pillow (there are things called Sleeping Bag liners that are like thin sheets. These are good in case it’s cold to double up in your sleeping bag, or if it’s super hot, you can just use that instead of your sleeping bag.)
Sweater or jacket
Headlamp (flashlights are fine too…but headlamps are AWESOME because you get to have both hands free. Hands-free is good for middle of the night bathroom runs, reading while your teammates are sleeping, and even for dance parties!)
Water bottle (Nalgene brand is really great.)

Thank you SO much for your patience as we worked to get this information to you and, as always, if you have any questions about anything listed here, please let me know!

Lauren Williamson

Email: laurenwilliamson@adventures.org

Phone: 770-983-1060 x 231