Welcome to Swaziland (by Liz Patten)
Article Date: 06/07/2009 12:45:21
In the rich Swazi culture, significant power is invested in the monarchy. It
should not surprise us therefore, that God spoke in a vision to a former king, His Majesty King Somhlolo back in the year 1835.
"Sawubona!" (Hello, or Literally, "I see you")
In other words, welcome to the smallest country in the southern hemisphere - the Kingdom of Swaziland. In the rich Swazi culture, significant power is invested in the monarchy. It should not surprise us therefore, that God spoke in a vision to a former king, His Majesty King Somhlolo back in the year 1835.
The King saw white men coming “with a scroll” on the right hand and “a button” (i.e. money) on the left. Reminiscent of the scene in Ezekiel 2, of which he was totally unaware, King Somhlolo advised the nation to take the scroll, “eat” it and live.
The King’s vision was eventually fulfilled by the coming of missionaries, who brought the Bible and education. The Swazi nation accepted and understood the scriptures, to the point that a subsequent king, His Majesty King Sobhuza II, advised church leaders to “go and look for the footprints of the Lord Jesus Christ”, which are obviously to be found in the Bible. He encouraged both the reading and the studying of the Book.
The present king, His Majesty Mswati III, when addressing members of the Royal Defense Force, said: “Every soldier must have a gun and a Bible: the nation without God won’t go too far”. It is certain that the peace and stability in the Swazi Kingdom may be attributed to the wide-spread acceptance of the scriptures. It was in this context that the work of CLC in Swaziland began in 1997 and now has two bookshops, one in Manzini and the other in Nhlangano. Apart from the shops, our team also reaches out with book tables in churches and at open air events, including the annual “Levites Camp”, where many African church leaders congregate for leadership seminars. The CLC ministry is advertised regularly and is becoming increasingly well known.
Swazi team leader Patrick Mhlanga shares his testimony:
"I was born in Nhlangano, in the south of Swaziland where CLC now has a shop. I grew up with my mum but she often left me alone while she travelled to South Africa. Because of that, in my teens I took to alcohol but I really overdid it and as a result I became very sick. Often my mum would leave me without any money for rent or even food, so in the end I started to stay with my friends instead of at home. I liked school, I knew I had to attend school in order to be able to make it. Something extraordinary happened to me though - God started to give me dreams in which He let me know that He was definitely around and that He wanted to help me. Like I said, I became very sick. I remember one time my mum actually took me to a diviner so he could show the future but I told her, "No, it’s only GOD who can help me". After a while, I went to a church with the sole aim to get saved. I was 19 then, and I told God, "Now that I am Yours, please let me work for YOU".
God certainly has answered Patrick’s prayer. Not only is he the leader in CLC Swaziland, but he is determined to get Bibles, books and Christian music everywhere that he can, including some quite unusual places! He is actively involved in promoting Christian resources and appears regularly on Swazi television to do just that!
Patrick also has a vision to support CLC’s work in neighbouring Mozambique, by driving over the border to Maputo on occasions to encourage Alexandre Bila, who works alone in our shop there. Patrick hopes that his visits will enable outreach to be made from the Maputo shop into churches, Bible Schools and conferences. Please pray for our team and ministry in Swaziland and also for Patrick and Alexandre as they plan this new outreach venture and partnership - thank you!
Keywords: Swaziland, Manzini, King, monarchy
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