Ngiya E Piggs Peak (I'm going to Piggs Peak)

Unexpectedly, I received word that I and two other Baha'is are being sent to a small town near Piggs Peak for a two-week long intensive teaching campaign. Our roles will be guides to accompany and encourage Baha'is to carry out the four core activities (devotional gatherings, children's classes, junior youth groups, and study circles about spiritual themes) which are performed by Baha'is everywhere in a collective effort to help our communities socially and economically develop, as well as spiritually develop. We will also help them to teach receptive people about the Baha'i Faith directly. I think that many Baha'is are shy to share the teachings of our Faith because we are forbidden to proselytize, but they fail to realize that every day, every hour even, people become interested in the Baha'i Faith, and should be given the opportunity to learn about it. If we are so shy to share our Faith, it will never grow and we will not be able to achieve our goal - in sum, to unite the world. Our trip is only one of many such trips to help local Baha'is become empowered to help their communities and teach the Faith effectively. I leave Tuesday and will come back in two weeks. I'll be sure to post an entry about my exciting new experiences when I return.

This trip will certainly be eye-opening for me. We will be in a very rural area, in a house with no electricity or running water. Surprisingly, many Swazis live this way, although much of the country is quite developed. It humbles me when I think of how difficult it is for me to even give up a dishwasher, much more so electricity in general.

I feel like even in my short time here, I have already developed spiritually much more so than I did in the entire previous year. I pray and read the Sacred Writings more than ever before, mostly because I'm realizing how powerless I really am, and how much I need that communion with and assistance from God in order to survive spiritual tests, to follow the laws of Baha'u'llah, and to help the Cause of God. I'm realizing how incredibly blessed I am to be a Baha'i in this crucial time in human history, when spiritual depravity, unchecked prejudice, and gross materialism have threatened to destroy civilization (ex. the atomic bomb), and how I am even more blessed to be a part of this world-wide community that is working to break down the crumbling old-world ideas and build a new civilization in its place, in which unity and peace are inevitable. I was sad when I first arrived because I was lost, culturally and otherwise, and I felt that I couldn't do much to help change the world. Now I know that it is impossible for me to feel sad knowing that Baha'u'llah has come to build the Kingdom of God on Earth, and I am a part of that process! I feel on fire with the love of God and I'm ready to serve His people in whatever capacity I can. Opportunity has been practically breaking down my door and now I feel strong enough to answer it and jump into service.I hope that all of you, no matter where you are or what religion you follow, if any, can also feel this power that I do and know that that every act of service, no matter how small, if done with the utmost selflessness, does change the world for the better.

"The betterment of the world can be achieved through pure and goodly deeds, commendable and seemly conduct." -The Baha'i Writings

I still miss home, but I'm so excited about service that I don't feel sad about it anymore. Like I said, how can I feel sad when I'm changing the world?

FOG (Feet On Ground)

I arrived safely in Swaziland on Sunday, January 6th. Dale Allen, the son of the Knights of Baha'u'llah who opened Swaziland (meaning the first Baha'is to pioneer to this country) picked me up from the airport, and he and his wife, Irma, had me over for dinner before taking me to my new home at the school.

My bag arrived safely, albeit 2 days late, with nothing missing or broken (except one headband broke) so I am very happy. I have made friends with the other volunteers; Emmanuel is a young Ugandan who stays in the Hospitality House next door, and Thobile is a 26-year-old Swazi girl who lives in the Caretaker's House with me and the last volunteer, Margaret, who is an older Hungarian woman. Margaret is very motherly and always makes sure I am eating enough. Thobile and the other Swazi Baha'is are helpful with my study of Siswati and Margaret loaned me her Siswati dictionary. I'm learning Siswati slowly, but surely. I can say "I am an American": "Ngiya li Melika."

Although most people are very friendly and everyone is kind, some of the young Swazis keep their distance, out of shyness maybe. That makes me feel lonely, but I when I am with the friends I have made I feel very joyful because they are always laughing and talking.

The two hardest things to get used to are language barriers and the lack of cleanliness. Language barriers, because while everyone speaks enough English, they often choose to speak in Siswati, even if I am involved in the conversation. I have to remind them that I don't understand, and then they translate for me, but they still switch to Siswati often. At those times I feel left out and lonely. Cleanliness is also an issue, because I'm very afraid of getting sick, so I like everything to be super-clean. They bathe daily, but do not wash their hands regularly. They don't mind bugs in the house, or using dirty towels to dry clean dishes. The biggest problem for me is that illness is common here, but nobody bothers to take precautions against it. The Caretaker's House where I live is a center of activity for the community, so people are always around and many eat with us. Because so many people visit, I am very cautious to clean dishes and my things and my hands very carefully because I don't know who is ill that has been at my house.

Ironically, it is the middle of summer here, and the last three days have been rainy and cold. It feels like winter! Apparently this is unusual weather, but it is hard because the house has no heater and I get cold during the day, though at night I can cover myself with wool blankets. It seems like the weather is getting warmer (the fog is lifting some) but I hope that it will be hot again soon!

On January 29th I will start working at the Baha'i Primary School, but for now I am helping to tutor a Ruhi Institute course called "Releasing the Powers of Junior Youth." I am also going to help start children's classes and junior youth groups in the neighborhood because currently there is only one children's class on Sundays. Other than these Baha'i activities, my only other adventure has been to take the combi (a small bus) to town to shop. The town is very small, but "The Mall" is nice and as big as the Oaks Mall near my university in the USA. The only thing that would make it better would be a Taco Bell, but I think I can sacrifice cheap tacos in order to do service for God and for humanity. ;)

The Internet service is spotty and goes out during storms (which happen often), and I can't access this blog or other social sites (like facebook) from the school where I live because they are blocked. When I can, I will go to the Internet Cafe in town to add entries, but not as often as I would like. Regardless, I hope to get responses from all of you to hear how you are doing. You can leave me comments here, or write me emails at this address: maiamily@ufl.edu.

I'll leave you with the short prayer I have been dwelling on the most in the past few days:

"O Lord! Make me a hollow reed from which the pith of self hath been blown, that I may become a clear channel through which Thy love may flow unto others."