Recently one of the students on my team had her dad come and visit here in Swaziland.  This is his perspective on what is going on here in Swaziland.

"My name is Gary Oppito. My daughter Karen is a member of the AIM team in Swaziland.

This past Wednesday, I returned from a visit to the team. Attached is a brief summary of my experience.

Candidly,
it is difficult to find the words to express my feelings. The team is
amazing and the work they are doing is truly unbelievable."

Gary Oppito

One Dad's Observations of Swaziland

 
I'll begin by telling you
something that you already know - your child is amazing!
  This team is comprised of 19 very special
young people.
  Individually and
collectively, they have an incredible love for God, for the Swazi people and
for each other.

 It can be difficult for a
group of strangers to work together for a long period of time in an unfamiliar environment.
  Differing personalities and outlooks can
create a lot of stress.
  You need not
worry.
  This team has truly bonded and
they have become close friends.
  Watching
them interact was a blessing for me.

 Each team member has many
individual gifts.
  Collectively, their
gifts are changing lives.
  As their
parents, we have been truly blessed.
 
  

 Although my trip was
relatively brief (5 days), there were so many highlights.
  One of my favorites was Orphan Weekend.
  On Friday and Saturday, March 9 and 10, the
team hosted hundreds of orphans for a cookout, an overnight stay and a couple
of days of fun and games.
 
 Orphan Weekend is hard to describe - sort of
like

Woodstock
but without the drugs and music.
 

 About

3 PM
on Friday, buses and trucks began to arrive.
  Dozens of small children emerged from the
vehicles until there were hundreds of Swazi kids everywhere you looked.
  The team members were like a giant magnet…the
Swazi children raced into their open arms and the next several minutes were
spent giving lots of hugs to the kids.
 

 On Saturday, going on very
little sleep, the team was even more amazing.
 
There were games, plays, bible verses and much more.
  Despite the heat (which, at times was
oppressive) and the lack of sleep, your child never stopped smiling and never
stopped loving the Swazi children.
  Their
energy and positive attitudes was truly inspiring,

 On Sunday, we divided into
two groups and attended local churches.
 
After the service, a man introduced himself and told me how proud he was
of me.
  I assumed he meant that he was
proud of our children and I told him so.
 
He smiled and said, "We're all proud of your children and we are
grateful for the work they do.
  But,
we're also proud of their parents.
  To
let your child go so far from home to care for strangers in a foreign land,
well that takes great faith.
  For that,
we are proud and very grateful."
 I
thought you should know that.

 There were so many other
highlights…their work at the hospital and the squatter's school; their caring
for the kids who simply show up at the house; their love and concern for each
other; their devotion to God.
  It rightfully
makes a parent proud.

 Monday was the team's off
day.
  Surprisingly, it was the only time
I saw them stressed.
  Ninety minutes in
the Internet Café was a zoo.
  I watched
as each team member tried to e-mail a summary of the past two weeks, answer
e-mails, "talk" on-line via instant messaging and keep one eye on the
clock.
 

 The computers are so slow
and the room (supposedly air conditioned) was so hot, it made for a very
stressful time.
  If your child's
correspondence is lacking information, it's not intentional.
  They are limited in what they can do.
  And, know that they love you very much.

 Later that day we all went
to a game preserve.
  That night, we had
dinner at one of Manzini's better restaurants.
 
By then, the team was relaxed and ready to start all over again.

 On Tuesday, I left
(reluctantly) with a deeper appreciation of what they do and how
extraordinarily well they do it.
  These
young people are loving servants of the Lord and are very special people
indeed.
 

 I now have a better
appreciation of what they do.
  I'm very
proud to have gotten to know each of your children.
  They are some of the most loving and devoted
people I have ever encountered.
  You must
be very proud, indeed.

Here are some questions that
may be on your mind (I know my wife and I have been asking these
questions).
  I'll do my best to answer
these and any others you may have:

Is my child safe?
 
Is he/she healthy?

Yes and yes.
 

 The area where they live
appears very safe, and they look after each other.
  The four young men especially are very
protective of the young women on the team.

 While I was there, other
than a few cases of minor stomach disorders, everyone was very healthy.
  There have been no major weight losses and no
major illnesses…things that topped our "worry list".
  They are eating well (their cook, Juliet,
makes them good meals) and they are eating healthy.
  (While they may be tiring of peanut butter
and jelly for lunch, they do eat a lot of fruit.)

 They all look great and they
are loving life.
 

Where do they live?

They live in a compound of
four houses that is located about 7 miles east of Manzini.
  It is a rural setting, set back from the main
road.
  Two Swazi families live in two of
the houses.
  The guys live in one and the
girls in the other.

 
What are the houses like?

"Rustic" doesn't begin to
describe them.
  No air conditioning.
  No running water.
  No indoor plumbing (ie. no indoor toilets).
  Fifteen girls live in a 2-bedroom house.
  Four guys live in a 1-bedroom house.
 

 You would think it would
close in on them…and you'd be wrong.
 
They appreciate what they have.
 
Their attitude is:
  "There are
things you need and things you want.
  We
concern ourselves with the things we need."

 Despite roughing it for
three months, they have not abandoned personal hygiene.
  They still are very much young men and young
ladies.

What kinds of activities did they do while you were
there?

The team was divided into a
couple of groups.
  While I was there, one
group worked at the local hospital (counting pills in the pharmacy, comforting
patients, sharing Scripture, holding babies and more).
  The other group worked at the squatter's
school.
  They teach a variety of lessons
to the children of the very poor.

 I believe they also work at
a sports academy and the Care Points (gathering places for the kids), but,
because of Orphan Camp, the schedule was modified.

What is

Swaziland
like?

It is unlike anything that I
expected.
  It is a country of natural
beauty and with beautiful people.
 

Who is on the team?

The team leaders are:

• Cassie
  
• Dawn
  
• Quentin
  
• Mike
  

The guys are:

• Cody
  
• Nate
  

 The girls are:

• Cassidy
  
• Courtney
  
• Davy
  
• Emily
  
• Esther
  
• Hannah
  
• Happi
  
• Karen
  
• Lauren
  
• Michelle
  
• Rachel
  

• Shannon
  
  

• Shelly
  

Are they really making a difference?

Your children are changing
lives!
  They are remarkable young people
who truly love God and truly love the people they were called to serve.
  They are making a major difference in the
lives of the Swazi people, as well as in the lives of each other.