A big update from Eswatini!

Hello from Eswatini!!!

It’s hard to believe I’ve already been here for three weeks. This country has been filled with so many sweet moments—both in ministry and simply spending time with the squad. Since I haven’t had WiFi to update you all this month, I wanted to share a big recap! Make sure to read until the end—I have an important update about the last two weeks of my trip! Also so sorry for not having pictures. The wifi I am on isn’t strong enough to upload them. I have a lot though so either reach out to me or check out my insta!

First Impressions

After 35 hours of travel, we finally arrived in Eswatini and were greeted by the three teams we had been split up from. It was such a sweet reunion—I missed having the whole squad together so much! It’s actually been one of my favorite parts of being here. After spending time apart, everyone has grown in different ways, and now that we’re back together, we’re much more intentional about connecting with each other. It’s been so good to build deeper relationships.

Honestly, my first impression of Eswatini was better than I expected. I thought we’d be in the middle of nowhere with nothing around, but that’s only partly true. We do have a few things nearby, like a gas station with a small store. There’s also a restaurant we can take public transport to—it has good food, a little WiFi, and even a pool! Every Saturday, our squad basically took over the pool, which was the perfect way to end a busy week of ministry.

The people here are really friendly but tend to keep more to themselves. Most speak English, but the primary language is siSwati, which is filled with clicks and nearly impossible to learn—but really cool to listen to! Another thing that stands out? The men here are very interested in us ladies. Just about every time we go to the store, we get offered ten cows for our hand in marriage!

Oh, and the heat. It is so hot here. You wake up sweating, sweat all day, take a shower (for the first time in my life, I crave cold showers), get dressed—only to start sweating again. And then you sweat until you go to bed, and the cycle repeats itself. I’ve gotten used to it, but I definitely miss winter right now!

Ministry

Ministry here has been so sweet. Each day, we serve at local care points, which are places where children come to get meals. Our mornings always start with worship, and at 10 a.m., we load up in the vans with our good old driver, Guanelli, and head to our assigned care points. One unique thing about ministry here is that we don’t serve with our regular teams. The three guys on my team were split and sent to one care point each, and the girls were divided among them. My new group was named Team Toodles (yes, we have a theme song!). It’s been such a blessing to do ministry alongside different people.

Care points provide essential meals for kids, many of whom face extremely difficult home situations. Some are neglected, malnourished, or abused. Many barely see their parents because they work long hours. It’s heartbreaking to see four-year-olds taking care of their younger siblings or toddlers walking 20 minutes alone just to get food. Most of the kids wear the same ripped clothes every day, often without shoes. It’s hard to grasp.

At the care points, our job is simply to love on these kids—holding them, playing hand games, tag, and whatever else brings them joy. One thing I absolutely love is how joyful they are. They truly have nothing, yet their smiles are contagious.

We’ve served at two different care points. Our first had over 200 kids and almost no facilities—just a field and a small roof for shade. After two weeks, we switched to another care point because the woman running the first one had a baby. The new location felt like such an upgrade! It had a playground, a building, and some trees for shade, which made a huge difference.

Each day, we also do house visits, which are similar to what my team did in Guatemala. We visit homes, meet families, hear their stories, encourage them, and pray over them. These visits have been especially difficult. Many people are abandoned by their families, sick without access to medical care, and still trying to provide for children. But even in these hard situations, I’ve seen God move. I’ve witnessed three healings, watched people experience joy from the Lord for the first time in a long time, and shared words of encouragement that were exactly what someone needed to hear. God has been so present in this season, and I’m grateful for how He continues to partner with our team.

Another aspect of our ministry is leading devotionals—one for the Gogos (grandmothers) in the morning and one for the kids in the afternoon. We teach lessons, perform skits, and lead worship, which has been such a fun way to connect.

Saint Lucia Trip

This past weekend, we had a much-needed break. Since we had to leave Eswatini to renew our visas, we got to spend one night in Saint Lucia! We stayed in a hotel with nice showers, beds, a pool, and air conditioning. It felt like home, and I soaked in every second of it.

Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day here was so sweet. The three guys on our squad absolutely killed it, and it’s definitely worth mentioning. Keep in mind, there are 30 girls and only 3 guys—they really didn’t have to do anything, but they went above and beyond. They woke up early to make us breakfast, bought us chocolate, washed our feet, and prayed over each of us. They even made us dinner. It was such a fun day filled with games, laughter, and just feeling so loved by our squad family.

What God Has Been Teaching Me

•How to be still in Him

•Being intentional in His presence

•Patience for those around me

•A new love for the kids

•Finding joy in serving Him

•Living a life of sacrifice

•Living a life of honor

•Trusting that He is my sustainer and all I need

•Letting Him fill me with joy each day

•Walking in boldness

BIG UPDATE

As most of you know, I was expecting to go to Indonesia in two weeks. Well… surprise! That’s no longer the plan. Due to a budget change and an unexpected visa price increase, Team Doves and Team Rivers are headed to Malaysia instead!

We’ll be working with Muslim students and partnering with a local ministry to serve in various ways. I won’t lie—this was tough news to hear. Being split from the squad for two months will be hard, and since it’s our last country, it’s even more bittersweet. When we return to the States, we’ll only have two weeks together before going home.

Even though this isn’t what I expected, I trust that God has a plan for me in Malaysia. I know He will move in ways beyond what I could imagine, and I can’t wait to see what He does!

Prayer Requests

•Energy and strength

•Protection against burnout

•That the Lord would use me in powerful ways

•Vision for Malaysia

•A renewed joy in each day

•To fully embrace these last two weeks with my squad

Thank you all so much for reading this update! I’m so sorry it’s been so long since my last one. Right now, I’m spending the week with my amazing parents, and I’ll have another blog up soon with more updates.

Talk to you all soon!

With love,

Ashlyn