Sweet Relief
Posted by: Jessi Schwertfeger on November 22, 2011 | Stories From the Field
What started out this year as a gray-skied, cool October quickly progressed into blazing heat the likes of which we’ve never experienced before. The last 6 weeks or so have been almost unbearable and it’s been all we can do to keep going with daily life, wipe the sweat from our faces, and say, “Man, I can’t wait for the rain!”
This morning, I shivered in my sleep and reached to the foot of my bed to pull up the sheet. I continued shivering once I had the sheet wrapped around me, and when I opened my eyes, a familiar scent hit me in the face…”It’s RAINING!”
My room was still in half-light, even though it was already 6:30, and I contemplated putting a long sleeve shirt over my tank top (it’s probably only 70 degrees, after all!). The girls immediately put on their rain boots and went out to splash in the puddles in their rain boots. No raincoats needed.
We're from West Virginia, and until I moved to Africa, a gray, rainy day in November was the norm and would’ve made me groan instead of cheer. But it’s funny how much you miss those cool, gray days when you don’t see them for 6 months!
It’s ironic that the rains chose today to make their appearance. Almost all of the staff and AMT left yesterday or are leaving today, and we are experiencing a change of season literally and figuratively. Jake and I just took a few minutes to sit on our front stoop, let the rain hit our toes, and say, “Thank you, Jesus.”
“Thank you for sweet relief from the heat. Thank you for this beautiful home to admire the rain from. Thank you that we get to stay put in Zambia this year and minister throughout the rains. Thank you for our ministry, our friends, our family...thank you for an upcoming meal on Thursday with fellow missionaries and friends. Thank you, Jesus…that you are the author and finisher of ALL seasons…literal and figurative.”
And you thought we didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving in Zambia! ;)
Liezl Pienaar
All I can say is AMEN AMEN AMEN :)
karen parker
Love and missing you all!!!! and my beloved Zambia.. I miss it so very much!!!
About Jessi Schwertfeger
Job Title: Missionary/Teacher
Location: Zambia, Africa
Spouse: Jacob Schwertfeger
Children: Sunda (5) Kya (18 months)
Bio:
I became a Christian at the age of 13 and have always had a heart for ministering to people who seemed lost in the mix of life. By the time I was 16 I was convinced that God was calling me to a third world country to spread the Gospel of Hope. I graduated from high school in 2002 and moved onto a large university to major in Music Education. After college, my husband and I got married and made plans to leave for Africa 6 weeks later!
Our first year in Zambia was spent running an orphanage and falling in love with our daughter, Sunda. In the following year, we began spending weeks at a time living in the villages and learning how to serve and empower the Tonga people with the message of the Gospel. We joined Overland Missions after catching the vision for ministry to the neglected peoples.
During the last 4 years, I have worked with LIFE Project to develop sustainable preschools in the rural areas of the Mukuni Chiefdom. In the meantime, we have added our daughter, Kya to the mix! I love being involved in every facet of ministry and feel so blessed to be a part of Overland Missions, the LIFE Project, and the wonderful team of people who work together to bring love, hope, and education to those who desperately need it.
