ESWATINI

COLONISED BY BRITAIN (1871–1968) SLAVERY - The Swazis supplied slaves both to the South African ‘Boers’ and to the Portuguese in Mozambique. COLONIALISM - Swaziland was a British protectorate from 1871 until its independence in 1968. TODAY - King Mswati III, the current king, has ruled since 1986. To shed the country’s British colonial past, King Mswati III announced in April 2018 that Swaziland, an anglicised name, would hence be known as Eswatini, meaning “place of the Swati”, the correct name for the people and their language. Eswatini is one of Africa’s smallest nations and one of the world’s last absolute monarchies. Since 1996, the nation has had growing political unrest due to the monarchy and its ban on political parties.

HOW DID CHRISTIANITY GET THERE? In Eswatini, it is commonly known that King Sobhuza I had a dream in which he saw strange people with white skin coming into his country with a book (Bible) in the one hand and other people with gold coins. King Sobhuza I received the command to accept the people with the book. Sometime afterwards, the king sent a delegation to missionaries who used such a book to invite them to come to the Land of the Swati and to teach the people this message. And so in 1844, the Methodist Church built its first mission in Eswatini.

CHURCH TODAY: Eswatini’s population is roughly 90% Christian, 2% Muslim. Many churches compromise regarding polygamy, witchcraft, ancestor veneration and appeasement sacrifices. This has opened the door for sins such as sexual impurity to take root, contributing to the widespread devastation of HIV/AIDS. The HIV/AIDS infection rate in Eswatini is one of the highest in the world. Roughly 100,000 children have been orphaned as a result. The suffering of this nation presents an opportunity for the Church to tangibly demonstrate the love of Christ by meeting the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of its people.

PRAYER POINTS

• Pray for deep healing, repentance, restitution and restoration regarding the wounds caused by slavery and colonialism.
• Pray that the church of Eswatini will fulfil Jesus’ prayer from John 17: to be one with one another and with Him, the Father and the Holy Spirit.
• Pray for the treatment of the sick. That all churches will address the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of AIDS sufferers and their families.
• Pray for those bound by ancestor worship and the occult to find freedom in Jesus Christ.
• Pray for the king, people and government of the Kingdom of Eswatini to work towards peace, reconciliation, dialogue and the common good of the nation. Pray that God will give the leaders His wisdom so that there will be no more bloodshed and destruction of property. Pray for justice to be done on all levels. Pray also for wise decision-making regarding the allocation of resources and funds to bring the country out of an economic downturn.
• Ask the Lord to bless Eswatini and pray as the Holy Spirit leads you.

PERSONAL REFLECTION

WEEKLY WORLDWIDE MORAVIAN WATCHWORD

Let the same mind be in You that was in Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:5

PRAYER

Almighty God, bless us to be blessings unto Your creation, Your people, and Your holy name. Help us to glorify You, uniting with sisters and brothers throughout the world, honourably and peaceably. Amen.