Africa Region

Eswatini

Formerly known as Swaziland, Eswatini, a small, rural, and landlocked country, shares borders with South Africa and Mozambique. Swaziland’s autonomy was guaranteed by the British in the late 19th century, with independence granted in 1968. In April 2018, King MSWATI III renamed his country Eswatini to reflect the name most commonly used by its citizens. The majority religion in Eswatini is Christianity (90%). The Church of the Nazarene, which established work here in 1910, is the third largest denomination in the country. Many will know the names of pioneer missionaries Harmon F. and Lula Schmelzenbach, who launched the work of the Church of the Nazarene in Swaziland, and the name of Dr. David Hynd, who supervised the establishment of the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital in Manzini, one of the first Nazarene hospitals to share the love of Jesus through compassion and health care. Eswatini's population suffers from severe poverty (nearly 55%), the effects of corruption, and high unemployment. Over 52% of the population of Eswatini is under the age of 25. This is largely due to the extremely high HIV/AIDS infections and deaths in the country, the highest in the world.

Haven of Hope and a Story of “Going Home”

This story comes to us from Barbi and Harlan Moore, who have for many years served in Eswatini, often at the Haven of Hope Rescue Center for women. Bethany First Church of the Nazarene, Bethany, Oklahoma, USA, has been their supporting church, both of them serving in that local church in a variety of ministries. Barbi’s most recent role was as Director of Global Outreach. 

In October 2007, Barbi felt that they “needed to give hands and feet to their prayers in Eswatini” with Heart to Heart, a ministry that was seeking to address the significant HIV/AIDS crisis there. God spoke to Barbi’s heart; she joined the staff at Bethany First Church and took the lead on the ministry among others. Barbi serves on the NMI council, and over these years, more than 850 people have joined short-term teams in Eswatini. Many of these have served for 1,2, or 5 years as “on-site coordinators.”

The video shared here is a compelling story of how Barbi and Harlan met Manessi and helped her find her way home to family in a country from which she’d been trafficked for three years, before she was brought to Haven of Hope.

Going home is the longing of so many who have found themselves in these distressing situations. And the Church of the Nazarene, through a variety of ministries in many countries, is an agent of that journey home. But we know that the ultimate “home-going” can only be realized in the eternal embrace of God, who has never left us, regardless of the evil that has separated humankind from his love.