Need help with Biblical references, + an alternative to public finance

It turns out that some of my blogs have been of interest to the residents of a Quaker senior living community in Philadelphia where my cousin Cathy works as a social worker. Cathy's seniors asked about the religion in Swaziland, and I'll provide what I can on that, but first, I have a request to those reading this blog who are learned in either the Old or the New Testament, for some help with useful Biblical citations.

I'd like to use Biblical references to make some points to my Primary School. Every Wednesday morning at assembly one of the teaching team “ministers” (preaches) to the students, and I've been asked to do that. Initially I begged off, because the PC doesn't want us to proselytize, because many PCVs aren't Christian – we've got 2 Muslims, at least 2 Jews and probably more, in our group of 33. But the young man who preceded us here, who was enormously loved, was LDS (Mormon), and he “ministered,” and I got to thinking I might have a “bully pulpit,” if I could firmly ground my lessons in the Bible. But my Biblical knowledge is a little sketchy, which is where Cathy's seniors and other Biblically learned readers might be able to help.

Can you give me Biblical citations that might be useful? I'm initially thinking of stories of strong women, as leaders, thinkers, doers. Not so much Ruth (“Whither thou goest, I will go, thy people will be my people”) - these girls get that in spades. And not Mary Magdalene – the fallen woman. Is there someone like David vs Goliath, but female? Or Solomon? Delilah was clever (shearing Samson), but I don't think that's quite the message I want.

Then, how about accepting people? Isn't there a passage where Jesus goes among the lepers? Boy would that come close to what we have here. Where can I find that? I need to be a little delicate; during these beginning months, as I hope to build up some local credibility, I'm trying to be careful and conservative, hitting for singles and maybe doubles, not home runs, careful not to offend the people I want to be persuasive to for 2 years.

And how about children as being worthwhile, themselves. Where can I find “Suffer the children to come to me, for of such is the Kingdom of God?”

Maybe if you just send me the citations by email (markLfulford@gmail.com) (We get pretty good service receiving email early most mornings – can't always send.), I can find them in the English Bible they use here – I'll have to borrow one – didn't bring one.   Or, if you can copy them as a PDF attached to an email, I can probably download them on Tuesdays when I get some low cost moderately fast internet service through the village library. Or post them as a comment, if that is easier or might be of interest to other readers – we could instigate a theological discussion!

My cousin Cathy's seniors also asked about the religion here, and I've picked up some, but the services are mostly in siSwati, although sometimes they translate the readings and the sermon for us. And the PC, as part of their careful and well done acculturation this past winter, gave us a lot of background on local religious practice, because religion is so important here, and plays a role in battling HIV (generally the churches urge abstinence but discourage reference to using condoms, claiming condom use promotes promiscuity; there is a lot here of what are called “multiple concurrent sexual partners,” regardless of condom use.) Swaziland is very Christian – around 80%, although I'm told only around 40% of that number regularly attend church. The religion is predominantly pentecostal Christian: African Evangelical Church (“AEC”), “Jerichos”, Zionists. We've encountered one Roman Catholic person, and spotted 1 “Anglican” church. The emphasis I find is on having faith, and loving God, and that way you will be saved. There is much about “the End of Days” and the coming Judgment. I've heard nothing at all about the Virgin Mary. And no instruction that I've picked up about living a Christian life: nothing of “love they neighbor”, or the Good Samaritan. The instruction I've heard is to believe, pray, love and praise God, have faith, as far as I can pick up. And the preaching has a really angry tone; kind of frightening, maybe just because I don't quite know what is being said. The readings seem to be mostly from Revelations and, in the Old Testament, from what I think is called the Pentateuch, the first 5 books of the Bible.

The singing is really good, although the patterns are quite repetitive, and the churches that have sound systems keep them at their loudest level, which I find deafening to the point of being painful in these relatively small enclosures with hard walls and roofs.

Here are the two 2-year old girls who live at our homestead, with the mother of one of them, the domestic worker employed by the family. The girls are mimicking with their stuffed animals the way the moms tie babies to their backs with a blanket. The bare earth compound around the houses is customary in southern Africa; with the warmer weather and rains the snakes will appear, and they stay away from houses where they have to cross a lot of open space. Water barrels filled from a metered tap are behind them. The banana (visible), orange and avocado trees (not visible) grow right by the water-filling and washing area, where they get some water during the dry winter.   SORRY - CANT UPLOAD PIX - WILL TRY TUESDAY FROM THE LIBRARY.

I mentioned in an earlier blog about the primary school where parents are helping build 3 new classrooms. The completed the foundation this past week; with this kind of parent involvement, public finance as practiced at Sherman and Howard is unnecessary! When I set up for the picture they assumed I would want Phumi pushing the wheelbarrow. The woman guiding the wheelbarrow – in the skirt and slippers! - had been pushing it.