I am
Vusani Sibandze. I grew up at Hlangano,
Swaziland. But now I moved to Nsoko to be a G-42 soccer player (local soccer
team, only two leagues beneath the premier team that’s featured on television). I like soccer very much. That is my favorite sport. My dream about this sport is to play even
overseas. I like my parents, even though
they don’t work, but I like them. My intention is to grow up and get a job just
to support them. I even like my family
members and I like my brothers and sisters.
My dream is to see them successful in their lives. But I hope through all that I’m thinking and
expecting that God will give me the answer.
I’m still praying for all my dreams to be successful.
Ah,
Vusani. Just thinking about that guy
makes me smile. Vusani has such a good
heart. I can see God in him, which
evidences the fact that he is a Christian.
As he has said to me before, “I like God very much.” And he has this simple faith that’s
irresistible. One night we were in the
kitchen with another friend who was saying that the only way you could figure
out how break a spell that another soccer team puts on you (common here in
Swaziland) Is by going to a witch doctor.
Vusani’s simple yet faith-filled response was, “Or you could go to
God.” My favorite thing about Vusani is
that he doesn’t know how wonderful he is, not nearly. He’s one of the most humble guys you’ll ever
meet. First of all, you know that he’s
humble because of what an incredible soccer player he is. He has so much potential. He’s one of the best players on the G-42
soccer team, but that doesn’t even do his playing justice because he has
potential beyond our team’s league. But
he barely seems to recognize this fact judging by the meekness with which he
receives praise for his playing. Now
that I’ve known Vusani I understand what it means to be meek in spirit. He’s just really kind and gentle. Vusani’s kind of soft-spoken, and yet still
very friendly. When you talk with him he
has this open, inviting smile across his face.
It’s almost perpetual. Oh, and
did I mention that he loves to laugh?
Being that he’s somewhat soft-spoken, I would say that he laughs at
least as much as he talks. He’s just
really happy…no, joyful. It’s got to be
joy because even when things are bad he’s got a great attitude. After a G-42 soccer game when his team loses
because of obvious unfairness on the ref’s part, and I’m seething with anger at
the injustice, it’s guys like Vusani who help everyone remember to keep looking
at the good in life even when it’s easier to look at the bad. He always has such a great attitude, and it
rubs off on the people around him. When
you’re with him, your soul can rest easy knowing that all must be well in the
world. His positive outlook on life
combined with his gentleness and humility just makes you want to be around
him. On top of that, he makes you feel
good about yourself because of the way he treats you. I’m sure you can tell what a selfless heart
Vusani has even just from reading his short story with his ambitions to help
support his family. It’s really easy to
be Vusani’s friend because he is kind to everyone and you just get this sense
that he genuinely cares about you when you talk with him. It’s like he’s genuinely interested in who
you are as a person, and because of that I’ve gained an eager interest into who
he is as a person. And in getting to
know Vusani, I got to know a dream of his that has yet to come to fruition.
Since I
was a little boy, I used to go to Sunday school, whereby the teachers taught
about Jesus. And then, even at school,
they used to teach about Jesus and that’s how I came to know about Jesus. I used to attend the choir and that came to
touch me and open my eyes and I started to know about the man Jesus. And more at school I used to do the subject
religious studies, and even there they used to teach about Jesus. Even at home, my parents used to tell me to
go to church and they used to teach me about Jesus, and that’s how I came to
know about Him. And then even at home we
used to pray before going to sleep. And
then I can say all these things that I’ve said come from deep in my heart. Even my parents used teach me about Jesus and
that touches me down in my heart, and then I decided to follow Him and became a
Christian. I can say that Jesus helped
me in so many things, like when I was still at school doing my studies, Jesus
helped me because I always prayed for better results as I was still schooling,
and it happened because I achieved what I wanted and I even prayed that Jesus
may help me not to drop school, and indeed, I saw things happen because I ended
up finishing school. In whatever I was
doing, I always put Him in front, so that in everything that I do, I can be in
a position to achieve my goals. So then
I saw that I’ve chosen the right person in Jesus, and from then I decided to
put Him in my heart as my friend. And I
saw that Jesus as a better friend, because in whatever I do, I don’t regret
because He’s always on my side. And I’m
still praying that even now, the person I’ve chosen in Jesus, I’m still praying
that I may never lose Him as my best friend, because He’s always in every
problem I come across, HE’s able to rescue me.
I even love Him because HE’s able to help my parents like even now they
are still alive, just because of Him, even my whole family: He’s able to
protect them, and they are still alive just because they know Him, and in
everything they’re doing they always pray to Him just to live for a long time until
we grow up, because even when I’m at home they tell me that they want to see me
grow up to the point that I can support myself and even support them if they
are still alive. That is why I want
Jesus to help me in order to achieve all of my dreams in life. I even thank
Jesus that He has been so protective to my family as a whole because even now
they have been in a position to pay school fess for me so that I finished
school and they never abused me in that way because if maybe they abused me I
would not even have finished school.
But Jesus was on my side because they didn’t do that up to the end. Now I have finished school because Jesus was
so true to me as my best friend. And I
still am even praying to Him now that all of my dreams will be achieved. And I promise that I will never ever lose
hope until the end of my life.
Vusani Comfort Sibandze. He is 22-years-old and completed his high
school education in 2006, attaining five credits in English language, religious
studies, history, commerce, and siSwati.
Although his dream was to go the University of Swaziland, he was not
able to attend due to a lack of money.
Initially, he lived in South Africa with his relatives for a while,
hoping for help from them to go on to the university. Unfortunately, they gave him no help. Not even his stepfather was willing to help
him, and neither his mother nor father was able to, due to unemployment. He returned to Swaziland to search for a job
and worked as a security guard for a year.
He is now under a two-year contract building houses for soldiers, which
he has been doing for the last eight months.
His intention was to further his education and knowledge, so that he could
get a better job and provide for his parents since they are still unemployed, and
support his little brother and sister (five and seven-years-old), so that they,
too, can go to school. But he has
prevented from fulfilling this dream because the money he earns building houses
for soldiers is not enough to pay for class fees at the university. His salary is only $600 emalangeni a month
(equivalent to $80), but this money is only enough to cover his expenses of
food, rent, and clothing. Even with such
a limited income, he still will buy food for his parents, too. His dream is to be a teacher, which requires
five years of schooling to earn the degree needed. Tuition costs plus living expenses are $24,200
emalangeni a year, an overwhelming amount here in Swaziland, but only about $3,500
US dollars a year. We are asking for a
sponsor. This sponsor would need to be
committed to Vusani’s education for the next five years, giving $1,750 twice a
year in April and December, at the beginning of each semester (just shy of $300
a month). We realize that this is a lot
of money, even in American terms, but we are asking in hope. As Vusani says, “We hope because anything can
happen through hope. Without hope
nothing can happen. Let us hope.”
It is men like Vusani Sibandze who
will rise up as leaders in Swaziland. When
I told Vusani this, he agreed, because of the difficulties he has had growing
up in Swaziland and the problems he’s seen here. Due to these first-hand experiences, he has
the desire to change things for the better.
And with the way that he cares about the people around him, I guarantee
you that he will be a conduit of change in this nation. Could you be the one to help fulfill his
dreams and enable him to tap into his full potential?
