Adventures WorldRace SethBarnes Sponsorship Giving

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This week we stayed in a small town with a young pastor, Ngoni, who is a friend of our contact. Us four girls slept, well more like spooned, in a double bed while the boys slept on the floor in the living room. Ngoni’s mom and sisters were so hospitable, giving us everything they had. Children playing can always be heard there and they LOVED us! Life here is sweet in the smallest ways. I adore the simplicity of life here. The way they use the same dishes for every meal and cook every meal over a fire in the backyard. Every day is cleaning day and everyone pitches in without complaint. I love how when it is dark you go to bed and when it is light you wake up. And how the children are always playing and so desperately want to be loved. They just want attention and to be looked in the eyes. They light up even more when we hold them and dance with them. When I look at these kids I picture God looking at me through similar eyes. I am like these African kids in so many ways. Dirty. Curious. Rambunctious. Playful. Yearning for love and attention. Wondering what the future holds. 



 All I want is for my Papa to scoop me up in His strong arms, peer into my soul with His tender eyes, and reassure me that I am His. I desperately want to sit on His lap as He runs His soft, steady hands through my tangled, unwashed hair. I want Him to put his arms out in anticipation of me jumping into them, proud that I am His daughter, even when I mess up royally.

See, I am like the dirtiest child here. We call him Evans. He is the constant bully, always getting into trouble and picking fights. He scrounges for food at all times of the day, even stealing what is not his. 

[Evans is on the right]

Last night we invited him into the house to eat what we had left over from dinner. He began to scoop every morsel of pasta into his mouth, disregarding the spoon in his other hand. We all watched in awe as he licked the plate clean as if he hadn’t eaten in days, even though it was his fifth meal that day. Anything to climb- trees, walls, people- he is there. Anything to eat, consider gone in Evan’s sight. Everyday his little body is covered in dirt and food by afternoon. We prayed over his mom, Blessing, a couple times knowing that it will take many blessings and an unfathomable amount of patience to raise Evans.
I am so much like this ornery six year old little boy. I scrounge for attention and sustainment in places other than in the Lord. I look to my friends, my status, my leadership, my humor, instead of to the One who created me. I am dirty because of my thoughts of judgement and pride, so unworthy of the grace my Father continues to pour out. 


Just as Evans is into everything, I thirst for more of God, curious to know and feel more of Him. I want to replicate the joy and excitement of Evan’s face when he sits on my lap and gets the love and attention he desperately seeks (sometimes in the not-so-right ways).

Even though Evans can get on your last nerve, I could never deny him when he came running to me, arms outstretched with the biggest grin on his face. Even though I am so unworthy the Lord continues to overflow grace, love, joy and peace in the sweetest ways.

I am so thankful for a God that loves me unconditionally and always will! I want to peer into the face of my Father with joy in my face, excited that He chose me, that I am His favorite, and that I am dearly loved.

I am so blessed by my team and my squad! Here is a video of the men of I-Squad washing our feet a couple weeks ago before we launched.

http://youtu.be/uslbRONuxNghttp://youtu.be/uslbRONuxNg