The past ten months have been filled with more crazy experiences than I can count. We’ve conditioned ourselves to take things as they come. Expectations are out the window, and we’re no longer surprised by the most random of events. Abnormal is the new normal. There are countless moments in which all we can do is look around, realize the situation we’re in, laugh, and proclaim our new phrase. “Oh, life.”
I’ll give you an example. Here’s the picture.
We’re eating dinner, the usual of rice and pork. The sun has set and we’re relaxing at the table. Vuthy sits down.
“After dinner, we go to build road.”
“Huh? We’re going to build a road? Tonight?”
“Yes. Too hot during the day.”
“Well, that makes sense. Alrighty then.”
We begin walking in the dark. Lightning is flashing across the sky. Not strong bolts, though. It was more like the clouds just lit up in colors of pink and gold. After about ten minutes, we arrived at the worksite. It seemed like half the village is out working. Everyone brought their own tools and small lights attached to car batteries. The road is for the community, so the whole community comes to work. Every night for the past two months. Even though it was 9:00 at night, it was still pretty warm. The boys jumped right in, while we three girls sat and played with the kids. After a few minutes, a boy walks up to me.
“You come with me.”
“Me? Okie dokie then.”
My job was to be his partner in carrying basketfuls of dirt to the road to be stacked and smoothed. I took one handle, he took the other. Conversations with people who speak little English are very entertaining. It’s actually going to be really strange to enter back into a world where everyone speaks English. Our conversation went something like this.
“What is your name?”
“My name is Halley.”
“How old are you?”
“I am 23 years old. How old are you?”
“I am 16 years old….do you have a boyfriend?”
“No, I don’t have a boyfriend.” (I let out a chuckle)
“What is your favorite fruit?”
“I like strawberries, pineapple, and mango.”
He then proceeded to point out all of his cushins (cousins) that were also working. There were about fifteen.
After a very short time, I was covered in dirt and drenched in sweat. We continued to transfer dirt to the mound that was slowly become a road. Someone brought a speaker system and played music very loudly. I’m not sure how to describe the music. Basically the kind that makes you want to jam screwdrivers in your ears.
An old man came around and gave us candy. One of the village leaders then came over the microphone. Vuthy said that he was thanking us for helping. There we so many people there, and we probably got in the way more than doing anything productive. But he still took the time to thank us.
Vuthy was very wise in asking us to help with the road.
Here we are, strangers in a foreign land. We’re asking people to follow Jesus. To put their faith in something unseen. To follow his teachings. To love their neighbors. To help those in need. To place others above themselves. Sometimes you just have to put your money where your mouth is. Vuthy knew that going to work on the road would show the community that we’re devoted to being in relationship with them. We aren’t better or higher up on the ladder because we’re from America. At the end of the day, we just had to get down and dirty to show them we’re serious about what we believe. It’s not just a set of doctrines. It affects how we will every day. It affects how we love. I think slaving over someone’s spiritual needs is rendered irrevelant if you’re not also interested in their immediate physical needs.
As usual, the local people are the ones teaching us what it means to live like Christ intended. They live in community here. It’s almost impossible to know who lives where because random people are always visiting homes we go to. And they all came to help with the road. Even the people who would never even use the road. It’s about community. Relationship. Covenant.
