My title is a bit extreme, I know. Yet, I cannot come up with a better way to describe what yesterday was for me. In short, it ruined me in the best possible way.
Late Thursday night, the ten men on our squad stood before the women and announced that they would be celebrating us as a group for Valentine’s Day. They let us know they’d be taking care of all of the meal preparation for the day and carrying all of the water for us (see two blogs back for the true meaning of this gesture). Finally, they said we’d be receiving other surprises throughout the day but we’d know more later.
Friday morning, they prepared breakfast and hauled water as promised. But they also served us breakfast in our seats on the concrete floor. They handed out oatmeal bowls and spooned sugar on top and served trays of bananas. They cleared our dishes and cleaned up breakfast and lovingly ordered us to relax. On its own, that would have been sufficient yet it was just the beginning. After speaking with Johan, they filed back into the room and humbly announced that not only would they be cooking and providing water, they would be taking care of all the manual labor jobs around the camp for the day. Friday was a national holiday for Malawi and lots of places that we would have done ministry were closed. So, the men informed us that our ministry was to be each other for the day. Yes, you read that correctly. We were ordered to be intentional in our relationships with each other and share time together as women.
In the afternoon, they cooked lunch and served it in a similar fashion as breakfast. Then, they performed a rendition of the Winter Olympics for us complete with Malawian/World Race appropriate commercials. Dinner was served and cleaned up and we were told to sit, relax and wait. Micah had us form a circle sitting in the center of the room and close our eyes. These precious men put a plate in the middle of us with a candy bar for each person and cookies to share. Along with that, we each received a personal note from one of them.
The best was yet to come. They had us close our eyes once again and when my eyes opened, tears began to fall. Around the room, they’d placed glass soda bottles with tall white candles and set up a station to wash our feet. Silently, they took us 5 at a time by the hand to a bench where 5 of them washed our feet and the other 5 prayed for us individually. The whole thing was full in so many ways. As I sat and watched these men love us the way that Jesus loves, I was blown away by their care and attention to detail and pursuit of us. More than that, I was floored by their humility and genuine love.
At the end, they read John 13:1-17 and talked about the heart of God. They encouraged us as women to embrace our identity as daughters of God and entered into a covenant with us to protect our hearts as brothers in Christ. Then, we worshipped together.
Honestly, the words of this blog don’t even come close to capturing the beauty of our Valentine’s Day. Typically, I have no interest in celebrating this manufactured holiday but these men brought a whole new meaning to the celebration of love.
My heart is full and my expectations have been blown out of the water.
