It is currently 7:00pm at night in Cote d’Ivoire. I can smell grilled cheese and tomato soap cooking in the kitchen. I am sitting in a hammock on the patio feeling the light breeze. I am debating whether or not to go inside and grab a jacket. I just sat with my book in my hand watching the sunset and thinking “God, you have brought ME to Africa. You are bringing ME to show love to others around the world!” I sit amazed still.
My new routine for this month (I am sure it will change in each country) is to SLOWLY get up at about 9:15, make my way downstairs, grunt some kind of greeting like “ughhhh good morning”, make some coffee, grab some kind of fruit, and plant my tush at the kitchen table to read my bible. It has become one of my favorite routines (even though I would love to be semi more enjoyable when I wake up) but it is nice to start my day off well. This month, I have been reading Matthew which I highly recommend for any future racers for the first month. While I am reading Matthew, I think about the people who went before me. Brave, bold, trusting humans who went. A missionary from Ghana came to the church we are serving and said “Make a decision to GO somewhere.” So here I am. I left. I went. I was bold. So it’s supposed to be good and easy and adventurous, right? In Matthew, it shows these men being called by Jesus. “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19. These men went. They left their homes. They didn’t have facetime to talk to their families and they most definitely didn’t have an end date. I know I will be home in 10 months. I know that my family is safe. I know that my friends are having a baby, some of my friends started new jobs. I know that there will be a comfy bed and hot shower calling my name in a few months. These men did not know that. They sacrificed a lot of their time because they trusted, they said yes, and they went.
Today I got done reading “Little Princes” which is a book a friend suggested before I left. It is a sweet story about a man who left the comforts of America to work in an orphanage in Nepal. Little did he know that there was much more in store for him that than. I cried at the end. It is a must read. Right after I got done with that book, I went to find “Kisses from Katie.” I was inspired and wanted to read more. Once again, this is a story about a girl who left the comfort of her home to move to Uganda to teach. I am not far into that book, but I can already see a similarity in both: they trusted, they said yes, and they went. Both of the authors talked about the sacrifice. There are a lot of sacrifices that you have to make to go:
- Our hot water isn’t working so you have to take military showers. Not only that but if someone is doing laundry the water goes completely out. So you have to stand there waiting for them to finish using the water.
- My feet are stained. They are a weird color almost like I got a spray tan.
- My legs are not only used for walking but now is used as a blanket because I haven’t shaved in a good two weeks… and I don’t plan on shaving anytime soon.
- We have to use buckets to wash our clothes. Like… you fill up a bucket, put in detergent, kinda stir the clothes around, let them sit for 30 min. Then you put them in another bucket with clean water and let them soak for another 30 min. Then you put them on the line. Let’s just say they consistently smell like damp clothes. I haven’t noticed it because I have had a cold… but my cold is gone now. Never thought I would wish for my cold back but here I am smelling myself wishing my nose would be clogged again.
- I officially hate sleeping bags. I have to keep my legs out from the sheets so I can’t zip it all the way. That means that my sleeping bag always ends up SUPER twisted all over the place. I don’t know what happens in the middle of the night but my sleeping bag is always a hot mess the next morning.
- YOU CAN’T ESCAPE PEOPLE! I am a natural extrovert (except mornings… let me have a cup of coffee and then we can talk) Everywhere I turn there is a person. And usually that person is singing or humming. I mean, I am glad that they are happy and I am typically the one that hums or sings the most obnoxious… buttttt come on! I found my quiet spot this evening… a hard plastic chair in the corner of the courtyard by where we do laundry. Don’t tell my teammates where my spot is.
- AFRICA TIME IS A REAL THING! And then imagine having people who don’t speak English. Here’s how it goes: bang bang bang “HELLO! We leave now?” “It is 8:15am… church doesn’t start till 10am.” “Yes! We leave now?” everyone is rushing around. I forget to brush my teeth. PTL for gum “OKAY! We are ready!” “We leave now?” “…Yes?” “NO! We leave not now!” Everyone exchanges confused looks. Two hours later we leave for church. We are late. A week later we still don’t know what happened that morning.
- Getting taxis gives me extreme heartburn. I’ve gotten better. First there’s the getting the taxi. I am now a pro. Except for when I only have 10,000 CFAs then I am like… uhmm change? And they lol at me. Then there’s the driving. My knuckles are locked by the time we arrive at the location. And any food that I had eaten is now sloshed around real nicely in my stomach.
The list could go on. I don’t really see these as complaints. I laugh VERY often at these at the end of the night. I am actually extremely appreciative of these things. These are making fun memories and stories. But to be honest, this is not what I pictured. I pictured kissing babies, helping the sick, living in a tent, showering with a bucket, smelling way worse if that is even possible, etc.
But what I have found extremely sweet this month is God is answering a prayer that I forgot I prayed when I initially got accepted to go on this crazy 11 month adventure. I prayed that God wouldn’t only change my heart this year but for many years to come. I prayed that God would teach me how to show His love to many different type of people. And I prayed that I would LOVE others like He has shown His people love for years and years and years.
So do you have to do something radical to follow what the bible says?
Go make disciples!
Show yourself to be my disciples!
If anything, this month has shown me what it looks like to go out and get to know others and show Jesus to people in a massive city like Nashville. It doesn’t have to look like kissing babies and healing the sick. You can show the love of Christ at home right where you are. There’s a city of people who are hurting and have no hope and they aren’t only in Africa. They are all over the world and probably your nextdoor neighbor. So here’s my charge to you: trust, say yes, go. Don’t let this year or years to come be a time to encourage others to go and serve but YOU go and serve. Email me at [email protected] if you have fun stories of you serving, if you need suggestions of how to serve, or if you are fearful. “Show yourselves to be disciples of Christ.” Are you ready?
