African Valentine

       My clue made little sense until the girls and I realized that our clues must be used together in order to discover the location of our Valentine’s Day treat from teammate Aaron. We excitedly ran to the large tree behind the church hoping to find our treasure but also hoping that our hunt wouldn’t have to end. We found the “X” and our last note. Summer picked it up and read it aloud. Aaron had written us a poem. He also held my heart with promises of candy upon leaving the African bush.
       I can’t say that I am a fan of Valentine’s Day. I normally find the day quite silly, and really use it only as an excuse to eat chocolate in excess, but I thought Aaron’s treasure hunt was thoughtful and sweet. He put a lot of effort into showing us girls we were important and loved. And unknowingly, this intentional love became the underlying theme of our week.

       I started to notice that my teammates were making great attempts to serve each other throughout the day: making toast for everyone at breakfast and not just themselves, offering the best seat under the shade of the tree, giving praise after teaching in seminar, and praying more frequently for each other. I also noticed that many of our seminar teachings were focused on God’s love. We have been preaching daily for the last 3 weeks and our topics have varied from obedience, to temptation, to identity. Yet this week the focus was love, learning to trust God and have an intimate relationship with him while allowing this love to pour out into the other relationships in our lives.

       And outpour we did! I loved watching my teammates in action this week. I especially loved seeing everyone care for our “host mom.” Sabina is one of four wives to husband Thomas and is mother to 28 children, seven of whom are her own. Initially, it appeared that the women got along well and shared the responsibility of the children equally. But by midweek I noticed that Sabina played a slightly different role than the other women. I learned that in the Masai culture the wife with the best cooking ability becomes the favored wife. Sabina was the best cook (she helped us prepare our meals all week) and therefore the favorite. This favoritism had created a rift between her and the other wives. Sabina was desperate for female relationships. My teammates noticed this need and started loving her in their own unique way. Sarah cooked with her; Summer prayed with her; Lindsey spoke with her in Swahili; Mel danced with her in worship; I spent time with her and her children. Each of us loved her the way we best knew how.

       I know that my individual effort was an incomplete picture of love, but together with my teammates I believe we showed Sabina the love she needed. Our time with her was short but I pray that our combined efforts give her a greater understanding of God’s love, the one who loves without condition, the one who truly holds her heart.