I know you were nervous when I left the country. I want to thank you for letting me go and assure you that all is WELL. This trip could not have come at a better time for me. And I hope you get a lot out of it, too.
Thank you for bearing with me through the anxiety of packing and leaving and reassuring me (even if you, yourselves, weren’t convinced) that I will be okay. Thank you for letting me abandon my things in your house, in a not-so-orderly fashion. I miss our morning talks, but I hope you have found peace with the Lord just as I have. I thought I would give you a little peace of mind by sharing how month one went for me.
Côte d’Ivoire was a whirlwind, let me tell you! And don’t worry, my teams’ hosts quickly adopted us as their own daughters. I mean, they weren’t you, but God sure knew how to bless us with adopted parents. They were amazing. Nurturing, loving, grounded in their faith, quick to spur us on and encouraging in the work we were doing.
We were blessed with western toilets, WiFi, and a lady who sold donuts right outside our compound every evening. We also had coffee every day. PRAISE THE LORD FOR COFFEE. You feel me, Dad? So rest assured, we were well cared for.
I know how adventurous you are, Dad, and I so wish you could experience all these things with me, but for now just hearing my stories will have to suffice.
I got to perform songs in church for 2 weeks in a row. We introduced ourselves to the congregation and sang a song for them. Just a fun, catchy song with some little dance moves. They loved it! After church, everyone lined up to greet us. I shook so many hands. Never have I ever felt more celebrated than when I have been in church. Whether at my home church or in Côte d’Ivoire. Christians just know how to make people feel special (must be that Christ-like love).
Mom, you would have just died and gone to Heaven if you met my host-mom. She is so similar to you in so many ways. She LOVES projects and creating things. She is a do-it-yourself’er, just like you! She can make a masterpiece out of the simplest of things, just like you! She took a train boxcar that was in her yard and envisioned it transforming into 3 separate rooms. That was a big part of our ministry this month. We helped her organize and paint to bring her vision to life. She now has an office space, a spare bedroom, and a storage room!
They had a garden space with lime trees, mango trees and other things I don’t even know what they were. You know how I am with gardening. But you two would have loved it. They have a beautiful yard.
So, I have a story to share with you about my host’s granddaughter. She is 3 years old and SO sassy. I spent the first week trying to win her affections. It paid off! When I left we were best friends, but it came with a cost. Mornings aren’t her thing. So when I asked her to come sit with me one morning and she did, I was ecstatic. She was on my lap for a few minutes. It was a Sunday. We were all dressed and ready for church. When she left me I realized she left a gift for me. She had POOPED ON ME. I had skid marks that were not my own all over the front of my dress. I was the butt of the joke for weeks after (pun intended). Yes Mom, I washed it immediately and it came out.
God taught me a lot of cool things during my time in Côte d’Ivoire. Like, how to live with 7 other girls in very close quarters. I learned that I love sharing my things. I learned that I am adaptable to new surroundings.
But the biggest lesson I learned this month is that there is no better place to be than in the present. As cliche as it may sound, it is so true. I cannot tell you how many times I have wanted to run to Netflix or called/texted you or a friend for support. Almost every time, I turned to God instead. I am learning how to lean on my teammates, too. It is in these hard moments that He is shaping me into who He designed me to be. It is beautiful and difficult, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It is in these moments that the unity in my team deepens and strengthens. We are growing strong roots. And we can only do that by staying present.
There are SO many more stories and lessons learned I could share, but I’ll save those for another time.
I love you, Mom & Dad.
Love,
Your redheaded blunder wonder
