It was a Wednesday morning at a YWAM base in Mendoza, Argentina. I woke up, went to breakfast, started laundry, and waited with my team for instructions for the day. Pretty typical for a day on the World Race. We were given rakes, shovels, and brooms, and asked to clean this “pool” that can hold 18 million gallons of water (aka, it’a HUGE!). We worked for a few hours, broke for lunch, and then continued throughout the afternoon. Finally we were done for the day, so we picked everything up and headed back to our dorm.
Looking at this description, you wouldn’t think that this day was anything special at all, while in fact it was possibly my favorite day so far. It’s all in the details.
First off, my team and I were determined to greet the day with positive attitudes, irregardless of what it had in store for us. So even through acquiring blisters and sweating and working on something with no end in sight, we sang and laughed and had a great time.
But the main thing that made this day so great was the fact that I got to play with two little boys.
It all started with a big yellow bag. We had been using it to carry the leaves out of the pool, but when we were done the little boys climbed in and we started a game of me trying to get to them while they were trying to keep me out. Eventually, the younger boy lifted up the bag and invited into his “casa” (house). Yes, the floor of that pool was still filthy, and yes, that bag had just recently been filled with very old leaves and dirt and who-knows-what-else. But a little boy was inviting me into his world…so I climbed right under that bag without any hesitation. We “ate” and “slept” over and over. But then, we heard it. WATER! It was rushing out of this huge spout at the top of the pool, making this waterfall that was almost 6 feet tall. Immediately, the yellow bag, and sleeping, and eating, and everything not involving that water was forgotten. The boys shed their shirts and shoes and ran through the waterfall. I was standing there, watching them run in and out, laughing as they squealed in glee. Then the younger boy pointed at me, then at the waterfall, and waited expectantly. Yes, the water was cold, the floor was slippery, and the water that was pooling was very dirty. But again, this little boy was inviting me into his world. So I grabbed his hand, and in we went. Back and forth through the waterfall, running into the water that was pooling in the middle before running back through the waterfall. Then, when they shut off the water, we spent the next hour or so “swimming” and rolling around in this shallow, dirty water. We spent much of the time laying on our stomaches, watching the tadpoles swim around us.
At the end of it all I was soaked to the bone, dirty, and exhausted…and bubbling over with joy. To many, laying on your stomach on a dirty/wet floor doesn’t sound too amazing. But it wasn’t what I did today that made it so spectacular, it’s who I did it with.
Don’t miss the opportunity to have the most spectacular day in the midst of the most mundane circumstances. And never miss out on the opportunity when a little child invites you into their world.
Sent from my iPad
