Our time here in North Africa has been so beautiful. I have never experienced so much hospitality. I’ve been welcomed into many homes with my team, after two interactions with someone it’s like you are a lifelong friends. One day we got invited for Kus Kus (“Food so nice you say it twice” – Tyler) and we ate dessert first with tea until we were stuffed…Then we ate about two huge portions of this main course, and when we finished eating what we could (only making a small dent in all that was served) we were given a spread of fruit and more tea. Some of the family serving this meal, we hadn’t even met yet. It’s ridiculous! But so amazing. I humbled and challenged. Although, where I’m from in the South I think we are generally pretty hospital (we even say we have Southern hospitality) it honestly doesn’t compare to the hospitality of the culture here. People who don’t have much would literally give anything they had to welcome a stranger. This brings difficulty because there is a balance to be struck. On one hand we don’t want to be a burden to anyone, but it’s also very honoring to the person or family in the culture to just accept what is given with gratitude. So, in this instance we ate everything we possibly could.
It was so awesome! Then we went to a festival with our new friends. And half our group was driven home right after. Since our whole team couldn’t fit in our hosts cars we took two trips. Those of us who had to wait (me included) we treated to another round of tea and dessert, but this time, we also had coffee.
(All these photos are from my teammate Amber props to her for the dopeness of the pics!)
We had planned a night of poetry slams to take place after this dinner event. Due to the grandness of love we shared with these people however dinner that started at 5, with the festival, wasn’t over until about 10:30pm. We got home right at 11 and slept.
The relationships we’ve been building are real, and I hope to be very long lasting. We get to share Jesus with folks, and in a way they are sharing His love with us too, sometimes without even realizing it.
I’ve made friends with a street performer and a fisherman. With kids who play soccer and kids who jump on my head. I’ve made friends with men who want to learn English. God is opening many doors for the Gospel. We do have to be discerning though…
See the country we are in is closed to the Gospel. Natives of the land are outlawed from attending any sort of church services. Believers meet in secret and in much smaller “congregations” the church we attended on Sunday had about 8 people not including our group of 9. If you have that in perspective we are literally like traveling Church unit. We are here to spread the Gospel, but I’ve also realized we are here to encourage the local body.
So our days during the week are a lot like normal life. We are making friends we learn from them and from their faith, and we share ours. It’s beautiful. We are planting seeds and watering what we can. We also are praying for a harvest.
Our slam night did happen though. We had been planning it for a week, it got moved two days back, but it has finally happened. I shared some poems that took a little bit of guts to share, as did my teammates (Amber shared a song she wrote it was dope!). We got vulnerable with each other. We also had fun. I had been introduced to poo-etry and even wrote a poo-em (you can probably guess what this sort of poem is about).
Anyway, I thought I’d share the poems I shared with the team, poo-etry and all!
***Warning don’t read the first poem if bathroom humor is a problem for you.
“Taking the Browns to the Superbowl”
Bear down
Poop is brown
On my throne I wear no crown
Listen to the sound
Superbowl champs
Since weird food at training camp
I hope it doesn’t leave damp
Or I’ll make my mark, like a stamp
“Slam Slam Slam”
Time to rhyme
In good time
About the goodness of God
Let me tell you all about my Lawd
He’s a father
He’s my friend
The beginning and the end
Josh Turner thank ya for the Bible
Don’t be a donkey only turning by the bridle
Don’t strive for a title
Don’t strive and don’t be idle
Don’t do what I say just be who you are
Be who you are in a car
Near or far
In the ground or in the are
That’s what God did when he came as king Jesus
He didn’t come so he could just please us
He broke His body yet it eased us
He was. He is, and He is to come
It’s not about who I am or what I do
Now all my steps are determined by you
The Spirit is here and He’s with me
Once I was blind but now I can see
Now I run free, from You I won’t flee
Your good and your true
I always wanna be with you
Your strong and have grace
So I seek Your face
Your firm with affection
Life has no more sections
All your goodness can’t be written
Or forever I’d be sitten
But your words on my heart
Right there love glory forgiveness and redemption are written
Amen.
***I wrote this next one when in a harder place spiritually
“Untitled”
Jesus I need you
I want you
I breath but no air
I’m dead but walking
The sun shines but I feel no heat
I wanna cry but can’t come to tears
I wanna change but I don’t
My mind keeps telling me to try harder
When I do, I fall harder
Shame is like a cloud looming over me
Guilt like a guilotine that I deserve to set my head in
Then enemy is a liar but I listened to him
He’s like a lion but you’re the lion
The enemy is a dragon but only cause I fed him
I fed him
Jesus come to my rescue
I’m not strong, I’m weak
But when I’m weak you say your strong
I’m desperate, but I have no strength of my own to overcome
I’m not supposed to do it on my own because you already overcame
Devil wants me to die with no name
The flesh in me wants to be the highest name
I declare now, no other name but your name
I don’t know what I’ll be like tomorrow
Lord make me decided, I don’t wanna be tossed by every wind or wave
I don’t wanna sink either
I wanna walk on some calm water
But you never said that faith was easy
I asked you to lead me to trust without borders but I know I got my walls up
You tore down Jerico in an instant, but the people marched around for a minute.
I just wanna be like them on the outside of enemies walls
ready to charge
cause I know you’re right there with me.
I can overcome anything
your right there with me.
Still right now I feel like I’m the one surrounded.
I don’t always feel surrounded by you.
I push you away like I don’t need you
You’re all I need Lord
You’re all I need
I got enemies Lord
I got enemies
Be a friend to me Lord
Be a friend to me
I need rescuing Lord
I need rescuing
Jesus I need you
JESUS I want you
Lord I know I have you cause you gave it all
So have me Lord, I surrender all
It’s not much, more like filthy rags
If you’ll have me, I hope to change
Holy Spirit help me make that change
Rearrange our relationship
Get me out of my head
No more of me walking like the walking dead
Be my living water be my bread
“Royalty”
God,
What can I offer you?
All that I have, all I can do.
You made it to begin with.
I can only give back broken
pieces of your creation.
I broke them, me, my brothers
my sisters. What was perfect,
lies in pieces at your feet.
You smile at us. You said,
“I can fix that” and promise
new creation. Jesus’ blood
The glue sticking what was
broken back together.
Here I am at your feet.
Everyday you’re putting me back
together as your perfect creation.
Greater still, You’ve crowned me
with something new. Royalty.
“True Beauty”
You are King
My creator
Beautiful beyond anything I’ve seen.
At your word there is existence
Mountains shot up. The water
was moved into place.
On top of all you made,
you’ve placed me high on your
mountain.
I will seek you all my days,
all I can see you’ve made.
All you’ve made screams to
look to you. There is no
comparing you. You’re beauty goes
deeper. It can’t just be seen.
Your beauty requires more than
what my senses allow. By only
your Spirit can I come out
of hiding and into your presence.
I have your Spirit. You’re with
me. It’s so beautiful. Amen.
God bless.
-Daniel
