Côte d’Ivoire, you did not disappoint. I can’t believe one month is already over, and I don’t even know where to begin to tell you about it. My favorite part of Côte d’Ivoire…hands down, the people. From the second that we got there, they were so welcoming and loving and immediately treated us like family, and I found myself quickly falling in love with them. The women are so strong and beautiful inside and out. They are so willing to serve and to give to others without hesitation. They are incredibly hardworking, and their faith is even stronger. The kids are adorable and their smiles are contagious. Most of the people spoke the local language, some spoke French, and only our translator spoke English, so we got pretty good at charades and even though we didn’t speak the same language, somehow they really did become like family, and it was truly an honor to share life with them. (Remember when I said goodbyes are hard? I didn’t realize they could still be so hard after only a month, and I signed up for 11 of them…)
Logistically, we were in a small village, about an hour and a half bus ride from the city. We had no running water, but we did have electricity. We slept in our tents inside a house (call me crazy but I didn’t want to share my sleeping bag with a lizard). Our ministry was preaching and evangelizing, so in the morning we’d walk from our home about a mile or two to the market where we’d set up a speaker and sing songs, share the gospel, play with the kids, and invite people to a church service in the evening. Some mornings we’d go door to door to share the gospel, as well. Then evenings we’d go to surrounding villages and preach and share the gospel. Thank you so much for your prayers for my first ever sermon – I don’t foresee a new career in my future, but the Lord was with me and I trust that He spoke through me as I shared about hope, how because Jesus left Heaven to come to earth, because He lived the perfect life that we could never live, because He died the death that we deserved to die for our sins, and because He rose again on the third day to offer the free gift of forgiveness and eternal life, we have hope. (If you want to know more about this hope, please ask – I would love to tell you!) Not to mention I got to preach under the full African moon, so I really can’t complain.
As I’m reflecting on what God has taught me this month, I think it’s been a reminder that He is in the little things. He doesn’t need a big revelation or revolution to be present, but He cares about the one. He has given me eyes for the “unseen,” like the kid in the back of the group who wants to be included but is too shy or can’t find their way in, or the one who is sitting just beyond the group, or the one who feels like nobody sees them. I am reminded that He will leave the 99 to go after the 1. He has reminded me that He is in the daily “grind.” Some of my favorite moments this month were simply washing dishes with one of the teenage girls here, or drawing water from the well with the women, when we were able to laugh and share life together, even though we speak different languages. He has shown up in the smiles and the giggles of the kids. He was in the back of the big flatbed truck that we rode at 2AM on a bumpy dirt road as the Africans sang worship the whole ride home under the moonlight. He was with me and a couple teammates as we stood outside our home watching shooting stars and talking about life. He was in every butterfly that crossed my path. He reminded me that He is in control, even of the details. He showed me that He is sweet and caring. He showed me how the body of Christ transcends nations and cultures and languages, and that love is the universal language.
Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support – I know I’ve said it before, but I am just so blown away by your love and generosity towards me, and I can’t tell you enough how grateful I am. This month was only further evidence of the amazing support I have back home, and of all the prayers on my behalf. Please keep them coming! I am not so foolish to think that I could be doing any of this on my own or of my own strength, and yet it has felt so natural. Next up, Ghana.
