So I am not really sure how to sum up everything that has happened since I have been here… At first I was pretty overwhelmed and to be quite honest I was wishing I was at home and back at Shepherds Hill. 11 months suddenly sounded so much longer than it had. I was beginning to understand why everyone’s jaws would drop when they would ask me what my plans were and I would say “I’m backpacking around the world for 11 months.” For just a couple hours (or lets be real…a couple of days) I started to think they were right… maybe this is crazy. I was pretty hot, my shower was pretty cold; I was experiencing some serious jet lag, had no coffee, and was trying to take in everything that was going on around me.
My first time walking through the streets I got so overwhelmed and felt so broken hearted. So I did all I knew to do… which was put on my aviators to shield my tears and keep walking. Me feeling sorry for these people will not help anything, I’m sure it would only make them feel worse. But it just didn’t seem right; it didn’t seem like what God promised… even if they were smiling. I wasn’t o.k. with just walking through and waving. I felt like a celebrity trying to build a good image. Not that a smile can’t change someone’s day but if I am going to be here I can’t settle for that. I want to build relationships, I want to hang out, I don’t want them to think of me as greater than them, I want to live among them. My sweet coach Gary came and spoke some wisdom into my life concerning what I was seeing and what I could and couldn’t change.
After I got myself under control, I saw a lady standing in the window staring at me and I was drawn to her but I wanted to go alone. So I went and introduced myself and hung out with her for about a half hour until my teammates came to find me. Her name is BeBe and she has 3 children. One of them is my age. She loves coffee and told me when I can finally get some I should come over so we can have coffee together… I promised her I would. She loves to sew but has no material or money so I told her that I would get her the stuff and start paying her to make me some skirts (I only brought one). She was really excited and told me she hoped I wouldn’t be disappointed because she is not that good… I told her I would love and wear whatever she made. She also taught me a few words in their language and told me that she would love to teach me more. I am going back to see her tomorrow. I can’t wait to start having coffee with her J
Sorry if my thoughts seem to be all over the place… I am still trying to process everything… But I can’t wait to see and share what God does with me and in me while I am here. I know it will be good because He is good!
