Last night was our last Crusade. I was so tired and did not want to go at all. I went though and was so glad I did. There is a little girl who I have been hanging out with at the Crusades. Her name is Victoria and she is paralyzed on the right side of her body.
Last night when we were walking up to the field where we hold the service Victoria came running up to me with a huge smile on her face and gave me an enormous hug! Her smile, laughter and dancing throughout the evening made me so glad I was there.
When she dances she gives it everything she has! Her right foot is angled in a way that she can’t wear a shoe on it and when she walks it is more of a hobble, but when she dances…she dances! She puts her whole body into it. Last night I was trying to copy her dance moves and we were both laughing and dancing up a sweat, because I am so very white!
I’m learning that being in Africa is a lot different than I thought it would be. There are many times that the expectations put on me overwhelm me (such as preaching), but the joy is exactly what I thought it would be. The dancing is exactly what I would thought it would be. Many times the joy, laughter and dancing don’t come from who I would expect them to, but they are there. When I am surrounded by that joy it is contagious. My worries about writing a sermon, stepping in cow poop or what tomorrow is going to look like slip away and all I can think about is the little girl dancing next to me with the huge smile on her face.
