The day started out like most here in Botswana. I woke before my alarm which was set for 5:30, got up out of bed and made my to the common room to start my work out. The sunrise was exceptionally beautiful that morning and something in the air was just different. Because I didn’t spend the usual extra 15 minutes in bed past my alarm I had much more time than usual and used it’s it for extra quiet time with the Lord after my workout. During that time I again felt that something about the day was different. We left for the preschool shortly after breakfast. When we arrived I made my way to the tuck shop for an energy drink, which by this point in the month was routine. As I greeted those around, one woman, who I thought was a Motswana, (which is the name for a person from Botswana) said “Oh, you speak English!” I smiled and said “Yes, I do.” Thinking nothing of it at the time I passed right by on my mission. I chatted briefly with the woman who owned the shop and having completed my quest for buying the local energy drink called “Dragon” I turned and started for the house I was teaching at. The woman that made the comment about my speaking English was sitting at a picnic table close buy. I felt a pull to stop and talk with her a minute. I said “Hello!”and as she introduced herself I quickly realized that her English was far better than the typical Motswana and in fact she wasn’t From Botswana at all. She was from Michigan and her name was Afiya. As I stood at the table answering some questions she had about who I was and what I was doing there, my American sense of time was plaguing my mind. It was screaming “What are you doing?! You are already late. You don’t have time to talk! Cut the chatter and get to your task.” But as I ignored it, the thought was pushed farther and farther to the back of my mind until it couldn’t be heard and disappeared.
I spent about thirty minutes speaking to Afiya and touched on many things. Subjects like the ministry we were doing, how she came here, her family, and what the Lord had done in our lives were just a few. I also explained that we were helping teach children in a school and in homes nearby. She was very interested in the type of schooling they offered and since I was new to the ACE program and didn’t have much to offer in the way of fully explaining it I brought her to the preschool to talk with the principal. On our way back to the school I stopped at the house I helped teach in to let the teacher know what I was doing and why I was late. She had barely even noticed that I wasn’t their on time and when she heard that I met someone interested in the ACE program and was taking her to the school she responded with ” take you time, it’s not a problem!” We then proceeded to the school. I had already been blessed by the conversation with Afiya, but here is where The Lord really showed up and His purpose in our meeting became clear.
I introduced Afiya to Principal Marisa and sat in the office with them as they talked about how the schooling worked and how it would be beneficial for her children. After meeting the principal, Afiya began to share that she had an income without needing to work, that she was a nurse, had experience teaching, and had a passion for nutrition. All of this information I had already known from our prior conversation. She went on to explain that the Lord has blessed her greatly in life and that she wanted to serve others in any way she could and since she already had residual income she could share her knowledge, experience, and passion on a voluntary basis if she could be of use. Principal Marisa was delighted with the meeting and eager to meet with her again to see what arrangements could be made to get Afiya plugged in to serving and her children in the schooling program. By the end of the meeting they exchanged contact information and Principal Marisa invited Afiya to a lady’s bible study and discipleship group at which Afiya was greatly intrigued.
Both woman thanked me for initiating their meeting but truthfully I knew that it was the Lord who had orchestrated it and give all credit to Him. I walked Afiya back to her house and we continued to chat about our passions, our loved ones, and we believed the Lord had for us in the upcoming seasons of our lives. The conversation was such a blessing to me that I asked to meet with her every morning before school for the remainder of the week.
This experience has reminded me of a lesson that is continuing to be taught to me throughout the Race. As Americans we are so sensitive to the concept of time. As a culture we value time more than almost everything only second to money and even in that time is equated to money. Their are heavy consequences if we are late to things and people do not feel valued if you don’t respect their time. In almost every other culture I have experienced on the Race, the value is put on relationships. The concept of time is an afterthought or at the very least spending quality time with people is more important than being anywhere else or own their way tho the next thing. This cultural ideal can be very frustrating to us Americans. Being surrounded by it for many months has made it less frustrating for us and even eye opening for me personally. I know that when I return I will still need to be on time for work and for the commitments I make, but my prayer is that though the relational cultures I have experienced I will put more value on relationships with those around me. I challenge you to do the same and pray into how we can value relationships with others more than hurrying to get to the next “thing.” You never know who you will meet or how you will be blessed if let the errands and minor plans pass that can be done another day, to stay and chat with a new friend. Who knows? Maybe, just maybe, you may even be given the privilege to bless them.
