“12/15/17 18:41
Today’s Friday – we went to wifi, we worked hard on the island – we built a greenhouse – and today, I had a really good day for the first time in a while”
the only words I got out onto my journal before I was extremely distracted by the distant, sweet sonorous voices of 8 of botswanas extremely giggly beans (kiddos). I tried hard, to focus on the thoughts that clouded my brain, in hopes of getting all of my thoughts onto paper – but with each step they took, the laughter became louder and my thoughts quieter and quieter; until the voices that circled around me swept me away. I looked up to gleaming faces that just looked back at me. We exchanged looks for a little while, as they chatted amongst themselves I sat. Sitting, waiting, wishing, that I could just understand what they were saying. It got quiet for a second so I took that opportunity and ran with it. “What are your names?” They all at once spoke back and laughed, deep belly laughs because of all of the voices that spoke back at once.
I looked at the littlest smiling face. “What’s your name?”
“My name is Treasure” she said back to me, eyes big and bright.
I looked over to the right of her, another smiling face, just this one a little taller than Treasure.
“What’s your name?”
she looked back at me and said “My name is Power.”
She looked at me intently and smiled big as she introduced herself.
“Power and Treasure. Those are really incredible names. My name is Dasia.” I answered back at the two girls whose smiles were undoubtedly radiant. The boys standing around a us joked around and told me silly names that everyone laughed about. After some time getting names, ages, and favorite colors I heard one of the girls I’m living with yell down that dinner was ready. But I just wasn’t ready to go yet. It reminded me of when I was younger how my parents would have to force my sister and I inside when dinner was ready. We just weren’t ready. We weren’t done playing. Summer was always our favorite time of the year because the sun was always out later, longer sunnier days. I just wasn’t ready for dinner yet. I didn’t want to hold the girls up for dinner so I quickly explained to my new friends that I had to go eat dinner and I really did want to stay longer and play games with them but I just had to go. I told them that if they came back to this spot at 6 o’clock tomorrow I would bring the soccer ball and we could play. 6 o’clock, be here. Football.
I motioned with my feet and held up my hands.
“What time tomorrow?”
in unison their little voices said
“6 o’clock, football”
“What time!!” with a little more emphasis –
“6 o’clock!!!!”
I high fived them all goodbye and continued yelling as I began walking up to our little house “6 o’clock. Tomorrow. Football!!!!”
I. Was. Stoked.
You see, ministry is a little different here in Botswana. We’ve been learning a lot about what it looks like to manage our time. Spend time reading the Bible. Pouring into each other but also the 3 incredible women were living with. We’ve been doing a ton of work on this island, that isn’t an island at all, building fences and a shelter and a vegetable garden. Planting and cutting down trees, raking, shoveling, and cleaning up the land for the family to move onto and eventually start hosting missionaries at. It’s a beautiful thing we’re doing here, really. Everyday we plan on going to this little sandlot with a bunch of trees where we have children’s ministry from 4-6 pm, but because it’s rainy season, some days we don’t get to go to children’s ministry.
It’s just very different. We have a lot of time and space. It’s nice, but sometimes my hands just want to be doing more.
Yesterday after working on the island we all went to the little corner store to get some ice pops. We went over to the fence of the little community of houses that sold the ice pops only to find out they didn’t have anymore. The two girls I was with walked back to the car and as they did, a solid 12 kids ran over to me. Grabbing onto my hands and pressing the buttons on my watch, laughing at something on feet, (one of the reasons I wish I understood Setswanan) In the span of 3 minutes I had 12 new friends. It got me excited. A lot of things in general excite me. Ignite little flames in of passion in my heart. Kids? They excite me. They always have. They’re easily amused by little things, things that we devalue as we inevitably grow up. They’re impressionable, a lot of the times smarter than we think, and they love games – especially the ones involving hugs and teddy bears. They’re the future, holding potential in abundance. The future. They’re stars before they’re meteors. Bodies of ice and dust, energy and potential that builds and grows until you see it shoot across the sky brighter than the rest. Children inspire me. They’re so uniquely themselves, shameless in appearance and utterly idiomatic. You can be you, around children. I can be me. I got back into the bed of the truck and prayed that if God willing, He’d bring more children in my life to inspire me. To give me a wider range of perspective. Fresh eyes. When we got home from the island and the ice pop stand is when I went and sat on the delta in my thoughts and there the group of 8 were. 6 o’clock football.
The next day came, Saturday and at 6 o’clock I was sitting in my hammock near the delta listening to music and writing. I paused for a second because in the distance, again: the sonorous excitable voices filled my ears. I jumped out of my hammock and sprinted up to our room. Put on my Vans and grabbed the soccer ball. Carsen, Lillabea, Lucie, Ky, and I headed down to the delta. This time, not only 8 but 15 beaming beans greeted us at the gate with big smiles asking if they could have the ball. Ky looked over at me and said “Das, just kick it as far as you can.” I did and they ran and ran. We all did. Chased the ball, kicking it and sprinting as fast as we could after it. Falling into random holes and occasionally stepping in fresh cow “dung” as I’ve learned to call it. After some time, I noticed our soccer team grew significantly smaller. I looked around and saw Lillabea sitting with a group of 7 beans playing games of snake snake hippo (duck duck goose), doing handstands, and riding roller coasters. It was sweet to watch. Carsen joined them, and the two of the girls exemplified exuberance. Its simple though, we just played. We played hard. I looked over and Ky and Lucie were running hard and fast after the ball. It was a moment where I just wish I could’ve slowed everything down to watch it all in slow motion. Take in the way the tall grass tickled my legs as I ran through it. The way the beans laughed and yelled for us to pass the ball. The way the sun hid behind the clouds changing the colors of the sky. The way the girls I have the privilege of living with: laughed, and ran, and played hard with our 6 o’clock football team; and enjoyed the simple life we lived. Something I’ll remember forever.
The Lord is teaching me a lot through the women I live with. Through those I interact with. He’s teaching me about the different parts of His character; and how the people around me all bear different parts of His image. I’m learning about what it looks like to take the day the Lords given me, and make it into something. To allow God to pull me out of the places my mind wanders when I think about loss, brokenness, inadequacy, and the feeling of being misunderstood in grief – and redeem those hard thoughts and feelings with moments like today. Simple yet impactful moments that are bringing me great joy in a rough place to be in. Bringing light into places thirsty for illumination. God is answering my prayers. Giving me hope, and love, and laughter in the midst of grief. God is faithful. He is good & I’m extremely thankful for who He is. Im thankful for Kyla, Carsen, Ky, Lillabea, Sandy, Kendall, Kaylee, Cat, Lucie, Kara, Paige, and Katie. For showing me the diverse aspects of the Fathers character in creative ways. I’m thankful for Ma willie, Arista and Simone. For being women of faith and strength. I’m thankful for 6 o’clock football club, for giving me fun, and breathing life into my little world that feels confused and shaken up these days. I’m thankful, utterly thankful.
