There we were, Joelle, Kelly, and myself, three conquerors resting on the sofa, basking in the light of our recent triumph. Only one week in our new residence and we had already become weathered warriors against our terrifying foes. Relentlessly they attacked, but we pressed on, not one battle lost. Team=approximately 15, cockroaches=0.
Suddenly, the front door opened and were were hurriedly greeted by Kelsey and Landry who had been using wifi at a nearby café to contact a friend with whom we had made tentative plans for the evening. “Guess what! We have guests coming for dinner!” they said with slightly panicked and wide eyed expressions (we hadn’t planned on dinner guests or really even planned our own meal for that evening) “…and they’re coming in 45 minutes!”—Now all of our faces shared the same expression!
Our friend (we will call her Fatima), we had met a few days before at a supermarket. Joelle and Kelsey had gone shopping for groceries so that we could make home-made naan bread but speaking very little French and almost no Arabic, encountered some level of difficulty finding some of the ingredients. She graciously showed them where to find the items they were looking for and passed on some tips for making the bread. Having struck up a conversation, exchanging information, they decided to make plans to meet the next day! Sure enough, the following day we met Fatima and her two young children at a café and from there went on an all-afternoon adventure visiting markets, a breathe-taking mosque, and toured through the city all piled up in her car! The entire day was filled with smiles and laughter and so much grace for each others loose translations and best interpretations of every language represented. We had so much fun that night that we planned to get together another day!
This brings us back to our surprised expressions sitting on the couch, looking at each other in excitement and a slight panic. In our travels, we have adopted a style of eating we endearingly refer to as our “travelers diet” and we were not sure how to transform these ingredients into a meal for our guests of honor in less than an hour! The culture where we currently reside is one of hospitality, with very little introduction needed. It’s not unusual to introduce yourself, exchange numbers and end up sharing a meal together the next day although you are almost complete strangers. So through a number of circumstances (and possibly a little confusion because of language barriers) we found ourselves hosting dinner for our new friends!
After the initial shock, it was go-time. “OK. What do we have? Olives… eggs… bread… cheese… rice… couscous…lentils… peppers… yogurt??”
The apartment was a rush of energy— Cleaning, cooking, organizing, washing! But with a little creativity and a lot of team work, a little over an hour later (45 minutes local time) we stepped back in near disbelief and looked at the spread. Fried rice, topped with a fried egg and roasted red, yellow and green peppers, roasted buttery garlic bread, apples with cinnamon and cheese, and olives. The table was set for eight and Landry and Kelsey set off to greet our guests at the gate.
It was such a beautiful night. We shared a meal, played cards, sang songs ate a TON of popcorn (mostly the little 7 year old boy, who couldn’t even fit each handful completely into his mouth!) and we made more plans together. Fatima and her children are a joy to be around. She has such a joyful demeanor. We are convinced that her daughter is going to grow up to be a beautiful, great and influential woman, and her son—oh what a sweetheart.
This is life. This is relationship and community. Not that everything before wasn’t. But I’m just hanging on tight as God is leading us into new realms of what those things mean. Life. Speaking the name of Jesus into an atmosphere that has probably never been touched by it. Speaking truth over each other and anyone we come into contact with, whether that be in conversation, song, scripture, or prayer. Being bold in obedience. Realizing a complete dependance on the one who is a perfect provider. Being at home in the presence of God, wherever we are— a tent, albergue, church, campus, hostel, hospital, hotel, apartment, home or anywhere else. Relationship. Having a level of dependance and vulnerability with this group of ladies who have become family, friends, counselors, mentors, support group, coaches, warriors and defenders to and for each other all in a matter of months. We have and will continue taking turns coming to the end of ourselves mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically (I’m looking at you, Camino!) all the while, lifting each other up. Community. Wow, there is power in community. In every situation there is a new opportunity for God to express his love through each of us in a totally different way from each other, yet in total unity. Joelle will boldly reach out, then Kelsey comes alongside in pursuit of relationship. Kelly shares a story, prompting a conversation that I’ll have, while Landry encourages and builds up the whole way. We do not only operate in our strongest gifts but we are consistently challenged by each other to pursue areas where we need the most growth.
It’s still so early in our journey together. But its amazing to know that from now on… this is ministry (life). We might not always be cooking last-minute dinners for beautiful families in North Africa but we will always be able to meet someone new and invite them into our lives and do our best to love them well. We will always be able to pursue God’s heart for the Nations. It will always be our calling to build a pathway and remove every obstacle out of the way of people knowing Jesus.
“And it will be said, “Build it up, build it up, prepare the way, take every obstacle out of the way of My people.” Isaiah 57:14
