I have often been reminded of my grandparents over the past few months. When it comes to southern hospitality, they’ve got it down pat. They have the ability to make just about anyone feel welcome in any sort of circumstance. As kids, we wondered how Grandma and Granddaddy have friends every single place they go. It wasn’t until later I learned, they just make them… anywhere and everywhere. We have experienced our fair share of hospitality in just our first three countries.
We have been to three different countries now, and in each one we have been welcomed with open hands by other missionaries or even locals. As I sit back and reflect on this I am confused. We are 7 Americans. We attract attention with our packs, we are generally louder than everyone, and we are foreign. Why do these people open their lives and homes to us? They don’t know who we are. We are strangers who appear for one month and then are gone.
I am learning that first, while we may be in each place for a short while; we quickly lose our stranger status. The pre-school we are working at this month hasn’t had volunteers that stay longer than a few days or maybe a week. The teachers we work with seemed a little hesitant with us our first week, but our host, Judy explained to us that they expect you to leave soon. They hadn’t experienced having people come and stay for a consistent amount of time. I can tell you now that as our third week finishes, we LOVE those ladies. They are beautiful, lively, and have now made us feel a part of the pre-school. They share their joy with us and boy is it contagious.
Judi and Lesley are two of the women we have had most contact with this month. They are the trustees of the pre-school and have been our stand-in mom’s! I cannot even begin to explain to you the blessing they have been. They have gone so far out of their way to ensure our comfort, safety, and even our entertainment! (they organized our bungee jump!) Judy was so wonderful to allow us to cook and eat our Thanksgiving feast in her home. Lesley had us over for what South Africans call a “braai.” (a bbq) These women are overflowing with generosity and we do not deserve it.
Just a few nights ago, Jane, a member of the church we’ve been attending this month, had us over for another delicious dinner. Not only do we appreciate a large home cooked meal now that we’re living on an extremely limited food budget, we feel so incredibly spoiled. We signed up for the race knowing it would be difficult. The challenging, hard experiences are what propel you to growth at a new level, but John Michael and I believe God is teaching us to enjoy the life he’s given us. We will encounter difficult circumstances as we move forward, but the surprising thing is we signed up for what we expect to be possibly the hardest year of our lives and have been loved and cared for in ways that are unmerited.
Each month’s goodbyes have proved to be difficult as we have been able to establish new friendships in each country, but we take a little piece of each place with us to the next. We are thankful to have recognized the blessing that each one of these people have been so early on and look forward to the next 8 countries!
Our team with Lorika, one of the teachers at the school
Bridget and Patricia from the Pre-school
