If you know anything about me, you know that I am pretty dang passionate about women’s ministries. I get super excited when I have a part facilitating the growth and healing of women within a community. When our host Susan asked if one of our team members could lead the women’s meeting, I volunteered. I had no idea what I was going to talk about, but I could feel the Lord telling me to speak.
The whole day I prayed, flipped through my Beauty for Ashes manual, and dove into Scripture in preparation for the meeting. When two o’clock rolled around, I felt pretty confident in the words I was going to speak over the women. We hopped into the back of the truck and drove to the house where we would spend time in fellowship.
After driving over the bumpy roads and avoiding the ditches, we arrived. Nothing in my World Race training prepared me for what happened next. My team jumped out of the truck and followed the welcoming smile that awaited us at the door. I looked down for a second to make sure my wrapper was on correctly. When I looked up, I saw two men coming toward our group. “Azungu!” they called out. White people. It’s pretty common to be called by that name, and it really isn’t offensive. Normally, people will wave, smile, and shake our hands. Then they move on.
Not these men.
One of the guys hugged Megan and Dani and then set his eyes on me. I braced myself for this awkward embrace. after the typical three seconds, I tried pulling away. Nope. This guy pulled me closer and literally was whispering sweet nothings into my ear. My mind went completely blank. I could tell he was stronger than me and pulling away did nothing. I knew I wanted out, but he was holding me there for over a full minute. Before he pulled away, he placed the sloppiest wet kiss on my jaw. And then I was really done.
Thankfully, and to his luck, he pulled away. I might of kicked him really hard if he stayed a moment longer after I collected my thoughts. But he quickly scampered away with his friend. I looked back to my teammates who shared the same dumbfounded look on their faces. All of a sudden Susan said, “Ah, that man. He’s drunk.” I don’t know what it was–maybe the tone, the words–but I couldn’t help but laugh. My first kiss came from a drunk man in Malawi.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t accept what that man did. Nor do I even in the slightest think it was okay. But I realized what that whole interaction was: an attack from the enemy. He was trying to catch me off guard and distract me from my mission that day. He knew that my words would make an impact on the women and strengthen their faith.
But his plan failed. God gave me the peace of mind to push through the shock, frustration, and anger to speak to the women about purpose, peace, and community. Don’t let the enemy throw you off balance when he blindsides you. If you keep trusting in God, He will make the waves break before they even reach the shore.
