I’ve got this friend.
Meek and simple. 38 years young. No husband, no kids. Cow caretaker. Dainty. Giggly. With a smile so pure, it gives the cherubim a run for their money.
Every month I pray that Papa places someone specific on my heart, someone that I can pour into and who can pour into me. This month her name is Adelaide.
A few of us from Team Ruach and 220 met her on our prayer walk through Timbutini aka Goatville. We had stopped to pray for her quickly, as she was tending to some of her family’s cows. The men that were with us chose to continue walking further on while Dada, Ashley and I decided to keep her and her cows company. None of us could have anticipated that this would be more than just a one-time “hey, pray and send them on their way” thing…
Turns out, she has become my African mom. And she's just like my real mom, too!
1) The littlest things make her happy. We walk and talk with her for a few yards and she keeps repeating, “I am very happy! You are my friend.” She wants to teach us s’swati and wants to learn English, so she invites us over to her house!
2) Mary Poppinsesque. She gives out of abundance! She was literally like Mary Poppins pulling things out of her bag. She reached in her skirt and pulls out three, four, FIVE mangos! It was like the gift that keeps on giving! What little she had, she would share it with us.
3) The energizer bunny. She is always doing something! She’ll be running to fetch some mangos for you, while monitoring her cows and skimming milk. True story. Proverbs 31 woman right here!
4) Simple and modest. There is nothing showy about Adelaide (except her smile =)). She rocks the short hair, the simple attire, no accessories, no make-up. She doesn’t have to embellish herself because she is stunning the way she is! The first day we visit her, Dada paints her nails for her. Except she requests that only her left hand be painted. She tells us that she uses her right hand a lot and it will just be ruined. She was probably weighing what would be worse, “wasting” the nail polish on hands that would be bombarded by the elements or being rude by not accepting our gift.
5) As you can tell, she has a big heart and a big smile to match!!
Adelaide knows Jesus. But she doesn’t KNOW Him. The first day we visited her at her house, she was the one who asked if she could pray for us! I was taken aback, and asked myself, “Who’s the missionary here?” It was refreshing to have someone offer to pray for us first. She prayed for safe travels on our journey and we in turn prayed for an abundance in her life, for a community of believers that would pour into her. She said that she doesn’t have very many friends, which I find very hard to believe. But then she works so much, she probably doesn’t have time to socialize.
We invited her to church that day, but she said that she would be busy tending the cows. Hopeful and persistent, we asked if it would be if we could come back the next and maybe even milk her cows with her. The second time we visited her, we did just that! AND we extended yet another invitation to come to church with us. By golly, she agreed! It was an answered prayer!
Adelaide kept her promise and came to church with us. It ended up being a three hour service, perhaps a little too long for her liking. But she cradled my hand in hers during service as if to say, “Thank you, my friend.” She doesn’t know, but when our hands were clasped, I was praying that she would come to know Papa more intimately, that her life would be a testimony to the greatness of God, that she would minister to the women in her neighborhood and be a beacon of hope for all those in Timbutini.
Adelaide is my friend…a sweet, sweet friend. The chances of me being able to communicate with her once I leave Africa, though, are slim. Despite this, I know that God will keep our friendship alive! We don’t need letters or cellphones to communicate, when we have prayer and our Papa in heaven. I ask that you please join me in prayer for Adelaide. Pray that she steps into the fullness of life that Papa has prepared for her. Pray that she has the boldness to minister to those around her. Pray that she returns to the church and effects positive change. Pray that she comes to know Papa as her very best friend.
