I close my eyes and faces just flood my mind. Faces of people back home, faces of my team and squad mates, and faces of the many beautiful people I’ve met in the first month of this journey. My heart nearly does flips because I am simply overwhelmed with love. I find myself daily praying to never forget the people of Lesotho and how drastically they have changed my life in such a short time. Meeting them has felt like being reunited with brothers and sisters that I’ve known my whole life long.
One new friend has made an especially large impact on my heart. His name is Tsepo, and I want to share with you a five things I have learned from him in honor in the past few weeks.
1. You don’t have to speak loudly to have influence.
Tsepo is very quiet, but he changes the atmosphere everywhere he goes. He is respected and enjoyed by his peers, and very obviously gentle in the way he leads.
2. Sing your favorite song whenever you can, and around whoever you can.
On almost every walk I have had with Tsepo, he has sung his favorite song for me. It’s called “Under the Rock”. It brings me joy to hear his sweet voice and to see his bright smile. I think he enjoys how happy it makes me,too. So sing, not just for yourself but also those around who love you.
3. Serve without complaining.
I have seen Tsepo serve in countless ways since I met him three weeks ago. He serves the church, his peers, his mother, and even our team without a single complaint. Tsepo’s heart to serve is something I want to see in myself.
4. Allow yourself to be celebrated.
We have gotten consumed by a culture of false humility to a point where we don’t know how to receive. This past Wednesday was Tsepo’s birthday, and I saw him let down walls in order to receive the love my team and I poured out. He expressed gratitude and love without ever saying “I don’t deserve this” or “you shouldn’t have done this”. Because guess what, Tsepo is worth celebrating, and I’m glad he knows that for himself!
5. Sometimes the least desirable job effects those that you love the most.
On one of my first ministry days, I was assigned to clean up duty at the church we are here working with. We were asked to do a few simple things, and one of those was to clean the church’s toilets. These toilets are what we call “African long-drops”. In other words, outhouses. These are used by the congregation on Sunday and by the school’s children throughout the week. I volunteered to clean the toilets because I figured it was better for just one pair of hands to get dirty, right? Well, I started to realize I may have gotten more than I bargained for when signing up for this task, but I decided I would power through with my attitude being almost as stinky as my setting. The next thing I knew, Tsepo walked up to use the restroom. That hit me hard. I realized that in order for Tsepo to have a clean place to go to the bathroom, someone has to clean it. In that moment my heart was changed. If cleaning that means that it makes Tsepo’s day better, than I’d be willing to clean it every day.
Isn’t that what love does, though? Love speaks softly, but has great influence. Love inspires joy within ourselves and to everyone we encounter. Love does not complain, but is honored to serve. Love celebrates all people, and allows us to see that we are worth celebrating. Love motivates us to push through tough, awful, or even sometimes stinky situations in order to improve the world of those around us. Love is the motivation and the agenda.
Speaking of love, I do love and miss you all dearly. I feel your prayers daily, and pray for you all often. Thank you for the influence you have had on this amazing journey!
All my love,
Mary
