I woke up yesterday morning to the sound of our driver’s
voice asking us to close the door of our African hut because there was a Black
Mamba outside. For a moment I was confused and then remembered where I was.
After using our outside bathroom (making sure to check that I didn’t sit on any
spiders) and contemplating whether it was worth it to go to the trouble of
filling up a bucket of water to take a bucket shower, I went back to sleep.
After falling back asleep I woke up several time do to the heat, and roosters
and goats that hang out right under our windows, but tried to get some more
sleep.
I spent the day mostly reading and just laying in bed,
having a few conversations here and there with my team. We had planned that it
would be a day of relaxing and trying to get adjusted to the time difference.
We don’t want everyone to get worn out before we even start doing anything. I
was tempted so many times just to complain but realized how I needed to live by
my will and not my feelings. My feelings said, your hot, tired, you don’t even
have a real bathroom or shower, and there are frogs, snakes, and lizards around
not to mention all the spiders everywhere! My will said I need to live above my
circumstances and choose to be thankful for the things that we do have like
water to take a shower with, food, and a bed to sleep in. This list could go on
and on because that’s not including knowing God, being called His daughter,
being used to spread his kingdom!
All this to say that once again, I had been spoiled this
last year living in comfort. In those moments I didn’t have to trust God very
much to help me to be joyful and thankful for what He had given me. In fact
most days I probably forgot to thank him. Being uncomfortable has shown me once
again how important it is to be thankful always. No matter how little we have.
I realize we still have a lot, so much more than many people here and the rest
of the world. Living in thankfulness doesn’t come naturally but is something we
must practice.
I’m so thankful that we can be here in Africa and we are
looking forward to getting to work alongside a few different ministries here.
In the coming days we will be spending time in a house where people get hospice
type care, going to care points that distribute meals to orphans, and working
with the women who make the food and make a living by selling cloth bags that they
make. I’ll keep you posted on our experiences and what God is doing in each of
these places in the weeks ahead! Thanks for your prayers!
