Have you ever been in awe of a moment that would seem normal enough on any other day? Like catching a smile exchanged between two strangers or one person holding the door for another who’s hands are full; a teenager helping an elderly person across the street or some other random act of kindness. A moment that stopped your world for even a split second and made you think, “Wow, I’m so glad I caught that.”
That’s what my entire first month looked like. In moments I would have usually found inconvenience or discomfort, which by the way would’ve been completely warranted, I saw nothing but blessings. Don’t get me wrong though, our first month was tough. We had some miscommunications, adjustments to living with 9 other strangers (sharing every living space, sharing one bathroom, sharing food, sharing money, etc.), learning a new culture & language, time changes, little to no communication with our friends/family back home… the list could go on. But even through all that, dang y’all did God show up.
Our technical second day in Cóte d’Ivoire, but first FULL DAY, we sat down with our three ministry hosts – Jean Claude, Marius, and Rémi. They came to give us an idea of their vision of the mission and an overall schedule for how the weeks would look. We learned a song in French right off the bat (full disclosure, I had no idea what the words were lol) and then headed straight for the church to meet with Pastor Dah! – it MUST be said with emphasis! After prayer and some short introductions, we headed down to the ports for the first time.
[This is where I have to take a second to pause and really drill home how important journaling on the Race is. It may not be your strong suit or your favorite thing to do, but take it from me, it is SO WORTH IT! I wouldn’t remember half of the details without having journaled about it afterward.]
Okay, play… At the ports, we met with the loveliest woman. The hospitality that poured out of her was wild. She wiped off dirty benches, told some boys to fetch more so there’d be enough seats, made sure we were shaded, and hushed anyone around so we could speak with her and some others about Jesus. She was so interested in what we had to offer, which was not much, and in the end, she gave her life to Christ. Guys, first day. First time at the ports. First time sharing. First person to share with. Boom. God showed up.
And that wasn’t the end. We were able to share the Good News with 317 people this month and 52 PEOPLE GAVE THEIR LIVES TO CHRIST!!! The only word that comes to mind for me throughout this month – spoiled. God spoiled us through and through.
But it was in the moments that people didn’t accept Christ that I saw God the most. There was so much growth and beauty in those moments. Either someone we spoke with got to learn something new about God or hear a story they’d never heard before, or we got to tell a story we’d never told before or learned something new about a culture we didn’t know before. He was in every conversation we had. He gave us the Holy Spirit to aid us when we didn’t have the right words and protect us during potentially controversial situations. It was in the moments when I had disagreements with my teammates that I was able to see them the way God sees them and love them through it – this is harder than it sounds y’all, but God. It was in the moments of doubt when I didn’t think I was enough, or knew enough, or had enough that God gave me the nudge of strength or courage or placed people in front of me that had words no one else could’ve known I needed except Him. It was in the moments I would catch my male teammates corralling or protecting the females when we were walking through the markets or down the streets. It was when our host’s wives take us in, feed us, and love us like their own children. It was in the moments when our host/translator would show up ON HIS DAY OFF to show us where to buy fabric, where to eat, and where to shop. It was when the church congregation came together to pray over us, the group of 10 Americans still trying to find their way in life; for our safety, for our minds, and for God’s will to be done through us. (Side note: if you’re ever blessed to have an entire community of people to pray over you, I encourage you to open one eye & take a peek. It’s a glimpse of how good God is.) It was when we were able to bless the lady who sold fruits & vegetables across the street from our guest house by buying from her instead of some maybe-cheaper-options up the road.
It was watching Jessica’s face light up when she got to play with the kids. Or seeing Jessie’s joy when teaching us about stories in the Bible. It was when I got the pleasure of watching the strengths of Matt’s evangelism be matched by Kalyn’s discipleship. It was watching Josiah preach at church for the first time. It was witnessing Allyson lead the pack on the 2-mile walk to church every morning. It was seeing Ashley, our fearless team leader, lay herself down and be completely vulnerable, in order to lead our pack of individuals into becoming a unit.
It was in all these little moments that I saw God’s heart. That I got to truly experience why He created us all to be here. I’m looking forward to more of these moments in the next 10 months. Thank you for spoiling me.
