despite it being 90+ degrees by 8:00 a.m., i always look forward to our breakfast of chai (tea, with milk, served hot) and mandazi, triangular prisms of fried dough. delicioussss.
this week we were in ille springs, by lake turkana, doing lots of evangelism with a group of 35 young men and women (high school/college age). i would wake up to the sound of praise choruses at 6 a.m., which is how we started “morning glory” – isn’t that a lovely name for early morning prayer/devotional?
everyone then bathes (i took about 3 “showers” all told), brushes their teeth (our lodwar friends use tree branches), our teams would have our own time of prayer, and then we wait for breakfast.
after breakfast, we’d engage in hut-to-hut evangelism, or teaching sessions. then some chai, then lunch, then a break (like a siesta) until the afternoon because the sun shines so hot. then we’d have a crusade – vigorous praise, powerful preaching, bold prayers. the children draw to us like flies to honey.
dinner – always ugali – would be followed by either a revival or showing the jesus film. the sun sets by 6 p.m. or so. it’s glorious then – the gorgeous sunset ushers the starry host. we see venus, which looks more like a very very bright star. and it’s also so much cooler.
around 10, after we’ve had our own team meetings and such, i crawl into my bunk, under my awesome mosquito net, and crash. i fall into such a deep sleep that i would forget i where i was and what i’ve been doing.
then i wake up, praise God, to another day.
it’s almost 3 months into the race and i have no choice but to take it moment by moment.
sometimes i feel so glad to be here, privileged that God speaks through me and encourages my sisters and welcomes a new younger brother to the family as a result. sometimes i shudder at the thought that i still have another 8 months of running this race, which feels like has come to a halting, poky, trudge to the finish line. sometimes i’m so fascinated by how many family members i’ve discovered; sometimes i’m disgusted at myself and disenchanted with my community. sometimes i’m amazed at the community that sticks to me when i’m so disenchanting. sometimes, i feel like i’m taken to school on how powerful and amazing church can be, and sometimes i feel like a lone teach for america corps member trying to close the achievement gap.
but God is good, all the time; all the time He is good.
merry christmas! 🙂
