There are certain moments where I realize ‘Yes, this is why I am on the Race… This is what the Race is about!’ These are precious moments. It’s these moments that are hard to describe. Hard to articulate why they are precious; why they are meaningful. It’s these moments, that cannot be captured by a camera, that make the World Race what it is. It’s these moments that will forever be cherished. I wanted to share a few of these moments with you from last month in South Africa. There will not be pictures of the described moments… because well, at these moments you don’t pull out a camera.
1. Impromptu Concert
It was the first full day my team was at our first host family in South Africa. We had met one of the neighbors, Maria, the day before. She had seen us move in and saw that we had a guitar. She asked Debbie if we would come up and play the guitar and sing with her. We all thought, ‘yeah, sure.’ When the time came to go up to Maria’s house to share some music, I really didn’t want to go. I was tired, didn’t feel that great, and was feeling a little forced into it. Debbie took the guitar and headed up the hill toward Maria’s house. I told her I would follow her shortly. When I did, I was not ready for what I saw. I saw Debbie sitting in a chair in the hot sun with the guitar, playing and singing. Sitting opposite of her underneath the porch was about thirty children (and some adults). This was a DEBBIE CONCERT! ‘What is going on?!?’ Needing a break, as soon as Debbie saw us she handed me the guitar saying that she had already played all the songs she knew on the guitar… ‘Say what?…. Umm yeah, I barely know how to play the guitar as well’. Having only four people and no one really knowing how to play the guitar, I started to just strum some chord progressions I did know, not really remembering what songs they belonged to. Debbie made up a song and some dance moves that she led the kids into singing and dancing together. Callie started This Little Light of Mine and Kylee the Wise Man Built His House on the Rock and some how we made it seem like we knew what we were doing. We pulled off a little concert. We ‘winged it’ and it couldn’t have been sweeter. The kids loved it, eating it up, they were so intrigued. The women started encouraging the little kids to show us a few songs and dance moves. They started to do a very traditional Zulu dance, which includes kicking their legs up really high over their head. So high that sometimes people fall on their butts as they attempt to perfect the move. It was so fun. Watching little three year olds do it one at a time and doing it really well just warmed me inside. As I sat their clapping my hands and enjoying the voices of the little ones I looked around and thought, ‘wow, this is what the Race is all about. I couldn’t have even planned this to be better. This is amazing, I am in South Africa, singing songs and watching Zulu children dance in some of the most beautiful scenery. This is what the Race is about.’ These moments are when you ask yourself if this is real. If this is real life. If this is what life is suppose to be about. Creating these moments with strangers and enjoying the gifts that God has given each of us. This Race is for these moments we get to create with one another that we would never have been able to create otherwise. Who knew that this would happen today. Not I. Not I.
2. Tears Speak
That first impromptu concert marked the beginning of a lot of singing my team did during this month. One of which was during a round of home stay visits. Our host mamas were inspired to start a social service program called Home Stay Care, where they went around to different patients houses who were sick (usually a chronic sickness). During one of the house visits we were at a grandma’s house who suffered from diabetes (diabetes, not so easily treatable here unfortunately). While we were there Debbie thought we should sing to her before we prayed. As we started singing she didn’t even look up at us. Her eyes just kind of darted back and forth. But then soon into the first song I saw tears starting to swell in her eyes. And as I looked next to me to my team (who aren’t all singers) who are singing so sweetly to her and thought, ‘wow, this is what the Race is all about.’ These moments that are meaningful in a way that cannot be described. Cannot be captured with a photo and may never full be expressed. At this moment I felt that we were able to help this women feel loved, blessed, and that God was moving something within her. Why would these foreigners come to her home just to sing and pray with her? Her tears said more than any words could have for what this moment meant to her.
3. Zulu Hymns
One night our host mama was on the couch with her Zulu hymnal book singing to herself. Debbie came out and started to ask what she was singing. She was singing in a different language but we recognized the tune. Debbie started singing it in English and I walked out to join her. After singing a few English hymnals that we knew, Debbie picked out a Zulu hymnal she knew and tried singing it with our host mama. As I sat back and listened to them sing I thought, ‘wow, this is what the Race is all about.’ How beautiful and sweet this moment was. To listen to our host mama and a teammate sing Zulu hymns. To hear a foreigner trying to understand, trying to sing in a language she had no idea how to read, pronounce, or what it meant was so beautiful! And I thought, ‘wow, I am here right now. In a hut in Africa singing Zulu hymns. This is crazy. This is precious.’
4. Tea with Zama
In South Africa we lived with different host families almost every week. Our first family had a 15 year old girl, Zama. Right away I felt that I wanted to reach out and get to know Zama. The very first day I went and fetched a cow with her, went on a walk, and got to know a little bit about her. Our team hung out with Zama a lot the first week and a half. She was our translator, did ministry with us, took us on a hike, taxi’d with us to town, and shared laughter and dance moves after dinner. After staying at Zama’s house we had a few weeks where we did not see her. I was not sure if we were going to see her again. On our last full day at the village the women set up a picnic at the dam for us. It was a wonderful day. When we returned home we found Zama at our house. She had been waiting all day for us. She had heard about the picnic and thought we were meeting at noon. She skipped school so she could join us. However, we ended up leaving around 11am and missed her completely! She figured out where we were staying and waited for us to return from the picnic. When we arrived back we sat with her for about an hour and had tea. As we enjoyed tea with Zama, I looked at her and thought, ‘wow, this is what the Race is about.’ We had impacted this girl and I didn’t even realize it before. She had dressed up for us in her best clothes, which included some fancy high heels. I could tell she was emotional about meeting with us to say goodbye. She looked up to us. I realized that we undervalue what we are doing; the connections we are making can mean more than we think. It made me sad. I wish I could have counseled her more. Talked with her even more about God. Made her understand even more what I was talking about when I told her ‘stay away from boys and stay in school!’ I wish I could have done even more. But God said, ‘no you have put seeds of hope and joy in her and that is all you are called to do with Zama. She is my daughter and I have more in store for her.’ You see, God is the Savior of the world, not us. And as much as we like to think we are sent around the world to ‘save’ people. We are not. We are sent around the world to just do all that God has asked us to do. Whatever that means. And at this moment it was to have tea with Zama.
5. No Words
Last month one of the girls on our squad’s grandmother passed away. We received the call from the AIM office and was able to connect her to her mother to find out her grandma had passed 20 minutes prior. She was able to talk with her mother and her grandfather on our international phones used only for emergencies. Being one of the squad leaders, I was there helping make sure she was able to connect with her family. As I sat there listening to the conversation happening from a little ways off I started to remember how it felt when my grandfather passed away this past late August. Empathy for my teammate and how she must be feeling at this moment swelled up within me and I had to fight tears. I wanted to be strong for her and make sure she was okay. After she hung up and filled us in on what had happened, I didn’t know what to say. What do you say when there are no words? All I did was say that I loved her and then gave her a hug. Sara and Scott, who were also there, reached over as well and we all embraced her. It was at this moment when I thought, ‘wow, this is what the Race is all about.’ To support one another in hard times. To give a hug and to love when our teammate, our friend, needs it the most. World Race is all about learning to live in community. You do not realize what that means or the benefits of the connections you make until times like these. Until you realize that you are able to share in the joys and in the sorrows of life together. Loving each other and being there for one another in whatever way you can. That night I felt my heart move for my teammate. That night I learned what loving in community meant.
