It hit me that I was in a village when I spit the toothpaste out of my mouth into a plant outside our room. Then all the things about village life came shortly after: sleeping on the floor with bug nets in a crowded room, the all too familiar smells of the squatty, rice 3 meals a day, cold bucket showers, ect.
And honestly I missed it! There’s something that I love about living simply. Choosing to keep my phone off throughout the day so I can learn new things, living under the same roof as a bunch of kids, being in bed by 9pm. Life really slows down. Yesterday our ministry host had a surprise meeting so we didn’t get to do ministry in the evening, so we played soccer for hours at the school nearby, because what else are we gonna do?
When our hosts welcomed us into their home, they made it clear that during our time here, we are part of their family. I love that because we get to really experience the culture, see how other people live, but also appreciate them and see their joy despite their circumstance.
One evening our host and his 3 boys (ages 13,15, and 16) got the fishing net out for dinner. We all hiked barefoot to the river, spread the net across the width of the river (which was moving surprisingly fast), and floated about a mile downstream. It was quite the adventure, not knowing what was in the brown water and still being in the river as night fell.
For ministry the family is building a new house, so the older boys and my team go out and help. We’re chopping down bamboo with machetes and then using it for the fence. We help with chores around the house, worship in the evening together, and eat together. It’s been a blessing to be apart of this family!
this young man has a large fruit on his head.
