"Africa Changes EVERYTHING." This has become my
mantra. It's not every day that a New England girl bikes over a dead chameleon
on her way to school...
When I think of snails now, I picture them the size of my
fist. A millipede is no longer a thing of about two-inches in length in my
mind, because I often see them the length of my sandaled foot.
One month in Africa has changed my perspective on how
easy it would be to raise kids in the mission field. It has changed my array of
daily activities. It has changed me. I am not as vain as I once was; I don't
have time to shower before biking the two-and-a-half miles to school each
morning. I'm actually disappointed that I don't have an unsightly scar on my
right cheek from the hot oil burns I received two weeks ago. I had been happily
anticipating the "what happened to your face?" questions, which would give me opportunity to share about
how great of a God we serve. But the lack of that conversation-starter won't
keep me from telling others about God's protection in that moment.
I have never been so filled with joy over simple things:
a hug from a friend, waking up to sunshine, clean and dry laundry, a method of
transportation besides walking, singing hymns, laughter over shared
experiences, traipsing barefoot through the grass, and riding atop a land
cruiser with the wind in my hair. I smile--just because. I laugh--an overflow
of the joy in my heart. I sing--in praise for God's goodness. I've never been
so excited to watch a garden grow. But these are seeds that I planted! Food
that I will need! As each little sprout pokes its emerald head out into the
light, I just want to say, "Congratulations! Welcome to the world! So nice
to see you!"
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