Friday, January 6, 2012

A new normal

It's Friday. If it were a normal Friday, I would be scrubbing down my bathroom, clearing counters and spraying Febreze. If it were a normal Friday, I would be listening for my front door to open and my favorite children would begin pouring in. Familiar faces would navigate their way through a sea of children, balancing hot food and head for the stove. If it were a normal Friday, the sun would go down tonight on a living room full of friends huddled together on chairs and couches and carpet, its last rays peeking through the windows to see these friends share their struggles, their victories....their secrets. If it were a normal Friday, these flawed, simple, beautiful people would be discussing and praying for their brothers and sisters in their town, and in every far corner of the earth across oceans and boundaries and prison bars. If it were a normal Friday....

But it's not normal anymore. It's new. And Fridays here will find their own place in this, my new world.

For now, I'll use this Friday to reflect on the treasure of experiences this past week.

* We spent one of our mornings taking a walk. One would think this should be fairly uneventful. But, this is Africa...and adventure is available 24 hours a day here. We made it up the street without much excitement---who am I kidding, we were excited! It was our first walk since Curly Girl has rejoined the land of the living. As we came down a nearby street I looked ahead to see a local boy herding about 10 bulls down the road....toward us. On this particular street, all the houses have walls around them, with each adjoined to the next. So, a more accurate description of our location at that moment would probably not be to call it a street, but rather an alley. Never one to panic (cough) I realized that if the four of us turned around and hustled back the way we had just come, there was another little road that angled off just a little ways up. We would be able to run off that way and avoid the stampede. It worked!!! I called for the kids to turn and run with me. I was so pleased at how I maintained such calm, delivered the orders, and implemented the escape plan. There I was, jogging up the road with my Curly Girl at one side, Wild Heart at the other and my Little Aggie....wait...where was my Little Aggie? I spun around and saw my 3 year old running...the opposite way. As bulls came charging toward him, I saw his superhero little boy body with arms extended toward them beckoning them. Change of plan. We ran back and I grabbed my boy. I noticed a small ditch, maybe 18 inches wide carved into the ground outside one of the residence's walls. Would it keep us from becoming really fashionable hood...er...horn ornaments? I didn't know...but it was our only option. I pulled the kids across it and we all became one with the wall. The bulls passed, kicking up dirt, one even spinning in his attempts to gore the others. Adventure on foot #1- check.
I'm not really allowed to talk about what happened on the second half of the walk but trust me when I say this: Adventure on foot #2-check.

* I made a friend. And not just any friend....a missionary friend....and not just any missionary friend, but a missionary friend with a little girl...and not just any missionary friend with a little girl, but a missionary friend with a little girl who is also our neighbor!!
Friends back home have sent us food and medicine and all the things to make it feel like home here...but they couldn't send what I missed most: a friend. So, what did the SATISFIER of DESIRE do? HE sent me one! She is kind and welcoming and smiled sweetly while I talked for probably thirty minutes straight. She and her husband exude hospitality. She warned me they, like most people here, didn't have running water or electricity (usually) but I found her home to be filled with laughter and fun and life...the stuff of real comfort. I hope she liked me...
She mentioned that they make pizza on Friday and asked if I would like to join them. I want to go. I love that I am welcome to sit in her living room and listen to her adventures and her passion for this people and our GOD. It almost feels....like a normal Friday.

1 comment:

  1. You know you are killing me. I tried reading this to the kids before I knew what I was getting into. Trin came up behind me and took over reading because I couldn't get thru it.She's a good girl.She couldn't get through prayer time the other morning (praying for her best friend). She knew what was up.

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