au village
7.6.14
9 women, 2 dark & 7 light, with the mission of serving Christ.
1 flat tire.
5 hours of driving.
1 very hard jump-seat (one of the very few times that i wished i was only 5 feet tall).
1 very hard jump-seat (one of the very few times that i wished i was only 5 feet tall).
1 long day teaching others of Christ.
25 women learning to care for their families.
1 out of the innumerable villages.
small steps, little by little, piece by piece.
expanding the kingdom of Christ.
i have discovered that even when it's melt-your-face-off hot, it's never too hot to hold a baby. especially when it's a doll with her eyebrows and eyeliner done...
this little guy reminded me so much of one of my little cousin.
he would walk up to me, talking baby-babble in Jula and look at me expectantly to answer.
when i didn't, he would babble on, clearly frustrated that i wasn't responding.
so i tried French, which got me no where.
leaving me wishing i knew more Jula and him confused as to why i couldn't understand him...
even when it's 106, we drink hot tea.
why? well because it's just the way it's done.
tô (pronounced toe), fish sauce and sauce made from the leaves of a baobab.
a meal lovingly prepared for hours that morning.
offering the best that they had to their guests.
(baobab leaves, when cooked, offer the consistency of, well i can't think of anything like it actually. but let's just say slime, really slimy slime.)
one of the men tells me that it hasn't rained there yet, the ground is thirsty and the little vegetation that grows is disappearing.
and without the rain, they cannot plant their crops.
the well, he says, is only 2 meters deep. the water becoming less and less as the earth dries out.
little ones that we wouldn't consider ready to care for themselves already have the responsibility for another.
Lord, use me to bring the love of Christ to these people whom i have learned to love.
make me a city on the hill.
open my eyes to those who need your love and give me the words to do it.
3 notes
Beautiful photos as always, Jana! Every time I read your posts, it almost feels like I'm transported there. What a wonderful thing you are doing, keep it up. God is using you!
ReplyDeleteJesus with skin on....that's what you're getting to be :) Praising God for this opportunity with you. Copious amounts of sweat remind me of you all...thankful for the reminder to pray for you and those you were sent to love.
ReplyDeleteYou're so pretty, Jana. :)
ReplyDeletei love nothing more than comments, coffee and chocolate. so be a dear and leave a note…