Africa, Day Two.

We started this morning at 6:30am. I took an ice cold shower (which I am not complaining because I was extremely thankful to even be able to take one at all), spent thirty minutes meditating on God’s word , followed by peanut butter and jelly on a baguette for breakfast. 

Afterwards, we headed over to Abby and Christa’s (missionaries that live in Burkina) house for our morning meeting. We worshiped and discussed our plans for the upcoming weeks. Heidi and Joel decided it would be fun to send us on a scavenger hunt this morning at the market just down the road. They gave us all a list of things we needed to buy and some items we needed to ask locals what they were or what they were used for. Basically, they just wanted us to get out and practice communicating with the locals.

There were three of us on my team, Bekah, Lindsay, and me. None of us speak much French so that makes things increasingly difficult to communicate. Fortunately, the people at the market seemed excited to see us, and they all wanted our business so they were more than willing to play charades until we fully communicated. That morning, we managed to shake at least 200 people’s hands and purchase some bananas, a mango, and maggi (rice/noodle flavoring). We learned what their brooms look like and what they use Kola nuts for. They are used for whooping cough, asthma, and they can also ease hunger pains. Kola nuts are also used as a religious objects and sacred offerings during prayers, ancestor veneration, and significant life events such as: naming ceremonies, weddings, and funerals. Our group was fortunate enough to find an African that spoke a little English so we were the only ones to find this out. However, our group was also the only one to get lost on the way back to the house. We walked and walked and did I mention we walked? If you know me well at all, you know I am terrible with directions, and apparently my team was too. After being rescued on the streets and pointed in the right direction, we made it back thirty minutes later than planned.

This afternoon we visited the “No loti” village. Upon arrival, the kids completely bombarded our bus. They didn’t even know us but were so ecstatic to have visitors. The second we stepped out of the door they grabbed a hold of us in whichever way that they could. They were so eager to be loved and held, at that very moment, I wished that I had a million arms to hold and comfort them all.

We played several games with them and afterwards we shared our “Ragman” skit. It shows how Christ can take away our pain, heal our broken hearts, and be our redeemer.  It was our first outreach since we arrived and it was really touching to see so many of them interested in knowing more about God. The kids sat very quietly as we entertained them, and when it came time to ask who would like to accept Jesus Christ into their heart over 50 of them showed boldness and raised their hands! It was the most precious thing I have ever seen. 

"Accepting Jesus!"

When it was time to leave we literally had to peel the children’s fingers one by one off of the bus. They were jumping on the back and wanting to come along. I would image it’s about how the paparazzi reacts to celebrities. It literally broke my heart knowing I may never see these children again.

This evening we went to play soccer with the “Tuareg’s” at a refugee camp. They are nomadic Muslim’s who have fled their life in Mali into neighboring countries due to the war. They plan on staying there until it’s safe to return home. They call themselves the princes of the desert and are known for riding camels and wearing turbans and swords.  

Upon arrival, the children did exactly the same thing here as the others did earlier today; they all gathered around as we pulled in and ran behind the bus until we parked. Joel and Heidi are regulars at their camp so they were excited to see them as well as a lot of new faces.  These children are definitely clingier; they wanted so badly to have our full attention and to feel of worth. 

We played clapping games, sang songs, loved on each other, and I got my hair braided over and over again! This camp has a lot of Muslims so we have to be very cautious about openly sharing Jesus with them. I believe, God called us to love others just as He has loved us, so that’s exactly how I shared Christ’s love with them. If you saw the smile each hug and kiss brought to their faces I’m sure you would agree it worked! I even noticed a Muslim man smiling under his mask as he watched us interact with the children. That truly made my night!

 “Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. This is how we set our hearts at rest in His presence.” John 3:18-19

The thing is Jesus loved people. He loved thieves, prostitutes, tax collectors, diseased people, poor people, children and His followers. He loved people who were devoted to Him and those who were different from Him. 

The bible says to “Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”
 John 13:34-35

“Love One Another”   Those three words express the heart of God.

Today I felt the toasty, red dirt on my feet. I felt dirty, little hands all over my face. I felt arms wrap around my body in every which way. I felt warm tears run down a child’s cheek as it transferred to my fingertip, most importantly, today I felt God’s love at work.  I simply love these children.

My Favorite Memory from Today:  As we shared our “Ragman” skit with the children I saw their faces and realized just how much this could forever impact their lives. It was so overwhelming, I just began to weep and cry out to God. I wanted so badly for these children to know that they have worth and it is found in Him.

Taylor’s Favorite Memory from Today:  Being able to interact with the children for the first time. He made several friends and asked me repeatedly if we could take some home with us. He made friends with a 16 year old boy at the Tuareg camp. The boy spoke broken English and Taylor loved that they could communicate some. He would ask the boy to tell the children that he thought they were beautiful and that he was going to try and learn French for his next visit.