Cartwheels and Good Conversation

Our day started with smiles and cartwheels!  WATI is located in a small village called Djilas, where a group of energetic young boys await our arrival each morning.  Carlton promised them he would bring a soccer ball by Thursday, so he was on a quest for a ball this morning on our way to Djilas.  When we drove up and Carlton showed them the soccer ball through the window, there was an epic celebration like none we’ve ever seen in the U.S.  All the Christmas’s and birthday celebrations combined don’t come close to the excitement the boys showed over the soccer ball.  They jumped and screamed, hugged and did handstands to show their exhilaration over Carlton’s fulfilled promise.  Our entire team was almost in tears because it was such a moving exchange. 

We worked at a slower pace today since Mamadou sensed fatigue from our team.  There wasn’t a negative word spoken or a hint of laziness from the students, Mamadou is just keenly aware of the people around him.  We moved a tremendous amount of bricks to assist the masons in their building, but we spent even more time on break!  The breaks are filled with wonderful conversation.  We’ve been able to bond with local students who drop by to see the Americans, and we’re able to truly enjoy relationship with one another.  Sharmonique will say, “Hey what’s been your favorite part of Africa?”  And everyone shares what they’re learning and appreciating.  Another minute we’ll all bust out singing Rihanna together.  And the next Seville will crack us up with his humor…that boy marches to the beat of his own drum and we absolutely love the sound!  We’re experiencing the beauty of community in ways that we rarely do at home.  The group seems to think it’s because we pile so many tasks on our plates at home that we run from one thing to the next, often missing the most important thing: relationships. 

The Senegalese move at a pretty slow pace.  At the beginning of the trip, we found ourselves getting frustrated with the 45 minutes elapsing from when we ordered our food to when it was placed in front of us.  We’ve come to embrace the pace, however, as we’ve seen the joy that comes from the opportunity to just be together.  We sit around the table for 2 hours at dinner time and we laugh, ask questions, score on each other and just enjoy life with one another.  We spent a good portion of that time tonight discussing Jesus’ statement that we’re to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  By the end of the spirit led conversation, we determined that our job is to be salt and light; not to strive really hard to do the jobs of salt and light.  Our job is to recognize our identities are in Christ and His finished work on the cross, and for our goodness to be the outpouring of our relationship with Him.  That’s the good stuff right there!  We’re eating a lot of fish and rice here in Senegal, but we’re getting to the meat and potatoes of Christianity. 

We're all intrigued by the real live chameleon on the stick