Once Upon a Time

We taught Jerry, one of our friends here, that made up stories begin with 'once upon a time'. During the past week, we've had many moments that you'd think would begin with that phrase.

Me and Jerry. He taught me a once upon a time story about how zebras got their stripes.

Once upon a time... we drove 300 miles and it took 17 hours. On a bus. With 22 people.

Once upon a time... the extremely top heavy bus we were on tipped so far to the side I promise I could almost reach out and touch the ground.

Once upon a time... Elise hung out the window in the jungle in the pitch dark, only to be yelled at by Jerry to get inside because wild animals might grab her.

Once upon a time... we were warned that people might jump on top of the bus and try to steal our suitcases.

Once upon a time... I killed a cockroach-ish bug bigger than the palm of my hand.

Once upon a time... we almost got struck by lightning, as we raced through a thunderstorm on a slippery dirt road in pitch dark.

Once upon a time... we rode in a van that had holes in the floor, so we could monitor the road while we drove.

Once upon a time... we had a magic blue suitcase that provided so many loaves and fish moments that it's become an expectation instead of a joke.

Then there are the stories that begin with 'guess what?!' and you know it will be really cool.

Guess what?! We got to spend time on two different days with 300 precious kiddos, sitting under the shade of huge trees, in the middle of a Kenyan jungle!

Guess what?! I got to meet the people who will benefit from well #2! The launch party was mucho fun.

Guess what?! We had a two hour long praise and worship par-tay while our bus chugged slowly along! Zach played the guitar while the Kenyan worship team learned our songs.

Guess what?! I rode a piki-piki [motorcycle taxi] - epic! I also rode a took-took [three wheeled taxi thing] - bumpy, but also fun!

Guess what?! Most of the people we met in the village were receptive to the word of God and almost desperate to be taught and discipled!

Guess what?! We have met some awesome people who will always be in my heart!

Some of the crowd at the launch party

I'm starting to prepare myself to leave Africa. It's a beautiful, tragic place that completely drains everything inside of me. One part of me always wants to stay forever, while another part cannot wait to be home. I pray that in these remaining few days, we will continue to be effective and focused. There's still time for a few more 'guess what' moments. I'm about pegged on the 'once upon a time' ones, though...