Some Things Just Hit You…

My 15 y.o. daughter, Lindsey, wrote this note shortly after our campaign work in June. I thought it would be an interesting piece to read:

This year when the campaign was going on in Arusha there was also one going on in Mto wa Mbu (Mosquito River). I helped with that campaign for a few days.

One afternoon after lunch I was standing around outside, when these two Maasai girls come up and start talking to me in Swahili. As I’m talking to them one of them starts stroking and feeling my hair. I turn around, smile and tell her that I have very long hair, and then show them where it would come to on my waist. They giggle and tell me that “It couldn’t be possible!” I laughed and asked if they’d like to see it. When they eagerly nod yes, I take the clip out of my hair and let it fall down around my waist. Their eyes got as big as saucers and they gasp. That attracted a whole group of Maasai children, and they all started to feel my hair. I didn’t want it getting out of hand, so I stuffed my hair back into my clip. “I only have a little hair” said one of the girls. “You have long light hair!!” I laughed and nodded, then the kids and I started to have a big conversation. We told each other our names, etc., talked about my Swahili, where we lived, etc. etc. etc….Mary, the girl that was just a little younger than myself, even invited me to her house! “Come walk with me to visit my house…I live just over there!” It would have been very interesting, but I wasn’t able to at the moment.

One of the girls then pulled out her Bible, turned to Daniel, and asked me to read some from it. So I read. Then it hit me. I’m standing in the hot sun and dust in the middle of Africa, surrounded by a bunch of Maasai children (in their full traditional outfits) speaking in a completely different language, and completely understanding what they’re saying. I don’t even know how to explain the feeling that I got. I am definitely blessed.