Saturday, January 7, 2012

Man Dama Toubab (I'm a foreigner)

I still haven't slept since...well I don't really know when, so bear with me here.

Stepping off the plane was incredible. It honestly took my breath away, realizing how faithful God has been every step of the way. I could smell the ocean, and wow was that perfect. I made it through immigration/baggage/money changing/customs/finding my ride in a blend of English, French, and Wolof. I was given some time to rest, and I discovered that I could get on the internet. I sent messages to friends, and then just went to God in prayer.

I read things in the Bible like Let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven (Lamentations 3:41) and in my French Bible, I read from Psalm 139, You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways.You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me (verses 2-3, 5). The verses from Psalm 139 are some of my favorite traveling verses. Some translations even say "You know my travels and my rest"

And when we took a taxi carrying water "home", and children pointed me out, calling me toubab, I started thinking. Without Jesus, we do not belong in God's kingdom. We are the outsiders, the foreigners, the ones who do not deserve to be there and don't even speak the language. But what Christ did was unite the world. No more are we strangers; we are friends, even family.

In my head, this all fits together somehow.

Anyway, I haven't really taken pictures yet, but I took one of the room I'm staying in right now. That door is to a private bathroom. There's also a t.v. (which I haven't turned on), a small refrigerator (which people keep giving me liters of water to put in it). I laughed because the mosquito net looks just like the princess canopy I always wanted :) Just 15 years too late.

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