It is Sabbath… a day of rest. Since the heat has really gotten strong lately, I find myself waking up multiple times during the night. I never get a full night sleep, and feel exhausted every morning when I wake up. Since getting back from Buea I have realized how short my time is here. I can’t help but think about my experience, and how I have grown. In the last few weeks, I have been trying to visit more people, make more memories, and remember those I have unknowingly neglected in the past. I have not been feeling sick other than extreme exhaustion from the heat, so it has allowed me to run around freely from house to house.
Josias is a boy that I teach English to once a week, if I’m lucky. He is about 16 years old. It always seems that I am not around or he is not here at my house by the time he says he will be. When I saw him for the first time after my trip, he was so excited as was I. I have failed this child more than many times, but he continues to enjoy my company whenever he gets the chance. Yesterday, he told me he wanted to take me to his house. I didn’t realize how close it was and told him that I regret not doing this before. By my surprise, when he showed me his father, I knew him very well. He is an old man who comes to the hospital a lot and has talked to me quite a bit. When I approached him, I could see all of his little children helping him stack brinks onto a wall he was making. It was a wonderful picture with him up on a bucket and the children all plastered in mud. It is nice to just appreciate the little things of life.
Neomi has been such a big part of my life. She always gives me food in the morning, and is like a second mother. One morning I had been struggling a lot, and decided to come home for the day. I wasn’t able to work because my tears were too noticeable. Neomi saw me and decided to come home with me. As we walked and I cried she began to say, “Eliza, you can’t cry. You need to stop crying because when you cry I cry. You can’t cry.” As she spoke this, I could see her tearing up. Baby Denise was in my arms, looking at me with such innocent eyes. She knew I was sad. When she saw that I was crying, this little baby knew that I was unhappy. When I looked at her with tear-filled eyes, she actually began to cry with me. It was absolutely incredible. Even though Denise doesn’t even speak yet, she could feel my pain. She was connecting with me. I will never forget it.
Neomi gave me Denise (2 years old) and Daniel (4 years old) to watch at the house as she ran to do something at the school. I set out a blanket and brought out some magazines to read. Denise was doing her thing… being curious, and Daniel and I looked though the magazines of decorations and home settings. Daniel is so cute! He kept saying “Eliza, ici, Eliza, ici” as he pointed to pictures in the magazine for me to look at. The cutest part was that the magazine was upside down and he had no idea what he was looking at. I love that boy! The rest of the morning was spent on the porch with my favorite people… just relaxing. Besides the occasional spills that Denise made with anything she found in site (juice, water, dirt), we were happy. I forgot about the reason I was upset earlier in the morning. It is all about relationships and love to tear away grief and pain.
It is two weeks from tomorrow until I leave Koza. I will be crazy busy getting all my gifts ready for people here and for people back at home. I have already packed a lot of my stuff so it’ll be easier not to panic right before I leave. I am excited to come home, but I know I will always have Koza in my heart. I have decided to go to Maroua on the 19th of May to get all of my souvenirs and then 10 days after that I will be leaving! I have planned to leave on the 29th and spend a couple days in Maroua with people I know I want to say goodbye to. On the 30th I will pack up my stuff and head to NDjamena for a day. Hopefully I will be able to go to the market and also get some last minute things for the trip back home. Then, on June 1st I leave for America! The Lord has truly kept me safe from all of the times I could have gotten seriously injured from moto-taxis, trains, even by foot. I am confident that His mighty angels will be around me in these next two weeks as I begin to prepare to leave, and take my journey back home. Thank you all again for your many prayers and thoughts. We have a saying here at the hospital that goes “Avec Dieu, Tout est possible” which mean “With Christ ALL is possible” and I believe that will all of my heart.
No comments:
Post a Comment