Monday, February 20, 2012

A Week In The Life: Monday

Today's weather eerily marked the passage of my spirit. The sun rose this morning with a vengeance, scattering the shadows that night had left behind. A cool breeze lifted the hair off my neck and then it seemed to move through me, spreading peace as it went. The day slowly darkened as clouds moved in. Soon the wind rocked the trees and the harsh, pounding lines of rain contrasted with the branches swaying back and forth. Then I saw perfect sunbeams breaking through the clouds and suddenly the sky transformed into falling reflections of light. It was stunning. God is an artist.

My Monday began with a mosquito bite. To beat of the steady vibrations of my wretched 5:50 a.m. phone alarm, I slapped it 6 times like Mom taught me instead of scratching. It didn't exactly do much to stop the itching but it did wake me up a little, which on a Monday morning is something to be cherished. My dear little roommate Lucia and I left the house a tad bit after 7:15 and began the trek up the hill and down the road to the school. We quickly made some last minute preparations before eight little heads ducked and weaved their way into the Learning Center. Monday mornings are for our group assembly, in which we have one big devotion instead of three separate ones. However, there was a significant percentage of our school's population still missing..Apparently one girl's school shirt had not been washed that weekend and so all were recruited to find a clean one, in addition to morning chores. Nevertheless, we were complete soon enough and the words of South Africa's National Anthem echoed throughout the large gym acting as our school.

The rest of the day unfortunately followed suit. The children really struggled, I'm sad to say. There were more than a few tears, a few more unintentional naps, and a lot of tension. Every day naturally holds unexpected challenges that we aren't always equipped for. Despite that, we get ourselves and our little ones through each moment with the help of grace, tea, and countless prayers for wisdom, strength, and anything else God feels like handing out.

On the walk home, my mind was more crowded than an African taxi that had picked up every Mama from here to Cape Town. That's really, really crowded. Like really. Really, really. Really. You get the idea. I walked in through the side door, since the door we usually use was accidentally padlocked with a padlock that we don't have a key for (whoops) and I headed straight for my room to call my dad. With his advice in my back pocket, I settled in for the night. I watched the rain for awhile, made a quesadilla with imitation tortillas, and turned on the geyser to heat up water for showers...since showers are good...Now here I sit. 9:02 p.m. My iTunes is on shuffle, because occasionally I get a good laugh out of certain random songs. I have Delicious-But-Not-As-Good-As-Granny's cup of tea sitting on the bar stool from the kitchen that has taken up residence next to my bed. The fan is on to make it harder for the mosquitoes to fly straight in my direction, but they usually find a way regardless. The fan is also the reason I'm wearing long pajama pants and a sweatshirt in the middle of an African summer. You guys don't judge though, right?!

Well, goodnight one and all. Please keep our kids in your prayers tonight.

P.S. If anyone would like a specific name and prayer request, just say so. I will happily send you five!!

1 comment:

  1. hey courney, beautifully written, as always...loved the mama-in-a-taxi word picture....send me a couple names/requests and i'll start praying!

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