football (soccer)

Imagine a place with barbed wire and what looks like large mettal bins on one side, and on the other a road with zipping motorcycles and a mosque. The field itself, is only a land of sand and two goals. The sand is wet, which is good because it doesn't get into your shoes. The bad is, it stinks. This is the feild I played football in yesterday. I say play as only a flippant word. I merely ran and watched as the ball flew from one set of skilled feet to the other. I was there for the exercise and possibly because we were playing shirts against skins. African men don't have much fat on them.

The game became interesting not because our playing was good, though Africans are pretty darn good players, but because a small crowd formed on the side of the field where tires set up on end were seperating us from the road. Zimmyjohns, that is motorcycles, lined the tires, where people stopped to watch the game. I suppose seeing white people, especially a white girl was a novelty, plus the chance to sit down, relax, and watch a game was more than tempting.

The crowd only left when two things happened; it started getting dark and the mosque started singing its call to prayer. I have rarely disliked music, except when its badly done. Admittadly the man on the microphone did sound a little croaky but not exceptionally bad. No, it was the fact that I have never heard that prayer in real life. I have traveled around the world but I've only heard it in movies. It was kinda creepy. I didn't get the shivers or feel like I was going to faint but my ability to concentrate was hindered considerably. Then again, I'm ADD. That may have been the reason.

Once it turned dark we piled into the cars and drove home, or I should say crawl. Dark seems to be the rush hour. Zimmyjohns zoomed past, cars inched in, and the general assembly milled about with wares, baskets, and other nicknacks. Sometimes, or maybe allways when I am in a country such as this, I feel that the drive makes anything worth it. It is most interesting!
Well, God bless, and good day,
Heather

A prayer

Sometimes the best way to pray is in front of others so it becomes a true prayer so here is mine,

Lord forgive my wandering heart. I jump to fast, I break before the shot is fired. Who am I that I worry. Your time is perfect, your heart is all love. I am just a stone in your hand. Throw me where you may. Though it may hurt, change me, make me. I fear for my heart that it may be forever lonely. But two things you tell me. You are near me. You love me. I am not alone. The second is close. God is the founder of love. Lord you created Eve for Adam, how much easier it is to match two hearts together.
My heart is in your hands. I give it to you. Do as you wish. Send it where it may. If it forever stays in your hand bereft from another, teach me contentment. If you match it with a broken heart, teach me patience. If you match it to one amazing, make me ready. I know your timing is your own. Do not let me rush you. You are the lamp to my feet and the light to my path. You do not show far into the future. Who am I to question what comes next, to solve the riddle of tomorrow. Though you have something ahead, yet undone, I will wait. Help me to be patient. Let me see the roses along the path as you walk beside me, guiding me towards the future yet unseen.

Confessions

I have a confession to make. The reason why I have not updated my blog is this: I have very little to report. In all basicness, I have been lazy. No, I have not shirked on my job and I have hung out with my friends. It was amazing leaving the ship with my two good friends and just hanging out at the pool doing absolutely nothing. I didn't have to bother about people who I work and live with. No, I don't mean that type of laziness, for that has its place. What I mean is I haven't done anything to make this become my trip. I have yet to find my niche in usefullness. I think God has let this pass because I needed to get used to my surroundings. Now I can feel his prodding. I'm starting to feel that missing niche. There are so many things to Africa. We can adopt a patient - go down to the ward and visit with a specific patient. We can go with one of the land teams. They go to all places, there is the growing, building, watching kids, esc... If I want to stay here awhile, I need to find something to do. I need to let God use me.
Some other things I am finding is the wonder of God. He never stops working on us whether it be large or small. Over the past few years he has been doing some major construction work on my self esteem. What other god does that? I have this amazing God who cares about how I view myself. I find myself talking to someone and catch myself thinking two years ago I would have wondered if I was a charity case for them. I tell people that, and my good friends believe me, but the people I just met, don't.
God also seems to be working on my patience. It may just be my imagination, but I keep getting the feeling that God is up to something and he won't tell me what. At least I am not sure what that up is. It is one of the most annoying feelings in the world as well as encouraging.
So maybe not much is going on outwardly, except maybe I changed my shampoo, but I feel like God is constantly changing me. It shall be exciting to see what God has up his sleeve for me and the rest of us.