shine like stars

My friends,
The response to this blog has been unreal. A few ‘publishing people’ have contacted me about writing for them and sharing my experience here in Africa through a series of short writings – like a memoir. How crazy is that? I don’t write. In fact, it feels quite absurd to write out ‘my’ stories and personal thoughts and reflections and then post them for the entire internet world to see. The glory of it all though, is that it’s not about me. It’s about Jesus and expanding His kingdom through love. We’re rooted and established in love as Paul loved to write to the Ephesians…
Update on Eide – the three day celebration of goat, goat and more goat. On the first day of Eide, everyone gets dressed up to go and watch the men of your family kill the goat. I wouldn’t have minded doing other things during this blessed event – maybe sleeping, sorting socks, counting grains of sand, even cleaning the squatty potty, but the Saharawi are big on tradition and our family insisted everyone partake in being spectators. So I watched and squirmed and resisted the urge to scream as they slit the goat’s throat and blood squirted within uncomfortable distance from where I was standing and eventually, the entire head was off of the goat’s body. I’m not exactly sure what normally happens after an animal is killed, but the goat lurched and flopped around on its side (without a head, remember) and proceeded to look like a fish out of water. I turned around so I did not see the outcome of how they stopped the goat (that did not have a head, remember) from moving, and was waved over to our neighbor’s house across the street. I walked over and was just in time to see – you guessed it – our neighbor’s goat being killed, and as if that wasn’t enough, I was called across to the other neighbor’s house where they had already killed their goat (thankfully) but I had made it in time to see the gutting process and I just…won’t go into details. I left as soon as I was allowed, and exited the back way so I would not go down the front part of the street and witness beheaded goats…everywhere. No such luck out the back door – I saw two more goats being beheaded as I walked the 30 feet back home. With images of rolling heads and goat guts in my thoughts and the feeling of my stomach flip flopping already, I entered our tent to be greeted with a goat liver kabob and apple soda. Like I mentioned in the last blog, it is extremely offensive not to eat what you are given, so by golly I ate. Nothing like eating goat liver off a s’mores stick minutes after it was alive and functioning and washing it down with some apple soda…at 10 in the morning. Lunch was brought out a while later and we were served the testicles of the goat. Enough said. Later that afternoon, our family loaded up and headed to the sand dunes where we ran around like kids on sugar making sand angels and drawing Christmas trees and snowmen in the sand as we tried to get in the Christmas mood. The fam made tea and cooked more goat shish kabobs – this time the muscle and fat. I have a confession to make. I may have not eaten it all. There is a chance some was buried in the dunes of North Africa. I prayed about it though, so we’re good. Dinner was the most comical for me. They brought out a plate of rice with a huge goat rib hanging over either side. It was also served with a lovely side of goat stomach. I kept repeating this prayer all day, “God I put it in, you keep it in.’ From my lips to God’s ears apparently, because to my amazement, it all stayed in. I’ll save the details of day 2 and 3 of Eide for when I’m home. Please know that I respect and love all the Saharawi people I have talked about, but my stomach just isn’t a fan of what they eat. I do my best to always eat what is provided so graciously and would never want to offend them by making a face or joking about what is given. It’s a very meaningful celebration for them as they sacrifice one of their goats and ask each other for forgiveness.
One thing I can’t get over here are the bright, starry skies. I have never seen more stars in the night sky at once. A truly awesome thought is that the stars are always present in the sky, but only when it’s dark enough, can you see them. Whenever there are clouds in the sky at night, my mind imagines God dancing over us – they appear so lovely and graceful against the night sky. Every cloud seems to be hanging there effortlessly. The stars blanketed the skies last night as we saw the breathtakingly full, golden moon rise while walking through quite literally, the middle of the Sahara desert. Every night, God puts on a show.
Another memory I’ll cherish is walking home every day after my evening class is finished and rounding the corner to find a group of spunky young boys playing soccer. Only they don’t use a soccer ball. I’m not quite sure which part of the goat or camel they use - I think it’s the bladder…if you blow it up and tie it; it’s actually quite sturdy and able to get kicked around for a game or two of Saharawi futbol. Whatever the game ball may be, it doesn’t stop us from running around and giggling and trying to keep our footing in the thick Sahara sand. Once I make a goal, I continue on my way home feeling blessed and full of joy at the blessing of being able to communicate a little bit of love through immeasurably bad soccer skills. When your contribution enriches God’s reputation, your days suddenly grow sweet.
I have so much more to share, and cannot wait to do so…in person! I return to the states this coming Sunday evening. We have five days left in the refugee camps of North Africa. Where did the last three months go? I am ecstatic to return to home sweet home, but my heart is torn as we are preparing to leave our ‘home’ here in the desert. When I imagine not seeing the same people I’ve been seeing for the last three months every day, my heart tears a little bit, and when I think about the unknown of when I will see these people again, my heart tears even more. My time here has been rich in hospitality, grace and love. I hope to one day practice hospitality, be gracious to others and promote love like the Saharawi do so well, with so little.
Prayer requests:
- For team unity during our last days together, that we may use our time wisely and efficiently
- continued prayers for those going through the studies where we look at the common ground between the Bible and the Qu’ran
- smooth travel as we depart and head for home, we’d be grateful for no delays and a peaceful journey :)
The best is yet to come,
Sarah