Expectations

It has been just about a week since I have left for this mission trip. I cannot believe how fast the time has flown by so far and I hope things start to slow down, because frankly, I’m not quite ready to leave this beautiful country. Most of the trip so far has been travel days and let me tell you, the 16 hour flight and about 24 hours spent in a bus to arrive in Seronga, Botswana have been completely worth it. Our hosts could not have been more welcoming if they tried. Their hearts radiate Christ more than most people I have ever met. There are some awesome things happening in this area and I cannot wait to be a part of that. While reflecting on this past week, I have learned a huge lesson: things rarely turn out the way you expect them to. I’ve come to find out that essentially everything that I have come upon during my trip has turned out this way. They tell you not to set expectations, but it is hard to do such a thing. Coming into this trip, I was full of them, but none have been fulfilled. By no means am I saying this is a bad thing. If anything, I have been given nothing short of a blessing.
There were several things I expected coming into this season of my life. I expected my team to be easy to get along with, but I never had the expectation that they would become like family so quickly. They have truly made this journey thus far much more enjoyable. God really knew what He was doing when he formed out team and it was by no mistake that we were all put together. I expected the weather to be cold, but not as cold as it currently is, as I’m wearing sweatpants under my long skirt and fuzzy socks with my teevas. I expected the country to be beautiful and unlike anything I had ever seen, but I did not expect the cities and sunsets to be so breathtaking. I expected the people of the country to be nice, but I did not expect them to be so welcoming and hospitable. I expected my bacon cheeseburger to be somewhat like a burger in the states, but I did not expect to have a thin slice of ham with a beef patty (you can imagine my disappoint, but it was better than it looked). I expected the hostels I would be staying in would be different than anything I was used to staying in, but I never expected each one to have such distinct character that I will never forget. I expected the bus rides to be long and tedious, but I never expected to meet a five year old little boy that had us all wrapped around his adorable little finger. I expected to get to our ministry site across the Delta by bridge, but not a ferry. I expected our ministry site to be amazing, but I did not expect to be staying in a place that I cannot even justly describe with my own words. On that same note, I never expected to shower with warm water and get to gaze up at every single star in the sky. I expected our bonfires to be a time to grow as a team, but I did not expect to sing with no instruments to praise our Lord and decide to start reading through books of the Bible as a team every night before we went to bed. I expected to get to work with kids, but I never thought I would get to have the opportunity to assist in teaching a preschool class on top of children’s ministry in the afternoon. And let me just tell you, I love every single one of my 24 little students and every single one of the who knows how many kids that I get to play with in the late afternoons. I never expected my heart to be so full here in the bush of Africa.
Everything I have encountered on this trip has been unlike anything I thought it would be. It has been full of wonderful surprises. God has provided for me this trip. He has gone above and beyond my expectations, but then again, He is God so I’m not all that surprised. It’s funny how we all set expectations and plans that we try to follow and then God comes in and does something even greater than we could have imagined. He truly provides what we need exactly when we need it. Again, thank you for all your prayers and support.
Kendall Boyd