I am wrapping up my month in Sierra Leone, with only 3 days left. It flew.
As I arrived here and pictured this piece of my sabbatical, it looked a lot like peaceful sunrise mornings on my balcony overlooking the rice field and spending hours in spiritual reading, art, and a Bible project I wanted to try to finish while incorporating my new Rule of Life for 2020, punctuated by visits with friends and family. It was relatively serene and contemplative.
LOL!!
Instead, as I wrap up this time, here is what has happened in the past 3+ weeks:
- I built a prayer garden and planted dozens of flowers and bushes (after running around town for flowers I liked from which cuttings could be obtained to germinate). I had lots of help on this one.
- I finished a prayer hut (not by myself – I was the overseer).
- I built a prayer labyrinth (that WAS me – and 2 other women assistants – we nearly killed ourselves for prayer…!). This included traveling an hour south to put in for bricks to be made and then going back to get them, straight from the kiln – which was a little warm…
- I planned and oversaw the building and planting of a flower bower which will be wonderful in a year or two
- I got 2 hammocks made and installed (which involved rummaging through scrap metal in a big market in Freetown looking for appropriate hooks to hang them on – picture Sanford and Son and you have a fair idea of the setting)
- I took my children to Freetown for shopping, eating and reminiscing, to the beach for relaxation and more memory-making, to a chimp sanctuary which we’ve wanted to visit for 10 years, and to a slave fortress on an island (try finding a place for THAT tour in your psyche when your ethnic ancestry is half that of the slaves and half that of the European colonizer slave-masters…)
- I ensured that my children visited with their Sierra Leonean family members
- We hosted a Christmas party for the family and staff who help at our retreat centre (and the woman who has helped raise my children at various times throughout their lives since they were preschoolers) complete with a gingerbread house contest.
- I hosted a staff New Year’s Eve party (but the day before New Year’s Eve – because watchnight…)
- I hosted and ran a women’s retreat on Sacred Rhythms for 7 missionary women for 4 days
- And today we are amending multiple electrical and plumbing problems at the retreat centre.
I did manage to finish 2 books I brought with me, so that was on-brand for my plan.
So, it looks quite different than I planned. Actually, I didn’t really have a plan per se – just a hope. But alas. I’m not too worried about it though. What this trip has turned into is a chance to attend to relationships, rather than attending to my soul. And in tending relationships, we do tend our own souls. Because we were made for relationship. So, the first 2 weeks were attending to my kids. I never get that much extended time with all of them anymore. And seeing my 2 oldest, who live very busy and hectic lives, settle into the stillness and seeing their countenance relax – that was a gift. I would set out a puzzle or just sit in the living room, and when people showed up, I was present with them. The next week was a balm as well, building relationships during the retreat. I crave time with these women who share similar stories and settings as mine, and who truly understand the challenges of this life. It was busy – but life-giving. And this week, as I wrap up, I get a lot of one-on-one time with one of my best friends. She has been my right-hand woman through 20 years of ministry in Sierra Leone. She cares for my daily needs so I can care for the needs of the ministry. She has cared for my children (and even my parents) over the years so that my mind can do the other things. She has listened to me, prayed with me, counseled me. We have cried together and rejoiced together through many years of trials and joys. We have prayed and cried over our children’s problems. And this month, we’ve had lots of time just to be together, with a lot less pressing work, working together to create sacred space at the retreat centre, and sacred space in our own lives with each other.
So, sometimes it’s the stuff that happens that is the sacred work of rest. It’s busy, and it’s “doing,” but it is life-giving to the soul. And throughout the weeks, there have been peaceful hours in the sunrise on the balcony, and quiet walks in the labyrinth in the cool of the morning or evening, and moments of reflection and processing in the in-between spaces.
Where are the in-between spaces in your life that can be counted as sacred?
Living into the stillness – and the busyness,
Kim
(Slave fortress ruins in the background)
