Living on the field is challenging. But it’s also full of gifts.
Here are five life lessons I’ve received from my local friends in West Africa.
1. Welcome Everyone and Give Them Your Best
When I show up unannounced at someone’s home, I’m always greeted with generous hospitality. They immediately give me water to soothe my thirst and douse me in perfume. They’re never too busy to welcome me.
Sometimes a child is sent to buy me a cold soda. If it’s mealtime, I’m offered a plate of hot food—although it could mean the family will go hungry later.
Even in the poorest villages and in homes where people eat only one meal a day, I am still served a bowl of noodles—an expensive treat for most families here.
2. Share a Piece of Everything You’re Given
When children receive something special like a lollipop, they share it with all their friends. I cringe seeing the lollipop pass from mouth to mouth, but they insist on each child getting a taste.
If someone receives a 50-pound bag of rice, then portions of it will be shared with all the neighbors.
My family and I are often on the receiving end of the distribution. During harvest season, neighbor after neighbor brings us large bowls of beans, fresh from the field.
3. Do Life Together Rather Than Alone
In all my years in West Africa, I have never found a single person who felt depressed or lonely. People here cannot stand to be alone. They’ll do what they must to avoid it.
“I have too many thoughts when I’m alone,” some say. So they hang out with neighbors and friends from dawn till dusk. Many sit and watch evening television together. An elderly widow might even ask a grandchild to come live with her.
In our western culture, we tend to want to do things by ourselves—when maybe what we really need is a friend to say, “Let’s do it together!”
4. Focus on Friends, Neighbors, and Strangers
People always matter more than things. Owning fewer possessions—things that need cleaning and repairs—gives me and my family more time to spend with friends and neighbors.
When someone stops to say hello, everything is set aside to spend time with that person, no matter how much there is to do.
If I haven’t heard a good morning greeting from our neighbor, then I know that I need to drop whatever I’m doing and go see if they are OK. Nothing is more important than people.
5. Treat Everything with a Dose of Patience
When I’m frustrated by something out of my control, local friends often tell me, “Have patience.“
“That guy stole my chicken!” Have patience…
“Hey, that kid just wrote on my car!” Have patience…
“The mentally unstable lady barges into my house all hours of the day and night!” Have patience…
In some ways, it seems like my friends are telling me to give up. But when I see this virtue of patience played out at its best, I am always in awe of the resulting grace and kindness.
I’ve seen a bus broken down and all the passengers waiting patiently on the side of the road for hours without food or water.
I’ve seen people host relatives for days on end because a cousin from a distant village got sick and needed to be hospitalized in their town. They cut into all their savings to feed extra mouths for a week. And they didn’t get angry. They just had patience.
I’m learning that letting go and choosing patience can sometimes be quite refreshing.
These life lessons challenge me every day on the field.
Yet as I learn to live them out in my community, I see God’s grace growing in my life and in my relationships.
Which of these life lessons can you put into practice today?
A warm meal, fresh water, and anti-dandruff shampoo… A Frontiers family shares the love of Christ with the least of these.
This account comes from a long-term worker. Names and places have been changed for security.