My First Time in the Marketplace

Hi everyone, it’s Meagan! I wanted to share a story with you all and tell you how I felt the presence of God yesterday. The camp we are working at hosts 25 girls, one of whom is called the “Chosen Child.” The plan was for this girl to be randomly chosen at a marketplace on our way back to camp. Electa and I were assigned to go to the train station to pick up the girls. I was to go back to camp with one half, and Electa to the marketplace with the other half to choose the 25th girl. When we got to the train station I was super excited! I have been anticipating meeting the girls for months now. The girls and I piled into the van, while Electa stayed back to wait for the others. The first thing they said was, “Can we sing?” I joyfully agreed and we worshipped for the next 20 minutes. This group of strangers immediately became sisters, bonding over our love for the Lord. They taught me songs in their native language, and I experienced the most pure form of worship that I had ever seen. After our time of worship, the other staff member that was with us said, “we are stopping at the marketplace to pick up another girl, the camp director will meet us there.” My heart stopped when I realized what was happening. I was not supposed to be doing this and I surely was not prepared. A wave of anxiety came over me. When we got off the van the girls started worshipping again, this time with a lot more dancing. I just stood and watched with thoughts clouding my mind. Uncle Francis (the camp director) then approached me with two words that I did not want to hear...”you choose.” My heart sunk. I looked at him like a deer in the headlights and he smiled. “The Holy Spirit told me to let you decide,” he tells me. Why have I been entrusted with such a task? This was a big decision that I was not prepared for. Nevertheless, I looked around and spotted two girls dancing along with the others. I thought maybe we could take one of them. Then, across the circle I noticed a short girl, easily able to blend in. However she was unusually quiet, which made her stick out like a sore thumb. She was the one I wanted to come back with us. When I told Uncle Francis this, he told me that he did not even notice her. We went over to her and explained why we were there. She was overwhelmed and confused, rightly so. After a few minutes of attempting to talk to her, a young man approached. He said that he was an elder of her church and could call her mom. To our surprise, her mother was at the house of a pastor that had already knew Uncle Francis and about the camp. When her mother arrived at the market, she laughed at me, and I immediately felt out of place. All I wanted to do was go back to camp. The language barrier became increasingly difficult and I was just too overwhelmed. Uncle Francis offered for me to go back to the camp with another staff member, but the mother refused. She wanted me to go to her village. I had no idea what to expect. My thoughts were racing until we reached the end of the dirt road. There I was standing in front of a house with no roof, bricks missing from parts of the walls, with five children running around and about 10 chickens. I was in awe. Never had I ever seen a family with so little, rejoicing like they had so much. After a lengthy conversation that I could not understand, Monica’s parents agreed to let her come with us. She joyfully packed her bag and off we were to camp. God took my uncomfortable situation, full of fear and anxiety, and made it part of His plan. I realized that day that these girls and this country are teaching me more than I ever expected to teach them. I can’t wait to see how God works in the lives of the girls’ and the lives of our team for the next week. Please continue to pray for us!

Blessings,

Meagan