Expecting the Unexpected

There are many things I have seen since coming to South Africa that I never could have imagined…. A few weeks ago, I saw a taxi driving through a mall. Today in church, children played in the center aisle throughout the entire worship service. I’ve seen horses roaming around the townships and I’ve seen after-parties for funerals that easily could have been mistaken for wedding receptions. Even further beyond my imagination is the fact that I have come to expect these unexpected things. I have become comfortable seeing some of the random things that people come into taxis with. It is familiar and normal to me that people go to church with whistles around their necks to accompany the choruses they sing and I’m not surprised anymore to see young children standing on the benches during worship so they can participate in the singing and dancing during the service. It’s strange to feel so familiar with what can seem so out of the ordinary at times. There are moments when I stand back and objectively see how confusing this situation would normally be for me, but then I recognize that I really am learning to “go with the flow” as it were.

The physical objects and circumstances that I couldn’t have expected are frequent. However, equally as frequent are the interactions and conversations I have had completely unexpectedly and, more often than not, prove themselves again and again to be my favorite moments here.

Sometimes, these conversations start from a curiosity… someone wondering why you are riding public transportation or someone commenting about a sports team you support. A few weeks ago, several other YAGMS and I were standing in a parking lot talking and we ended up having an in-depth conversation with 4 “Capitec Bank” representatives for over an hour! I love these moments because it shows us that we have more in common with the people around us than we could ever realize. Taking the time to really see the people around us and recognize that they are worth our time can reveal massive amounts of insight about ourselves, others, the world around us and the God we are all a part of.

On Saturday, I found myself more confused than usual. I was at a church for a circuit council meeting and after the meeting, there was to be a meeting of the executive committee of the council. I figured it was a closed meeting so I would step outside and read my book. However, a woman came up to me and started asking me where we should go… this room or that one…. Or should we sit outside? She discussed it with the Dean of the circuit (not in English) and they chose a room- the sacristy at the back of the sanctuary and her and I entered it together. We sat down at the table and she began to ask me about my time in South Africa and about my work here this year. We talked about our families, about life, about God, about our spiritual gifts and then we got to the “point” of the conversation.

Eunice (as I later discovered was her name) told me that she used to be in the healthcare field and a little while ago, she single-handedly began an HIV/AIDS screening and education program in her congregation. It was very successful and there have been discussions of making it a circuit-wide program. The Dean wanted me to talk to her to see how I could get involved with the development of a wider program, and we did exchange contact information and ideas about the future, but what was gained from our conversation was of even greater value to us both.

As we talked about our families, Eunice told me that her grandchildren had lived with her since May when her only daughter passed away. I didn’t ask much about it at the time. Trying to be sensitive, I simply apologized for her loss and let the conversation continue. Later though, our discussion returned to the subject of her daughter and she began to describe how quickly her daughter had passed just a few months prior. As she talked, I felt my throat tightening. I listened to her story of how her daughter contracted meningitis and passed away in a matter of just days. She rubbed her eyes as she told me of her two grandchildren now living with her, having no other options. Tears fell from mine as I imagined her pain- and as I remembered my own. When she finished her story, we paused and I told her I couldn’t imagine her experience. I then told her about my own grief- my own recent loss and while losing a grandmother who had lived a long, wonderful life could not compare to losing a child, I also was grieving. She asked what happened and as I explained to her my Granny’s rapid deterioration in July and her passing just a week before I left for South Africa, I struggled to speak. Suddenly, she stood up, pulled me to my feet and wrapped me in a massive embrace holding me until I could breathe deeply and calmly again.

Who could have expected that scene? Grieving South African mother holding grieving American granddaughter. I certainly didn’t expect that the first person here that I would completely open my broken heart to would be a sweet woman like Eunice who I had just met.

It is sometimes said “God works in mysterious ways”. I am finding more and more that this is true in that God rarely works as we expect. Too often, we pray about our problems with a solution in mind; thinking we know what is best for ourselves. However, God more often works through the unexpected things in our lives. It’s written in 1 Corinthians 1:27-28 “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring about things that are.” God doesn’t use what we expect God to use. We see power in what is already strong, but God sees power in what is weak and then makes it strong to display God’s power.

These past few months, I undoubtedly have experienced God working through unexpected people and unexpected circumstances to bring about change in my life and in the lives of those around me. So, as I learn each day to expect the unexpected, I continually am reminded that in this way, we must make room for the Spirit to move through our lives. Making time to willingly engage in that unexpected conversation, or embracing unanticipated circumstances that threaten to “ruin” our day… these are the first steps we can take towards being free to experience the unexpected and the closer we come to truly opening our hearts to those around us. You never know what to expect!