Five months have passed since we arrived. One of the men in the church stopped by last week. Said he needed to “chill” a while before going into work. His six-month relationship with his girlfriend has taken an interesting turn. And he was at his wit’s end about what to do. So we listened to a CD he’d brought with him, and we chatted…rather, he talked and I listened.
His cell phone went off at one point, and he stepped out of the office to answer (turned out to be his business partner). I overheard him say that he couldn’t talk right now because he was “with his pastor.” That was a shot in the arm for me, only because it indicated that I’m becoming accepted here. By this I mean people are getting used to me being here, and are getting comfortable with my role. And that’s a good thing.