What a crazy two months it has been! I am very encouraged by my language progress as I can now hold basic conversations, mostly involving me listening and every now-and-then interjecting a question or a couple key words so they get what I am trying to communicate. It has been especially fun getting to know the kids in my host family and practicing language with them as we play games or dance to songs on YouTube.
A couple weeks ago, a group of us took a Sunday afternoon to go on a hike in the mountains. It was about an hour drive and was so fun to get out of the city for the first time. As we drove, we saw many new buildings, communities, and landscapes the further out we got as we followed the river upstream. One thing I noticed was how much clearer the usually muddy stream got the higher we went. After turning off onto a very bumpy road that went through a village, we got to the place where we started the hike (we would have driven a bit further, but construction blocked the road).
It was a very beautiful hike with the rushing water and passing several donkeys carrying loads on their backs. We crossed one bridge about halfway and another right at the end. Once we crossed the second bridge, we found a place near the stream to have lunch while several people waded around in the cold water. What was most memorable, however, was the place we found was right beside a man who was washing his rhubarb in the stream. In typical Artesian fashion, this man called one of us over and gave us a handful of his rhubarb to eat (people like to eat it raw here).
Hospitality is such a big part of this culture. I was struck by the kindness of this complete stranger who is likely not even a believer. It brings me hope that this attribute of our loving Father, seen even in the unbeliever, will eventually be known throughout the earth. And the kindness received from his hospitality challenges me to give more freely to others to show the love of the Son.