Early in the morning, when the darkness is still separating from the light and the heat is still sleeping, I take in the last few moments of quiet before the buzz of the day begins. Those moments don’t last long. Soon the roosters are crowing and people begin to stir.

My bedroom is situated at the corner of the house, and just outside my window is a path that becomes a major thoroughfare in those sleepy morning hours. People heading to the market to set up shop, kids on their way to school, others going to fetch water for washing or food for breakfast. As I sit at my desk, I hear all the morning conversations and greetings. Sometimes I even have a few little faces appear at my window to greet me and say good morning. 

At first, I resented the fact that my quiet time wasn’t exactly…quiet.

I was annoyed with the constant humming that went on outside my windows in those early hours, thinking, of course, that I had the right to a quiet quiet time.

But then one day it hit me. As I was listening to neighbors greet each other on the path as they passed by one another, I realized that those weren’t just voices of people, those were voices of people I know.

And not only did I recognize their voices but I knew their names. And not only did I know their names, but I actually really care for those people.

And then, all of a sudden, hearing them greet each other and hearing them laugh from their bellies as they talked with one another wasn’t such a burden. 

In that moment, I realized that I love these people. I love this place. And I love that I get to be here and be a part of what God is doing here. That’s not to say that I don’t still get frustrated on some days, but overall the Lord is teaching me to love these people and to embrace the beauty in those early morning hours. 

Story by Rebekah Saylor

Rebekah serves as part of an Africa Inland Mission (AIM) Outreach Team sharing Christ among the unreached Zigua people in rural Tanzania. She and her teammates are part of AIM’s TIMO (Training In Ministry Outreach) program designed to equip men and women for long-term church planting ministry. Learn more about TIMO here.

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