Today was . . . incredibly special. I had some good quality time with my Stellenbosch kids and parents before saying goodbye, a great visit with an NGO in Stellenbosch, and then a truly blessed evening with Gogo. Gogo and I were catching up in the kitchen while she cooked, laughing, looking at pictures, etc. I related how Dithembe (my favorite little 3-year-old) greeted me today by saying ‘Molo Sisi,’ getting out of the car he was in at the time, pulling down his pants, squatting and peeing right there on the road. We died laughing. Gogo's reply: “O he’s naughty! Yes he is!”
Later in the evening, we ended up talking about her sons and her husband - all four of whom died within a nine year period from 1992-2001. I teared up and she just said, “it’s good to cry sometimes… it’s good to let the emotions you are feeling out… God is good all the time. This life is a test. We must experience hard things. He did when he was here… I don’t know why He let those things happen to me but I know He was trying to see how much I believe in Him and trust Him to hold onto me…God is good all the time and all the time God is good. I don’t know how many times I’ve said that but I say it everyday [anew].” We went on from there to talk about how beautiful our God is – that He came into our suffering in the form of Jesus…that He is not a distant God… by the end, Gogo was tearing up too.
God, in His sweet sweet grace, intertwined my life path – and now my heart – with Gogo for this time in my life. Whatever comes my way in this life, I pray to remember her words from tonight and her simple, genuine, steadfast faith in God and His goodness. For He is good, all the time.
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