Around our world in 8 hours

It was nice having a friend to walk around town with the day before yesterday. We were both the same age and same personality. It was a great day to get to pray over our neighborhood. We hoped to meet neighbors freely and perhaps get invited into homes. Visiting in homes may have happened if we were not in a city. In rural areas, according to my new friend, people readily invite you to have tea with them. It just wasn't our day for that, though. 

We did get to bless and greet several women, though, and I now have a better general understanding of the lay if the land around our apartment. I also realized the importance of learning how to pray in the local language (something I cannot quite do). 

Lessons learned:

1) Rome wasn't conquered in a day, so don't circle about for 8 hours with Emma in the carrier for 6-7 of those hours on a quest for new conversant people. Stop to sit down and lift up those who you've passed along the way. My legs were killing me and my brain was fried after being on pins n needles stalking for that long.

2) Don't bring a purse or baby carrier to a park where Emma will run as free as the wind blows.

3) Lead the conversation, but be friendly... Silence the question, "do they like us and even wanna listen?" that keeps cropping up inside me!

4) It is always a win-win situation. I got out of the house and all around the neighborhood. I have three new phone contacts. I know my neighbors better. I know when people are out and when they aren't. Getting into homes isn't always the best-case scenario. Gaining relationships is, and we did that.