Returning to Constant Prayer

The one paved road across the country has natural "speed traps"

While we are in the US and traveling, I find that I am so focused on me that I rarely catch up with the world. I rarely read about the terrible happenings around the world. But as we returned to the Sahel, I seem to return to prayer that is more similar to what Paul describes. 

I think the constant prayer returned the first time that El Padre and I were separated. He was running errands and I was praying all went as smooth as possible. But I first noticed this return to prayer as we were on the road from the capital to our home town. This is the only major road in our country. It is a two lane road with many potholes, many slow trucks, many burnt out and damaged vehicles, herds of animals crossing the road, many broken down vehicles stopped on the road, and even celebrations on the road. I am sure the constant prayer returned as a truck was coming right for us amid potholes and we both swerved back into our lanes literally at the last minute. It was so real our children caught on to the danger and asked "if we had crashed, would we have died?" 

Important people stop to greet a roadside crowd on the
main highway during a national holiday.

The prayers haven't stopped with the new school year as I am continually trying to refine my character and help my children refine theirs. Then my cousin's 7 year old son was paralyzed by an illness and I could not stop praying. Then El Padre started a long journey. Lord hear our prayers. 

Many people ask how we shift from the Sahel to the US with life that is so very different in the two places. From what I read this isn't normal, but we just live our different lives as if it is two different worlds. Certainly at the time of saying goodbye to family or leaving our home in the Sahel we all have extra emotions that we have to be extra sensitive in noticing. But it is amazing to me that this habit of praying doesn't carry over more as I am in the US. I guess I have to figure that it comes down to the difficulties and being out of my comfort zone - even in what has become my home! Being out of my comfort zone of course isn't always fun, but I do want to carry this part of my prayer life with me no matter where I am living.

-- La Maestra