continued...

May’s personality, structured and organized, led her to make a list of things she wanted to accomplish at training before she left for the field. At the top of the list was meeting and bonding with the others going to the Sandbox. She found it difficult to determine the extent in which to socialize with the many people her age who had similar callings on their lives. She wanted to spend as much time getting to know those going to the same area, in hopes for deeply rooted friendships to be built that would survive on the field.

Through email, months earlier, McCaine informed May of a brother that would be accompanying them for the two year journey to Africa. She looked forward to meeting, Mr. Chard. May thanked the Father for another answered whisper, as she had been lifting him up months before they met at the Centre. All she knew about Mr. Chard was that they shared the Father of heavenly lights, and she did not quite care at all whether she had anything else in common with him or not because that was most important. Mr. Chard was older then she and he was the only brother who would be on their team. Knowing he would be with her brought relief to May’s heart. She knew it would be hard to be in the Sandbox as a single woman and she was thankful because the thought of Mr. Chard eased some of her fear about safety issues in a culture that was so different from her own. May would later realize what a sweet gift she and McCain had in Mr. Chard.

While it was not quite time for Mr. Chard to be introduced to their scene during the first few days, the time was perfect for an awkward encounter with the “other” three. Her first meeting with the three came during a meal in the dining hall, months earlier at the assignment conference. There sat Cappy, Lanky, and Flex. She could not formulate many opinions from the discussion during breakfast those days ago nor did she foresee the Father’s plan would be for them to break bread numerous more times. She was curious, however, to discover if the little she had gathered from that meal time dialogue was accurate.

She assumed Flex to be the jester of the three, finding amusement in the most mundane functions of life. Rather than sitting next to May or one of his friends, he chose to sit in the middle of three empty seats on the other side of the wooden disk. Mr. Flex made a game of guessing who would claim the empty seats beside him. The situation gathered humor as people glanced at the vacant seats and continued on to a different, empty seat, at a separate table. It rose to comical when Mr. Flex eyed a woman coming towards him to join the table for breakfast, only to find out she wanted to take one of the empty seats to an already full table. Long ago May had learned how to appear amicable through the intense shyness that overwhelmed her when meeting new people, she giggled and was thankful for his silliness because his lightheartedness brought conversation and laughter to the table.

The three friends, and May’s conference roommate, spoke of memories they shared from the university they graduated from in Arkansas and of the different areas they were thinking of serving. She never perceived the three would be along for this journey with Mr. Chard, McCain, and herself. Later she would be thankful for their friendships and for the perfect mishaps that would bring Red, the third roommate to the forefront.