Unwinding in Africa: Treating our H4L Ladies (ft. a special guest writer)

 

Ladies' night. An event that was spoken of with great anticipation on the part of the women and accompanied by protests and complaints from the men…all in good fun, of course. I mean, who wouldn’t be excited about the idea of a lady’s night, complete with spa treatments and chocolate?

Now let me tell you, men can be just as dramatic as woman can. The phrase, “the men die in the show” became their cry for pity, which basically meant that the men always miss out. Now before you waste your energy and tissues on tears of grief for these poor souls, realize that there were 6 grown men in the group fully capable of ensuring that no lives would be lost. They did not have to settle for boredom. Call us calloused, but despite their pitiful display, we proceeded as originally planned...no men were to be present. 😏😂

As for the women…they weren’t given many details. All they needed to know was that my mom and I had planned an evening with just us ladies, no men allowed, and the atmosphere came alive with eager smiles and energetic spirits. Due to unforeseen events, the special time was almost cancelled but despite the difficulties, we persevered and the night finally came!

Arriving back at the compound, after an afternoon of running errands, the men scrounged the kitchen for any sign of something to snack on before bed and then hastily evacuated the premises. They needed no prompting. I think the growing sound of laughter and the hustle and bustle of ladies getting themselves prepared was hint enough. It was time! Curiosity was peaked as we arranged the woman in comfortable chairs in a semi-circle and, with the help of our kind and gentlemanly camera man (the only man with special access due to his job title), carried in pots of hot water and filled the tubs that were placed near their feet. I may or may not have received a minor scalding during this process. The large billows of steam should have been an indicator of heat levels, but you know what they say… “You live and learn, right?” I can gladly report that no feet were burned in the meantime though, and we successfully created a warm and pleasant foot soaking experience. 

The night began with a devotional, led by Kelly Wagner (my mom), talking about Joy, specifically as married women with children in the home, encouraging them in their roles and how to live out joyful, godly lives…in their speech, conduct, and example to others. The listeners were attentive, and nods and words of agreement could be seen and heard throughout the small group. As the special talk came to a close, their attention was directed to a table, arrayed with small, colorful gift bags, towels, soaps, and special glittery oil and face serum.

As each gift bag was opened and the contents were explained, I watched with delight as faces lit up at the realization that they were about to get pampered! Face and lips masks, cute headbands and fancy smelling soaps are enough to make any girl feel excited, and our special ladies were no exception to this fact.

Laughter quickly ensued as the face and lip masks were put on. It created quite the humorous effect, leaving them without the ability to open their mouths, making laughing or speaking nigh onto impossible but it was still attempted. As you can probably imagine, the result was chaos in the most amusing way. As the lip masks dried, the phrase “Oh no. My lips fell off!” was repeated over and over, in a mixture of concern and disappointment, causing new fits of laughter each time for us all.

My mom and I continued with the treatments, giving them an all-around spa experience. From foot washing, to introducing the American culture of leg shaving and exfoliating with sugar scrub, foot and calf massages, facial massages, and wrapping up with comical photo shoot turned semi fashion show, featuring beautiful dresses gifted to our staff by my mom. As the grand finale, we indulged in a small but delicious chocolate treat. The smiles on the shining faces of our special ladies were worn like permanent features during the course of the evening and it gave my heart so much joy. 

Our dear camera man showed nothing but professionalism mixed with a hint of amusement throughout the whole time but I’m sure, as he walked back to his room, his head was shaking from all of the crazy antics that he witnessed. (I was able to convince him to share his perspective which you can have the pleasure of reading below.) 

It was a beautiful night. Not only due to the bonding between new friends, but the warmth of Christian fellowship and the joy that overflowed was contagious. It is something special that my mom and I love to do because it allows for us to show our immense appreciation to the women we have the privilege of coming into contact with. These women specifically, who we just brought on to our team, had only just begun their jobs but were going above and beyond to help get things running smoothly for our children and it was not going unnoticed. It was a pleasure to be able to serve them in a small way as they step into their important roles of guiding and supporting these beautiful children in our care.

We are so thankful to God for bringing these special women to us and I ask that you pray for each of them as they continue to take on their responsibilities and work to bring hope to these children.

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Behind the Lens: A Guy's Perspective of Spa Night

Written by: Bayama Wymon

The invitation to attend the Ladies Night came as a shock and the only thing I can remember uttering at that moment was asking Auntie Kelly in my Liberian voice: “Yor wan me to com there?" I just couldn’t grasp exactly how I was going to function that night as the photographer of everything. Shy and stunned at the same time, I honored the invite and later had to be reminded when the hour came because I had forgotten already. My mind wasn’t tuned to this at all.

I must admit that the night and everything that went on there were phenomenal. I have never seen an all-ladies event like that before and it got me admiring all the treatment and affection Auntie Kelly and Ashley were administering to the ladies. (I guess my admiration was unseen because I hid it behind the camera). The ladies humor filled the air with fun and ease, which was a sure luck for me at least to throw in bits of chuckles. 

While I captured lot of fun memories through the camera for those ladies to look back on and enjoy, I also left that night capturing simple lessons that will prove rewarding to me some day. One of those is by showing love, honor and affection to my "future" wife and daughters by just doing the simple things. My mind was blown by how the ladies appreciated those simple treatments (like massaging, feet washing, praising etc.) and it brought all the glows from their hearts through their smiling faces. I can only imagine what will be yielded if I do these things and even more simplicity for my family. 

What so hard about honoring our wives and fondling their hearts that most men failed to do? It looked easy and lovely that night and I am determined to SURELY do it, ALWAYS, when the time comes.