Monday, November 26, 2007
Saturday, November 24, 2007
November 23, 2007: Humbled by the God I love
I can’t believe that I return home in a week. I have
entered such a rhythm here and I will truly miss it.
I go to bed pretty early, I wake up early, I go to
Hope school to serve, teach kindergarten, and laugh
with the kids on their breaks or free periods, or I go
to the Hope feeding center to serve, fold angera’s,
and laugh and play soccer with the kids.
Today, Julie and I went to Rogue Village. Before MPPC
(my church) impacted this rural village, there was no
school nor any healthy running water. With the
support of MPPC, they funded the building of a school
along with a well with clean water. This happened 2
years ago and Julie and I were able to see the fruits
of their labor today. It was so incredible to see.
Ethiopia has been a truly incredible experience so far
-- I came with so many expectations of the people, the
culture, what God would teach me while here, what I’d
be doing while here, and it seems almost as if God has
turned my ideas completely upside down. I thought I
would come to impact the people here, do big things,
and it seems as if I have come to see that I am just a
small part (still powerful and important) of what God
is already doing here. Last night, while Julie and I
were having dinner with Zenebe, the head of Hope
Enterprises, my eyes welled up with tears as he was
explaining what MPPC has done for the children at
Rogue Village. I had no idea the mind-blowing impact
MPPC has had on Hope here. And it suddenly dawned on
me while listening to Zenebe that it’s not about me
here, trying to make a difference (although I am), but
that it’s about God and things already going on way
beyond me. It occurred to me that I am just joining
in. I am here to witness, observe, see, rather than
be the one doing the doing for God. I am here just to
take part. Before I came to Ethiopia, I was trying to
control every little detail of how I will do this and
that -- where I will be for this, and what I will say
to this child, that child. But after talking Zenebe,
I thought, “wow, I am just here to see God work.”
It’s beautiful. And I was deeply humbled by all that.
The last time I was in a 3rd world country, I was in
India seeking God, exploring what my life was all
about and what I wanted to live for, and I ended up in
2 monasteries, discovering the grace of Christ. And
although that was an amazing experience, I was
constantly anxious in search of completing some
longing I had for a deep meaning to my life. And I
contrast that with my time here -- I am not so much in
a place of seeking but a place of just being here
where God already is, joining in with His kingdom,
just doing simple things and serving His kingdom. My
awareness here has been so much more focused on being
here -- not on what I will be doing 5 years from now,
not on what job I will take when I return, or not on
some deep question about what the meaning of my life
is. I have just been here, here for what it’s been --
the simplicity of it all, and this simplicity has been
beautiful to me. And I prayed for this -- that God
would give me eyes to see the beauty of simplicity as
my life can get so wrapped up in busy unimportant
complications not so much in all my tasks for the day,
but more so in the cluttering of my mind.
What a humbling experience so far -- I’ve been deeply
humbled by the grace of the people here -- their
tender ways with people, their loving embrace of any
stranger, and their incredible desire to serve and
give even when they literally have nothing. Every
time Julie and I return from our day back to the guest
house, Kidist and Hannah -- 2 servant girls for the
guest house-- embrace us as if we are their children
coming home from a long trip. They truly love us.
And that love has been so powerful and humbling.
God is moving in my life. Teaching me to be of
service. Even with something as small as my desire to
give the big bed to Julie when she came (yes that
sounds silly, but you must know that prior to a
missions trip like this, my sleep would be so
important that I would selfishly take the big bed or
some better “thing” for MY sleep for MY training for
MY soccer.)
I am so blessed to be here. So incredibly blessed.
And this wouldn’t be the case if it weren’t for you
and your support.
entered such a rhythm here and I will truly miss it.
I go to bed pretty early, I wake up early, I go to
Hope school to serve, teach kindergarten, and laugh
with the kids on their breaks or free periods, or I go
to the Hope feeding center to serve, fold angera’s,
and laugh and play soccer with the kids.
Today, Julie and I went to Rogue Village. Before MPPC
(my church) impacted this rural village, there was no
school nor any healthy running water. With the
support of MPPC, they funded the building of a school
along with a well with clean water. This happened 2
years ago and Julie and I were able to see the fruits
of their labor today. It was so incredible to see.
Ethiopia has been a truly incredible experience so far
-- I came with so many expectations of the people, the
culture, what God would teach me while here, what I’d
be doing while here, and it seems almost as if God has
turned my ideas completely upside down. I thought I
would come to impact the people here, do big things,
and it seems as if I have come to see that I am just a
small part (still powerful and important) of what God
is already doing here. Last night, while Julie and I
were having dinner with Zenebe, the head of Hope
Enterprises, my eyes welled up with tears as he was
explaining what MPPC has done for the children at
Rogue Village. I had no idea the mind-blowing impact
MPPC has had on Hope here. And it suddenly dawned on
me while listening to Zenebe that it’s not about me
here, trying to make a difference (although I am), but
that it’s about God and things already going on way
beyond me. It occurred to me that I am just joining
in. I am here to witness, observe, see, rather than
be the one doing the doing for God. I am here just to
take part. Before I came to Ethiopia, I was trying to
control every little detail of how I will do this and
that -- where I will be for this, and what I will say
to this child, that child. But after talking Zenebe,
I thought, “wow, I am just here to see God work.”
It’s beautiful. And I was deeply humbled by all that.
The last time I was in a 3rd world country, I was in
India seeking God, exploring what my life was all
about and what I wanted to live for, and I ended up in
2 monasteries, discovering the grace of Christ. And
although that was an amazing experience, I was
constantly anxious in search of completing some
longing I had for a deep meaning to my life. And I
contrast that with my time here -- I am not so much in
a place of seeking but a place of just being here
where God already is, joining in with His kingdom,
just doing simple things and serving His kingdom. My
awareness here has been so much more focused on being
here -- not on what I will be doing 5 years from now,
not on what job I will take when I return, or not on
some deep question about what the meaning of my life
is. I have just been here, here for what it’s been --
the simplicity of it all, and this simplicity has been
beautiful to me. And I prayed for this -- that God
would give me eyes to see the beauty of simplicity as
my life can get so wrapped up in busy unimportant
complications not so much in all my tasks for the day,
but more so in the cluttering of my mind.
What a humbling experience so far -- I’ve been deeply
humbled by the grace of the people here -- their
tender ways with people, their loving embrace of any
stranger, and their incredible desire to serve and
give even when they literally have nothing. Every
time Julie and I return from our day back to the guest
house, Kidist and Hannah -- 2 servant girls for the
guest house-- embrace us as if we are their children
coming home from a long trip. They truly love us.
And that love has been so powerful and humbling.
God is moving in my life. Teaching me to be of
service. Even with something as small as my desire to
give the big bed to Julie when she came (yes that
sounds silly, but you must know that prior to a
missions trip like this, my sleep would be so
important that I would selfishly take the big bed or
some better “thing” for MY sleep for MY training for
MY soccer.)
I am so blessed to be here. So incredibly blessed.
And this wouldn’t be the case if it weren’t for you
and your support.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
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Monday, November 19, 2007
11/19--Another Day
Whoohoo- I now got this blog posting down pat (except
for the pics- can’t do that til I return home). I
email the posting to pops, and then he updates it for
me. For some reason, I can’t do much with the blog
site here in Africa- I can never get through??
Anyhoo, so the latest:
Tomorrow I start teaching Kindegarten at Hope School.
They are terribly adorable. When I spoke with the
supervisor for kindergarden in their classroom to
organize the lesson plans last week, they all ran up
to me and kissed my hand and cheek. At first, I sort
of winced as they all have nose goo running down their
face, but the fellow Americans here that are teaching
English gently nudged me and said that it was ok. So
I let them kiss away. Millions of kisses all over.
And immediately, what do you know, I got sick with a
cold. But it was worth it:).
Today I laughed and giggled with Kalkidan (it
translates into Promise – they all have beautiful
names here in Amharic btw- they all translate into
Bible names, promises, visions, hopes etc), a 5th
grader. Last week, I asked her what she wants to do
when she is older and out of school -- she explained
that she wants to be a model. So every time I've seen
her at school I take out my hair band, let my hair
flow down, and strut towards her with my shades tipped
pretending to walk down a runway like a model. She
just laughs and laughs and laughs, a hearty laugh from
the depths of her belly. If there’s certainly one
thing I was born to do, it was to make kids laugh and
smile, even if it’s because I am being a little crazy.
I just want them smiling. We even took pictures with
my camera joking around pretending to be models. I
kept telling her that she needs to start practicing
today:). I will have to post them later.
3 weeks here at Hope school is way too short to make
the difference I want to. I will just start to be
having open conversations with these kiddos about life
and God just before I go I know it. I am envious of
the 4 Americans here teaching for 1 full year, however
I just don’t know if that’s my calling. So, while I
am here, I am giving it all. I’ve got 10 days left to
rock the world for impacting these kiddos.
Bye for now! Tomorrow is time spent at the feeding
center.
for the pics- can’t do that til I return home). I
email the posting to pops, and then he updates it for
me. For some reason, I can’t do much with the blog
site here in Africa- I can never get through??
Anyhoo, so the latest:
Tomorrow I start teaching Kindegarten at Hope School.
They are terribly adorable. When I spoke with the
supervisor for kindergarden in their classroom to
organize the lesson plans last week, they all ran up
to me and kissed my hand and cheek. At first, I sort
of winced as they all have nose goo running down their
face, but the fellow Americans here that are teaching
English gently nudged me and said that it was ok. So
I let them kiss away. Millions of kisses all over.
And immediately, what do you know, I got sick with a
cold. But it was worth it:).
Today I laughed and giggled with Kalkidan (it
translates into Promise – they all have beautiful
names here in Amharic btw- they all translate into
Bible names, promises, visions, hopes etc), a 5th
grader. Last week, I asked her what she wants to do
when she is older and out of school -- she explained
that she wants to be a model. So every time I've seen
her at school I take out my hair band, let my hair
flow down, and strut towards her with my shades tipped
pretending to walk down a runway like a model. She
just laughs and laughs and laughs, a hearty laugh from
the depths of her belly. If there’s certainly one
thing I was born to do, it was to make kids laugh and
smile, even if it’s because I am being a little crazy.
I just want them smiling. We even took pictures with
my camera joking around pretending to be models. I
kept telling her that she needs to start practicing
today:). I will have to post them later.
3 weeks here at Hope school is way too short to make
the difference I want to. I will just start to be
having open conversations with these kiddos about life
and God just before I go I know it. I am envious of
the 4 Americans here teaching for 1 full year, however
I just don’t know if that’s my calling. So, while I
am here, I am giving it all. I’ve got 10 days left to
rock the world for impacting these kiddos.
Bye for now! Tomorrow is time spent at the feeding
center.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
11/15/07--My 1st week in Ethiopia
So I am sitting here in the guest house I am staying
at, thinking. Thinking hard about all that’s going
on. Today I went by the Black Lion hospital to see
what Operation Smile was all about – it’s a non-profit
with a mission to repair as many cleft lip genetic
defects of children as they can. These past 2 weeks
has been their 25th anniversary so doctors, nurses,
volunteers from around the world are paying and taking
time to serve for 2 weeks in 40 different countries.
I was able to see the whole pre-op and post-op and it
was incredible. It was extremely moving to see the
all sorts of different people around the world
gathered here in Ethiopia committed to making a
difference. Some of the parents and older children
were in tears thanking the American doctors. It was
extremely moving to see. I hope that I can someday be
in a position of influence to give back in an
incredible way like that.
It has now been officially 2 weeks today for my time
here in Africa. It’s been one week in Kenya and now 1
week in Ethiopia.
My schedule has been so this past week in Ethiopia:
Mon, Wed, Fri -- serve at the Hope school (a school
for underprivileged kids, orphans) – teaching English
in some classes, playing/teaching soccer sports in
their PE class, helping other Ethiopian teachers lead
their classes.
Tues, Thurs -- serve at the Hope feeding center. In
the early morning, we feed about 15 homeless orphan
children about 5 years old. Beautiful hearts they
have. Dirty and scruffy but beautiful to see God in
them. Matteos, the campus pastor for Hope gives a
little sermon to them, and then we play soccer
together, and then we feed them. Later in the
morning, about 700 homeless people gather at the
feeding center for food. Truly incredible to see the
never-ending line of people who come. It’s so
heartbreaking to see and I offered up a little prayer
to God for them. I don’t quite understand how such
poverty can exist in this world.
Since I’ve been here in Ethiopia, I truly love the
country. Because the British never colonized it, there
are so many unique and different traditions and perks
the country has kept. It is truly different- it’s
calendar year, it’s time, it’s culture, and even it’s
incredible food!
In my time away so far and here in Ethiopia, I have
been sensing God’s gentle nudge to be a difference
maker back behind the scenes. I love the crowd, being
social, and connecting with people -- which I think is
one of my gifts, however I have been sensing God
teaching me His humble ways through service away from
the crowd and the applause for being such a noble
servant. Like today at the Hope feeding center, I
folded 100’s of angera’s (this is their staple food
for all meals in Ethiopia and especially easy to make
for the homeless Hope feeds) for hours. There was
nothing spectacular about what I was doing -- I wasn’t
talking and connecting with the people, I was just in
the back, folding, and folding, and folding those
angera’s. But folding for God. Folding for the sake
of folding those silly little angera’s. For some
reason it was very moving for me in its beautiful
simplicity. In the past, I would casually avoid doing
a service project that entailed doing busy work behind
the scenes. I wanted the real juice of knowing I made
a direct impact right then and there, out in front,
connecting with people, laughing, singing. And
folding angera’s is anything but that. But God
somehow made His way through my heart to speak freedom
and love in those little moments, just folding angera
after angera, making little wedge pizza shapes to put
on the plates.
Perhaps it moved me too because I expected to come to
Africa parting the red sea, being in relationship with
all the children I interacted with so that they might
come to know and love the God I love, and ironically,
I’ve been doing a lot of busy work behind the scenes.
And I sense God saying: Callie it all matters. It all
matters in My Kingdom. I sensed His freedom today
folding those angera’s and talking small talk with
some of the children at the Hope school this past
week. Nothing grandiose. Just little acts of service
in my heart to strive to honor God in all I’m doing
here. Very difficult but with the time I have here to
reflect, I am striving to come to God each day in
prayer with cleans hands and a humble heart.
I am learning patience as everything is slow and
people tend to run behind here and I see how impatient
I can be!, I am learning humilty in the way people
interact here, I am learning grace from the natives
here in the way they freely extend their hearts to
strangers, I am learning even that I don’t think being
in full-time ministry is where I am called to be, I am
learning how I don’t pray as often as I’d like to --
thinking my prayers to God don’t really matter in the
end with all the poverty and sickness around me, and
then I am also learning that God is everywhere, even
in folding angera’s.
May the goodness of God forever reign in this world.
Prayers requests: for the children I am with on Tues
and Thurs mornings at the Hope feeding center, the
children at Hope school, the homeless we feed at the
center – that they all may come to know the deep and
all-pervasive love of God the Father. Also, I ask for
prayers for health for me. I am sick with a bad sinus
infection and so tired at the end of the day. I need
my strength these next 2 weeks.
at, thinking. Thinking hard about all that’s going
on. Today I went by the Black Lion hospital to see
what Operation Smile was all about – it’s a non-profit
with a mission to repair as many cleft lip genetic
defects of children as they can. These past 2 weeks
has been their 25th anniversary so doctors, nurses,
volunteers from around the world are paying and taking
time to serve for 2 weeks in 40 different countries.
I was able to see the whole pre-op and post-op and it
was incredible. It was extremely moving to see the
all sorts of different people around the world
gathered here in Ethiopia committed to making a
difference. Some of the parents and older children
were in tears thanking the American doctors. It was
extremely moving to see. I hope that I can someday be
in a position of influence to give back in an
incredible way like that.
It has now been officially 2 weeks today for my time
here in Africa. It’s been one week in Kenya and now 1
week in Ethiopia.
My schedule has been so this past week in Ethiopia:
Mon, Wed, Fri -- serve at the Hope school (a school
for underprivileged kids, orphans) – teaching English
in some classes, playing/teaching soccer sports in
their PE class, helping other Ethiopian teachers lead
their classes.
Tues, Thurs -- serve at the Hope feeding center. In
the early morning, we feed about 15 homeless orphan
children about 5 years old. Beautiful hearts they
have. Dirty and scruffy but beautiful to see God in
them. Matteos, the campus pastor for Hope gives a
little sermon to them, and then we play soccer
together, and then we feed them. Later in the
morning, about 700 homeless people gather at the
feeding center for food. Truly incredible to see the
never-ending line of people who come. It’s so
heartbreaking to see and I offered up a little prayer
to God for them. I don’t quite understand how such
poverty can exist in this world.
Since I’ve been here in Ethiopia, I truly love the
country. Because the British never colonized it, there
are so many unique and different traditions and perks
the country has kept. It is truly different- it’s
calendar year, it’s time, it’s culture, and even it’s
incredible food!
In my time away so far and here in Ethiopia, I have
been sensing God’s gentle nudge to be a difference
maker back behind the scenes. I love the crowd, being
social, and connecting with people -- which I think is
one of my gifts, however I have been sensing God
teaching me His humble ways through service away from
the crowd and the applause for being such a noble
servant. Like today at the Hope feeding center, I
folded 100’s of angera’s (this is their staple food
for all meals in Ethiopia and especially easy to make
for the homeless Hope feeds) for hours. There was
nothing spectacular about what I was doing -- I wasn’t
talking and connecting with the people, I was just in
the back, folding, and folding, and folding those
angera’s. But folding for God. Folding for the sake
of folding those silly little angera’s. For some
reason it was very moving for me in its beautiful
simplicity. In the past, I would casually avoid doing
a service project that entailed doing busy work behind
the scenes. I wanted the real juice of knowing I made
a direct impact right then and there, out in front,
connecting with people, laughing, singing. And
folding angera’s is anything but that. But God
somehow made His way through my heart to speak freedom
and love in those little moments, just folding angera
after angera, making little wedge pizza shapes to put
on the plates.
Perhaps it moved me too because I expected to come to
Africa parting the red sea, being in relationship with
all the children I interacted with so that they might
come to know and love the God I love, and ironically,
I’ve been doing a lot of busy work behind the scenes.
And I sense God saying: Callie it all matters. It all
matters in My Kingdom. I sensed His freedom today
folding those angera’s and talking small talk with
some of the children at the Hope school this past
week. Nothing grandiose. Just little acts of service
in my heart to strive to honor God in all I’m doing
here. Very difficult but with the time I have here to
reflect, I am striving to come to God each day in
prayer with cleans hands and a humble heart.
I am learning patience as everything is slow and
people tend to run behind here and I see how impatient
I can be!, I am learning humilty in the way people
interact here, I am learning grace from the natives
here in the way they freely extend their hearts to
strangers, I am learning even that I don’t think being
in full-time ministry is where I am called to be, I am
learning how I don’t pray as often as I’d like to --
thinking my prayers to God don’t really matter in the
end with all the poverty and sickness around me, and
then I am also learning that God is everywhere, even
in folding angera’s.
May the goodness of God forever reign in this world.
Prayers requests: for the children I am with on Tues
and Thurs mornings at the Hope feeding center, the
children at Hope school, the homeless we feed at the
center – that they all may come to know the deep and
all-pervasive love of God the Father. Also, I ask for
prayers for health for me. I am sick with a bad sinus
infection and so tired at the end of the day. I need
my strength these next 2 weeks.
11/9/07---My 1st week: the Tumaini Orphanage in Kenya
My typical day this past week:
7am: rise to the loud sound of children singing,
showering and getting ready for school.
715am: yoga or lectio-divinia with T-bone, Shimmers,
and Jonathan
8am: breakfast
9am: quiet time with God
10am- 3pm: read, check email, write friends, spend
time with Shoshoku, Eunice, people who work at
Tumaini. Build relationships. ON weekends, we play
with the kids
3pm: the kids come home from school. Play, talking,
building relationships.
4pm: reading in the library (every other day)
5pm: running, sometimes it is soccer
6pm: dinner with the kids
7-9pm: more time with the kids
10pm: lights out
It has been such a wonderful week at the Tumaini
Children’s home. It has truly left mark on me as a
very special place. It was an honor to be a part of
their family for even just a short time. The children
there were truly beautiful and so eager to love on us
wuzingos (white people). Just today before I left for
the airport to head to Ethiopia, I decided to run
around the field at the school to get a quick jog in,
and with some of the kids being on their break, they
just swarmed around me to run beside me. About 40 5-8
yr old kids ran beside me, surrounded me, cheered for
me, and breathed hard as they tried to keep up as I
ran my 11 laps around the field. Such a heart-warming
experience with the children running right beside me,
competing with each other to run the closet to me,
their big eyes and smiles looking up at me, wanting to
be a part of what I was doing. So amazing.
I wish I had more time. 1 week was too short to
develop any long-term relationships at Tumaini. I was
just beginning to get to know them and their hearts.
I bonded with a few: Grace, Awoi, little Rhoda, little
Jane, Dominique. But there are so many: 170 of them
in that home. I was originally planning to stay for
2.5 weeks, but I felt compelled to change my flight to
Ethiopia to an earlier time. I have 1 month in Africa
and I thought: “I didn’t come to Africa to spend 4-6
hours of the day reading, resting, doing quiet time
and doing my own thing with my friends here…I came to
give my heart and serve all day, to be used up by God
in as many ways as I can.” And in Ethiopia, I will be
put to work in several different ministries all day.
Because Jonathon, Emily, and T-bone are at the
orphanage for 6 months, they need the time alone so
they can give their hearts to the kids over a long
time. I have just but 1 month and I don’t need to
come to Africa to spend part of my day resting and
reading. I came to be in action around my desire to
make a difference.
So I left for Ethiopia today. As Boniface was driving
me to the airport today, I was able to spend a lot of
time processing and reflecting on my time this past
week. I was thanking God for the beauty and pure
innocence He puts in these children and for the grace
and generosity of the natives that lived there at the
orphanage. And I realized something- that it’s not
the kids or Africa that are the source of my making a
difference. It’s not that Tumaini is where I must be
to make a difference. It is me, it is in me, it is
God’s spirit in me and His mark on me. It’s His
goodness and selflessness in me that wants to reach
out to see and spread His kingdom. By just being here
in Africa, in action, I get to see this and it reminds
me of my true greatness in God, of the true impact I
really can leave people with.
I got tears in my eyes sitting in the car realizing
that I really do make a difference, and I was thanking
God for allowing me to see my difference making heart
in action. Yes, intellectually I can grasp that I
make a difference as an individual, but this past week
I really got to see it in with those kids, even with
my fellow housemates as I was talking with Emily about
some personal things she was dealing with.
And what’s so cool is that the more I see who I really
am in God, the more I see my difference making
possibility in Him, the more I’m not willing to settle
and stand for all that is not God in me – all my
impurities, all my selfish habits and pride that only
hinders forward movement in the kingdom of God. All
my pride -- my pride in “my being so noble to serve
here in Africa,” my pride in “having the intellect to
reflect like this about God’s kingdom,” and my pride
in thinking I’m so great and make such a difference.
Crazy. But I’ve always heard that humility is
recognizing one’s own place in this world, and ego
aside, I know my potential for greatness, for being a
great leader who makes a difference. But so subtle
the pride is. C.S. Lewis talks about this in his book
The Great Divorce: that the further one progresses on
the path towards light and Christ, the more subtle
one’s sin or bad habits are, and if those sins aren’t
dealt with properly, the more they can damage one’s
personhood in Christ.
I am truly inspired by this past week to continue on
with my desire to impact my 6th graders I have with
the church when I return home. I am inspired to
further my development in my self in relation to God.
Amen.
7am: rise to the loud sound of children singing,
showering and getting ready for school.
715am: yoga or lectio-divinia with T-bone, Shimmers,
and Jonathan
8am: breakfast
9am: quiet time with God
10am- 3pm: read, check email, write friends, spend
time with Shoshoku, Eunice, people who work at
Tumaini. Build relationships. ON weekends, we play
with the kids
3pm: the kids come home from school. Play, talking,
building relationships.
4pm: reading in the library (every other day)
5pm: running, sometimes it is soccer
6pm: dinner with the kids
7-9pm: more time with the kids
10pm: lights out
It has been such a wonderful week at the Tumaini
Children’s home. It has truly left mark on me as a
very special place. It was an honor to be a part of
their family for even just a short time. The children
there were truly beautiful and so eager to love on us
wuzingos (white people). Just today before I left for
the airport to head to Ethiopia, I decided to run
around the field at the school to get a quick jog in,
and with some of the kids being on their break, they
just swarmed around me to run beside me. About 40 5-8
yr old kids ran beside me, surrounded me, cheered for
me, and breathed hard as they tried to keep up as I
ran my 11 laps around the field. Such a heart-warming
experience with the children running right beside me,
competing with each other to run the closet to me,
their big eyes and smiles looking up at me, wanting to
be a part of what I was doing. So amazing.
I wish I had more time. 1 week was too short to
develop any long-term relationships at Tumaini. I was
just beginning to get to know them and their hearts.
I bonded with a few: Grace, Awoi, little Rhoda, little
Jane, Dominique. But there are so many: 170 of them
in that home. I was originally planning to stay for
2.5 weeks, but I felt compelled to change my flight to
Ethiopia to an earlier time. I have 1 month in Africa
and I thought: “I didn’t come to Africa to spend 4-6
hours of the day reading, resting, doing quiet time
and doing my own thing with my friends here…I came to
give my heart and serve all day, to be used up by God
in as many ways as I can.” And in Ethiopia, I will be
put to work in several different ministries all day.
Because Jonathon, Emily, and T-bone are at the
orphanage for 6 months, they need the time alone so
they can give their hearts to the kids over a long
time. I have just but 1 month and I don’t need to
come to Africa to spend part of my day resting and
reading. I came to be in action around my desire to
make a difference.
So I left for Ethiopia today. As Boniface was driving
me to the airport today, I was able to spend a lot of
time processing and reflecting on my time this past
week. I was thanking God for the beauty and pure
innocence He puts in these children and for the grace
and generosity of the natives that lived there at the
orphanage. And I realized something- that it’s not
the kids or Africa that are the source of my making a
difference. It’s not that Tumaini is where I must be
to make a difference. It is me, it is in me, it is
God’s spirit in me and His mark on me. It’s His
goodness and selflessness in me that wants to reach
out to see and spread His kingdom. By just being here
in Africa, in action, I get to see this and it reminds
me of my true greatness in God, of the true impact I
really can leave people with.
I got tears in my eyes sitting in the car realizing
that I really do make a difference, and I was thanking
God for allowing me to see my difference making heart
in action. Yes, intellectually I can grasp that I
make a difference as an individual, but this past week
I really got to see it in with those kids, even with
my fellow housemates as I was talking with Emily about
some personal things she was dealing with.
And what’s so cool is that the more I see who I really
am in God, the more I see my difference making
possibility in Him, the more I’m not willing to settle
and stand for all that is not God in me – all my
impurities, all my selfish habits and pride that only
hinders forward movement in the kingdom of God. All
my pride -- my pride in “my being so noble to serve
here in Africa,” my pride in “having the intellect to
reflect like this about God’s kingdom,” and my pride
in thinking I’m so great and make such a difference.
Crazy. But I’ve always heard that humility is
recognizing one’s own place in this world, and ego
aside, I know my potential for greatness, for being a
great leader who makes a difference. But so subtle
the pride is. C.S. Lewis talks about this in his book
The Great Divorce: that the further one progresses on
the path towards light and Christ, the more subtle
one’s sin or bad habits are, and if those sins aren’t
dealt with properly, the more they can damage one’s
personhood in Christ.
I am truly inspired by this past week to continue on
with my desire to impact my 6th graders I have with
the church when I return home. I am inspired to
further my development in my self in relation to God.
Amen.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
I made it!
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So tired but excited. After 30 hours of traveling, I finally made it to the orphanage!
Today I got to meet the children. They are beautiful- big smiles, big brown eyes, eager to love on us. I love em already. After we had church this morning, we hung around, laughed and joked around. I learned many of their names. I got to meet Rhoda - she is a 6 yr old girl who is adorable. She is posted above.
Today I got to meet the children. They are beautiful- big smiles, big brown eyes, eager to love on us. I love em already. After we had church this morning, we hung around, laughed and joked around. I learned many of their names. I got to meet Rhoda - she is a 6 yr old girl who is adorable. She is posted above.
I am staying here at Tumaini Children's orphanage with Michael (T-bone), Jonathan, and Emily (Shimmers)...pictures to come. They are here for 6 months to teach the children soccer, how to play the guitar, cooking, health-related classes, running, and reading - impacting these kids' lives in so many ways. I'm so jealous!
In 30 minutes we go out to play soccer with the kids.
I'll be back with more.
In 30 minutes we go out to play soccer with the kids.
I'll be back with more.
Friday, November 2, 2007
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