Leaving Home to Come Home

So this has been such hard last couple of days. I never imagined it would be this hard to say goodbye. The last month has been very productive, exciting, but also sad. These people have become my family and have taken me as one of their own.

The last month or so there have been a number of things going on. I was able to attend a traditional kitchen party and wedding which was so neat to see from another world. There is so much tradition involved and also so much fun. Mostly though I was preparing for my parents to come to see me. I really enjoyed their visit and we were able to see so many things that I never had a chance to see. We went to many different villages, saw a million animals, and visited Alice’s family. I also had to do some crazy things with my dad like the zipline and gorge swing (off a cliff)! My parents also had the opportunity to meet the children they are sponsoring and their families. This was such a blessing to see them come together. They were so excited to see each other and took lots of pictures. They also brought many donated school supplies for the school that have been SO helpful. Thank you for those who contributed!

Apart from their visit, we also continued to visit the boys and have a bible study/encouragement group with them. Two of them have showed very much talent in their singing and producing abilities so they were sponsored to record a demo track at our local studio in the youth center. I believe they will go far and would love to share their music if anyone is interested. There is also one boy, Moses who has always been closed up to the idea of God forgiving him. He says that he has done too much to forgive and has gone through so much. The last week I was there I was happy to see him participating for one of the first times. We talked about the amazing grace and span of God’s love for him and he discussed how he was feeling. He showed interest in staying in touch to discuss more. His heart has gone through so much pain so it is so difficult for him to accept that he is unconditionally loved.

The other thing that we have been doing is spending the money donated for projects for the school. We received so many unexpected donations that ended up going so far. First of all, we bought new pots, utensils, and mattresses for the school as the old ones were very dirty and some were stolen. We also bought some books, and teaching materials. We were able to hook up a landline for the school and pay the big electricity bill. We were able to make it more secure by putting burglar bars and locks on all the doors since they didn’t all have them. We also put cement blocks in one window that was a security risk. After that, we bought a computer and all-in-one printer/scanner/copier that my parents brought and had a carpenter build a bookshelf and a desk for these. These were the most important things as they will generate money for the school. We have started this as a business and are also using them for administrative purposes. The remaining money was donated to a support a youth camp, buying insulin and a tester for a diabetic, paying for some very talented orphan boys to record a song, build a bookshelf for a small library in our church youth center, and various other small donations. The money that is generated will also go to buy supplies for a small shop to also generate money. This has made such a difference in the school and it was such a blessing to be the one the distribute it. It is always rewarding to help start something that is self-sustainable so that they can continue raising money themselves. Thank you again for those who contributed!

The last week was very busy as my parents left, I was preparing to leave, and we were also preparing a fundraiser. We planned to have a boat cruise for a fundraiser, but people didn’t pay in time, so we changed it to a game drive/tea and coffee. It was a lot of fun and we were lucky to see elephants, giraffes, crocodiles, impala, water monitor lizards, and other things. We didn’t make as much as we had hoped, but were still able to raise some money to help start the shop. It is stressful planning everything and making sure everyone is satisfied! After that, I was basically doing some last minute things to prepare to leave and of course saying goodbye. The day before I was supposed to leave, I was trying to say goodbye to everyone when my mom told me that my grandmother passed away. It just added to the blow of leaving and it was hard being so far away and having to go straight to a funeral when I get back. It was not reality being in another land so far away. I did get to speak to her a few days earlier just to tell her I loved her and pray for her. I know that this was to give me some sort of peace at not being able to have been there.

Now as I am returning, I feel my heart desiring to be back in Africa. A world where life goes slow and people are important, where greeting one another and respect are highly regarded, where modesty and sharing with your neighbor are required of people…and where people lose their friends and family members everyday due to the diseases and accidents that come in a world of poverty. I miss my friends there. It has been quite challenging and tiresome, but extremely rewarding as well. At first, I felt like I needed to fix everyone’s problem and meet every need, but as time went on I found that relationship was most important and then I could fill in the needs when it was possible. My desire is to someday open an orphanage where children mostly stay with foster parents and adoptive parents are searched for, where they are taught sustainable skills, and where the love of Christ grows them into people who reach out to the “untouchables”. This is my passion and it is the reason for me coming back to get my Master’s degree in social work.

Thank you to all those who have contributed to my experience either financially, in encouragement, prayer, or just in your blessing. I will see you all soon.