YouTube Slideshow

The week after I returned to the US, I was asked by Rev. Pam Keckler at GCC to speak about my experiences in Africa at the high school seniors' breakfast on Baccalaureate Sunday. As part of my presentation, I spoke and showed a slideshow of the people I met in Africa. In this blog is the slideshow link on YouTube and the transcript of what I said. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZB9KJcFXigo

My fascination with Africa began when I was in first grade at Henking Elementary School. That year, the whole school went on a trip to Kenya. We packed our construction paper suitcases in the library, went on a safari in the gym, and made African masks in the art room. We learned about elephants, lions, Maasai warriors, the Sahara desert, the Nile river, and more. The real Africa seemed so far away and unattainable, but intriguing nonetheless. I’ve always itched to go, but thought it was an impossible dream. This fire beneath me was rekindled when I got to college. Every summer, I knew more and more people who were travelling to various countries in Africa to do all kinds of volunteer work. I’ve had two friends do missions work in Malawi; three friends work with HIV/AIDS patients in Ghana; four friends partner with monks in Zambia; one friend currently in Sudan doing missions work for two years; several work at orphanages in Uganda; and others in Rwanda, Tunisia, Morocco, South Africa, and Kenya. It was unbelievable to have friends go to these far off places, but it caused me to start thinking about Africa again.

At the beginning of this year, as I began to think about the upcoming summer, I dreamed of spending the whole time saving the Third World and travelling abroad. As summer approached, I found that jobs and family vacations quickly filled my schedule, but I still had the month of May free. I had spent a lot of time over the past year searching for missions opportunities online and began to revisit some of them. With one organization, Cross-Cultural Solutions, I could go some place for as long as I would like and would have a “family” of sorts while I was there. I was faced with a decision – do I get up and go or stay in my comfort zone at home? It would be easy to stay home; it was something I was familiar with and knew I liked. I found myself praying every night, asking God what I should do – “should I go or should I stay? Please give me a sign.” One afternoon, I was driving around Nashville listening to Sara Groves with the windows down. Her song, “When the Saints,” came on. It’s a song about wanting to make a difference in this life so that in Heaven, she may be among the Saints. In its bridge, she sings, “I see the man of sorrow and his long troubled road; I see the world on his shoulders and my easy load.” And then it hit me. For all the sorrow, problems, and stressors I bear in my life, my load is so easy compared to much of the world. I knew at once that there was absolutely no reason that I shouldn’t go to Africa. All of a sudden, every excuse I had for not going – the cost, not knowing what lay ahead, being outside of my comfort zone – seemed so small. That night, I registered to go to Tanzania for three weeks with CCS.

Forty hours of travel and four continents later, twelve of us arrived in Bagamoyo, Tanzania. Bagamoyo is a small fishing town situated on the east coast of Africa. Our home-base was located right in the center of it, surrounded by huts, small stores, and schools. Whenever we walked outside, children would yell “mzungu” at us which means “white person.” One of the staff members with CCS explained to me that the white people they encounter are often there to volunteer, so they see us as having such big hearts. They call us “mzungu” as a term of endearment. After a week or so, we all mastered several key Swahili phrases, which helped in walking around town. When you pass people on the street or stop to say hi to someone, you exchange several greetings with each other before moving on to other topics – Mambo! Poa! Hamjambo! Sijambo! Habari za asubuhi? Nzuri! Karibu! Asante! One afternoon, a group of us walked down the street to a primary school soccer game. Another volunteer and I befriended some kids hanging out near the school, and we giggled while playing the “hokey pokey” and other games. One of the little girls named Rukia was trying to tell us something in Swahili and through our limited knowledge of the language and the use of our phrasebooks, we realized she was inviting us back to her home. In Tanzania, it is completely acceptable to approach strangers and welcome them into your home. So, we went with Rukia and met her mother, father, brothers, and sisters. They welcomed us into their two-room home as if we were family. The warmth and hospitality of Bagamoyo was instantly comforting and so unexpected.

While there, I volunteered at the Kaole Primary School in a village 5 kilometers away. I was partnered with an inspiring woman named Diase Timothy who taught 5- and 6- year olds in the pre-class. During my three weeks with them, I taught English road signs and the spelling of numbers, addition and subtraction, how to draw flowers and people, and how to play many American kids’ games. The kids taught me about affection, spunk, hope, enthusiasm, and patience. Each day, the kids would have a break around 10 for uji, a porridge made from cornmeal that is a staple of the Tanzanian diet. For some kids, this is their only meal of the day. The kids shared what little they had and brought me a cup of uji every day; they were so excited to see teacher eat with them. During their outdoor breaks, kids would often wander in the classroom and start pointing at pictures on the wall and practicing their English words, or would draw numbers and letters in the sand and giggle as they showed off what they knew. In Tanzania, primary education is compulsory but many families cannot afford it and there is a shortage of schools. Kids value the opportunity to go to school so greatly and are so eager to learn when they get there. One of my friends who taught at Mwanamakuka Primary School invited his students to come in on Saturday morning and learn about America music. To our great surprise when we showed up on Saturday at 9am, his entire class was waiting outside ready to learn.

Tanzania is an evolving story. It’s largely a story about how abundantly God provides. For me, God provided every need I had. It was crazy to decide to go to Africa only a month before departing and try to get visas, residence permits, flights, and packing lists in order, but God provided. God also provided a great organization for me to go through, one which supplied shelter, food, security, and friendship while I was there. For the Tanzanians, God provides exactly what they need, and blesses them with abundant love and joy. And they know it. So often I complain about the tangible things I don’t have – better grades, tastier food, newer clothes. In Tanzania, they certainly do appreciate the food they eat, the roof they sleep under, and the clothes they wear; but they thank God every day for the small joys, the health of their family members, the kindness of neighbors, and the coolness of rain. They praise God for who He is and how perfectly He blesses them.

I could have easily missed this opportunity to volunteer in Africa. It would have been very easy to have a narrow vision of my life and solely focus on college and my future career. Instead, I allowed myself to be mesmerized by friends’ stories, take opportunities to volunteer through my school, get involved in the community, and dream as big as I could. It is so important to take the chances you are given in college and to always have your eyes open to opportunities ahead. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone when you know that through it, God will help you grow as a person. He will constantly protect you wherever you go and whatever you do, as long as you continue to seek Him.

Congratulations, class of 2009!