How Africa Has Touched My Life

July seems like so long ago, yet when I look at these photos and remember my time in Makamba, Burundi it seems like it was just yesterday. I wish I could walk out my door today and see these smiling faces and be back at work building the medical clinic. Alas, God has work for me to do in Dallas today.

Here's a little bit of insight, though, on the important "take-aways" from this recent trip. Thanks to each one of you who made it possible for me to go. I hope I can communicate a little bit of what I learned to each of you. So, here goes:

--I learned about trusting the Lord to meet my every need, just as He does for the people of Burundi. Being there brought the great realization that material goods do not bring happiness. These were some of the happiest people I’ve ever met and they have very few material items. Simplicity is a beautiful thing.

--The joy of having few agenda items. Being there to help where needed (moving bricks mostly) and to love people was our charge. It was simple, yet completely rewarding to come to the worksite and just be open to whatever God might bring my way, whether that’s praying for an elderly woman who suffers from asthma and has no access to a shot that she needs that will help her breathe more comfortably, playing Frisbee with the children, singing along in English or Kirundi with groups of kids or adults, laughing with them over my inability to pronounce words in their language, supporting others on my team. Every moment was beautiful and worth savoring. I loved not having a To Do list!

--Being safe is not quite as important as being available. We were watched over very closely en route to and while in Burundi. We were very safe – it seemed – in a country where it’s not unusual to see soldiers and police officers on the streets with huge guns and 1-2 children on the worksite with machetes. (Not normally a strange site in a country big on farming, but with the history of genocide in this country, in which machetes were widely used, it was shocking to see.) I was grateful to not feel fearful however I realized that “safety” can become an idol. God has a plan and He does allow things to happen. I believe that He will protect and care for me, but that doesn’t mean I will be kept safe from harm or that He cannot use this fallen world and the people in it to glorify Himself through any circumstances. I realized that while safety is a gift, it is not a guarantee nor is it to be prized over God’s plan for me.

--God is our provider, even amongst the most poverty-stricken people. He clothes the flowers, feeds the birds and provides for our daily needs as we rest and trust in Him. Several children wore clothing that was threadbare or ripped or poorly sized for their little bodies. Boys and girls were easily mistaken because you couldn’t always determine which was which based on clothing or appearance. We often recognized kids day to day amongst the crowd because they wore the only clothing they had every day we saw them. And they wore them with big smiles and without a second thought. When we had to repeat what we were wearing once or twice, no one around us cared or commented or even noticed. I had more than I needed on the trip and still have closets of clothes at home. How could I want for more when these people were surviving on so little.

--In Africa, small children can play with scissors. :)

--Greed is destructive. Every day we were greeted with hoards of children surrounding our van as we arrived. And they were all asking for our water bottles. Empty or full they prized what we would throw away in America without a second thought. And when a child would get his hands on a water bottle, sometimes a challenge would ensue from a larger kid. We soon realized that we would be unable to safely distribute the candy, clothes and toys we’d brought to the children we’d met on the site. If something as small as an empty plastic water bottle could cause a child to be trampled on, we couldn’t risk giving out the gifts we’d brought. We live in a society where all the marketing around us teaches us to be dissatisfied with what we already possess. It’s a sad place to be when we allow our souls be drawn to things with so little true value. (Thankfully, we were able to leave our donated items for ALARM to distribute wherever they were most needed.)

--The importance of margin – the willingness and availability to stop and connect with someone even if I’m on my way somewhere. I loved living and serving with this team. It was nice to be able to go to any one of them and talk about the day, share something that had just happened, pray or to ask for help in a particular area of the site and to do so without worry about time/schedules/ obligations. Relationships are important…more important than my To Do list.

--Community – people need other people and they work together to provide for the needs of the community. In Gitega we were unable to obtain a permit to travel on a Saturday morning because everyone in the community is supposed to be out cleaning the roads. Imagine if we did this in the U.S. – everyone stops what they are doing and does something all at the same time in the community. Seems like it would make this a better country and help us be better neighbors and not as self-consumed.

There’s so much more. This is just a glimpse. I hope to go back, but if I never have that privilege, I am forever changed in ways that aren’t easy to put into words. Thanks for your patience in waiting to hear from me. I know it’s been far too long since you've gotten an update.

The people of Burundi thank you and are grateful for your gift of this clinic. I wish you could see the looks on their faces, witness their joyous signing and hear their words of sheer gratitude. You have touched their lives and their hearts.

This photo was taken in early November 2008 - the clinic is almost completed...and looks so much bigger with the roof on!