I wanted to stop by to give an update on a special experience we had the opportunity to participate in last week.
On Tuesday evening our leaders told us to go to our rooms, put on warm clothes and grab our bedding and our Bibles. All of us girls moved into one dorm and the guys did likewise. For the next two and a half days we were going to be living in a way that reflects the daily reality of many Africans. We would each be assigned a new identity to personify during the experience. Mine would be that of an unwed mother; which meant I would be carrying around a sack of sand for the next 48+ hours. Just a few of the things we experienced were...
- Using a small amount of money for 5 meals
- Paying for "rent" and a "taxi"
- Walking to a nearby grocery
- Cooking over a fire
- Preparing all of our meals
It's never been very difficult for me to embrace challenges like this. For us the "reality" would end. We could count the hours until we had access to showers and hot tea again. We knew we would be able to change clothes in a few days. We had no doubt that we would be well fed again soon. For the people whose reality this is they have no such confidence. The hardest part about the experience was knowing that my "suffering" would end and there are millions who do not know the same. Having to "care" for a "baby" added a level of difficulty for me. As a nanny I know how difficult it can be to cook lunch or clean up with a little one to watch out for. This time I could simply leave the sand bag on the ground next to me while I worked or did the dishes, which would never happen with a real child. It would be so nerve-racking to try to keep a little one safe and entertained in a harsh environment and still do daily chores. The long walk to the grocery was twice as hard having to carry the extra weight and would have been three times as difficult if I would have needed to keep the child happy and safe.
The biggest reality that hit me through this experience was that people who live these realities daily have no time for anything but to survive. The Western culture is so obsessed with entertainment; we dump resources into the pursuit and there are humans spending their entire day simply going to the grocery store and cooking with what little food they have. At the end of the experience, a few of the year long interns shared their stories. Some of them had a hard time with the African Realities because it really was the reality of their past. Normally, hearing the people I love talk about the struggles of their past would shatter my heart. Although I did break, the reality of our Savior's salvation, provision and preservation was so much greater.
Instead of coming out of this experience emotionally upset and disturbed - the Lord guided me to a place where I became even more aware of what He's been telling me all along; you've been blessed to be a blessing.
But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
Acts 20:24
God is so much bigger than even the harshest of living situations and I am confident He's preparing our team to make Acts 20:24 a reality in our lives.
Imperfectly compelled by His perfect love,
Hannah
Preview of kids camp 2015. Update to be posted in the next few days.
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