His Hands and Feet

The past two days of my time here in Africa have been some of the most challenging and most rewarding of my trip. On Wednesday and Thursday, we visited the Missionaries of Charity home for teenage girls with disabilities and the Visionary Mothers daycare center in the slums of Karibangi. In the United States, we see pictures and hear stories of kids in need in Africa, but all of those pictures and stories fall very short of seeing the need firsthand. When you are able to see it, hear it, touch it, and smell it, you are affected in a completely different way. I had to fight back tears as I watched girls who never knew and will never know what it feels like to walk, babies who will never see because of a bad case of the measles as an infant, and kids who musculoskeletal deformities will keep them from every escaping a wheel chair. But despite their challenges, more joy filled the rooms of those two places than a banquet room full of high flying CEOs enjoying a nice meal in a Ritz Carlton hotel.

For me, their challenges were paralyzing. For the first time in my life, I could not “fix” someone’s problem. In my mind, nothing that I did or could do over those two days would make any significant change in their lives. I experienced moments when all hope seemed lost. And then the Lord reminded me of a few simple truths. I don’t have to “fix” everything. All I can do is empty myself on a daily basis and share the love and hope that only He can provide.

I'll never forget what I saw the past two days. My emotional tank was on empty every night, but my experiences will be ones that I will continue to think about and process even after I return home.

I’ll never forget how I was touched by their smiles, their tears, and their laughter. I’ll never forget how the kids’ faces lit up when we delivered new toys and games to each of them. I’ll never forget their smiles when we put shoes on their feet for the first time. I’ll never forget how friendships were forged by the comfort of a new stuffed animal. And I’ll never forget how grateful they were for the things we brought, but even more grateful for the time and love we offered.