As I sit in my room here
at college, I find my heart wandering to the people and places whose photos
fill the otherwise bare walls. Moments
that captured my breath away as I reflect on things like flying around Mount
Everest, watching sunsets on the shores of beautiful Thai beaches or that sense
of ‘being home’ that unexpectedly went through my body as my feet once again,
took their first step back on the red African Soil.
Greater still, my heart
is drawn to the faces of those in the photos.
People who have, and continue to, inspire my own life simply by living
theirs. From photos of my parents and I
at my last college grad, to the birth announcement welcoming my, now 7 month
old, nephew into the world. From friends
that I have grown up with, to those I met in college and who have walked with
me since, regardless of where they are in the world. A group photo of friends I went to visit in
St. Louis 2 years ago, two of whom I literally traveled the world with
together, remind me of a friendship bond that is not easily broken. R squad on the World Race at the start of our
month three in Romania, surrounded by faces of kids that I met while on the
race itself, along with a photo of myself and two of my best buds during our
evening of bar ministry Christmas Eve 2013 in Thailand.
I find my eyes looking at
the photo next to it. In it, is a group
of local girls. In the span of 6 months,
they have totally changed my life. Who
are they? If you look past the silly glasses and dollar store props, you will
see. You will see that they are my Sr.
Youth small group. This is the group who
I get the honour (and joy) of seeing every week during youth nights and
sometimes, on the weekends for coffee.
As they’ve opened up and have shared with me, God has done something in
my heart in the last 6 months that I never thought possible. Instead of praying “God break my heart for
what breaks yours when I travel overseas”,
I find myself daily praying, “Thank you
Lord, for ‘breaking my heart’ in the here
and now. Thank you for allowing my eyes to be opened
in which they (my eyes) have been closed to for so very long. May they see YOU
and not me and may they see YOUR Truth and experience YOUR Freedom”.
Finally, my eyes rest on
a photo of me next to a young girl. The
smiles on our faces, speak to the amount of joy I felt (and still feel) within
my heart when that photo was taken nearly 3 years ago. It
was at the end of my first mission’s trip to Seeds of Hope Children’s Ministry
in Zambia, Africa. It was my first trip
to Grace Academy and I knew as soon as I arrived there, that it would not be my
last and that this was only the start of an incredible chapter that God was
writing within my life. Words seem to
escape me, as my heart BEAMS with excitement and anticipation as I am trying to
properly figure out how to best describe the journey that God has laid before
me. It is a journey I thought would
never happen and it came in a point in my life that cannot be described as
anything but God’s GOOD and PERFECT
timing. That, when scripture talks about
Him knowing our hearts and desires, He truly does. He truly answers them and provides beyond our
(my) expectations each and every time.
God is calling me back to
Seeds of Hope Children’s Ministry, a Canadian organization based out of British
Colombia. They run two children homes
for HIV/AID affected/infected children (orphans), one in Thailand and one in
Zambia, Africa. It is the one in Zambia that
captured my heart in 2011 and opened up a world of possibilities before me.
This May, I will be
returning to these children and young teens in Zambia, Africa for three months. I have said “yes” to a temporary teaching
position that allows me (by the Grace of God) to also complete a much needed,
international practicum for my TESOL (Teaching English as a Second Language)
B.A at Providence University College. Along with teaching 15 hours of English a
week, I will also be teaching 10 hours of Computer skills to the older
students. Through teaching English and
computer skills, my hope (and prayer) is that I am able to help ‘equip’ these
young people for a better chance at getting into and excelling at,
post-secondary education. Like many
developing countries, being born with HIV or losing both parents to death in
Africa, is a ‘death sentence’. Seeds of
Hope Children’s Ministry has given/continues to give the children they take in,
a fighting chance in this world, through providing basic health needs, a safe
place to live, medical treatment and a North American education. I am honoured to join in the amazing work
that God is doing through them, in Zambia.
Join with me?
(continue to watch/follow
this blog as I will be updating ways in which you can help donate
financially-since what I am doing is all support raised (tax charitable), and
through your prayers. I need your help
and I know I cannot do this alone).
