Nkosi Sikelel' Afrika (God Bless Africa)

In Ethiopia during the famine, I saw stuff there that reorganized how I saw the world. I didn`t quite know what to do about it. At a certain point, I felt God is not looking for alms. God is looking for action. – Bono

It's here. 3 months of planning, 1 plane ticket, 60 cupcakes, 2,000 pearls later it is here. Tomorrow my family will take me to the airport and I will leave them for 10 days to serve thousands of people I have never met. I don't hoard things - but what I don't give up freely is time with my family. I get so precious little of it. It takes a strong force to relinquish hours at home. But I have felt a stirring in my soul about this trip from the moment I heard about it. 12 years after my first trip to Africa I cannot sleep thinking about what this trip will bring. My previous experience taught me that no words or pictures can begin to describe the magnitute of the situation. No one can adequately explain what it is like to be surrounded by severe poverty as far as the eye can see and yet be in the midst of the warmest, most joyful people you will ever meet.

And just thinking how we got to this day amazes me as well. For one family to adopt two children and have a vision to take 67 people to serve thousands is just unbelievable. Our local paper wrote about it and you can click this link to read the article. It was all so simple (easy for me to say I didn't mae hotel and taxi arrangements for 67 people). But simple in the sense that the idea was thrown out and we all latched on. We wanted to be a part of something big and life-changing. No doubt this will be.

I believe Bono's words from the quote above. God is not looking for us to throw money at a problem. He is calling us to compassion. Calling us to treat others with dignity and grace. My boss who I cited in a previous post wrote this comment, "In Judaism, giving to the poor is not viewed as a generous, magnanimous act; it is simply an act of justice and righteousness, the performance of a duty, giving the poor their due." Our trip should not be something that is out of the ordinary for a group of people to show honor and respect and love to another group of people. This is what our purpose is, what our duty is. And the fact that it seems so extrodinary is truly a comment on how far we have come from basic premis of loving of our fellow man. Loving a person for the mere fact that they are a PERSON.

So here I am. In 24 hours my journey back will be in full swing. Lord keep my eyes open to what you want me to see. Keep my heart strong when the surroundings cause it to break. Melt away my selfishness that will be tempted to focus on my own comfort and let my hands embrace others in the way you would embrace.