Random things that have happened:
Today, my dear friend Micheal stood up for the first time in 5 weeks! I got some awesome pictures... I am so proud of him.
The cooks here made Josh, Stiv and me some "lasagna" and it was the best dinner I've had here yet... it was amazing!
There is a random dog that walks around here at night. To get on the internet I have to sit on the concrete in the dark by the administration building, and the first time I saw him I freaked out a little bit because I had no idea what kind of animal it was-- just a looming dark figure... but it's okay. Just a stray dog.
While we were walking our 4 mile journey home from the store the other day, I tripped and fell mid-conversation. As embarrassing and awkward as it was, Josh was not there to enjoy the moment! I keep tripping, falling, bumping into cupboards, slipping... anything clumsy. I have come to the conclusion that I am not so graceful in other countries (not that I'm particularly graceful in the states). I have also realized that before I came here, I asked God to give me humility. You know when you ask God for patience He gives you something to be patient about? I am assuming it's the same concept...
I am definitely learning to be comfortable in my own skin-- exactly the way God made me. Obviously, I am the minority here, and I find very few white people to compare myself to. In the states, I see skinny, tan, long-haired, beautiful complexioned women who make me feel like I am the most frumpy person on the planet. God is reminding me slowly but quite consistently that I am made in His image... perfect and absolutely beautiful in His sight. I don't need the world's acceptance for me to feel good about myself. I see time and time again that no one can MAKE me feel a certain way... that I decide how I feel and how I let other's influence my feelings. My strength and beauty comes from God alone, and no man will ever take that away from me.
I love the people in Africa. They are so appreciative of the things they have. The people we would consider "poor" have no idea they are poor. They have decided they have everything they need and are completely content with their lives. In America, for some reason a lot of us believe we deserve things... things from the government and from other people, without earning them. To be honest, I haven't quite worked through these thoughts, so I don't know exactly where I stand. All I know is that as I think about Southlake Town Center and all the kids/teenagers who roam the streets there, spoiled and believing they deserve the latest iPhone because their parents are rich.... I get more and more frustrated. I want to bring each and every one of those kids here and let them spend 10 minutes in this environment, with these wonderful people. I want those kids to see how extremely fortunate they are, and although they are blessed with strong finances, they are blessed to be a blessing to others. I don't know how much of this is making sense to you... but I could talk about it all day.
Sometimes I feel like I'm not actually doing anything to help... just watching, observing. Then I am reminded that just by holding these kids' hands I am showing the mothers and the families that their children with these disabilities are not cursed... that these people aren't shunned because of their child's deformity. Many of these children were abandoned by some of their family members because they were born with club feet or developed hydrocephalus. By a simple smile, touch of the hand, all their faces light up and you can see the sense of relief. Especially since I am white, when I touch their children they truly believe that they are not cursed. The executive pastor told me this after my first week here and it really dug deep into my heart... what a simple, wonderful reminder of God's love.
I was expecting to see a lot of witchcraft once I got here, but actually I haven't seen a whole lot of it... if it is here, I have not noticed it. It is probably more prevalent in the villages, but we are just outside of the main city of Lusaka. So far, the only thing I can remember seeing is this baby that was brought in with hydrocephalus. The grandmother of this baby took a wasp nest, melted the wax, and poured it on the top of his head--- this was supposed to get rid of the curse. It did not heal the child, so the baby was shunned from the village. The mother brought him here, and he is going into surgery tomorrow to have a shunt put in. The mother is 18 years old and seems so happy to be here around other families who have children with hydrocephalus.
Okay... I think that's all I have for now! I pray God will bless your day...
Kristen
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