Orphan Visits

The last week of the first year experience came and went with such a flurry of activity that it doesn’t seem real that it is over already. We were again blessed to have many opportunities to share in the lives of the people here, and this time, even closer as the teams went to the different Orphan homes. As a leader, one of my desires is to give the students an opportunity to experience African life for a day, and to work along side of families that are in need. This can often be a time of many different challenges for the students as they are faced with realities that they rarely see at home. I will speak to my teams experience and Shannon will share about hers shortly.

My team was blessed to be able to visit Mai Vida and her granddaughter Gina, who we met last year. This family has struggled with many challenges including Gina’s parents both dying a few years ago and Mai Vida struggling to cope, which at times can include some alcohol. We were greeted warmly by Gina at the side of the rode, and it always warms my heart to see her smiling face as she reaches to carry my bags. That is one thing that is difficult for me to allow, as I can’t imagine this young girl serving me, but it is her way of loving people, and she gets such joy from doing that. Upon arriving, Mai Vida was very friendly and loving to many of us, and was excited to see that we had actually come. The first day involved the big project of collecting fire wood from a back pasture near by and carrying water. I was so pleased to see that they had a well they were using for their water, which meant that it was clean and ready to drink. We were quickly acquainted with the amount of work that this 10 year old girl does on a daily basis as we helped to get water from the well and then carry it on our heads. As I stood and marveled at Gina’s strength and agility, I thought back again to the many times at home that I take advantage of turning on the tap. I wish that I would capture the well in a picture that I could hang in numerous places in my home so that I wouldn’t forget how very fortunate I am!

Finding firewood seems like a relatively basic task but as we walked with the axe into the back pasture, I was reminded from previous years how it wasn’t so simple. It bothered me a little, to know that the work that the five of us were doing was the responsibility of this little family, and that made me want to find as much wood as we could. We wandered back into the bush and I tried to not listen to the voices in my head about the snakes, bugs, and ticks that were in close proximity. We foraged for a while, and were able to make a pretty good pile of wood. We all got to practice cutting wood with the axe, which was a bit more challenging than I remembered……. my aim was a little off. Despite all of our struggles, we were able to return to the home with stacks of firewood on our heads. Kelsey and I were tried our best to carry a large log on our shoulders, which left us both with bruises to remind us of the experience. There were many bumps and bruises that day, which we accepted with joy knowing that we were able to lighten the load, even just for a day, for this little family.

As we returned back to the home of Mai Vida, we met another small Grandma going down the path. We asked with the help of our translator what she was going to do, and she replied that she was out of firewood. My heart sank as I looked at this little Grandma and her axe heading down the path, she must have been in her 70’s and I could see that her vision wasn’t great and that her knees and back were causing her pain. I couldn’t imagine her going down through the brush like we had just done, knowing the soreness in my muscles and thinking about her daily walk to that brush to get firewood. In Africa, firewood is vital for warmth, especially during this time of year, in addition to enabling them to have fire to cook their food and boil their water on. It isn’t an option and it isn’t like going and buying wood or getting a load delivered like we do at home. It is hard work that takes a lot of energy and involves getting very dirty and we were blessed with the opportunity to help this little Grandma as well. It continually warms my heart to visit these people, to get to know their way of life, and to help them in any way that we can. For Mai Vida, her love is sitting with me on the matt and holding my hand, she often expresses that she doesn’t like it when I have dirt on my shirt and is very upset when she sees the blisters on my hands. She loves anyone that comes into her home, and is so hospitable, even to the point of wanting to feed us despite her not having very much food. This year their corn grew to tall stalks, but there wasn’t enough rain, and so they didn’t get any harvest. I asked Mai Vida about where she was going to get food, and she just hung her head and said she didn’t know. Thankfully they are part of the orphan program in which they get monthly food delivered, but it is nothing compared to what most of us have in our cupboards at home. There are so many lessons that we can learn from these people, imagine if your family were starving and you had no idea how you were going to feed them for a month, but yet you still chose to offer strangers some of your food? The level of generosity just baffles me.

The second day that we went, we had the tasks of carrying water, clearing the corn field, and hauling dirt for repairs on the house. As always we were greeted by Gina with her smile and willingness to help. A few times while walking to her home, she would reach out and grab my hand, making sure that I was ok and smiling up at me. It was bitter sweet for her I am sure, as she had stayed home despite it being a holiday at school that day. I was humbled as I thought about the food, treats, games, and fun that she had chosen to pass by in order to spend time with us. How could our visit be more valuable than that to a little girl? I realized that she was just aching for some love and attention, and most days, although her Grandma loves her, she wouldn’t get that. I was glad to hold her hand as we walked…….

After carrying water, we went to work at clearing the field that had been planted. It was difficult for me as we took stalk after stalk down knowing the work of planting and caring for a garden, and knowing that this family would get no harvest for their work. Often I would be fighting tears of frustration as I recognized the struggle that accompanies the daily existence of life here in Africa. I thought back to planting my garden at home, and how I could just pull the hose out and water the garden whenever I wanted. I thought about the potatoes and corn that I left in the ground last year and what a waste that had been. I thought about Mai Vida and Gina, and how defeated they must feel when they look out and see a field of nothing….. it hit me harder than I expected. As the team cleared more and more, I came across the occasional pumpkin or little cucumber which I gladly showed to the family. It was a sign of hope for a field that was so dry and dying, but it was more than that. I really believe that God was showing us that despite the hopelessness of the land we were working, there was life, there was growth and there were yields. I think there are many times in life where it is so easy to focus only on the negative that is staring us in the face, but thank goodness for the reminders that God send us. It was a challenge to me to try and look for the positive things, the hope, in every situation…….. It also made me think to that verse in Joel 2:25 "I will restore to you the years which the swarming locust has eaten..” and that was my prayer for this family’s field and for this land…. That one day it would be restored.

We finished our time with the family by sharing food, having time of fellowship, working until there were open blisters on our hands, and even taking some time to catch a chicken or two…… It was a great experience. As we left the family, we said our goodbyes and our hearts with heavy with prayer for the friends that we had made. As a perfect end to our time, we were escorted to the road by Gina and many other children and while waiting Kelsey pulled out the balloons that she had brought and started sharing them with the children. I watched for a while, taking in the smiles, the dirty hands and faces as they played, the laughing mothers as they watched, and then I closed my eyes and listened to the laughter. What a refreshing sound to hear, the laughter of the children was like medicine for the our weary souls, yet another reminder that God was present, in control, and the joy surrounded our little group as we sat on the highway. I prayed that the lessons I had learned in those past few days would permanently be seared on my heart and soul, so that even as I returned to Canada, I would not forget the moments that had changed me. My prayer is that none of us would return home the same, and would have the courage to tell the things that we had learned as a way of honoring the people that struggle here day after day.

Blessings and love from Africa.

Suzanne