intangible moments are things that the heart keeps forever. i want to tell you about a few moments from my last trip to africa that will stick with me always.
~the first moment is from sabbath. rose is a 20 year old girl and for the past THREE AND A HALF years, she has been hoarse. (we were told it was due to her inflamed tonsils, and in africa most people do not get their tonsils removed). but, a few months ago, she woke up and was able to speak again. listening to her talk for the first time was something i'll never forget. she told us about how grateful she was for her ability to speak loudly to where people in the back of the room could hear her. she is now able to sing and tell others about the great work God has done in her life by healing her.
~little leah is one of the sweetest and most entertaining girls i've ever met. one day, she decided to tell me her story about how she got to the orphanage 6 months ago. she told me all about the abuse she endured and how her mother almost killed her out of anger. i could see from the burn marks all over her arm that she had been through more than any child should ever go through. but she also told me about how amazing it was to finally be in a place that is safe and around people who love her and would never hurt her. another day, we (the mzungus) had the opportunity to sing a song at worship. after we finished singing, i sat back down next to leah and her eyes sparkled. she looked up at me and with the greatest sincerity said "that was amazing" with a complete awe in her voice. i could only look down at her and smile because i know that she soaked in every word of that worship song.
~sarah is my sweet girl. she has been there every year i have come and she is one that holds a very large piece of my heart. she is probably the shyest little girl there. but i loved the moments when i was holding her hand and she was singing a hymn, not realizing that i was listening to her sweet voice. every time i would look down at her when she was singing, she would stop and giggle and look away. when i had to say goodbye to her, she was one of the hardest to say goodbye to. when i hugged her, she held me tighter than she ever had and started to cry hard. all i could manage was a "see you later sweet girl" and "i love you so" before i completely lost it too.
~the "kitchen choir" is made up of lucy, emma jane, frezier, eunice, and kezzy. all of these girls cooked our meals and all of them have been serenaded by me singing "aint no mountain high enough" and "build me up buttercup." i loved getting to spend time with each of them cleaning and drying the dishes all while singing those two songs. i wrote down the lyrics to "aint no mountain high enough" for them and im pretty sure next time i see them, they will know the whole song by heart. these girls are older and so they dont get as much attention usually. but with me, they get all my attention and me singing some pretty darn good songs, too.
~my little african bean and my dennis. these two boys have my heart. they are 13 and 11 years old. i have known dennis every year and he is my shadow. my little african bean (joseph) has been there every year but this was the first year that i got to really spend time with him. i call him my african bean and he calls me his american maize. every time i would come down from breakfast to see the kids, these two were the first ones who grabbed my hands and hugged me tight. these two are crazy kiddos but theyre my boys and i couldnt love them more. theyre hilarious and their smiles make my heart melt.
these are just a few of the memories i was able to make this year. i could go on and on about all the little things and big things that made this trip amazing. but, there's not enough space or time to do that. these intangible things are what has left an imprint on my heart and life for the rest of my days.
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