Lessons.

The past week and a half has gone by so quickly and has been so filled that I find it difficult to organize and recount the events.
Janet (the sponsorship coordinator), Heather, Jacob and I spent a week taking photos of and getting information for each of the 250+ children at Jireh. We had the sponsored children write letters and draw pictures for their sponsors. We compared family lists to the information we had to figure out who actually lives at Jireh and who are the day scholars. Heather, Jacob and Julie then put all of the information in the computer. Needless to say, it was a lot of work, but we accomplished a lot!
The Texas Team left yesterday morning and it was sad to see them go. They really became my team and they accepted me as one of their own. Watching their tearful goodbyes made me so glad that I don't have to leave yet, but it made me realize how difficult it will be to say goodbye. The kids have become my life and each of them hold a different piece of my heart and my day. I am going to make the most of my last three weeks here, because time is too short.
We were faced with several small injustices this past week and I am in the process of learning how to handle them in a healthy way. Whether they are in the form of jiggers in a boy's foot, sores on a girl's head, having to send barefoot pre-schoolers to walk home in the rain without jackets, or children not receiving enough food, I can't break down crying and I can't write it off with a simple "This is Africa..." I am learning to be a problem solver and to simply love when nothing else works.
I am learning to focus on the good, to see past the pain and hurt and to remember that God is good. I got to give out 300 glowsticks and hear the kids laugh and play. I have had the chance to spend a couple evenings in the Nissi girls dorm talking, laughing and building relationships. I have a nursery child named David who runs to me with open arms every morning, whose smile lights up my life. I have a crazy 16-year old "little brother" named Rock...an answer to a Christmas wish from long ago. ;) Really, the list goes on and on. God is good.
I am reading The Irresistable Revolution by Shane Claiborne and he talks about a Mother Theresa quote that says, "Following Jesus is simple, but not easy. Love until it hurts and then love more." I think that has been the biggest lesson I have learned here. Loving with everything that I have because THEY hurt. Pouring myself out in hopes that they can be filled. Being fully here because there is nowhere else I'd rather be. Falling in love, giving everything that I have because I just dont care about myself anymore.
The lessons I am learning are difficult, but they are beautiful. And I know, without a doubt, that there is nowhere I'd rather be learning them and no one I'd rather learn them from.