All in all, I learned so much throughout the week even though I was by myself most of the day. But I had frequent visitors, hung out with students after classes, attended worship services, ate meals and had tea time with the staff as well as interacted with and become part of their community. I loved getting used to their daily schedule and system, getting to know the people and their stories, joking and laughing, butchering Swahili but getting approval because I tried, discussing, seeing, hearing, learning, growing and understanding.
Just the example of the students alone – how hard they work every day yet do it with such joy and gratitude and seeing their interactions with one another - it is hard to imagine the circumstances from which they are coming. They are all so happy and love each other and God so much that it just radiates in everything they do. Up before the crack of dawn, they attend classes from 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. followed by after school activities. Every evening before supper, the students gather for a student-led worship service filled with song, prayer and a testimonial from one of the students. The singing just resonated in my soul and was inspirational beyond belief.
I cannot say enough of how much I admire these young adults after only a little over a week of spending time with them. Every last one of them has a heart full of love, a mind set to work hard in all of life's tasks and a spirit devoted to the God who they believe could not have blessed them more richly.
*The picture is of some of the students on the way to their first class one morning.
No comments:
Post a Comment