Through His Eyes
There are 14 people on my team and we all believe that we can glorify God and grow closer to Him by the things we experience. On day one we split into two groups of seven; after Midpoint debrief we are going to swap ministries. One group teaches at the Amazing Grace Kindergarten and my group assists at the Maramba Old People’s Home. People in elderly homes have always freaked me out. Going into ministry I was really worried about some of the more unpleasant tasks that we’d have to do but what I found really surprised me.
After spending only a month with them, the thought of saying goodbye puts me on the brink of tears. I love them! Every one of them! I haven’t been able to build a relationship with everyone partly because of language barriers or being led to build a stronger relationship with others; but they all have a place in my heart. Over our time here we have washed dishes, raked the yard, trimmed hedges, read the Bible, sung songs, shared pictures, and had a good many laughs with them. On Valentines Day we got to share some baked goods and juice with everybody; coming back the next day met me with several people coming up to me with a huge smile on their face and extending their gratitude. Wilson is one of my favorites; he’s always sitting in his wheelchair under a shade tree bobbing his head to the songs on the radio. Whenever I get a chance to join him I’ll put my praise and worship on and sing and dance with him. His broad two toothed smile is the best! I currently have a beard growing competition with him. Another one is a Chambeau(I think lol). I love to sit with him and watch him make rope while we listen to more praise; he speaks better english so we can talk about Jesus. Chambeau is such a gentleman, always offering me a chair and taking his hat off for the girls. Megrazi and Quenda are roomies and their joy is so genuine! I got to bring them new pillows early on and the smiles they have every morning when I go to see them is amazing! Megrazi always signs that he slept well and then points to his pillow. The last ones I’ll mention are Alfred and Lucas; they’re both caretakers and the spirit and life they bring is incredible! I would love to tell you all about every one of their characters but I’ll have to cut it short.
Looking back I’m not sure what I was afraid of. I believe that we truly were able to view them through Jesus’ eyes and that made even the most challenging things easy. I know I’ve grown in being better able to view people the ways Jesus does. Although I’m sad that we are leaving, I am excited to see how we’ll grow in the school ministry. All in all I’ve been blessed with something that freaked me out, I hope I retain what I’ve learned the next time I’m faced with a challenge!! (pic of me and Wilson)
