Living a better Story

“If you watched a movie about a guy who wanted a Volvo and worked for years to get it, you wouldn’t cry at the end when he drove off the lot testing the windshield wipers…

Nobody cries at the end of a movie about a guy who wants a Volvo. But we spend years actually living those stories, and expect our lives to feel meaningful. The truth is, if what we choose to do with our lives won’t make a story meaningful, it won’t make a life meaningful either.”

-Donald Miller

I stand in the doorway looking outside. There are about a hundred kids playing in the soccer field and net ball field. The sun is shining and there is a light breeze, and I have a ridiculous grin on my face. The sounds of the children laughing and playing fill my ears. This is my life. I live in Tanzania, I work in an orphanage, and this is my reality now. For the first time since being here it hits me that this is my normal. This week I have felt so alive and refreshed and motivated in new ways. I want to live a better story. I want my life to be meaningful, to step out of my world for a while and into someone else’s.

My life back in America was meaningful. I had a great job that I loved with residents that I loved even more, I have a great family, great pets, and great friends. My life was good, and full of love, but my life was selfish. It was all about me, and what Courtney wants. Sure I volunteered places here and there, and I can be generous with my money, but at the core of my life it was always about me.  So I came here, to Africa, to see how the other half lives. To let my heart be broken, to change my world perspective, and learn what it really means to give of myself with nothing in return.

When I was in church one Sunday, it was time for the “offering”. My friend leans over and tries to translate it for me, he says, “It’s time for sacrifice.” I told him that we call it offering, but that was the word he knew that best described what this time is for. Sacrifice. These people in this village do not have much by the world’s standards. They don’t have running water in their house, or electricity, or even proper bathrooms, they don’t have sinks to wash dishes, or even enough dishes for company, and they definitely don’t have matching dishes. They do not own or have a single thing that supposedly makes people happy in America. They don’t have a lot, but they are always willing to give. They are always willing to sacrifice. If they don’t have money to give, they find food or soap. When have I ever sacrificed to give to someone else? Really truly faithfully sacrificed? 

“…I tell you the truth”, he said, “This poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

-Luke 21:3-4

The dead Chicken... that the kids killed!

Laundry Day!

 I want to teach the kids how to live a better story too. I want to teach them about giving, and loving, about honesty, about right from wrong, about faith, and hope, and dreams. There are really great things in their culture, things I would never want to change for these kids, and then there are things that are hard to accept. In this culture, in some cases, lying and cheating is the way to get what you want. They don’t understand giving to another person without getting anything in return. Which is not just their culture it’s all cultures.

Verse Lesson!

I have had so much fun with the kids this past week. I taught them how to play new games and taught a couple of pretty awesome lessons. They learned about the food pyramid and how to be healthy, and even made their own pyramids. We played “around the world” with flashcards, four corners, and ultimate Frisbee.

Making our own food pyramids.

Ima

Elisha & Elia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yona & Ima

Brothers! Yona & Elisha.

            

Around the World:  You sit in a circle and one person stands behind someone else. They are the only ones who can answer, and whoever does first moves on. If someone makes it all the way around they win a candy.

Four Corners: You have four corners (haha) and one person is blindfolded in the middle. Everyone runs around and picks a corner, and the person in the middle says a number between one and four. Whoever is in the corner that is called is out. Last person standing wins.

Ultimate Frisbee: You have two teams and you are trying to score on opposite sides. If you are the one holding the Frisbee you can’t move but your teammates have to move towards you. Its great exercise and a pretty hilarious game with these kids.

Ima & Yona

A couple of big things happened this week; I applied for my residency permit, and I met a member of the Tanzanian Parliament. My permit is going to cost me $850, which is WAY More than anticipated. We aren’t even one hundred percent sure if it is legit, but I don’t want to make the district officer mad because she can kick me out of the country. SO I am going to pay it. And the man from parliament was coming through the district and stopped at the orphanage. It’s basically crazy awesome to meet someone so important, he was really nice and welcomed me to the country, like all Tanzanians do. Plus he is in politics so they have to be welcoming. This week was also the week that we made up the rest of the kids’ birthdays. Now everyone is on the calendar! 

Corrinne and I are planning the 2 year anniversary for Sunrise. The staff will be preparing rice, meat, and a red sauce, and us Americans will be making chocolate cupcakes!! I am really excited to open the doors to the village (about 150 people), and welcome them into our home to see what is going on. We are going to try to plan something with the kids, maybe have them recite the verse we learned in English and Kiswahili.

In addition to teaching the staff and children simple ways to be healthy, I also taught the English class in the village. They loved having me there, and they loved to learn new things that are so simple in the US. Fortunately they said I was very easy to understand and they hope I come again to teach something new, however my name is very difficult for them to say. 

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” 

–Romans 8:28

Walking home from church....Did i mention i love my life?