Remember being a kid and wishing with all your might that Grandma wouldn't pinch your checks so hard, and that your aunts would stop gossiping about "how you've grown..?" You would move around the house as a teenager just hoping that maybe the adults wouldn't stop and ask, for the millionth time, "how was school?" Then college comes and you are DESPERATE to get out...and, of course, once you move out you are dying to get back in. You swear up and down that you "will never be like your mother because she bugs you." Remember those times..? Well, what if you never had those memories..? Would you be happy...I immaturely thought I would be until I heard a woman yesterday. She was explaining that she recently had a discussion with her daughter, and her daughter was saying how much she missed her mother's "love'n." Since she had moved out all the little nuances that once seemed annoying were actually caring, and those were the first holes in her life that she noticed. My mind began to wander...back to Africa of course (it spends most of its time there!). And I began to think of the memories stored away in our kid's minds. Most of them have lost at least one parent, if not both, and I wonder how many tears they wish they could trade to have their checks squeezed regularly. Or to have a guardian dote over their success no matter how small. Heart4Africa is gifted and blessed to have a staff of people who have a love so pure, and a heart so big towards these children. In times of anxiety and tight-quarters they stayed strong in ways our American members cannot. Our whole program is enriched because of them...what BEAUTIFUL blessings from GOD. Our team genuinely finds joy in watching these kids grow. In learning the nick-names and personal style of our kids. For the first time I understand why grandparents, aunts/uncles, and parents dote: because you love your kids so much you would rather ask them the same questions a million times just to hear their lovely voices than lose them in silence. The lady's daughter said she missed her mother's "love'n", and I can understand that now. Our team shook hands a million times, and said, "How are you?" as if we were saying, "You just won the lotery!" And I understand that too. Watching them grow, and standing beside them is much more than a check, a shirt, or a dinner. It's the prayers, letters, pictures, and visits that form the memories tucked gently inside them which provide the strength and encouragement they will need to overcome. Heart4Africa does many things...but I'd have to say my favorite is watching them grow.
This is Mike (above) with Kady (a ROCKSTAR photographer from Texas). I promise you she will watch him grow; maybe not from his side like Ingrid (our SHINING STAR project manager), but from constant checking in and communication (plus we are dragging her back...we just haven't told her when). They developed the cutest little language, and Kady's favorite part to share was Mike's version of "bye." He would look at you, smile (secretly, I think he knew it was funny), and say "Byeeeee!" and then immediately hug Kady. Now, i have to clarify...this word is not simply "bye" extended...it is pronounced "Bi-yeeeeee," and always said with a smile! She asked him to say that word a million times for Muzunugu (white people) amusement...but what an AWESOME memory! ~Tina~ |
