"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow."
~ Helen Keller
Living life in a third-world country is tough. Yes, Kenya is quite advanced by African standards, but it is still technically a third-world country and the effects of that still rear their ugly heads. It's hard not to let things get you down.
Shadows are lurking everywhere.
I sometimes feel like I am running and hiding from a barrage of shadows trying to stop me dead in my tracks. On any given day, any number of "normal" occurrences try to derail, distract or discourage me from what God has called me to do. Some shadows are now a part of everyday life, those shadows that seem to chase me into a corner or at least haunt or hinder the plan of the day. These are things I deal with on a daily basis.
MY SHADOWS
Things like:
* lack of problem-solving skills,
* CORRUPTION,
* being stopped on the street and asked for money - DAILY,
* making people mad when you don't give them money,
* lack of rational thinking,
* babies being left on the side of the road in a plastic bag,
* inconsistencies,
* power outages,
* seeing starving children dig through trash piles,
* no water coming through the taps,
* knowing that husbands are hiding their HIV status from their wives,
* local time zone being: "an-hour-behind-whatever-the-clock-reads,"
* watching young boys get high sniffing glue to escape from hunger and desperation...
...just to name a few.
Currently, we are working through the registration process for the baby center. This has been in-process for over a year as we have been wading through bureaucracy and governmental guidelines, which often times seem to contradict themselves. Contradictions such as:
* You must be registered to accept children into the home,
* You must have 20 children to attain registration.
* You must present audited bank and financial statement of the institution,
* You cannot open a bank account without official registration papers.
WHAT???
These are the frustrations of life in Kenya. The shadows. The things that make me question why I am here. The things that make me want to turn tail and run for the hill, or rather, run for the predictabilities, stabilities, and consistencies of America!
But I have bright glimpses of sunshine. I have the greatest rewards and motivation for pushing past the shadows and keeping my face towards the sunshine.
MY SUNSHINE
My Julia...
If I ever question why I am here,
If I ever feel like giving up,
If I ever doubt my purpose or calling,
If I ever feel like I am being overcome by the shadows of this world,
I turn my face to the sunshine,
to the gifts given to me by the Son,
and allow the Son shine on the hope of this future, the reason why we are here for His Cherished Ones.....
My Haven of Hope Babies...
....another post inspired by
My prompt choice was:
“Keep your face to the sunshine and you can not see the shadow” – Helen Keller
In what ways are you able to stay positive about something that sometimes brings you down?
11 comments:
Just wanna say hi and thanked you for being there for those children ^_^
We are so fortunate in America and my heart just breaks for those in third-world countries. How I keep facin the sunshine is to know there are millions of people in the world who would love to trade places with me.
Your children are adorable and I certainly see how they would brighten your day and motivate you to go on.
Stopping by from writer's workshop. Here's my link if you get a chance to visit by: http://zemeks.blogspot.com/2010/10/historical-event-i-would-like-to-have.html
Wow... you sound like an incredible person being over in Kenya... dealing/living with all those shadows. I must say thoough... after scrolling down those beautiful faces and bright smiles... I too could see your sunshine! Great post!
Love all of the shots of smiling babies. If they aren't rays of sunshine I don't know what is!
What beautiful children! Seeing their smiling faces must help you get through the day, though I can't even imagine how frustrating it must be wading through all that bureacracy, when all you're trying to do is help. Stopped in from Mama Kat's.
Those are some beautiful rays of sunshine! I can't imagine the daily frustrations you must face. I never understand why the differeces are so vast among countries. It shouldn't be that way. Thanks for sharing-
You expressed that very well. And I am proud of you. I know the frustrations are great, but I also know that you lean on God heavily and we all know he will hold you up.
How amazing!! You must trully be called to deal with all the issues that you have to each day. The children make it all worth while though and you should think of them as God's thank you gift from him to you for the wonderfull work you are doing. Visiting from Mama Kats
What an awesome ministry you are providing! I need your email address if I could get it, please. One of our Awanas girls has some questions she'd like to ask you for one of her Awanas sections. Would that be ok? My email address is jpittam@elinlib.org, but I'll post this using my gmail account. Thank you.
That is amazing! I am so glad you were called to be there for those children. We living in the West do seem to forget that the shadows in other parts of the world are sometimes so much darker than our own. but those children are so beautiful and I am sure that their smiling faces make it all worth it! I´ll add you all to my prayer list.
That is amazing! I am so glad you were called to be there for those children. We living in the West do seem to forget that the shadows in other parts of the world are sometimes so much darker than our own. but those children are so beautiful and I am sure that their smiling faces make it all worth it! I´ll add you all to my prayer list.
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