"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?
