Little Moments Make Life Big

 

Sometimes, I forget I’m in Africa.  I guess that’s what happens when you really start to just live life in a place.  But then moments happen that make me remember where I am.  Moments that break my heart and then fill it so full I don’t know what to do with myself.  Moments that make me laugh and make me cry.  Moments that shock me, and moments that ultimately make me incredibly thankful that I have the opportunity to be here, in this place, at this time in my life.  Here are a few of those moments that have happened in the last couple of weeks…

·      I spent my 19^th birthday thousands of miles away from my family, but with some of the most wonderful people I’ve ever had the pleasure of getting to know.  It was an awesome day, filled with chocolate cake, smiles, sweet notes, gifts, me getting soaked with water by some of my classmates (it’s a Ugandan birthday tradition!  I feel so official now!), and best of all, a chat with my MOM who I hadn’t talked to in over a month.  It was perfect.

·      Also on my birthday, we spent the afternoon doing street ministry.  I ended up sitting on little stool outside of a tiny mud home in the middle of a big city, holding a hot, coughing, precious little girl who wanted nothing more than to sit on my lap and clap her hands together with mine.  I don’t know her name, where she lives, or how old she is- I only know that she found me and I got to love her, if only for a few minutes that day.  I wish I could have brought her home to help her get well and hold her forever, but life doesn’t work that way.  It’s crazy to me how much one little person can fill my heart up.

·      We spent a day working at one of Watoto’s self-sustainability farms- sifting through rice, and harvesting cabbage, tomatoes, and pumpkins.  It was so good to just be out away from town and working hard.  By the end of the day we were all covered in dirt, sweat, dirt, sunscreen, and more dirt.  We then proceeded to eat rice, beans, and chapati with our hands.  Let me tell you, it tastes even better that way!  Or maybe we were just really hungry…who knows…

·      Hard things- hospitals here aren’t good.  At all.  People don’t get the care they need.  As a result of this, we have lost two beautiful people from our street families over the past few weeks.  It hurts to see and experience this heartbreak- especially when it could have been avoidable.  Things like this remind me I’m not at home.  They make me sad and angry.  But at the end of the day, I’m thankful that I’m not getting “used” to the suffering.  I don’t ever want to get used to it, because I know that things can get so much better.

·      One evening, I found myself sitting on a dingy, broken chair in a little one-room barbershop on the side of some unnamed street, watching Ugandan news with a stranger while my friend Thomas got a haircut.  Outside, a group of men were chatting and laughing while one washed customers shoes. The cool evening air felt awesome after a long, hot day- and I realized that there was no other place I would rather be.  It wasn’t a life changing experience (obviously), nothing spectacular happened (except Thomas left a lot more bald than before)- but I was reminded once again how important it is to enjoy the moments God has given us, because we’ll only ever get to live them once.

Love Always, Callie