Sweaty palms, a racing heart, and a mind occupied with doubt were rushing through me as I sat in a room full of complete and total strangers. These strangers happened to be thirty wide-eyed children who were staring up at me with admiration and utter awe. I was from America. Yes, this may seem completely normal, but to the thirty South African children, America represented so much more than just a country on the other side of the world. America represented hope. A type of hope that gave them the will to live and survive in the harsh conditions they were forced to inhabit in. However, never did I see a sad face in my time I spent in Africa, only laughter and happiness shone from these people. The sheer happiness they exemplified while having
…show more content…
Instead of teaching them I decided to write about how God works through each of them in mysterious ways. Being able to write about the beauty I saw in this loving community gave me such warmth and peace. I only hoped that my words could show the children how wonderful it truly was. My goal was to make the children feel proud of their community not ashamed or embarrassed. I wanted to show them how jealous I was of their fortitude and only hoped I could be half as strong as they were. I truly wanted to express to them how amazing they …show more content…
It has been two years since that trip, and not a day has gone by that I don’t think about it. I am now a freshman in college majoring in nursing in hopes that one day I can go back to South Africa with my degree and help give back. That trip helped give my life direction, and know what I wanted to do with it. I want to live in South Africa and help the people that helped to give my life a purpose. I am forever grateful for the opportunity I was given. I now understand the power my voice has on others and on myself. Writing out my thoughts and opinions onto paper helps to give me insight onto the feelings that I may not even know I have. Writing can be as small as a meaningless text to sitting in front of a room full of strangers giving your testimony. Writing helped give me a voice that I was not even aware I had to a room full of people that desperately needed to hear that
Instead of teaching them I decided to write about how God works through each of them in mysterious ways. Being able to write about the beauty I saw in this loving community gave me such warmth and peace. I only hoped that my words could show the children how wonderful it truly was. My goal was to make the children feel proud of their community not ashamed or embarrassed. I wanted to show them how jealous I was of their fortitude and only hoped I could be half as strong as they were. I truly wanted to express to them how amazing they …show more content…
It has been two years since that trip, and not a day has gone by that I don’t think about it. I am now a freshman in college majoring in nursing in hopes that one day I can go back to South Africa with my degree and help give back. That trip helped give my life direction, and know what I wanted to do with it. I want to live in South Africa and help the people that helped to give my life a purpose. I am forever grateful for the opportunity I was given. I now understand the power my voice has on others and on myself. Writing out my thoughts and opinions onto paper helps to give me insight onto the feelings that I may not even know I have. Writing can be as small as a meaningless text to sitting in front of a room full of strangers giving your testimony. Writing helped give me a voice that I was not even aware I had to a room full of people that desperately needed to hear that