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A few of my powerful moments while at JCC last year with my two children ..
They still bring tears to my eyes as i remember them...........
A few of the older girls were doing my hair (Hawa, Jeneba, and Gloria) not an easy task since my hair was quite short. (and not a real pretty picture when completed-comical spikes were the result of their hard word--but most definitely i felt the love :-)
anyways, I saw Roger Hatch playing with a couple kids out in the yard and said to the girls, "Daddy Hatch is such a good and godly man"(tears are flowing now) and one of the girls replied," He stopped our suffering' what stronger testimony could there be but that.
( i love you brother Roger)
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Another moment that i hold very dear and hope to continue to apply to my life is..
One day someone on the team made a comment (without thinking, as we all do) "Im starving' they said.
One of the older kids said to me, "It's a shame to say you are hungry in Africa"
That hit me like a ton of bricks. It's shameful to complain about being hungry in Africa. I thought of the children of Israel and though God was with them and leading them, they grumbled and complained. I thought,"It's shameful as a child of God to say i'm hungry" I thought how guilty i have been about that at times and what i'm saying when i complain is that God isn't doing a very good job taking care of me or I deserve more or better.
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One of the things that impressed me most about the kids (oops here come the tears again!) was when i discovered that all the kids were 'waiting' on doing their own laundry while we were there. There was quite a few of us and by the time we all did our laundry we would take up all the drying areas. The kids never complained at all but quietly sacrificed doing any of their laundry for a couple wks so that we could do ours. (maybe in reality they were instructed to wait or they were counting their blessing that they 'didn't have to' do their laundry? Regardless, I was impressed.
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The kids were hard workers, responsible. respectful, eager to please and very helpful with one another.
Before going to Africa I learned of some of the discipline common to their culture and I struggled in my heart because it seemed so harsh.
The Lord helped to prepare me, empty me before i went over to Africa. Who am I to say 'their way' isn't the 'right way' or the 'best way' or that we aren't the ones who could learn from THEM.
We Americans clearly dont have all the answers. I was told about a conversation between someone on our team and one of the locals who were discussing the difference in parenting. The local man said that we Americans tend to coddle or baby our children too much. I think that man had a very good point. The disrespect in our society is appauling, and we do too often, overall baby our children too much. I at least have tasted some of that truth in my own parenting. I think indeed, I learned more from them then i taught them.
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I MISS the children's singing praises and stories they had put to music. They sang from the wee morning hours off and on til they went to bed at night. They paitiently taught me some and I have been able to teach them to my daycare children here in the states. It warms my heart when these children sing those songs-and brings back sweet sweet memories of my rich experience with my brothers and sisters there.
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I went to Africa wanting to help, wanting to bless, wanting to make a difference. I came home far more blessed than when i had gone. My minute 'sacrifices' were insignificant in light of the depth of riches I received while being there.
Forever grateful,
Pam Newsome
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