Adventures in Africa: Things I've learned and Saying Goodbye

Sunrise over Lake Victoria

I’m sitting in the middle of a thunderstorm. I mean seriously right in the middle. I have never heard thunder so loud. I feel like any moment I could get hit by lightning. It’s pouring rain and I’m inside the Palm Tree (the new volunteer guest house) sitting cozy in my bed watching the rain outside my window. All day I have been thinking, this is the last sunrise I will see over Lake Victoria, this is the last time I will teach preschool, this is the last time I’ll eat one of Mama Cook’s meals…

I can’t believe I’m leaving tomorrow. It feels so surreal. A huge part of me wants to stay till my money runs out. Just another month or two… Then I wouldn’t have to say goodbye quite yet. How can I leave Dan? Helene? Zurita? The other volunteers who I’ve grown so close to and am going to miss so much? The red dirt and the roosters and the cows walking down the middle of the road and the amazing sunrises? I’m going to miss out on so much… the safari, visiting Mama Santa’s village and seeing the Acholi dances she has taught the girls in her village, teaching preschool, seeing all the children getting adopted go home, precious moments with Dan…

I have learned so much during my time here. How to trust God. What it means to suffer. How vitally important family is. How to be patient and wait. How to focus on enjoying the present, rather than worrying about the future. And more than anything I have learned that it doesn’t matter what you’re doing or how big of a thing it seems, you can be serving and bringing glory to God, whether you’re in Africa at an orphanage, abroad elsewhere doing missions, or back at home going to school or working. God has such different plans for each of us and all our different gifts and talents, and can use us all in such different ways.

I know that I’m going to miss being here so much, and I do wish that I could stay here longer, but I think it’s time for me to get home and get started on the next phase of my life. There are so many other volunteers here and they really don’t need me here anymore. I got to be here to visit other orphanages, to dance with the mamas, to check on Steven, to see that the other children reunited with their families are doing okay, to see multiple families from America come here and meet their children for the first time, to teach preschool, and so much more. I am so grateful that I was able to extend my stay and feel so blessed just to have spent the time here that I have.

Today was my last official day at Amani. I helped with preschool and had all of the kids draw pictures for me so that I can put them in a photo album when I get home next to a picture of each kid. I had special time with each of the kids and tonight I’ll get to tuck them into bed one last time. It’s ridiculous how much these kids have impacted my life and captured my heart. I hope that when I get home all that I’ve learned here stays with me, that I don’t just get back into old habits, or wrapped up in our materialistic culture. I know it's time to go home and move on to that next new phase in my life, whatever that will be...