You Can’t Heal a Hungry Body and Ignore a Hurting Heart.
We recently spent a month in Africa visiting our centers.
Our goals were to learn,
To see,
To build trust,
To gain understanding.
I walked away from that trip in awe of what I saw.
Children thriving.
Where trauma should have hardened hearts, there was tenderness, giggles, joy.
Children with eyes full of peace.
Friends, this doesn’t just happen. These are the forgotten children of the world, dropped at the doorsteps of our programs by a government who offers no help, they only bring more children.
Where there should be overwhelm and despair…we found profound hope.
It is all because of the in country leaders. Men and women with huge hearts and even bigger faith, pouring out their very lives so that these children will know what ‘home’ means.
I am not talking about people who are a blip on the map. These leaders stay. They have been welcoming children for decades. When they talk about their programs they use the word ‘family.’ Most live onsite. These kids have found home, family forever.
You see it in the way they run up to ‘Papa Alfred’ at Macecall in Kenya or ‘Grandma Mabel’ at Mab’s Haven in Zambia.
It rings through the air as ‘Papa Thomas’ signs hymns with the children as the sunrises before they set off on their walk to school.
It is written all over the faces of school children in Rwanda who jump into Patrick’s arms as soon as they see him.
It is everywhere. The little love letters of dedication written on the hearts of these children.
I walked away from Africa with tears in my eyes and a passion in my heart about caring for these leaders. It is one of the things that I am most proud of. We walk alongside of them, we listen, we care, we set goals, we dream big dreams and we work like crazy to be a voice for them so that they can keep pouring out so that these kids have a place to call home.
I could not be more proud of what we get to do.
Want to join us?
