Now that I have seen

I love Africa, I really do. I love the people and their wide smiles. I love the children and their abundant willingness to act silly, run around, and then melt into big hugs. I love that when I walk downstairs to get ice for my water at night I happen upon toddlers screaming joyfully running up and down the hallways, kicking a ball bigger then them. I love handshakes that squeeze your hand hard, and peoples eyes who speak for them. I love that babies who have been outside are extra warm when you cuddle them, and my favorite thing to do is pat their little bums when I walk past them sleeping on their mama's backs. I love the looks on peoples face when I try to speak their dialect, and I love that they slap me hard on the back in a fit of laughter after I finish.

I love that people here think pineapple makes your blood 'dry', that paracetamol (tylenol) makes you lose blood, and cold water makes you sick.
I love that ensure cans, when rolled back and forth, can entertain a two year old for an hour. I love seeing tacky decorations displayed proudly all over a cement living room, and I love how welcomed I am into every house I enter.

The reality of living and working in a third world country can be harsh at times, I won't deny that. That same reality, that death is a part of life, that there are people in this world who rely solely on God, that boundaries prevent true community, is why I love this place.

I've been praying for some time about extending my time here with Mercy Ships. I was originally committed through the end of this Benin outreach in December, however it started seeming impossible that my time may be coming to an end. While praying I didn't have any earth-shattering, sky-opening calls to stay, but I do have true peace. I have absolute contentment with my recent decision to extend through the next outreach in Togo.

My heart fits here, I fit here. I believe God put me, and wants me to stay here. For some that seems absurd, how does God tell someone what to do, what does that sound like? What does that look like?
I hope I can show you, I hope you will see what drives me to be here, what gives me the strength to wake up every day with a full heart and a willing spirit. I'm so excited about so many things, I can't wait to share them.

I was listening to Brooke Fraser this weekend and as always the song Albertine got me thinking. There are people here, kids in particular, that have grabbed hold of my heart. They have a treatable cancer, and their stories are amazing (more on that soon). They are a big part of how I believe God has shown me to stay here. The chorus, in just 3 lines, sums it all up.

"Now that I have seen, I am responsible.
Faith without deeds is dead.
Now that I have held you in my own arms, I cannot let go"
-Albertine, Brooke Fraser