Those of you who know me know that I am a feeler…a processer…a
thinker…
The first week in Africa has stretched me on all these levels…
Each day I come home with something new in my heart and
mind
Story after story
The story of a dead baby on the side of the rode…the story of domestic violence…the story of corruption and deceit from the government and police..
The story of women being separated from their children
Backstreet abortions
The incredible poverty that imprisons the slums of Nairobi
The ripped uniforms of the children
The hunger
The corruption of the government and police
The death by HIV
The death by Malaria
The death by so many curable diseases
Feeling isolated and alone
The blister on my heel from walking 6 miles a day through
the slums
Being in the slums by myself not seeing another person that
looks like meThe constant yells from the people
The aggressive man on the corner
At the end of this I felt like I was going to just sit down
and cry…asking myself “What the hell am I doing in Africa by myself”
Then I was fed spiritually today and I remembered other
things about my week
Faith
The power of the people
The love the people have for one another
The commitment to family
The reliance they have on each other
The strength of the women here
The smiles of the children
The love
The light
My pain and struggles are temporary in comparison to the people of Kenya and yet they hold faith, love and hope in their hearts…
In the darkness of what many Kenyans face everyday there is light
“If you don ‘t not believe that hearts can bloom suddenly bigger and that love can open like a flower out of even the hardest places then I am afraid that for you the road will be long and brown and barren and you will have trouble finding the light. But if you do believe then you already know all about the magic”
I Believe!!!
Keeping it Real with Dr. Mary G
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