searching for the focus while living in all the unclarity.
death and pain and heartache and suffering surrounded me, yet the refuge was clear.
people.
people are what matter. life. laughter. love.
it doesn't matter if it is cliche sounding, because it is honest.
and honesty is the best we can do.
as the people suffered; they loved. as they lost; they hungered for change.
they laughed. they cried. they sang praises to god. they understood.
in a world of serious, serious hardship, their was joy.
o god, what is the purpose in all of this?
Katie Sullivan, a fantastically talented volunteer serving in uganda with me this past summer expressed these words that i could not. it is more true than i imagined it ever could possibly be:
"The amazing part about this experience that i had is that i'm not different because, " i saw such shocking things" or "i found out about suffering in a way i never had" or something like that. i feel every american loves their drama and most of the people i tell about it want to be all about the tragedy and heartbreak i saw, which i'm not saying i didn't see, (cause we did), but that wasn't the point for me. What changed me was that I met people I loved on a deeper more unique level than i had ever known before. In loving me they gave me a part of my soul I didn't know was missing, and in leaving them another part of my soul died in a way I had never expected. "
the pain is real. i love people who are suffering a world away and yet to me, it is no longer that far off place that i have seen on a tv screen; it was my home. they are my friends, my strengths, my favorite people. africa is with me every single day and quite honestly, every single hour of the day. i live today as a 'poor' college student while my friends struggle to survive, to find opportunities, to fight for their dreams and to live another day in that beloved place i called home for just three short months of this life. i witnessed the pain, the serious struggle, the laughter and the joy they found in their faith. the numerous life lessons they taught are forever with me and are my catalyst for change; in me , in my future, and hopefully for this world. they 'get it'.....life, love, happiness.... cause they have to fight for it every single day.. isn't it about time, that we 'get it' too?
how can i live my life ignoring theirs?
i can not.
heart,
vickitoria
i'm not technically an idealist, but i'm a positive realist and i've walked those streets and seen what could be, if we all could just, "get it."
