Monday, May 31, 2004
Stuff
I love pictures...there will be more to come of Botswana and a little reading for your eyes in the upcoming days.
Sunday, May 30, 2004
Africa
On May 5th, my sister, mother, cousin (Justin), and I went to Africa. This was my third time to Africa, but it was Justin's first time. Originally, our plan was to go to Africa, more specifically Botswana, on a mission to help the many people with aids over there. (Something like every one in two people have aids in Botswana.) But it appeared that God had another mission in mind for us. He made that clear before we ever got to Africa. Before I go any further, I must talk about Justin a little.
Justin had an accident about three years ago which damaged part of his brain. Many doctors say that it is even a miracle that he is alive, but to have recovered at such a fast pace and shown such great improvement is another miracle in itself. Justin is now part of a research program that is taking a deep look into his case to figure out why he has recovered so well as opposed to other similar cases where the person has not done as well as Justin. (One conclusion that has been drawn is the amount of support that Justin has received from his family and friends, and more importantly, the amount of people that were praying for him during his accident and recovery.) The logical explanation (that sadly some people in the world wouldn't accept) is simply that is was a miracle. There is no way that someone could have a complete recovery in Justin's condition, but he has...Just about.
Looking at Justin, you would think that he is 100%, a-ok except for a small limp. But when you start to talk to him, you will find out (maybe not immediately) that something has happened to him. (One of the great things about Justin is that he is not scared to tell you about his accident. He is not embarrassed about it one bit.) Because of his accident, Justin tends to forget some things, so he will ask the same question sometimes seven times during the day. For someone not used to being asked the same thing over and over again, it can be a challenge to not get frustrated by this. (This was the case with me sometimes.)
Like I said earlier, our main reason for going to Africa was to get involved with the people that have aids over there. During the whole plane ride across the ocean, I truly thought that I would be going over there to do God's work with people I didn't know. But God had a different plan in mind. Instead of me focusing on the people that I didn't know, my attention was focused mainly on myself. What I mean by this is that instead of helping other people, God helped me realize and understand the need for patience.
Up until Justin's accident, he barely talked. He wasn't exactly a shy person, but because he lived six hours away (which really isn't that far for most people, but considering that the rest of my family lives within an hour from me, it is far), we didn't see him but maybe twice a year. It was basically like we didn't know him too well when compared with my other cousins. After his accident, Justin started talking to every person about anything he could think of. Although this is a good quality to have, it can be annoying sitting on a plane for 18 hours, answering question after question and then answering them again, in the same order, every two hours.
Before I go any further, I want to make sure that it is understood that I am not bad-mouthing Justin in any way, I have the deepest respect for him and everything that he has been through, and I love him like I love the rest of my family...which means that I would do anything for them.
Throughout the trip, I found myself getting annoyed at little things. It was difficult for me to remember that I must be patient with Justin. Initially, I was upset because I was ready to focus all of my attention onto the aids victims, but instead my attention was focused on Justin...Where is he? What is he doing? Is he lost? I was upset that I had to think about these things. I kept thinking to myself, "He is almost 21. He should be able to do things by himself." But then I was reminded that mentally he may not be able to function as a 21-year old boy.
I feel like I had a spiritual make-over during my time in Africa. God taught me that I must be patient with each and every person. I must take my time to answer questions and not get frustrated when people don't understand. Although I thought that I was going over to Africa to help the people that are dying, God helped me to help myself as well. I fell very fortunate to be able to travel to Africa and hope to be able to spend more time over there with the aids victims. Now that I have learned how to be patient with people, I feel that I am probably better equipped to handle people that are facing death. I will be a better helper to calm them and a better listener because of the lesson that God and Justin have taught me. For that, I will be forever grateful to them.
Justin had an accident about three years ago which damaged part of his brain. Many doctors say that it is even a miracle that he is alive, but to have recovered at such a fast pace and shown such great improvement is another miracle in itself. Justin is now part of a research program that is taking a deep look into his case to figure out why he has recovered so well as opposed to other similar cases where the person has not done as well as Justin. (One conclusion that has been drawn is the amount of support that Justin has received from his family and friends, and more importantly, the amount of people that were praying for him during his accident and recovery.) The logical explanation (that sadly some people in the world wouldn't accept) is simply that is was a miracle. There is no way that someone could have a complete recovery in Justin's condition, but he has...Just about.
Looking at Justin, you would think that he is 100%, a-ok except for a small limp. But when you start to talk to him, you will find out (maybe not immediately) that something has happened to him. (One of the great things about Justin is that he is not scared to tell you about his accident. He is not embarrassed about it one bit.) Because of his accident, Justin tends to forget some things, so he will ask the same question sometimes seven times during the day. For someone not used to being asked the same thing over and over again, it can be a challenge to not get frustrated by this. (This was the case with me sometimes.)
Like I said earlier, our main reason for going to Africa was to get involved with the people that have aids over there. During the whole plane ride across the ocean, I truly thought that I would be going over there to do God's work with people I didn't know. But God had a different plan in mind. Instead of me focusing on the people that I didn't know, my attention was focused mainly on myself. What I mean by this is that instead of helping other people, God helped me realize and understand the need for patience.
Up until Justin's accident, he barely talked. He wasn't exactly a shy person, but because he lived six hours away (which really isn't that far for most people, but considering that the rest of my family lives within an hour from me, it is far), we didn't see him but maybe twice a year. It was basically like we didn't know him too well when compared with my other cousins. After his accident, Justin started talking to every person about anything he could think of. Although this is a good quality to have, it can be annoying sitting on a plane for 18 hours, answering question after question and then answering them again, in the same order, every two hours.
Before I go any further, I want to make sure that it is understood that I am not bad-mouthing Justin in any way, I have the deepest respect for him and everything that he has been through, and I love him like I love the rest of my family...which means that I would do anything for them.
Throughout the trip, I found myself getting annoyed at little things. It was difficult for me to remember that I must be patient with Justin. Initially, I was upset because I was ready to focus all of my attention onto the aids victims, but instead my attention was focused on Justin...Where is he? What is he doing? Is he lost? I was upset that I had to think about these things. I kept thinking to myself, "He is almost 21. He should be able to do things by himself." But then I was reminded that mentally he may not be able to function as a 21-year old boy.
I feel like I had a spiritual make-over during my time in Africa. God taught me that I must be patient with each and every person. I must take my time to answer questions and not get frustrated when people don't understand. Although I thought that I was going over to Africa to help the people that are dying, God helped me to help myself as well. I fell very fortunate to be able to travel to Africa and hope to be able to spend more time over there with the aids victims. Now that I have learned how to be patient with people, I feel that I am probably better equipped to handle people that are facing death. I will be a better helper to calm them and a better listener because of the lesson that God and Justin have taught me. For that, I will be forever grateful to them.
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