As the trip approaches, so do some memories from my last trip to Sierra Leone. Some are filled with laughter (baby powder was a big white puff of laughter), as well, the big white guy showering in the rain trying to not stand out, ha Like that was possible ! Other memories are of the smiles on faces of those who have so little. It was hard at first to even think we could make an impact, after all we live in a country, city where so much is done for us, our needs are met. When you get there, you realize a nation is rebuilding, and your efforts do have a huge impact. When you drop a stone in the ocean, it hardly makes a splash, when you drop it in a small pond, the waves create major impact. It is similar for those who go, for those who make it possible for people to go, a few dollars in the ocean seems small, but in a small pond of need, it has huge impact.
I ponder the reality we have little experience with - where they are at - the average age of the country is 17 ! wow .... lots of young adults, very few mentors. For 70% of the population the average wage is $2/day, for 50% it is less than $1/day. Imagine a yearly wage of $365 - $730. May we be moved to compassion and never grow complacent with the "Stuff" we have. One latte Starbucks drink for about $4 that we take for granted ( a drop in our ocean), can there buy 4 acres of land ! Wow... have you heard the story about the boy who came across the beach where thousands of starfish had been washed ashore and dying ? The boy started throwing the starfish back into the ocean one at a time so they would not die. The father tried to reason with his boy, "son, there are thousands on the beach, your hearts in a good spot, but your really not going to make much of a difference, there are thousands here". The boy was not deterred, and as he kept flinging starfish, he responded, "it matters to this one".
What will one more trip accomplish ? how will a few days out of our life stack up against the overwhelming need ? I'm not sure yet, I'll answer that when we get back. But I do know the impact will be much larger than if we simply stayed and just did normal summer time here. God knows.... I don't need to out logic God i just need to obey.
For those who will can not go, but are able to sacrifice a few lattes in order for us to go, they share equally in the joy of dropping stones in small ponds, knowing that the waves will help be the changes to a nation, to a generation.
