Today was a good day. We traveled to two schools to meet our orphans and to distribute books. The roads were long (and treacherous), but we certainly felt it was worthwhile. Tom and Linda Gapp do such an excellent job at coordinating both the Tanzanian AIDS Orphan Project and the Textbooks for Tanzania Project. This is clearly their life's work.
The highlight for me was when Linda assigned Rose and me a new student to sponsor. Our student had not been sponsored prior to today and our previous student had graduated. So, it was amazing to meet her. I could also sense how much it meant to her to put a face with her scholarship by meeting me.
During our time together, she told me her story and I was truly humbled. Our sponsored child is named Happyness. She is not an AIDS orphan. Rather, her father has been bedridden for five years because of AIDS. I asked if her mother was employed and she said that her mother is "a peasant." I asked the Headmaster what that meant and he said that she lives with a subsistent income. Happyness' mother has simply a small garden, barters for food and relies on the charity of others to feed her family (husband and two other children). Happyness was raised in a Lutheran Church and she knows and loves her pastor. The amazing thing to me is that Happyness - living so far from home and under such adverse conditions - academically is second in her class. She works hard and is driven to be the best student she can be. Living at her school is a privilege for Happyness. I am humbled by her faith in God. She does not see herself as a victim. Quite to the contrary, Happyness has a radiant joy.
As we prepared to leave, after I had what I thought was my final goodbye with Happyness, she came and found me and gave me a huge hug. She was so grateful! Words cannot express my thanks to God for bringing us together and uniting us. For certain, we will be in each other's prayers.
Stories like this can (and will) be told by so many in our group. I hope you will ask, listen and be moved by the power of our mission relationships, based in Christ's love.
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