There are a thousand things I could talk about right now but our time in Diepsloot yesterday has by far had the greatest impact on me. This year our focus was on the change that each of us can make in the world. I was with the 8-9 year olds and only a few of the boys in my group actually spoke english- but we didn't realize this until we had finished our group discussion, thinking that they were just shy. After that, one of the South African counselors started translating everything to Zulu and the boys all came alive! The change they hoped for wasn't an amazing job, college scholarships or any other ideals we all hope for in America, but simple things like clean drinking water and a house to live in.
Each group was challenged to make a symbol or some sort of visual and a quick presentation to represent the discussions and what we did really moved me. Our group chose to make a house shape while singing a South African song "Shosholoza" which is a song about pushing forward. From the time we started practicing this, the boys finally began to smile and be more out f themselves and you could see walls coming down just by watching the body language. All of the sudden, these boys who would not even give a reaction were laughing, running with me, holding my hand, and following my lead whether it was doing silly dancing or going around collecting trash. (I promise all of this is going somewhere!)
I know people always say love can break all barriers and actions can speak louder than words, but I don't think I've ever believed those things so strongly. As we wrapped up our day all I could do was hug my boys tightly and hope that all of them would hold onto that pure joy that comes from having dreams for the way that they could all truly make a change in the harsh world that they know.
I'm extremely humbled and just reminded of what the world can really be like and how easy it is to give God's love with simple things like a smile, a few (translated) words of hope, and a hug. I can't wait to see what camp has in store because I already feel so inspired by my time here.
Much love to all of my friends and family reading this!
- Jacob
- Jacob
Amen. Thank you for sharing your perspective!!! Back home, in the states, are with each of you. Please continue to share.
ReplyDeleteYes, Jacob! Great reflection on what happened with you, the boys, and God. "Clean drinking water and a house to live in" - that really sums up getting a proper perspective on how incredibly blessed we are and how much more we can offer of God's love, encouragement and hope for the future.
ReplyDeleteMom and I love you so much and are so humbly proud of the young man you are and the work you do for our Lord!