Reality Check
I am a crammer, or rather I like to think of it as a time maximizer. I like to make full, purposeful use of my time. But all this cramming sometimes sets my head spinning, and this week was no exception. Although I'm had some nice rejuvenation time away this week, I came back feeling like I had a million things to do. On Wednesday, I was complete incoherent, in the midst of my self-induced caffeine and chocolate coma, and on the near verge of melt down....over, of all things, a needle. Someone had ordered some GORP products 3 days before (when I was out of town), and just as I was about to package them in the box, I saw a tiny flaw. So naturally, I pulled out my sewing machine to fix it, and every time I tried to sew the thread came out of the needle. This exceedingly irritated me for over an hour, until I finally went to bed after midnight, having all but given up. But fortunately in the morning, when my head was clear, I went straight to my local quilt shop and begged for help. They were gracious enough not to tease me when they told me the needle on my machine was in backwards. Waa Laa...problem fixed, order shipped, onto the next thing!
I do not know why I do this to myself nor why I take these very little things and make them explode in my head like they are a big deal. You see in the midst of all that, I forget to stop, think, and remember why I'm doing what I'm doing.
It really is the little things that make me snap back to reality. This week it was a lake. Let me explain. We are in the midst of planning a field trip for the kids in our program. We've tossed different ideas around, and I suggested taking a boat ride at the lake in Naivasha. Collins, our Kids Program Director, told me that it would be great for the kids to go boating on the lake because they've never seen a lake before, only a river. Let me say that again: THEY'VE NEVER SEEN A LAKE BEFORE!
Friends...this seriously almost brought me to tears. I know it might seem insignificant, but these kids NEVER get a chance to leave the slum. Their whole life is built around this 1.5 mile area: this small area filled with trash, dirt, sewage, muggings, and hardship all the time. They are surrounded by difficulties. Can you imagine living your whole life like that and maybe leaving only once or twice? Now, I'm a perfect example of a small town girl (3 stop lights and I remember when we got our first McDonald's in town), but we did have a lake. And I did leave the town to see other things. Can you imagine being 15 and never having seen a lake?
Our last field trip with the kids
This is why when we take kids on field trips, it is so much more than a trip. Don't you see...every time someone leaves the slum, it gives a glimpse into another life, other opportunities, a bigger world. It is so important for them to dream and hope for something more, and for us to give them opportunities that make these dreams a possibility. Every time we send one of our kids to school, every time we read with them, every time we show them that they are truly loved by our Father, these kids are getting another dose of hope. Friends, so many of us, myself included, are living very comfortably, and I hope that we can together be willing to be stretched, to be giving, and to reach out and make opportunities for others possible. Remember the lake!