Quick note: sorry for the lack of pictures in this blog, Malawi wifi is too slow to upload them! But you can check them out on my Instagram: kellyfranke18 – Happy reading! 🙂
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I’ve just completed my first month here in Africa, in the country of Zambia.
Every morning I woke up in this African village, to the sound of the little orphans laughing outside my room. I was only there for 1 month, but I fell in in love with everything about it.
The village I lived in was called Kazembe, and I’m pretty positive it is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been, and is filled with some of the most beautiful people I’ve ever seen.
Beauty on the WorldRace is a topic that seems to be discussed quite frequently, especially among the girls. It’s hard to feel feminine when you live out of a backpack with 5 shirts, 3 pairs of pants, and a lot of sweat. As I realized this was such a hot topic, and that I was loosing an uphill battle to feel beautiful, I began to ask The Lord to reveal to me what beauty is and how I can feel it throughout this journey around the world.
I’ve been realizing that for my entire life, my idea of beauty has been totally wrong. In America we get told that beauty is in how thin you are, what brands of clothing you wear, how clear your skin is, and how perfect your hair looks. Without knowing any different, we buy into this at a very young age and it stays with us until we die.
However, I’ve discovered that this isn’t the true definition of beauty. While being a missionary in 6 different countries over the last 6 months, I’ve probably only worn make-up a maximum of 10 times. And by “wearing make-up” I mean putting on a little mascara for church. My clothes are starting to get stained and worn out from various different things, and since I live out of a backpack I don’t have many options. In fact the outfit that I’m wearing as I’m writing this consists of a tank top I bought in a Guatemalan thrift store for $1, and pants that I bought in a sketchy grocery store in Honduras. I don’t have a hairdryer or straightener, so my hair is usually found in a messy bun flying in a million different directions. You’ll probably find me sweating at all hours of the day considering where I’ve lived, and sometimes showers are scarce, which just adds to the whole package. However, oddly enough I’ve received many compliments about how beautiful I am from all sorts of people in every country. At first this confused me greatly, considering I wasn’t trying at all to fit the “beauty” stereotype, and I certainly didn’t feel beautiful. However, it still started sinking in and made me start to question if my definition of beauty was all wrong.
There are mud huts everywhere you look in the amazing village I lived in, and beautiful African people going about their everyday lives in them. The people in Kazembe definitely don’t meet the American standard of beauty, but their hearts shine through in a way that makes them radiate it regardless. Their simplicity of life doesn’t bury them in stress and worries, and in return you can always find a smile on their faces. No matter where you go, the villagers always wave and say hello in a way that warms your heart that not many other things do. Through all of this I’m learning that beauty comes straight from the heart. Beauty makes people feel invited and loved, and actually has nothing at all to do with the way you look.
God has revealed to me that I’m becoming more and more beautiful everyday that I’m on the WorldRace. It’s not because my skin is a little more tan, or because I’m more cultured. It’s because I’m realizing that real God-given beauty comes from a loving heart; from a person that doesn’t feel like they have to compare themselves to others. Beauty radiates from a person who is totally content just the way they are and loves everyone around them, regardless of the way the look or if they have a higher social standing than you.
I’m glad that God is teaching me this now, while I’m young. I’m glad that when I come home, I will be more beautiful then when I left a year prior. I’m thankful that although I am smelly, sweaty, dirty, and far from what I’ve known as beautiful, I feel more beautiful now then I ever have before.
Want to follow my adventures closer? Check out my Instragram! – kellyfranke18
