I’ve learned a lot about my self these past 5 months. I’ve been able to look back in my life and see where I acted so often emotionally immature. I’ve learned more about loving people than I ever could have thought (only by seeing how much I am loved). I’ve seen a lot of sad things and now have a much greater appreciation for my family, friends and life back home. I also have a better picture of what I want for my future by seeing what is truly important to me. All these things I can accredit to this gap year, giving me the time to reflect and see all the blessings and truth that has been put before me.
I’ve worked some incredibly humbling and brutal hours but have also had more time to myself than I have ever had. A list of some of the more brutal things I’ve done so far in my trip: I’ve slept in over 11 beds, met thousands of children, painted through at least 10 buckets of paint, moved collectively over 9000 lbs of tires with my teammates, swung a pic axe and shovel more times than I can count, and lifted around a thousand bricks. And as for the not so brutal things; I’ve visited four beaches, taken a nap almost every day, read more books collectively than I’ve read in my life, watched so many movies, drank an incredible amount of $.50 sodas, and spent more time thinking about life than I ever thought I would. All in all, I’m grateful.
Right now my time in Africa is coming to an end with only two more weeks left here in Lesotho. It’s been a wild time. I’ve been living with the other 8 guys on the squad and it’s been overall pretty good. I’ve seen some big impacts on the people here and big impacts on my heart as well. We were paired up with the local church here named “Harvesters” and they put us to work on an orphanage they began to build awhile ago. We cleaned and painted the inside, then patiently awaited a few work days on tiles, glue, and a man to teach us how to properly lay them down. What’s funny is that the anticipation to properly start the tiles was not let down when the guy finally came. He walked in, globbed glue on to a tile, slapped it randomly right in the middle of the floor, then walked out. It was goofy, but we took on the expert’s method and finished the floor with a few days of tedious work and glue stuck all over our bodies. We finished the inside of the completed building and started on the foundation of an addition to the building. We re-dug the partially filled-in trenches and filled some holes where they changed their mind on having dug. We also started on a wall next to the building to make a veranda for the kids by moving over 60 giant tires from one end of the property to the other. It’s been fun being around these 8 guys. I have been challenged in many ways. Living in a community has definitely brought out a lot of good in all of us. The mountain climbing, late night campfires, stargazing, and amazing ministry are some of the things I’ll never forget.
I can never imagine myself having not gone on this trip. If I took a different path this year I can easily say I would be a very different Nathan. I’m just so incredibly grateful to be here. I only need $300 more left to raise, and sadly if I’m not fully funded by the time the squad leaves Africa I won’t be able to continue into Cambodia. I am so thankful already for
everyones support. Your help to raise this last $300 means the world to me. It’s the final stretch and I can’t do it on my own.
Heres my email if you have any questions – [email protected]
Thank you,
Nathan
