Thankful. A word that rolls easily off the tongue, but also
a word that is often oh so hard to comprehend.
Being on the World Race has demolished my
previous understanding of what it means to be thankful. I used to spout off
prayers of Thanksgiving at the appropriate times; I had the best of intentions
while praying these prayers, but had never experienced living in situations
where I had to choose to be thankful in all
circumstances. I had never realized that what I “need” and what I “want” are
two completely different things.
“Thank you Lord for this food, bless it to
the nourishment of my body and bless the hands that prepared it”. I had
never known what it meant to be hungry. I had never walked past hundreds of
people that begged for food; I had never lived with people that were fighting
daily against starvation. I had never had my heart broken for children that
were malnourished. I had never been incapable of perusing over the many items
in my pantry or refrigerator, yet still decide to buy groceries, because I
wasn’t satisfied with the selection I already had available to me. I never considered the
amount of time that people took in preparing meals for me until I saw
first-hand the love that poured from the many African women that woke at 5 am
to prepare breakfast and then beat and sift rice for our other meals. Lord,
forgive me for my ignorance.
“Thank you Lord for this house, thank you
that I have a bed to sleep in, and a roof over my head”. I had never known
what it meant to sleep uncomfortably…maybe by choice in a few instances in
college, but never because I didn’t have any other options. I would have never
thought I would be thankful to sleep in a tent…shelter that protects me from
the rain is really all I need. I never thought I would walk into a house with
dirt floors, no kitchen, bathroom, or running water, and be excited about how
spacious it is. I never thought I would get excited about sleeping in a bed
that basically has wooden boards for a mattress. I never thought I would sleep
under a semi-truck at an African border and be overwhelmed with thankfulness
and heartache for the child who rested his head and slept soundly on the tire
of the semi-truck…it was one night for me, it’s this seven-year old child’s
reality.
“Thank you Lord that I have clothes on my back”.
I had never worn the same clothes for more than a day. I washed my clothes every
time I wore them, regardless of whether they were actually dirty. I never
considered that thousands of people in the world have clothes out of necessity,
not for fashion reasons. I never looked at the mounds of clothes in my closet
and thought about the children in Guatchupita that wear the same holey,
dirt-caked clothes day in and day out, all the while smiling about the fact
that they’re clothed at all. I never considered the children in Africa that
simply walk around naked when they have no clothes. I never thought I would be
satisfied with wearing the same 3 shirts for months and regret the amount of
money I’ve spent on clothes in my lifetime. Thank you Lord for opening my eyes
to my selfishness and love of material things.
“Thank you Lord for water to drink and bathe”. I
never thought I would know what it was like to go without water, to be on the
brink of dehydration and have absolutely no control over it; thanking the Lord
and sighing with relief as the men on our squad carried jugs of water to our
bus during our week of travel to Malawi. I never thought I would be happy at
the inconvenience of having to wait patiently for the drinking water to filter
or carrying buckets of water to bucket shower. I never thought I would be
reminded of children scrubbing themselves with soapy water that was meant for
making bubbles and truly be thankful that I am blessed with enough to wash the
dirt off my feet.
“Thank you Lord for my health”. I never thought
I would experience the health care system in so many countries; Ireland was
lovely with its 10 hour waiting time and Africa with its lack of equipment and
knowledge. I never considered that, even with its issues, America offers
healthcare that will keep you alive, whereas many people in Africa die daily
simply because of a lack of electricity or supplies. I had never been as sick
as I was when I had malaria, nor had I ever been so thankful for doctors that
go to school for years upon years to provide healthcare to us. I had never held
a child that had malaria and thought about the possibility that they could die
without being treated, which happens often because of a lack of funds or
availability. Thank you Lord for opening my eyes to the suffering of
others.
“Thank you Lord for your love”. I never realized
how much I screw up daily; the distance I have yet to go until my heart is
sanctified. My lack of love for others when it gets tough; my lack of speaking
the truth when it isn’t easy. Thank you Lord for your unfailing love, for never
giving up on me even when I fail miserably.
“Thank you Lord for my family and friends”. I
never imagined I would be away from my family for the holidays. I never
imagined I would lose much of my family within a short amount of time; even in
the midst of the heartache, meeting people that have lost family to HIV or
children that have been abandoned by their family has shown me how much I’ve
been blessed. I never knew I would love people that were complete strangers
just a few months ago; that my breath would catch and my heart would almost
stop when I heard one of our teams, including Juliette and Daniel (the other 2
people on the logistics team), were in an accident in a van. Thank you Lord for
your blessings of family and friends. Thank you Lord for your protection of
Team Chosen.
Because I’m logistics, I traveled with our squad
leader Lia to manage the details after the accident and spent Thanksgiving with
most of the members of my old team and Team Chosen. I glanced around the table,
and realized that even though I’m thousands of miles away from home, the Lord
has blessed me with people that I truly love. Yeah, I’m in Africa for
Thanksgiving and Christmas, but the Lord has continued to show me that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be so I’m okay with that; missing a few Holidays doesn’t compare to loving
the people in this place. Even when things get tough, I have so much for which to
be thankful; praise the Lord that He sees the best in me when I fail to
remember my many blessings.
Read about God’s amazing protection and healing for Team Chosen in their mini-bus accident…it will rock your world! It rolled 3 times and left them with only minor injuries; praise the Lord for His protection of these beautiful people.
www.tommysullivan.theworldrace.org
www.juliettesteele.theworldrace.org
www.calebgalloway.theworldrace.org
www.stephaniewoody.theworldrace.org
www.kimberlykaim.theworldrace.org
www.natalieswartzendruber.theworldrace.org
www.melissaventura.theworldrace.org
www.danieldurick.theworldrace.org
