Giving and Living Generously.

Living in Africa is always interesting and you know what else is interesting? Teaching 2 girls who grew up primarily in Zambia and placing them in the city with a big back yard and moreso a big imagination. I'm sure that I am completely crazy, but felt that my family may think that I'm even crazier because after reading a few chapters of a book, Little Britches, which is about a farming ranch in the early west, the girls decided they should tie one another up with a rope. Yep, that's what happening here. I have had some very funny moments with them and I'm learning a lot about myself, as well as them which is good.

Today, I was personally challenged and didn't even mention it to them but I will share it with you. If you read my last blog post, you know that Coen and Suria are so incredibly generous and giving. After having the other American girl stay here, they told story upon story of times they had opened up their homes to people and also about people who would look for their house because they knew that they would find refuge nowhere else. This morning, the girls and I were in the middle of a break from school when one of them had ran outside. She ran back in and told me that there was a man who was asking for food at the gate. Her mom was in a meeting and her dad was on the phone but it became a very urgent issue. She and one of the other sisters ran outside to ask Suria what they should do. By this time, the man was literally digging through their garbage in the front that had not been picked up yet. I watched as Chara and Toto (Rachel) ran out to ask Suria what should be done. It became more urgent as the girls received an answer and ran back to the house and into the kitchen. Chara said, "Mum said give him as much as we can... a lot." They grabbed fruit, bread, canned meat and milk and even a couple of other things and placed them in bags to take out to them.

You may be thinking, what's the big deal? That is a small amount of food and you would be right. It's not very much... to think of how much I sometimes eat in America sickens me at the moment because I am never that hungry, I just eat to eat and that is actually an embarrassing thought for me now. And you would also be right in saying that it's not a big deal that they gave the man food... people do that kind of stuff all the time all over the planet. What really stuck out to me though was the attitude in which it was done... it was urgent, required, and needed. It was also normal. The kids here have been taught that it is what you do as a part of this household. I'm blessed to be able to be here.

So I challenge you to not just think about what you do but more of the attitude in which you do it. That means way more than what you did. It's like the saying that I tell my 8th graders all the time, "If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all." I would say to you if you can't do something with the right heart attitude and motivation, then just don't do it. Harsh maybe yes, but truth is better and good :)

May your attitude and heart reflect that of Christ Jesus and may that change your actions into nothing less than glorifying your Father in Heaven.

I'm praying that I'm living there... Melis