Africa.
A place I have had dreams and visions of for years now.
I have always felt drawn to this continent and knew that one day I would come here.
Now I am here.
Here with Brian living in a mud home in a small village off the shore of Lake Victoria with about 5000 people and no electricity.
Life here is many things.
Its simple as water is collected from the lake, meals are cooked over fires and homes are lit by candle-light.
It's beautiful as the sun sets into the lake each evening, wild flowers and trees cover the islands, 100s of species of birds fly, the bald eagle soars and the stars come out in the millions each night.
But life here is also difficult.
Every day we're reminded of the inequalities of our world and the enormous gap between the rich and the poor.
The smell of death lingers in the air.
Last week we attended the funeral of a one year old child. She died because she was born into a poor family that was unable to feed her and then take care of her when she fell sick.
I will never forget the size of the box that was lowered into the ground beside this small mud hut.
People here die everyday because they are simply too poor to survive. Death is a part of life. People are hungry, sick and unable to keep their children in school. Basic needs often go unmet.
We have been here now for one month, we're learning the mother tongue and getting to know many of the village people.
We have looked often into the face of poverty. Its face is ugly, it taunts me. It is a face I will never forget. At times it makes me want to cry, but mostly it makes me angry.
Angry to be a part of a world of plenty but witnessing the deaths and suffering of many.
Why do we live in a world with all the technology and modern advances of today, but still 8 million people die each year because they are too poor to stay alive?
How can this be?
Why hasn't the war on hunger already been fought? Why instead are billions and billions of dollars spent on weapons of mass destruction and nuclear bombs?
Why are we investing so much in things that destroy life when we can invest instead in things that give life-food, medicine, education.
Brian and I are angry, but are anger is good. It has brought us to commit to building a nursery school for children between the ages of 2-7 here through our NGO, Journey4YOUth.
The school will provide free education to 50-60 children mostly orphans who otherwise wouldn't have the funds to attend school.
We plan on opening the doors by next May and we will invest in this school for the rest of our lives.
We are hoping that many people will be involved.
We believe that the rich countries of the world can help the poor countries of the world.
We believe that the education of these children will provide them with opportunites to one day rise out of the grips of poverty and create better lives for their own children.
We are excited to see what God does.
www.journey4youth.org
