25 January 2007
Write this down -- it's important.
Last Friday, at the dedication ceremony for the House of Hope, a duplex that will become the home of two Jaiama Secondary School teachers and their families, Marilyn Griffith paraphrased a powerful idea from Dr. Chuck Dietzen, the founder of The Timmy Foundation. Marilyn told the 400 or so assembled students, teachers, and guests:
"We can't all be doctors or nurses,
but we can all be healers."
I had spent the day before getting to know many of the Jaiama students who receive Operation Classroom scholarships, and almost all of them wanted to be doctors or nurses. But because of the state of educational and economic opportunities, those dreams may or may not come to fruition. When Marilyn was speaking, I was struck by the immensity of the trauma that has occurred in both countries, the strength of spirit that has carried our friends so far, and the dire need for healing after so much prolonged conflict.
But I wasn't the only one who understood that Marilyn's words were important on that hot and hazy January morning. In the picture above, I captured a young man writing down the sentiment to save forever. I had actually forgotten about this picture and I "re-discovered" it this morning when I woke up at 7:00am West Africa time -- which, sadly, is 2:00am Indiana time. (So much for not experiencing jet lag!)
This photo encapsulates for me what our trip was about -- our African friends want to work hard and they just need a little help, which we can provide in many forms. They need our presence and our service; they need some funds; they need our prayers; and they need our encouragement.
Zap me an e-mail (sssemester@yahoo.com) or track down another member of the team to learn more about how God might be waiting to work through you to serve someone 6,000 miles away. And take a second to write down Dr. Chuck's and Marilyn's words -- remember, they're just as applicable in downtown Indianapolis as they are in upcountry Sierra Leone.
