Hey all of you lovely Her Umbrella readers!
I'm Betsy, and I blog over at Heavens to Betsy.
First off, thanks so much to Grace for having me today! She's a sweetheart, isn't she?
Grace asked me to blog about my favorite trip, and it took me all of 30 seconds to decide what I wanted to write about.
In May of 2010, I spent a couple of weeks in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. I had always dreamed about going to Africa, and when I heard about the trip through my church, I knew it was the right opportunity at the right time.
We spent two weeks ministering to churches in Bulawayo, and my favorite part was definitely spending time with the kiddos. We also got to spend a day checking out the wildlife of Africa (I actually got to walk with two lions!)
But my absolute favorite part about my trip to Zim was the way that it changed me. I emerged from that continent a different person. When you think of Africa, you probably envision starving children and war-ravaged villages. Yes, that's a very present reality. And it's an image that makes you think
"Africa needs me. It needs me to help." But there's another side to that reality that is both unexpected and beautiful. There's a joy within the people of Africa that is unfathomable. In Africa, I found children who's eyes were dancing with the joy of playing a game of soccer in field surrounding the church or adults dancing and praising God in worship. And when I left Africa, I realized how much my perspective had shifted. Yes, Africa needs help. But if you make the trip across the Altantic, to a place that Joseph Conrad once called the "Heart of Darkness", I think you'll instead find a place that will teach you more than you can ever give it.
You can check out more of my posts about my trip to Africa here.
I'm Betsy, and I blog over at Heavens to Betsy.
First off, thanks so much to Grace for having me today! She's a sweetheart, isn't she?
Grace asked me to blog about my favorite trip, and it took me all of 30 seconds to decide what I wanted to write about.
In May of 2010, I spent a couple of weeks in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. I had always dreamed about going to Africa, and when I heard about the trip through my church, I knew it was the right opportunity at the right time.
We spent two weeks ministering to churches in Bulawayo, and my favorite part was definitely spending time with the kiddos. We also got to spend a day checking out the wildlife of Africa (I actually got to walk with two lions!)
But my absolute favorite part about my trip to Zim was the way that it changed me. I emerged from that continent a different person. When you think of Africa, you probably envision starving children and war-ravaged villages. Yes, that's a very present reality. And it's an image that makes you think
"Africa needs me. It needs me to help." But there's another side to that reality that is both unexpected and beautiful. There's a joy within the people of Africa that is unfathomable. In Africa, I found children who's eyes were dancing with the joy of playing a game of soccer in field surrounding the church or adults dancing and praising God in worship. And when I left Africa, I realized how much my perspective had shifted. Yes, Africa needs help. But if you make the trip across the Altantic, to a place that Joseph Conrad once called the "Heart of Darkness", I think you'll instead find a place that will teach you more than you can ever give it.
You can check out more of my posts about my trip to Africa here.
What a well written post- thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletegreat post - those kids are so cute!
ReplyDelete