About five years ago I had the opportunity to travel to
Sierra Leone on a short missions trip.
This trip was, as cheesy as it may sound, a life altering experience
that directly affected my decision to join the Peace Corps. Sierra Leone was my first encounter with
poverty. It was jarring and
heartbreaking and ultimately eye-opening and humbling. In travels to other countries like Nicaragua,
Ethiopia and India, I have come face to face with similar conditions, and those
experiences always draw me back to one question. My question is this- if the true essence of a
person is one’s soul and our bodies are, in a way, random catalysts for that
unique soul, then why was my soul born into a body in America? If my soul inhabited another body, say if I
was born in a place like Sierra Leone or Ethiopia or Haiti or Iran or Cambodia,
how different would my life be? How is
it that I was afforded a relatively privileged life while other people live in
a constant state of struggle? Some might
say that it is a random act of the universe to decide. Others may state that it is simply luck. Some may believe that it is fated by a higher
power. For me, I strongly felt that the
consequence of my soul being born into a body in a place like America left me
with a responsibility. I can’t unsee the
things that I have seen, and I can’t ignore the feeling that part of my purpose
is to do the little bit that I can do to serve others. I hope that when I return to my life in
America I am always mindful of all the souls all around the world who don’t
have the opportunities that I have been given simply because of location.
A Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for providing me with a loving family. Although
there were times when I took their love for granted, it was never a thought in
my child mind that I could be cast out because my parents could no longer
afford me or sold as a child bride or into a life of prostitution.
Thank you that although I was born a girl, my parents still
saw fit to educate me, and I grew up knowing that I could accomplish anything I
could dream. Thank you that I was
brought up as equal to my brother.
Thank you that I have always had a safe and comfortable
place to call home, and I have never had to worry about where my next meal was
coming from. Thank you for running water
that isn’t filled with dirt and bacteria.
Thank you for life saving vaccines and readily available
medical care. Thank you that my mother
was given prenatal care and gave birth to my siblings and me in a clean
hospital with a trained doctor in attendance so that we didn’t have to grow up
without her.
Thank you that I have never had to experience war first
hand. Thank you that I have never had to
cower in a corner while a rebel army tore through my neighborhood leaving death and destruction in their wake.
Thank you that I was able to be a single woman with a career
supporting herself without those choices making me an outcast of society.
Thank you that I live in a place where I get to cast a vote
on who should lead my country. Thank you
for the privilege of being able to speak out against my government when I don’t
agree with their policies without the fear of imprisonment or death.
Dear God, please keep me forever grateful for the blessings
you have bestowed upon me. Please let me
live my life in appreciation and with a greater sense of the world around
me. Help me to be mindful of others, and
when I meet someone in need of help, please give me the grace to accept them
not with judgment but with an open heart.
Please don’t let my 2 years living in Ethiopia become a memory of
something I did once, but instead be a consistent reminder of my responsibility
in this world. Please help me to live
with gratitude and humility. Amen.
“Let me learn from where I have been
So keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn”
Mumford & Sons “Below My Feet”
