Africa, I will be back...

I cannot believe that the day of my departure is really almost here... It feels like I was just saying ‘Im leaving next year’ then, ‘I’m leaving in 2 months’ and now ‘goodbye. I’m leaving on thursday’... The last few weeks have been crazy! that’s pretty much the only way to describe it. Amongst all the terrible goodbye’s, there have also been some great times. great times with friends, with family, and my Grace Youth family. I’m so grateful for those moments! I guess it starting to hit me. I am going... forever. or for now?

I'm sure you saw my last post about the Watoto Choir. (pronounced. wa-toe-toe. not why-toe-toe, or wa-tooo-tooo! ha!) So since I wrote that post, I got connected with the organizers of the tour. Totally a God thing. And basically I said to the ladies in charge that I will do everything and anything they need me to do- JUST to be near these choir and spend some time with them. I started off by being a security guard at a merchandise table! Me? security guard? I know, right!

I was honestly like a star stuttered fan who would do anything just to be near the kids. I would offer to carry boxes to the bus, in a hope that I would have to put the box IN the bus, and thus getting to see the kids... Eventually, I didn’t have to celebrity stalk them anymore- I got to meet all of them! listen to their stories, play games, drive them around and just be in their presence. If I wrote all that is on my mind about these kids, you would be here reading this for days. no kidding. every little moment has become a story, every funny line from one of the little guys is worth a long laugh, and every cute smile from a favourite kid is a paragraph. I am now known as 'uncle jorda' (apparently there is no 'n' in my name) who is the brother of 'Aunty Carita' (because we have the same kind of hair!)

This is about to get very deep and soppy [I apologise]... I’ve seen a glimpse of Jesus in these kids and the adults around them. I have experienced love from them that I don’t think they themselves know that they are capable of giving! They have affected me in the deepest places in my heart. Kids who may have had no parents, no hope and nothing to give, have given me everything.

It’s really hard to explain what has changed in me, but one thing I can explain: My passion for Africa, and for kids- has been renewed, revived, revitalized, resurrected, reinvigorated (I can't pick one). Even though I wish I could move to Uganda right now to be with these kids and others like them, I understand that going to the US is what I believe God’s calling is for me right now. and the great thing is that I know I will be back! The passion for Africa and the unloved has grown in me HUGELY over the past 2 weeks, and I thank these incredible kids for the role they played!

Saying goodbye to them was heart-breaking. I honestly don’t know if I will ever see them again. But I know that God has put them in my life over the last few weeks for a reason, and that is: to remind me why I love Africa, and to help me never forget that Africa is my home, and that God-willing... I WILL be back!

Let it ooze...

Last night at Grace Family Church, the incredibly awesome and talented Watoto Children's choir gave us a bit of a performance. When I say, a bit of a performance, I mean, they blew us away! If I were to make up a language, I would make the word ‘watoto’ mean ‘ENERGY’ because WOW these kids had a lot of it! The biggest smiling faces, the craziest dance moves and most energetic facial expressions I think I've ever seen. Did I mention this was their 5th performance in less than 24 hours? No matter, because when looking at the stage, all you see is JOY.

All of the children live at the Watoto Village in Uganda and each has lost one or both of their parents to violence in Uganda, AIDS or poverty. they were abandoned and alone, and seemingly had no hope in life. Each child has their own unique story of pain and hardships that they have lived - and I can tell you that there are no nice pretty childhood stories.

On Friday night when the choir arrived at our Church to relax and practice, I got to speak to a few of the boys from Watoto. I told them they were famous, and I wanted to be like them! they humbly disagreed and in said they were not at all famous and in fact I was famous. we laughed... In an attempt to continue the ‘famous’ topic of conversation, I asked a question. I said ‘who is the most famous person in the world to you? who is your favourite celebrity?’... I was expecting an answer like Chris Brown or some pop star that these kids might have heard. Instead 10-year-old  Ronald looked at me, and without any hesitation, in his beautiful accent he replies... ‘God’.

God is the only thing on these kids’ minds! He is really all that matters to them! Because through some incredible people at Watoto village, God has rescued them from their despair and given them life and hope. Now they are traveling the continent sharing their story. Boldly speaking to crowds and saying that Jesus is their saviour and their friend, singing worship songs to their God in front of large crowds. They don’t hang on to their past. they aren’t affected by their rough stories and don’t get interviewed on Carte Blanche. Why? They have found Jesus. They have hope! And despite their past, they know they are safe and loved.

I realised that the Joy that I saw in their faces was all Jesus. His love was ooozing out of them. and they sang to him with all they have.

It just made me realise what an impact that one person can have by merely living out God’s plan and calling. Not only are the kids lives changed, but they in turn make huge impact on the people that they get to sing to around the world (including me).

This gave a me a fresh reminder that we can each make an impact wherever we are. and I know that even though I’m going to Michigan to minister to a bunch of rich kids from a whole different world, I can still make an impact on their lives. because in actual fact, its not me making an impact. its the love of Jesus oozing out of me that can make the change.

“It is Jesus that has given me back my life... So I sing to Him”

Check out all that the watoto village is doing at www.watoto.com
If you’re in Durban, they have a partner village which is doing incredible things too! www.liv-village.com/home

Thank you to Watoto for coming to Durban and impacting us!