Myself, Myself
I just got back from a visit to Zimbabwe, a land that holds a special place in my heart - it was the very first place in Africa that I visited when I was just 10 years old. I fell in love with it then and am still in love with it now… the country’s beauty is undeniable, but it’s the people who make it truly glorious.
Rory, our country director there, introduced us to friends in various communities, churches, and schools. I met Aiden, Angela, Leo, Faithe, and many more. In each place, while the challenges of poverty felt blaring at times, it was the undertone of hope that was totally overpowering.
Driving through busy street corners, down winding dirt roads, tucked away in rural villages, … we would arrive at small classrooms of kids - some just meeting under pitched tarps. But do you know what each group of kids had in common?
HOPE.
In every location, when I asked for their names, they would stand tall, heads held high, and recite:
“Myself, Myself. My name is ____ I am ____ years old. I go to _____ school. When I grow up I want to be a ______.”
In these moments, I had the honor of meeting Zimbabwe’s future pastors and teachers and gardeners and bakers. I even met a boy who wants to be “the man who sweeps the church.”
Watching these little ones, gathering for school under a tarp… standing proudly to share who they are and who they want to be - no matter what challenges they face - was so moving.
At one location, the teacher’s name was Confidence, and how beautifully she is instilling that very quality in the next generation.
As we shared pieces of candy and stickers, the kids would squeal with joy. Rory said that for many, they’ve never been given such a gift.
It opens your eyes to how much we need each other in this world. The Confidence that these kids spoke with and the deep assurance of hope that they carried - re-ignited something in my heart that I didn’t realize I was so longing for.
And for them, the odds are truly stacked against them when it comes to pursuing their dreams - spanning from practical needs like daily meals to a one-in-a-million chance to further their education.
That’s why this Friendship thing matters. That’s why a donation to the Back to School campaign can indeed change a child’s trajectory. That’s why YOU matter. That’s why we need you and you need them.
This is how the world gets changed - one friendship at a time.
~Tori Townley: Good News Team, US
I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. ~Ephesians 1:18
