The carnival is over

It feels like a lifetime ago that I took four weeks out to help with the Australia HOPE International 'Congo's Children' tour. In reality it's just two weeks ago that I left our amazing accommodation www.brokengum.net (after a couple of days helping to clean it up after everyone had gone home).

It was an amazing privilege to help make the time that Mozart, Sephora, Pascal, Nadia, Sarah and Danni had in Australia an experience that they enjoyed as well as helping them to represent not only Australia HOPE International but also hundreds and thousands of Congolese orphans who hope that one day someone will help them to maybe have the chance to receive an education.

How to sum up my experience of watching six Congolese, two who had lost parents to war, one who had lost parents to AIDS, experience a slice of life in a country ranked second on the Human Development Index by the UN? I'm not sure. So maybe I can give you a few of my highlights.

Going to Horseshoe Bay at Pt Elliot has to be my number one. We played in the water, where the kids were astounded by it's saltiness and then played cricket on the beach. We ate fish and chips and went for a walk along the cliffs. It was the first time I saw Nadia really smile and look like a kid. Which I guess is not surprising considering her life up until now. I can't even begin to imagine what was going through her head most of the time she spent here. But for a brief moment I could see that she had no cares or worries in the world, that all that mattered was being there in the water, no room for anything other than joy.

The many moments when Pascal, Nadia and Danni who spoke almost no English when they arrived, did manage to communicate in English with us. Almost always they were double-take kind of moments, where they said something in English, I responded in kind and then realised what had taken place.

Putting on the United song 'Our God is Love' in the mornings and having the kids sing along. And me trying to explain the lyrics in French.

The very emotional moment when Nadia's eight-month pregnant sponsor met Nadia during one of our church presentations, after getting a special exemption to fly down from Brisbane. It was beautiful.

Watching the kids pray for others during ministry times at church services. These kids who were so willing to give of themselves despite often being tired, hungry and overwhelmed by the emotions of their own experiences. It was also my great privilege and honour to pray for and speak into their lives.

The hilarity of crabbing. While it was also a new experience for me, I have to say that others got more joy from the thrill of the chase than I did. However at the end of the day I was happy enough to eat of others labours.

Hearing the stories of the children as well as Mozart and Sephora's. And meeting the Schoemakers, a family who has had a connection with Mozart's family since he was a young boy. The story of the connection between their families astounds me with God's grace and love.

Seeing the genuine response of hundreds of children during school presentations to the needs of others around the world. It is my firm belief that educating young people to the needs of others around the world will always produce action. Too often we just don't see the needs. Too often we have other concerns competing for our attention. But at the end of the day if someone shows us the truth our hearts are generally drawn to help. It's why we're so good at the one offs. Something that we can do but don't have to keep our attention on for too long. Those things that are in our faces on the nightly news. Poverty and disease doesn't make it there very often. Even war doesn't generally make it unless our own soldiers are involved.

The increase in sponsorships. Our projects at Australia HOPE International whilst generally needing capital to start, really rely on ongoing support and sponsorship is one of the ways that happens. For instance, in a school project, the money from the sponsor not only helps the child who has been sponsored but also goes to teacher salaries, ongoing school maintenance costs and supplies. So sponsorship not only allows the sponsored child to go to school but many other children as well.

And so the madness has come to an end. We all go back to what we were doing before. Or maybe, just maybe, we have all been changed. Maybe some Congolese orphans have seen love in a new way. And maybe some Australians have been able to show love in a new way. And now that it's all over my hope is that we don't let it fade from our consciousness, we don't let this new love get away from us.

Glad to be back

Blessings,

bron