The last 17 days in Africa have been amazing. It is hard to conclude the trip because it will take months to process, maybe years for some team members. And yet, we will always have the images in our heads and hearts. some of the pics posted reveal what was seen through the camera and often give a perspective of Jesus' view. We have seen Jesus in the eyes of people and we have heard Jesus through the laughter, music and songs of the people. The touch of a child's hand, the hugs from a child in an orphanage, the hope in a child's eyes as we handed a plate of food, the smiles from moms afar as they watched their children at VBS having fun, the smiles of Pastor Young in Cape Town and Pastor Isaac in Uganda, all reflect the heart of Jesus. Did we go and make a difference or did we go to learn the true meaning of Hope through Jesus Christ? It is truly hard to say: we pray that we made a difference just by serving and building relationships but the truth is: we came back changed. We came back with HOPE for Africa. We came back with HOPE for our own lives because of what we learned there. We came back knowing more than ever that we serve a God that loves us more than we deserve and we learned that HOPE is the same universally. We learned that there is not much difference in the two continents when it comes to people and we learned that their JOY is contagious and will carry in our hearts forever. We will see our brothers and sisters from Africa again and we will pray for them always.
