Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Anawim was Home



A story from Lisa Hobbs, an Anawim Home Team Member:

Well I have been back home in the States for 1 week and the reentry has hit full force. At my office there are lots of emails to check and clients to call, then making time for the conversations with friends & family, throwing a 7th b-day party for my twin boys, finishing summer reading & math book with my daughter, buying back to school supplies & organizing their uniforms by next week. Uggh! I am so nervous this mayhem will take over and wash away my experience in Nigeria.

But if I take a quiet moment and think about all that I saw and all that I did - I am really missing the days at Anawim when we had time to just be present. I loved the days when I could walk out of my room and make my way through the compound. Maybe visit the young mothers who have their hands full with the babies but are so interested in us too "does everyone speak English in the US?", "Do your parents kick you out at 16 years old", "Was Michael Jackson troubled ?". Then maybe see some of the young boys who just loved to snap pictures with our cameras, share a smile (twins Paul and Peter no matter how cool they tried to be - once we saw them they were ALWAYS cracking a smile !!) and playing football - such great athletes! I was naturally drawn to the little girls and small boys - hoping they were out of siesta so we could skip rope, do hand claps, sing songs, and I loved the impromptu dance parties! I was always hugging and holding them - rubbing their cool skin (it is 90 degrees - how are they cool ?? ), loving their smiles, and knowing they are just waiting for us when we get "home" to Anawim. Brian is so right - you could feel it - they LOVED us!

We had many new adventures outside of Anawim either teaching, taking babies to the "hospital", outreach with prostitutes, lepers, bush people, etc. But when we got back we were always glad to be "home". Especially after the road trips. When were gone for a day or so we kept saying we could not wait to get "home" - which confused some of those on our team , but what we meant was that Anawim was our home.

At our Anawim "home" and it felt so different than it does now . We did not feel like we had work to do, errands to run, racing from one event to the next , with a to-do list etc. I guess when you are doing God's work it does not seem like a job . I know for Sister Oresoa it is a calling. I am so grateful I could spend those days with her, to see someone who had been chosen for divine service, and I thank her for inviting me to her home.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

So true Lisa...really beautiful. Can't wait to see you.

Love,
Teresa