I'm Allergic to Springfield

I'm Allergic to Springfield

Okay, so I only made that my title because Jessica’s title was “I’m Allergic to Thailand” and I kinda wanted to be like her. Go here- http://j-reeves.blogspot.com/ -to check it out

I’m not actually allergic to Springfield. But I think that I may be allergic to the cat that my roommate got.

About my internship:

I think it’s strange that it’s already March and I’ve been here for over a month. Sometimes it still feels like I just got back from Africa not that long ago. I still think about it all the time and wonder how everyone is doing. I still pray for the mothers and children that we visited- praying that God will bless them and continue to provide for the many needs that they have. And I still pray about the people that work in the different Centers- that God will strengthen them and give them the ability to continue to working with these people that are so very poor. It’s so taxing emotionally, psychologically, spiritually, mentally and even physically.

But I’ve been here for many weeks now and I’ve really gotten to know the people I work with everyday. Their life stories are some of the craziest I have ever heard- so unreal at times. Many of the people living here have had such a hard life- circumstance after circumstance with no seemingly no relief in sight. But then they found themselves here. I’ve heard some of the residents talk about this place as a Safe House. One of them said to me “I’m not homeless and I’m not living in a homeless shelter. This is a safe house and these people are my family.”

It’s so neat to see these many different families living together under one roof, and not simply tolerating one another, but growing to genuinely love one another. Obviously with so many people living under one roof there are bound to be fights and quarrels. But it’s so cool to see how the residents fight and quarrel like siblings- but also love and respect each other like siblings. This place is a home. And these people are family.

Some pics from the Mission:

Me and Madison

Some of the kids making a mess... I mean making cookies

Church at the Mission

The whole gang (residents and one of the groups that came for the weekend)

Some personal stuff:

Sometimes I feel like I really don’t do anything, and I’m really struggling with trying to find my niche. In all honesty (and that’s what this blog is supposed to be about) I sometimes wish I were back in Kenya. I just felt like I was getting something accomplished- I felt a little more useful. I was learning a great deal, like the language and the culture and different aspects of doing ministry in the Mathare Slums. I was learning about the operations of the different departments within the organization, like CHE, Health (HIV/AIDS), Social Work, Teaching, Business, etc. Everything was so different and new and I felt like I was just learning so much every day. But here… well, it’s home. And while it may be easier in that aspect because everything is so familiar, it is harder because I just feel so useless at times. Like being here doesn’t mean anything except for getting my internship hours so I can graduate. But there has to be something more than that… right?