Life Lessons Learned

It's impossible to sum up my entire experience in Tanzania in one post, but I'm going to attempt it. It was the trip of a lifetime. I went there to volunteer my time and help out, but I ended up learning so much more than I ever could have imagined. I'm going to try to sum up the most important things.

The people
The Tanzanian people as a whole taught me so much. Every single person is entirely genuine and super friendly. They don't understand the concept of being mean. Everyone is friends with everyone. They also have almost nothing, and yet they know that they have so much because of the wonderful people around them and the love that they have from God. We met a lady who had a house built for her through houses for health. Even her new house was just a concrete rectangle, but she was so proud of it and of God's provision for her that she wrote "JESUS" in big chalk letters across the door. We were also given gifts of coffee when we went to one of the local parishes. It's really humbling to be given a gift by people who have so little. We gave them a small percentage of what we have and they gave us so much back.

The kids
The kids at the orphanage were the happiest kids I have ever met. They taught me so much about appreciating what I have and just being happy with where I am. They don't know that they are orphans or that they are any different from a normal kid because they have so much love coming to them from the sisters and staff members. Instead of parents they have a whole group of loving siblings who care for them and love them unconditionally.

They also gave me a huge appreciation for something I have always taken for granted, my name. It's mine. That is part of who I am. Some of the kids at the orphanage don't have last names so the orphanage becomes their last name (Neema). In Tanzania, names are a big deal. You have your first name, your family name, and your tribe name. These kids only really have a first name.

The sisters
The sisters have given their lives completely to serving. They all have a heart of service that cannot really be explained. They just want to serve God and their communities in any way that they can. They don't expect anything in return, they just give and give. I really can't explain how incredible they are. Pastor Urio once said to us "If you get the spirit of service, then you know your on the right track." He was so right about these ladies.

Pastor Urio and Sister Agnes
They just have so much wisdom about life. They taught me so much just from the few conversations I had with them. Even with everything running as smoothly as it is at the orphanage and everywhere else they run, they are still trying to come up with different ways to improve and looking for new ways to help the kids and the community.


There is so much more that I learned that I could never even begin to put into words. Natalie and I are staying in contact with the many wonderful people we met and are going to try to help the orphanage in any way that we can so if anyone is interested in helping out, let me know (shameless plug)! :) Thanks for sticking with me for the whole journey and let me know if you're ever going to Tanzania so I can tell you who to contact and hide in your suitcase.