From childhood dreams to reality….
It all started when I was ten years old, growing up in a small country town in Arkansas, I can remember dreaming of going to Africa. I would say that even back then, it was God who put a love in my heart for the people of Africa. For as long as I can remember, I have always started sentences with the words, “Someday when I go to Africa, I am going to…”
During 6th grade, one of my church’s missionary families moved back to the United States from doing lifelong work in Zambia. They brought back with them two children that they had adopted; a brother and sister. The little girl, Vivian, became my best friend and we were inseparable for years. We spent our days riding bikes all over our small town, swimming, spending Sunday afternoons with each other, and being adventurous. Our love for each other crossed all language barriers. I always tried to imagine where she had come from and what her life was like in Africa. I credit her sweet friendship as one more way God imprinted “Africa” on my heart.
The next time I have a vivid memory of desiring to go to Africa, was in college. Some friends of mine were studying nursing and would use their summers to go serve in Uganda at a rural hospital. They would come back and tell me stories of what life was like there. My heart longed to go.
Fast forward to the summer of 2007, It was that summer that my dream finally became a reality when I was given the opportunity to go on a medical mission to Tanzania. While having a short lunch break one day, the doctors informed me that most of what they were seeing would not even be happening if the people had access to clean water.
After 3 years of prayer and research, finally the dream became a reality with the birth of Maji:Hope.
Lisa Brodie
www.majihope.org
Give now and make a difference: http://majihope.org/give/