A few summers ago I was blessed with the opportunity to travel to Africa. I had intentions of spending my summer sailing the west coast, but God had other plans for me. I went with a group of thirteen people, most of us never having journeyed from the United States. We worked with kids all over Tanzania, spending days playing and getting to know complete strangers. It’s impossible to imagine the multitudes. In some places, I would have at least forty children running around me in packs just trying to touch me. They saw us walking down the streets and would all run up saying “Mzungu,” meaning white person who seems to wander. They were enthralled by us, almost as much as we were by them.

I initially felt a language barrier by not being able to speak the native tongue of Swahili. Africa pushed me to exceed my comfort zone by being put in situations where not a single person could understand me, and yet somehow, there was still a powerful bond. I realized that communication is not always through words, but is sometimes instead, through actions. The Tanzanians have this laugh; the kind from your stomach. You know- the real kind. Not the Americanized “I’m going to fake this because I know you want to hear it” kind, but instead, the passionate uproar from the soul. Honest laughter is understood in any language. It’s really fascinating how connected we all are. Despite the fact we live completely different lives, we are ultimately the same.

Africa is portrayed to have horrible living conditions with miserable children, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Things are very, very different and difficult but it’s all a matter of perspective. What we perceive as bad, is their norm. Regardless, I have never met happier people. They have their priorities in order, understanding that happiness comes from passion for life and God, not status and materialistic gains. I was welcomed into the homes of complete strangers multiple times. I prayed, grieved, danced, sang, played, laughed, and lived just as the Africans do. For two weeks, I escaped my own reality and entered another world, where, while appearing conspicuously out of place, I felt at home in my own heart and mind.

I went with hopes to make a difference in somebody’s life and came back with an altered perspective regarding my own. Africa gives, when it has nothing. Africa loves, when it is in pain. Africa is the most realistic example of God’s presence on Earth and I have been so blessed to have had the opportunity to go there. My future lies in Africa. In fact for a while, I considered going to Africa straight from high school. But my time isn’t now. We can all learn a lot from the people of Africa, if we only listen. I have a heart for Africa, and a yearning desire to forever give back the love for life it has given me.