June 27, 2008 at 9:04 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: encouragement, friends, husband, Kabiye team, NGOs, support
About two years ago, we were making plans to return to Togo. I had come across some material on AIDS in Africa that pricked my heart so I started to read and research the topic. I knew we were planning on moving to Togo at the time, but I wasn’t planning on getting involved in work with AIDS because I felt so unqualified and inadequate for something that important. As I was looking up information, I came across a global health conference that was to be hosted by an NGO called Unite for Sight and I told Mark about it. He encouraged me to register and go, but I didn’t because I thought it was out of my league. Mark looked up the sight and registered for me. What a sweet husband to encourage me, give me a little push, and reject any doubts I had in myself.
When it came time for the conference I was all prepared to go. It took Friday off of work, planned my lessons so that I would be prepared for the substitute and still be able to leave when the bell rang so that I could catch my flight to San Francisco. My friend, Lola, was going to pick me up at my house to take me to the airport. My flight itinerary, rental car papers, and tickets for the conference were all neatly organized (by Mark) in a nifty and convenient little folder, along with a map to the place where I was going to stay.
I left on time, got home, got my suitcase to put in Lola’s car and realized that I had left my nifty, organized folder on my desk at work. There was not enough time to drive out to my work and get to the airport, I didn’t know what to do. I called my friend, Beth Garrison, but she had already left work, too. A few minutes later she called me back saying that she had turned around, was driving back to the school, and would meet me with my folder of papers at a place by the airport, which she did. When she got there and I apologized she just laughed and said, “It’s ok Nicole, you take care of other people and your friends take care of you.” That made me feel so good to know that my friends love and appreciate me even when I’m disorganized and scatterbrained (not that it happens very often – WINK!) In fact, some friends (like Lola) find my flightiness endearing.
The point to this whole story is that we’ve been given a lot of praise and credit since we’ve been back in the States, for the work we are planning to do. People think highly of us and are especially touched by the work with AED and the well drilling project. But I oftentimes feel like I’m getting credit for something that I am just the smallest part of. Sometimes I look at my teammates experience (read this on Becky’s blog) or at what Kevin Fiori and Jenny Schechter are doing and I feel like such a poser (yes, I just used the word poser.) My teammates have been there for much longer and have done so much, everyone at Hope Through Health has affected so much change in Kara, and even the things I do are usually a result of action, encouragement, and support from Mark and my friends. I am so grateful to the company I keep and I thank God for friends who are so servant-hearted.
Leave a Comment
June 17, 2008 at 3:37 am (Uncategorized)
Tags: City Museum, friends, St. Louis
Not surprisingly, we have been very busy since we have been in the States, so now my excuse for not posting has less to do with internet not being available and more to do with time not being available.
We got into the States and went to see our teammates, Matt and Grace Hangen. We ate hamburgers and greatly enjoyed the hospitality of Grace’s parents. We also all woke up at about three or four in the morning so we sat as a family and watched The Gods Must be Crazy. What a perfect movie for re-entry! The next morning we were fed a huge breakfast (including bacon- yum!) and took off for Shreveport to visit the Moore family.
In Shreveport we got to spend time with our beloved friend and mentor, Tom Moore. His daughter Holly, who graduated from culinary school in New York made us an incredible dinner and the whole family treated our girls like royalty.
Wednesday we travelled from Shreveport to Memphis. Our time in Memphis felt like a celebratory reunion with all of the friends we have missed so much and like we’d never left them all at the same time. We stayed with Ryan and Beth Richardson and Michal had a joyful reunion with Katie. We spent an afternoon/evening at Rhodes College pool reuniting with our friends from Midtown and then ate at Dino’s, a neighborhood restaurant, together. We were only there for four days, which wasn’t near long enough to see all of the people that we love so much. I am certainly grateful that we will be back in Memphis in August.
Sunday Ryan and Melissa Head (our teammates) drove us to Sikeston, MO to meet up with my family so we could go to St. Louis. We have not a vehicle since we’ve been here and we needed a big vehicle to transport us and all of our stuff. Mark started to ask Matt and Diana Wisdom if we could borrow their van and allow Ryan and Melissa to drive it back, and Matt was nodding his head “yes” before Mark could even get the question out of his mouth. Our friends are so good to us.
Our time in St. Louis has been filled with family, friends, trampoline jumping, coffee on the porch, a little shopping, grilling out, and eating at Mi Lupita. I’ve had time with each of my sisters and have gotten to see my cousin, his wife, and their twin baby girls. Some friends of ours who lived in Memphis but moved to Kansas City came to visit us, and Maddie had a joyful reunion with her friend Emma. Beth, Chris, and Emma came and met Mark, the girls, my sister Paula, my nephew Christian, and me at the City Museum. I have said it before but I have to reiterate that it is absolutely the coolest place for kids that I have ever been. Later that night, after the kids were in bed, Mark and I agreed that we should have kept on our bracelets so we could go back and play some more (it’s open until 1 a.m.) Yesterday we made our requisite trips to eat Imo’s Pizza and Ted Drewe’s frozen custard.
1 Comment
