Coming home after spending several days in Africa is never easy. Quite frankly, it’s challenging to articulate, but it’s something I pray you experience one day.
While we were serving alongside our brothers and sisters in Kibera, each night upon our return we held reflection which allowed people to process their day. Throughout the week a specific idea was presented each day. Below are the five topics that were discussed along with a quote that I pray resonates with your soul:
1) Spirituality: “Being on a spiritual path does not prevent you from facing times of darkness. But it teaches you how to use darkness as a tool to grow.” -Sadhak Anshit
2) Community: “All men are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.” -Martin Luther King, Jr.
3) Empathy: “Every relationship, personal or otherwise, cries out for empathy. Yet empathy is demanding. It requires listening, non-judgment, a willingness to embrace other realities, and always the capacity to accept the truth of someone’s feelings. Empathy is not sympathy. It does not condescend. It connects.” -Brene Brown
4) Resilience: “Someone was hurt before you, wronged before you, hungry before you, frightened before you, beaten before you, humiliated before you… Yet, some survived… You can do anything you choose to do.” -Maya Angelou
5) Commitment: “You don’t have a right to feel hopeless, there is too much work to be done.” -Dorothy Day
God bless you and stay passionate!
Compassionately,
Rev. Gary Morello