To love mercy…

I had a really good day yesterday.

  I started settling into my new TeachBeyond office in Kandern.  It was so good to connect with real people again instead of the “virtual meetings” on Skype which I had had most of last year while I was in Canada.  

I connected with some colleagues who are helping with our Congo school project #fateb-teachbeyondkinshasa. We spoke about how we could encourage our team in the DRC, and what communication is needed to make people aware of the school start up there and how they could get involved. We also talked about my upcoming trip and the interviewing of new teachers and training of our new school board.  

Our new school board in Kinshasa, Congo that I am working with

Painting project

After that I went home and worked at renovating some old furniture…basically giving it a face lift by repainting it.  Some of it will go into my new office. Those of you who know me well know that I am a very “happy camper” when I can multitask: lots of different things going on at once. Phil also came home with a very nice “new” car because we had to get rid of our old one before we left Germany last year.

Then last night I listened to the news:  the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, a boat full of refugees sinking and hundreds of people dieing, fighting in the Ukraine, ISIS and the horrors we hear about…. I felt overwhelmed by all the pain, hopelessness, ugliness and sadness in the world around me. 

So how am I to merge these worlds? I live in the “first world” - full of plenty, good relationships, peace…  Do I ignore what’s out there?  Do I shut it off because I can’t handle hearing about the pain, and feel like I can’t make a difference anyways.

 Volunteer with Open Schools #openschoolsworldwide, teaching this young lady to read

For most of my day I felt like I was in control, and that perhaps in small ways I could make a difference in the world.  But the day ended with me feeling like ”What can a small difference do anyway?” No answers….

I woke up this morning with a song in my head. It is a verse my parents used to sing with us when we were kids:

Children who will soon be learning to read with Open Schools

“You have shown me, oh man, what is good and what the Lord requires of me:

But to do justice

And to love mercy

And to walk humbly with our God…”

(Micah 6:8)

Wow, there is the answer.