It's a Beautiful Life...: Blessings in Life

I am writing a speech for my public speaking class on the 1996 United States Women's Olympic Gymnastics Team. Anybody remember it? Kerri Strug's gold medal vault?

Yeah. I am sitting on my bed remembering. I was six years old, watching Kerri Strug do her world famous vault in 1996. I remember jumping off the couch, screaming and crying when her results were posted. Being a gymnast myself, I know how much work, tears and dedication it takes.

So, then I started thinking about the blessings in my life that have lead up to the present. My biggest blessing in life has been leaving the United States and going to Brazil. Although I was sick for a large chunk of the trip, I was still blessed.

For those of you who don't know, I was given the opportunity to travel with Voices of Youth, an all-state United Methodist mission choir. We traveled to Nova Almeida, Brazil, for a month and worked at the Shade and Fresh Water, a day camp for children ages 2-14. Here is a testimony that I wrote on the plane home from Brazil. I shared this testimony during a concert our choir did on a tour through Virginia. Here is my testimony:

My life has been forever changed. God has shown me so much since I have been in Brazil and since I have been home. Seeing the way people live, in the kind of poverty that they do, made me realize how grateful I am to live in America and to live the way I do. Voices of Youth has been such a blessing in my life and I contribute most of my faith walk to the experiences I have had while on Voices.

Our final destination in Brazil was a small village called Nova Almeida. Nova Almeida is home to the Shade and Fresh Water project, a day camp for children who are left on the streets after school hours. The S&FW project uses Christian-based education practices to teach art, music, dance, and includes daily devotionals as well as a nutritious meal for the children. The camp is home to approximately 180 children between the ages of 5 and 14. These children have nothing. Most of them only own the clothes on their back and a pair of shoes. These children are dirty and hungry. Despite their circumstances, the children at the camp are loving, generous, and hospitable. Even though these children were young and naive about their circumstances, they knew we were there to help, even though we looked and acted differently than they did.

One child touched me in particular. His name was Jesse. He was 4 years old, and loved to take pictures. That is all I know about this child of God. We could not effectively communicate with each other because of the language barrier, but we shared two things in common: we could communicate through the universal language of music, and we were both children of God. When we arrived at the Shade and Fresh Water project, Jesse was the first child that I spotted. He ran up to me and hugged me so tightly that I could barely breathe. He said something in Portuguese and proceeded to hug my leg again. He spent the whole week with me and would not leave my side. I became so attached to this little boy. I wanted to wrap him in my arms and never let go. The thought of what was going in his home tore my heart to pieces. This young child of God, so innocent and perfect, was being torn apart at the seams. Things at home and things in his country were all so terribly wrong. I wanted to hold him forever and tell him how much God loved and cared for him - and that is exactly what I did.

During the final night VOY was at the camp, we had a fiesta with the children. We shared dances, food, and great fellowship. Jesse was also there. He came right to me and hugged my leg again. I picked him up, and he hugged me and would not let go. Even though he couldn't understand me, I leaned over and whispered in his ear these words:
"You are a special child of God and nothing can ever happen to you, as long as Christ is the center of your life."
A giant smile came across his face and he wrapped his arms around my neck and hugged me. It was at this moment, just for a moment, that I felt we understood the same language and he was trying to tell me the same thing.

Having to say goodbye to Jesse that evening was very emotional. The fiesta came to an end and the staff began escorting children to the gate. This night in particular, Jesse had to walk home. This small 4 year old boy, walking alone in the dangerous streets by himself. I couldn't bear to think about it. I knew it was time for Jesse to go home and I had been dreading it all evening. I bent down to his level, and looked him in the eyes. There, in the twinkle of his big brown eyes, was a small tear. I told him to never forget me and to never forget the things that I had told him. He hugged me and tears formed in my eye. As he walked toward the gate, a calm swept over me. I knew it was God telling me not to fear, that Jesse was safe in his arms and nothing would happen to him. I sighed and watched him walk out of the gate for the last time.

I will never forget Jesse. Not a day goes by that I don't think of Jesse. The background on my computer is a picture of Jesse and me taken at the fiesta. Every time my computer is turned on, Jesse pops up and reminds me of my experiences in Brazil. Although I only knew a few things about him, he touched my life in a special way. He showed me how to love a stranger unconditionally and to appreciate the small things in life.

Here are a couple of my favorite pictures (out of the 800) I took while in Brazil.

Christo Redentor- Christ the Reedemer Statue; Rio de Janeiro

Sunrise in Nova Almeida; 4:40am

Andre Jr. Cutest boy ever.

I have no idea what her name is, but we sat and talked for about 20 minutes about makeup in Spanish. Portugese is the national language, but Portugese and Spanish are very similar. So, we spoke in Spanish to each other. It was so awesome.