Stuff...is...not...important...in...life... This is the number one lesson that I was reminded of as I went on a teacher training mission trip this summer to Liberia, Africa. I knew that when I returned from this trip, I would be changed, and I think I have a whole new look to life. Here are some thoughts I now have going through my head after returning from Africa:
1. I have plenty! I look around my home, and I see all of this STUFF. Many of it I couldn't even tell you that I own. Josh and I don't live a life full of wealth, but we do have things. I know that I can live without many of these things and still be happy. I dont need the latest phone, the newest car, the biggest house, or the designer clothes. This can be so difficult as our society is full of materialism. I'm just thankful for loving family and friends.
2. I have plenty of things already in my classroom. I shouldn't complain that I need more. In Liberia, teachers are lucky to have a decent chalkboard and chalk to teach. The students are lucky to have a notebook and a pencil/pen. Books are a rare item to find in the classrooms and shopping for school supplies is not in the Liberian students' minds. They wouldn't know what to do if they saw all the school supplies at our stores.
3. Fortunate to have easy access to food whenever I want it. I can go home and find food in the cabinets. I can be on the road and within 10-20 mins. I can find food to eat and a little bit of money to pay for it. Many Liberians that we interacted with are lucky to get a meal a day, and that usually consists of rice.
4. Thankful for my job and a pay check! Can you imagine being a teacher and only making $40 a month!
5. The world is much bigger than small town living, and yet the world is so small. A smile is a beautiful universal thing, especially a child's smile!
I'm sure there will be more to share...until then...I heart Liberia!
1. I have plenty! I look around my home, and I see all of this STUFF. Many of it I couldn't even tell you that I own. Josh and I don't live a life full of wealth, but we do have things. I know that I can live without many of these things and still be happy. I dont need the latest phone, the newest car, the biggest house, or the designer clothes. This can be so difficult as our society is full of materialism. I'm just thankful for loving family and friends.
2. I have plenty of things already in my classroom. I shouldn't complain that I need more. In Liberia, teachers are lucky to have a decent chalkboard and chalk to teach. The students are lucky to have a notebook and a pencil/pen. Books are a rare item to find in the classrooms and shopping for school supplies is not in the Liberian students' minds. They wouldn't know what to do if they saw all the school supplies at our stores.
3. Fortunate to have easy access to food whenever I want it. I can go home and find food in the cabinets. I can be on the road and within 10-20 mins. I can find food to eat and a little bit of money to pay for it. Many Liberians that we interacted with are lucky to get a meal a day, and that usually consists of rice.
4. Thankful for my job and a pay check! Can you imagine being a teacher and only making $40 a month!
5. The world is much bigger than small town living, and yet the world is so small. A smile is a beautiful universal thing, especially a child's smile!
I'm sure there will be more to share...until then...I heart Liberia!
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