Alongside Community

As I sit here at O.R. Tambo International airport, I am filled with that intense feeling you get when you leave home.  After an amazing ten days in Lesotho and South Africa, it’s time to head back to Chicago.  (And a 60 degree difference in temperature! Ouch!)  So much of the last ten days revived feelings, tendencies and even vocabulary words from my time as a volunteer in South Africa.   My long walks up the steep dirt paths of Lesotho brought me back to a time of enchantment and discovery.  Once again, I felt vibrantly alive.  I was home.

Admittingly, we didn't take as many photos during our trip this year as we usually have.  (Don’t worry, we still captured all of those awesome High 5 photos!)  The main reason for this was because, for the first time really, we were really part of the community.  Instead of being outsiders from America, fascinated by the intricacies surrounding us, we were members of the communities we were in. 

We walked alongside friends as we learned of new villages.  We danced alongside Team Lesotho as we celebrated a newfound friendship and partnership.  We sat alongside members of the community as we held our first pitso, (community conversation) in Roma.  We laughed alongside children who found our goofiness contagious.  We drank tea alongside old friends and family as we caught up on life.  We asked questions alongside those we wish to serve.  We were wholly, fully, in community with those we are serving, and what an incredible realization it was for us.

I cannot wait until the days when we are amongst the Maluti mountains once again.  I firmly believe the seeds of hope have not only been planted by Bloom Africa, but they have now been watered.  Our new and passionate volunteers in Lesotho will help cultivate the empowerment and hope that these seeds will provide.  I cannot be more excited about the possibilities that rest along the horizon of the future. 

Thank you to everyone who joined us in our journey and supported us through reading our blog, following us on Facebook and Twitter, or who simply wished us traveling mercies.  You are our fire and we will continue to strive for an empowered Lesotho together.

Ka Khotso, (In Peace)

Andrew