I had the privilege of speaking to a group of grade 8 students about my trip to Kenya. They came MCC to pack school kits and to knot comforters. These kits and comforters will find their way into the arms and lives of people around the world.........people who need school supplies or who need the warmth of a blanket.........people who need to know that they are not alone.......that they are not forgotten.......
Together we enjoyed some Kenyan tea.........warm, sweet, milky............comforting and delicious.......shared between us.
I was inspired by the openness and sincerity of these students, their willingness to help and their desire to understand.......it was the first opportunity that I have had to speak to a group and to begin to keep the promises that I made to those I met...........promises to remember.......to tell their stories.......
I was reminded of Waihenya, his vision for peace for Kenya, the peace tree and the stories of woundedness and forgiveness..........I remembered a story that he told us......
There was an elephant, the King, and he was going to a address a very important gathering of all creatures. There was also a Horse Fly who was heading to the same gathering. The fly was working so hard to get there but because it was so small it was getting tired from flapping its wings so hard. Then the fly saw the Elephant King coming and he flew over to him. The fly told the Elephant King that he wanted to go to the same gathering, but that he was getting so tired and wouldn't be able to make it to the meeting in time because it took him so long. Then he asked the Elephant if he could ride on the Elephant's shoulder - he was just a little fly and the Elephant wouldn't feel him or even know that he was there. The Elephant King agreed and so the fly rode on the Elephant King's shoulder. They were making good progress and indeed the Elephant didn't even realize the fly was there........as they neared the meeting place they came to a bridge that needed to be crossed........as the Elephant reached the centre of that bridge it there was a loud crack and the bridge collapsed, taking the Elephant with it. The Elephant died in that collapse, but the fly that sat on his shoulder was able to fly away and take the news of the Elephant King's death to those that had gathered.
Now, the moral of this story may or may not be obvious.........who was responsible for the bridge collapse - the Elephant or the fly? Was the seemingly insignificant weight of the fly enough to be the tipping point? The point that Waihenya wanted us to get was that it doesn't matter how small or insignificant we feel we are, we have a purpose and can accomplish much.........yes, the situation in Kenya feels overwhelming for this one young man, but he is not letting it overwhelm him. He is doing something to make a difference. And you know what? Its working.........he is impacting lives and changing how people think in Kenya. He has impacted my life and has changed how I think. One person.........one idea.........Waihenya may not understand this but his reach is remarkably large. I will take his message of peace and hope for Kenya and spread it, as will the rest of the Learning Team! His message has already spread beyond Kenya, to Canada and now through my blog to many other places around the world.
Can one person make a difference? Yes! So, my question to you is how will you impact your world today? What is your passion? What are you going to do with it? Making a difference is first and foremost about just doing something...........
Until later..............
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