I'm a recent returnee from overseas who is wandering through life right now trying to figure out where to put my next footstep on this thing called life.

Monday, February 04, 2008

Joseph: Kid Extrodinaire

So I never know what to title these entries, but I simply have to write about one of the most impressive kids that I have ever met. I recently returned from a 5 day trip up country, hosting guests from the UK, and showing some of our projects. In one of the villages, we stopped to spend two nights at a guest house. There were TONS of kids around the area, and once they heard about us they all flocked to come greet us. It was a great two nights of laughter and fun with the kids.

None of them made a stronger impression on me though then Joseph. The second night, we were all outside on the porch having our evening cup of tea, and just enjoying the very beautiful setting. Suddenly, without even realizing it, there was a young boy about 10 years old who was standing there on the porch. It took only a few seconds to realize that this young boy was blind. It made even more sense when we discovered that to understand why his pants were on inside out. He exuded such confidence that we all immediately engaged with him in conversation. After finding out his name, he very boldly said, "I hear there is a young white girl here. I came to greet her".

It's hard to capture in words what it was about Joseph that grabbed each of us, but for the next ten minutes we were able to enjoy his presence. He is known through the community, and a the youngest of 7 kids, he has plenty of family in the area. Living overseas has many perks and one of them is meeting these amazing people, especially kids, who have such resilience despite adverse conditions and who continue to impress me at their strong will to survive and overcome whatever obstacle lies before them.

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

That's a great story, Mel - what a great example of a resilient kid. And hopefully his resilience will serve him well so that he doesn't end up outside Stop and Shop begging.

7:25 AM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Keep up the good work Melissa, you are there for a purpose. I know you make a difference there. I also know that you have been impacted by the people and life in Liberia. Dad

7:50 AM

 

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