My obsession with seeing and touching every possible animal while here opened up an extraordinary door. Ambrose is a wide eyed yound man who has seen and experienced in his short life, more than what most people see in an entire lifetime. His parents are both dead and his older brother was kidnapped by the LRA over 15 years ago. He is hardworking, driven, and motivated. He wants to get his degree so he can open a farm and take care of the animals properly. He wants to make enough money so that he won't have to turn the orphans he can easily identify with away. The catch? It will cost him about 3 million shillings to get this degree. 3 million shillings sounds like a lot but it is just about $1200 American dollars. He gave some of my team members an enveleope filled with his ceriticates he recieved in school up to this point as well as colorings he did for me. As he handed it to them he told them "give this to Mary, she will know what to do with it." I'm really not sure what he meant by that, but I'm guessing his prayer is that I can help him go to school. In a city with so much poverty and such an abundance of needs, it's easy to get overwhelmed and feel helpless. God gave me Ambrose to remind me that even if I can only provide for one person, that is enough.
Somewhere between playing on the merry go round, holding the dying babies, and singing with the girls that work at Alpha house, my heart has broken for Africa. Broken out of burden and broken out of love. It's only been a week and I can safely say I will never be the same.
