By Sarah Bullers
There is so much to say about our time in Morramballa, Mozambique, and I feel like I have so little time to say it. The highlight of it all, for me, has been the children. I truly understand now, that to come to Africa, one must be ready to not only fall in love over and over again, everyday, but also to get your heart broke and often crumbled into a million little pieces.
I can honestly say that my time here has been made up of alot of nevers. Never in my life have I seen so much poverty, hunger, pain, and nothingness. I have never seen so many people hurting, and yet full of so much happiness, love, and life! Never have I fallen so in love with a child, and I don’t think a child has ever broken my heart so badly when I realized I had to leave it. I know that because of the children, I will never be the same again.
It is in the eyes of a child that we are able to better understand not only God’s unfailing love, but the world in general. The eyes are the window to the soul, but not only are they a window, they are also a mirror, reflecting the image of our own souls. It is in the eyes of a child that I am able to truly understand that life is so much more than the little box of the world of “Sarah” that I usually limit myself and others to.
Here, in Africa, I have learned what it truly means to be broken. There were nights I would lie in my bed, heartbroken, the tears falling until they became a river washing away the pieces of my heart that I have learned to hide and harden over the years. Wanting to feed, clothe, and love so many, feeling so helpless to not be able to, knowing that all I really have to give are tiny pieces of my heart, hoping that that is enough to last a lifetime.
Getting your heart broken is not a fun thing. But without it, one would never truly understand exactly how completely amazing it is to fall in love. And so I rejoice, knowing that a heart touched, a heart that continually loves, no matter the cost, pain, or suffering that is to come, is a heart that truly knows exactly what it is to love.
Sarah Bullers, of Jerome, ID, spends her summers as a wild land firefighter, and her winters snowboarding. She is currently backpacking around the world. You can follow her journey here.