I’ve been involved for several years with a nonprofit, Inside Out Learning. IOL trains teachers in developing countries in unique methods that ignite critical/creative thinking skills and helps learners discover their inner strengths and talents. The traditional method of lecture, memorization and teaching to the test suppresses learning. It stifles students’ creativity, disregards intuition and ignores their individual strengths, talents and learning styles. Students are unable to solve their own problems. IOL methods empowers them to solve problems, become self-reliant and create business opportunities.
During my time in Kenya I would often pinch myself and think “how did I get the chance to be here in Kenya and learn from these amazing people?” I am learning much more from them then they will ever learn from me. One of those individuals I met was Ben Oindo. He was a young man who was over housekeeping at the hotel where I stayed. Ben lost both his parents to AIDS when he was a small child. He was raised in an orphanage. There was a light that emanated from Ben. He exuded happiness. He was full of love and gratitude, even though he had so little in terms of worldly goods. He spends every Saturday serving at the orphanage where he was raised.
We took over many gifts to our African team and school dignitaries we met with. However, they gave us the greater gifts. The gift of Joy. I look into the eyes of those beautiful African people and see JOY. They find happiness in small things. It’s possible to be happy even without a lot of Stuff.
The gift of gratitude. My African friends are so grateful for everything. Oftentimes, it seems they enjoy their little much more than our largeness. They understand “Give us this day our daily bread” and thank God for the bread when it appears.
The gift of Praise. They are not afraid to praise God in Africa. They praise Him in their prayers, song and dance. If they can’t sing they dance and a joyful sound seems to pulsate throughout their bodies. Their worship seems pure and sincere.
I look forward to future trips to Africa, to receive new gifts found in the lessons they will teach me.
This brings me back to the question I asked at the beginning. “What is the greatest gift you have ever received?” I began this blog to share my journey with cancer in hopes that it might help someone out there. I was diagnosed with stage IV Lung cancer in October 2015. It had metastasized to other organs, lymph nodes, bones and brain. It was throughout my body. I was literally covered with it. I was told it was incurable and terminal. The first oncologist I went to was very kind and told me how sorry he was. He advised me to get my life in order very quickly. I was on oxygen 24/7 and bedridden.
I don’t ever recall feeling fear through this illness. My mother who recently passed away in December was a woman of great faith and fearless. She was an incredible gift to me. She taught me as a young child to always look up. She would say over and over whenever I faced and overwhelming challenge or trial, “It is where it always is, trust in your Father in Heaven and Savior.” Her favorite scripture was “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding.”
So, I did just that. I had the faith to die or the faith to live according to the Lord’s will for me. I have a strong belief that if we look to Him and trust in His will, all things will work for our good. He can turn our straw into GOLD. He knows what is best. I felt within that I still had work to do and that I would be healed from this cancer.
A life-threatening illness can shuffle our priorities. I didn’t want to resist what was and I desired to discover and embrace the lessons in this illness. I feel more alive than I have ever felt. As I wrote in an earlier blog, this illness has been filled with so many gifts for me. Each day I get to spend with my beautiful family is a precious gift to me.
In January 2017 I had my scans. Once again, I was told that this type of cancer was incurable and terminal, however they could not detect any cancer in my scans. They said they could not explain it but by medical terms they had to declare I was in remission. I knew within that this healing came from above. The day of miracles has not ceased.
So, if you asked me what is the greatest gift I had ever received you might expect me to say that the gift is that my cancer is in remission. That is indeed a great gift and miracle. However, my greatest gift is His Son Jesus Christ, the master healer.
Many times in my life in the midst of heavy trials that seemed to come one after another, I have wanted to yell “ENOUGH ALREADY!” Looking back I can now see how each of these challenges have taught me the same powerful lesson over and over again…He will always turn my straw into gold as I look to Him.
My wise mother used to say to me, “Trust the Lord, get some sleep, it will all work out!” If I were to give advice to my future self it would be “Don’t ever give up, don’t give into your fears. Trust the Lord, get some sleep, it will all work out!”
The greatest gift I have ever received is my Savior.
