Q:Tell the readers a little bit about yourself:
Amanda: I grew up in South Bend and lived there my whole life. I never had any interest in Uganda or Africa growing
up. I studied Spanish in college and
taught high school Spanish for 2 years before moving to Uganda. I loved Mexico and had travelled there
several times and thought I would end up there.
I grew up believing in Jesus but didn’t give my life to Him until I was
27. I love to hear people’s stories and
my favorite books are always biographies.
Q:How did you find the calling to go help these boys in Africa?
Amanda: I wasn’t happy the whole time that I was teaching and was
starting to look for a way out. I
decided on going back to school for a PhD so I could work for a large aid
organization. I was originally
interested in hunger issues and peace studies until I heard a former child
soldier speak. I was so captivated by
him and after reading his book (A long way gone by Ishmael Beah) my heart
broke. I realized it was the people that
poured into his life and helped him to escape the war that made the difference
for him. I started researching child
soldiers and came across Uganda. For
some reason, Uganda stuck and I became obsessed with going. A little while after, a girl from Notre Dame
came to my classroom to speak about her study abroad experiences and mentioned
she was in Uganda. I told her I wanted
to go and she put me in contact with a girl she knew there that was working
with streetkids. The original plan was
to go for a month just to see if I liked it.
Many things happened that year of teaching and during the summer and I
felt like God was confirming that I should quit my job, take a leap of faith
and go. So I decided to go for a year
and left November 2010. I still was very
much interested in child soldiers and was planning to make the connections once
I got in country. However, once I
started working with the boys on the street, there was no going anywhere
else. I fell hopelessly and madly in
love with them and knew I needed to do something more. Most of the boys I connected with were older
and no one was doing anything for them.
Once a boy is 12 or so on the street, his chances of ever getting off
almost completely disappear. I knew that
I couldn’t come back to the States and leave them on the street when I had the
chance to help them. I forgot about
school because I realized I didn’t need another degree to do something good
with my life. So I left after 10 months
to fundraise and start paperwork for a nonprofit in the US. I officially opened the home in January of
2012 with 8 boys, but now we have 23.
Q: What is the biggest thing you learned about yourself through your adventures?
Amanda: I learned how completely helpless I am. I learned that I cannot rely on my own
strength because at the end of the day, I will screw it all up. I love the boys more than anything but I do
the wrong things, say the wrong things, alone I am not enough. I learned how to completely surrender
everything over to God and see miracles as a result.
Q: What is the one thing you’d like people to know about your work there?
Amanda: I want people to know that these boys are just kids, even
though they are older. Just because they
are not cute babies or the next big movement, doesn’t mean they don’t deserve a
second chance or help. There are so many
street kids all over the world but even though they are kids they have somehow
become invisible and expendable. I don’t
think it should be ok with any of us that there are children sleeping on the
streets alone, with empty stomachs, wondering if they will make it through
another night. These boys were robbed of
their childhood and suffered more than most people can ever dream. They had to raise themselves on the streets
and quickly learn to survive or else parish.
They have been hurt and disappointed so many times in their short lives,
but still they are willing to love. It
has taken a lot of time and patience to build relationships with these boys but
it has been worth the effort. I cannot
imagine doing anything else with my life. I feel like I am the lucky one to have them in
my life because life is so much better with them in it.
Q: What is your favorite thing about Africa (aside from the boys)?
Amanda: There are so many things that I love but one of the best is
people’s hospitality and helpfulness. If
you are lost on the street and ask someone for directions, it is not unusual
for the person to stop what they are doing and take you to the place you need
to be. Also to be super clichéd, I love
looking at the sky especially at night.
The starts are so bright and so many.
I can just look at it forever and marvel that God created something so
beautiful and placed each star in the sky, yet He loves me even more.
Q: Pick one thing that you think would make the world, as a whole, a better place:
Amanda: I think the world would be a better place if people cared
more about people than they do things.
If we cared that there were people suffering all over the world, even in
our neighborhood, and not about having the newest car or electronic gadget,
there would be less people suffering.
There are enough resources in this world to take care of everyone, but
we don’t like to share. If we did, the
world would look very different.
Author's note: All interview answers are left uneditted and are straight from the "horse's mouth" so to speak. It's absolutely amazing where our lives take us, no matter how we get there. I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did!
~Kim
No comments:
Post a Comment