by Leslie - Adapted from the
Christian Science Sentinel, April 24, 2006
Love is universal
Last year when I was a junior in high school, I heard about a program called “Experiment in International Living.” This sounded really interesting to me. Pretty soon I was preparing for a five-week summer trip to Botswana, in southern Africa. Here are some reflections from my travel journal:
Day 3
After traveling for two days from Boston, Massachusetts, I’m finally in Botswana with the rest of our group—17 students and two leaders. We spent the first three days at a nature reserve so we could rest and get to know each other. I’ve met some pretty cool people so far. I’m excited about this whole experience but I’m also a little apprehensive. I’ll be living with a family in a village called Oodi for the next two weeks. My days will be spent taking classes in their main language, Setswana, as well as helping teach math in the local schools, and touring the community.
Day 5
The first few days of my home stay I’ve had so much to adapt to, and it hasn’t always been easy. My family is really sweet—there are eight people, six brothers, but they don’t all live at home, and I share a room. The house has electricity and TV, but there’s only one bathroom with a bathtub. We have to heat the water up and use a bucket to fill it for baths.
This is the first time my host family has ever met an American. They speak English with me but it’s not easy for them—they definitely prefer it when I speak Setswana. I make a lot of mistakes, but they don’t seem to mind.
I’ve felt a little homesick and out of place, so I’ve decided to pray about the concept of home. I brought a copy of Science and Health and a Christian Science Hymnal with me.
There’s this really helpful passage in Science and Health about God’s universal family and how His love and goodness is everywhere. I like thinking about this concept of a “universal family”—it shows how much spirituality is a global concept and isn’t limited to time and space. Mary Baker Eddy referred to God as “. . . one Father with His universal family, held in the gospel of Love” (p. 577). Further down on this page, I read about the city of God: “This city of our God has no need of sun or satellite, for Love is the light of it, and divine Mind is its own interpreter” (p. 577). I’m beginning to think that I’ll be able to find all the qualities of love and goodness that I’ve experienced in my own home in my new home in Botswana, too. And I’m going to make a point of looking for these qualities everywhere.
Day 7
There really is so much love in this community! The people are so open and kind—and appreciative that our group is here helping. They may not have all the material things I’m used to at home, but they express so much spirituality.
Having less technology—no cell phone, computer, car, etc.—has really helped me connect with God. The way of life here is so simple and uncomplicated. There’s so much joy. People smile at me and say hello on the streets, and I feel incredibly welcome. It seems like the people value life for what it is, not for what they possess. Families are really close and the communities are very close.
Day 12
The last few days I’ve had a heavy cold. I was in bed for a couple of days and I couldn’t call my mom. Normally I would ask her to pray for me, but this time I was on my own—really for the first time. I remembered something my Sunday school teacher taught me at home in my Christian Science Sunday School. I decided to write down what I know about God, what I know about myself as His child—and then consider the spiritual solution. I thought about the hymn called “O, gentle presence.” The first part is:
O gentle presence, peace and joy and power; O Life divine, that owns each waiting hour, Thou Love that guards the nestling’s faltering flight! Keep Thou my child on upward wing tonight. (Mary Baker Eddy, Christian Science Hymnal, No. 207)
I knew God was with me all the time, keeping watch over me and guiding every minute of my day. My host parents were gone during the day because they both worked. They were both concerned and wanted me to go into a hot room like a sauna so I would sweat, but I didn’t want that. I remember realizing that I didn’t want to spend any more time in bed. After all, I had come to Botswana to grow spiritually and express Life. That was it, and I was better. I just got up in the middle of the day and went out with my group. I was totally healed.
Day 20
So much has happened since my home stay. One day our group visited an orphanage for children with AIDS. A lot of us were sad, but I tried to focus on the perfection and beauty the children expressed.
We also went on a safari and slept outside in tents—we could hear lions and hippos and we saw them during the day. We also built houses with Habitat for Humanity after our home stay. We built two houses and that made me feel like I was giving something back to the community.
Life after Botswana
I’m actually interested in politics now—I never used to be. I’m taking a Poli Sci class at school and I’ve been doing some projects on Africa. I did one where I studied the UN G–8 policy, which was pretty interesting. As for Christian Science, one of the big things I’ve realized after my trip to Africa is that I can pray on my own. It’s really between me and God—not anyone else. I think I’ve also learned that to have less is to have more. In my mind, even though the people I met in Botswana may not know what Christian Science is, I feel like they practice the spirit of it in a lot of ways—they really show that God is Love. And that’s everything.
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