The summer after my sophomore year of college, I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Uganda, Africa for the first time! As a child, I had always DREAMED of traveling to another country, Africa in particular, because I knew that going somewhere completely opposite of my home would give me such a different perspective on things. And that was exactly what happened! I was able to spend two weeks in Uganda, and my time there was filled with a a lot of beautiful scenery, beautiful people, beautiful children, and A LOT of lessons learned about my life and about myself. So, I wanted to share these lessons, 3 in particular, with you all.

The first important lesson I learned was that, what we look like on the outside is NOT nearly as important as what we look like on the inside.

I traveled to Uganda with a team of twelve or so people, and as a team we had a particular bible verse that we kept in mind over the whole trip. This verse was from the book 1 Samuel and it says, “The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” I went to Africa planning on teaching the people we met about this bible verse, but in reality THEY taught ME what it truly means. Here in the United States it has become so easy for us to be focused on what our lives look like on the outside. We strive to have the best grades, the best job, the best family, the best clothes and the best cars and we base our value off of those things, as if it will somehow decrease depending on the material things we have. However, what is MOST important in this life is none of those material things. It is what we are on the inside that counts. I saw the true meaning of this in the way that my African friends lived their daily lives. From the outside looking in, they were surely lacking a lot of the material things we count as important here in the United States, but that didn't matter. They were still so happy and had the most beautiful outlook on each other and on their lives. Each of them were so genuinely interested and loving towards us and had much more peaceful joy than I had ever seen. It was truly special.

The second important lesson that I learned was that sometimes it's the smallest things in life that mean the most.

One of my favorite stories to tell of my trip is about my experience at one of the elementary schools. One day while my team visited, we put on a skit for the children in which we sang the song "Amazing Grace" at the end. The children loved it and after we finished, my team and I proceeded to help out around the school wherever needed. I chose to help out in the art room and that afternoon while I was passing out papers, I noticed a girl come in who wanted my attention. She pulled me outside and as I got out there I noticed that there were actually five students waiting on me. I asked them what they needed and one of the older girls spoke up and said "We were wondering if you could teach us that song that you sang earlier!" (Which was Amazing Grace.) I was so surprised. I thought everyone knew that song! So before I knew it I was out in the field with 5 beautiful children teaching them Amazing Grace and it was the most peaceful and amazing time of worship I've ever experienced. I was pushed out of my comfort zone a little, because they asked ME to sing the song first and then they'd try to catch on and I don't usually sing by myself in front of people. But I did anyway, and I'm so glad. They were so excited! Even the headmaster said that the whole school would learn it and they'd sing it to me the next time I went back. It was so wonderful and special. Who knew that helping these kids learn such a simple song would end up meaning so much? Something that may seem so small in your own eyes could end up being so BIG in the eyes of another person. Always value the small things!

And finally, the third important lesson I learned was to always treat others as more important than yourself.

While I loved each and every person we met in Uganda, there were a few in particular that touched me in a much deeper way, and one person in particular was named Ishta and I met her when we visited another one of the elementary schools one day. We immediately clicked and she was such a sweetheart and had the most beautiful smile and the softest voice. I hung out with her all day and we played games. It was so wonderful. I even accompanied her to class. When I arrived in the classroom with her that day, I quickly noticed that all of the desks were taken. So I told Ishta to go sit down and that I would take a seat on the windowsill. As I sat down I noticed her get up from her seat and approach me again. She came up to me and said "get up." I got up off of the dirt windowsill and before I knew it she was taking off her jacket. This was a brand new jacket that she was so proud of. She had told me many times during the day, "Do you like my jacket? I love it!" So I wondered what she might be doing with it. After she took it off, she laid her jacket on the windowsill and then she said "okay, now sit." This sweet little girl didn't want me to get my pants dirty, so she gave me her best jacket to protect myself from getting dirty! It was such a simple but powerful gesture. One that I had never seen come from a child like that. Her sweet gesture reminded me of how important it is to take care of other people before ourselves. It is one of the best ways we can truly love someone. Love is about sacrificing. If only we could all practice the love Ishta showed me in our every day lives with the people we meet! The world would truly be a better place if we did.

Here are some more of my favorite pictures!

Africa is SUCH a beautiful place. I would encourage everyone to find a way to take a trip out of the country. The things you will learn and see will truly change your perspective on things will give you a much bigger appreciation for this precious life on earth we've been given!