Beyond the borders

I had a wonderful opportunity to have tea yesterday with my wonderful partner Karen and our dear friend who is from Tanzania yet has lived here in Wisconsin for over 7 years. She had met another wonderful lady who has recently come here to the USA from the Congo.

Both Karen and I were so excited to meet our friend from Tanzania. We share so much as "dada's" sisters and understand each other even though we were born in different cultures and have all walked down a different path.....until now.

We had just settled in to have our tea and enjoy the wonderful cooked banana's and pasties that our dear friend Elli had made for us. The chai was wonderful! Francine (who is from the Congo) shared a bit of her story with us. She has only been in the USA for just 19 months. She was taken away from her home and her family to gain political asylum. She had been in a administrative position. Unfortunately, the "opposition" party did not like that she was doing this work for their government so they decided to make her life horrible. Francine has two children ( a son 17 yrs old and a daughter 4 yrs old) She had to leave with her oldest son and had no idea where she would end up. Her son was also being tormented by the military, in fact she shared with us that his wrist had been bitten off and is still not functioning properly. We could see in her eyes that she was a strong women...wanting only to care for her family and yet not being able to do so because of the unrest in her country.

I asked her where her daughter was and she said she had to leave her with her grandmother. Francine's Mom was safe in the congo...and she had no option to bring her daughter with her. If you can imagine, she is now in a country she knows nothing about. The education she had in the congo is not helpful here. We have technology ~ they do not. We have roads for driving ~ they do not. We have electricity ~ they have minimal. We have stores, groceries, cars, buildings. We have education for all ~ they do not. I think you can see where I am going with this. What she came here with was very little and yet a desire to better herself, keep her son safe and try to build a life with freedom. She explained that until she is able to work and earn a living, her Mom and daughter will have to remain in the Congo ~ without her. Can you imagine the emotional difficulties? Her daughter constantly asks her when will I see you mommy?? What can she say? One day.....One day...

So the four of us talked about the great things in the USA and yet our nation is so poor. Even in the midst of Francine's turmoil she had family, her church and the love of neighbors. Why? In these nations although they don't have "things" they have love and community. Everyone takes care of each other ~ when there is an illness, a death, sadness or happiness EVERYONE comes together! Nobody is better than their neighbor ~ everyone is equal. Elli explained to us that at a local church in Tanzania began its Sunday service by gathering all parishioners together. The Pastor would ask that if anyone was mad a another person in the church that they please take each others hands go outside to speak about their differences and come back into the church with a clean heart. Can you imagine? She said that it was amazing how this Pastor could see the hearts of all that were there changing...for the better.

What would our country look like if we had this kind of peace? Where people would put their differences aside, take each others hands and walk peacefully with each other? If materialism could be put aside, if Sunday's were made for family and friends, and everyone would gather for a big meal just because! Would this make us a stronger nation?

May your borders be brought down to open what really matters ~ family, love and friendship.

Blessings and peace ~