The people of Katito are different from you and me. They do not have much, so they do not have the distractions that keep us busy day in and day out. They treat you like you are royalty. You are an honored guest in their village. Each time we went to visit a group, they presented us with sodas. This may not sound like much, but in Katito it is huge! Most people in the village will never be able to buy Cokes for themselves nor their family. They truly live by God’s commandments to love others as you love yourself. Each time I was approached by someone it was always with either a hearty handshake or a kiss on both cheeks and the biggest smile that said “you are welcome here”. When was the last time you were greeted like this? For me, it was never. Deep down we all want to be accepted. The people of Katito did not care what I wore, how much money I have and where I worked. They accepted me as a child of God. I was their sister, daughter, and mother.

I don’t know when in my journey I expected to come home and receive this same treatment, but I did. And to say I was devastated is an understatement. Not just in the others, but in myself. How often do we get so caught up in our own lives that we fail to see the needs, struggles and even joys of our friends and family? This made me think back to an evening before I left for Kenya that I sat at the dining room table with my children and a family friend who to me is another one of my kids. We played cards for hours that night. We were laughing. The dishes could wait. I was having fun! What would I have missed out on that night had my chores become more important that a good old fashion games of cards? I would have missed out on the laughter of teenagers, details of their lives without distractions, and seeing the competitive spirit in their eyes because they wanted to beat me!

I realized that to have a loving, giving life like those in Katito, I will have to start with me. I have to really look at my life and decided what’s really important and am I being the person God wants me to be. Love others as yourself is not easy when people do not treat you very well. I know this is not something I can accomplish on my own. God will have to hold my hand and show me. I am a person who tends to hold grudges and my feelings are easily hurt. I build walls instead of bridges. To love the way they do, I will have to actually let people into my life and risk being hurt. Even in their raggedy clothes, grass and mud huts, the people of Katito never appeared to be afraid of rejection from us.

It’s funny that they called me an honored guest. Someone important that would teach them something of value. They are to be honored! They taught me perhaps the greatest lesson of my life! Faith, Hope and Love. And of these, the greatest is LOVE.