The Adventures of Jess of the Air Force

Quote of the Day:

Be Thankful for what you do have; you'll end up

having more. If you concentrate on what you don't

have, you will never have enough.

--Oprah Winfrey

I really wish I had some photos to go along with this post to emphasize my point but they won't load or will take hours. I had the opportunity to go with my unit to Africa for a short mission and I always enjoy going on these tours because they always open my eyes to all the blessings I have being an American. I wasn't prepared for what I would see on this trip. Our Commander told us not to have any expectations for this trip. I'm not sure which part he was talking about, the work itself or what we would see. Imagine having five children and not having a place to sleep. You carry mats around and sleep in an abandon children. You sit on the road everyday in hopes that one of the 1.7 million people in the city will walk by and give you some hope. The first time I left the hotel grounds kids ran up to me asking me for food. I walked past a 3 year old girl taking a dump in a plastic bag and begging for food at the same time. She then walked over to the drainage ditch and dumped it in there. I have problems going on certain toilets in America, I can't imagine going in a plastic bag on the side of the road in Africa for everyone to see. The homes are plywood huts with tarps and what ever they can find to put it together. What I make in one day takes these people two months to earn. And these are a kind happy people for the most part. We showed a couple of our drivers the night vision goggles we had and they said "Oh America cool" and I think these men who speak very little english and work long hours to make much less than I do have got it right. America is cool, and how lucky are we to live there. Even the poorest of people get the food on their table for their children. They have a roof over their head and a place to sleep that doesn't consist of a dirt floor. How dare we complain of having a hard life, how dare we think our lot is hard compared to everyone elses. I know the Lord doesn't give us anymore than we are able to bare but I think we lose sight that we are truly blessed. I always joke about there being starving children in China, but now that I have seen first hand the starving people of Africa I doubt I will ever take anything I have for granted. Till next time.