You are the Gift

I recently read a talk on service and how service can break down barriers. The talk is called Turning Enemies into Friends by Sharon Eubank. I’m going to share some of the things that I found especially profound and then I hope that I can connect them to Ghana and how we can make true progress in developing countries. I hope that I can articulate my thoughts and ideas clearly.

Sharon Eubank proposes a powerful and thought provoking idea. She states that the true humanitarian aid is the people going, that we are the gift. That the greatest gift that a humanitarian effort can give is the human connection. Someone who cares, who remembers names, birthdays and with compassion listens to the problems facing the people before them. In her own words,

 “What would it look like if each of us were our own well-stocked humanitarian organization? Instead of just giving out tangible goods in foreign locations, what if we had the richness of dispensing healing, friendship, respect, peaceful dialogue, sincere interest, protective listening of children, birthday remembrances, and conversations with strangers? What if that was what your humanitarian organization did? This kind of humanitarian work can be done by anybody and it can be done at any time. And you don’t need warehouses or fundraising or transportation. You can be perfectly responsive to any need that comes to you, wherever you are.”

I believe this with all my heart! If we distributed this kind of humanitarian aid to those who surround us I think the real healing begins. We care enough to find real solutions to problems that individuals have. We think more about the many individuals of Ghana and not the whether or not we can get publicity for our acts.

I have to say that it was hard for me to connect on a deep and emotional level with the people in Ghana. I had quiet moments when I would, when passing a particularly impoverished area, have the heartbreaking thought that I would leave this place in ten days, but these people my fellow brothers and sisters in the great human family wouldn’t and couldn’t leave. They would still be here when I got home, planting cassava and selling mangoes. I wanted to develop a deep and personal connection but the language was a huge barrier. I had a couple Twi phrases that I would use sort of robotically, but as soon as a really meaningful conversation could have started I was unable to say even the most simple phrases.

Even though I was unable to communicate verbally I tried to create that connection with my body language, using sincere smiles, opening each pair of glasses before handing them to the patient. While it’s not even close to perfect I felt like I was giving the type of human connection and service Sharon Eubank asks of each of us in her address.

One of the most human moments I had was on an outreach in Tamale. We were having an outreach near a local school and just as we finished school got out. The children just surrounded us and just started touching Natalie and I, as if they were trying to see if we were real. That was a pretty visceral experience. It’s hard for me to explain the emotions I have around Ghana and the struggle the people have live and I feel guilty about what I have received from being born where I was born. However, I also see the joy that these people have and I think, maybe I’m doing it wrong. Maybe the simple life is more fulfilling. These are just some of the thoughts that frequently circulate my head.

I believe that this service is the only true humanitarian service. Yes items such as toothbrushes and sight returning surgery matter but they matter more if the individual feels connected and valued, a part of the human family. Someone who is need and who’s sight is valued and important.

I hope that I can exemplify this type of humanitarian work in my life now that I am home. In America, we have this problem as well, it’s easy to get disconnected from our brother and sister who are in pain. In fact sometimes we shouldn’t try to connect because we haven’t been through the exact same problem or felt the same pain. I hope as an individual I can be empathetic and caring and that we as a people and a nation can love and give a hope and human connection to all those struggling around us.