Day 9: Jesus Danced Today

Yesterday I could see how Jesus is suffering in our world. Today I saw him dance and felt as though the love and support from many people in the United States made an impact. We attended mass to kick off the day with 400 secondary school students. As I stood on the altar it felt like I was back in North Platte with our student body at St Patrick High School/Middle School (without the hoodies and untucked shirts.). As the school choir angelically sang, ‘Jesus I Need You’ with meaning, love and passion I could picture Jesus dancing right in front of them. We visited five schools today delivering 150 pounds of pencils, paper, erasers, backpacks and soccer balls. By doing this it felt like we went from being an attraction in a parade to a bearer of gifts and ’The Good News.‘ You will never know the value of a pencil until you see students carrying half of one in a metal tin so that it doesn’t get lost or broken. The value of a morning snack until you see the rush to a line for a cup full of porridge. The value of a soccer ball until you see plastic bags tied up in a ball being kicked around. The value of a backpack until a child is wearing it covering their chest with pride because they don’t know any better. The value of a rosary until you give two packs to a mother who has a priest as a son and two nuns as daughters. The value of life until you touch a three-hour old baby in a medical clinic with no life saving machines around. The value of a toilet until you are in the middle of Africa after eating something that upsets your stomach. (No questions please.) Jesus danced for joy today, because he was loved and worshipped in the middle of the bush in Africa.