The long journey

Greetings!  I have a story to share about one of my students that I was unaware of until just recently.  And.  Here. We. Go.

This student, let's call her R, is one of the better students in my class.  She is a little on the shy side, but she is never afraid to ask questions before or after class on things she doesn't understand.  She always performs well on assignments and tests.  Every time I see her, I am greeted with a friendly smile and "Welcome, Luke from America!".

Now for more to her story.  R lives in a village that is pretty far away.....almost a 3 hour walk away far.  Ever morning, she leaves her house by around 5:30 so she can make it to school by 8:15 and she makes it on time Monday through Friday.  After a long day of school and study, she has to make the same walk home with her books in her backpack.  Once she is home, it is time to care for her younger siblings, help cook a simple dinner, fetch water, and maybe do some laundry.  The next day, the same thing.  The following day, same.  On top of that, dinner is her only meal of the day.  There is no breakfast before her long journey to school and she joins the majority of my students who use their "lunch break" as a time to play foosball at the school or just sit around and talk.

For the past almost 3 months, I haven't heard a single complaint from R.  Not one "I'm hungry", "I'm tired", or "Here's why I couldn't complete my assignment".  There is nothing but hard work and joy that beams from her as she receives one of the greatest luxuries a women can have in South Sudan- a quality Secondary School education.        

I've been thinking a lot about R's story.  Besides the obvious gratitude for the education and childhood I had (and how there were days when I had to be dragged to school), I've been thinking about her daily journey and the sacrifices she has to make each and every day to come to school and make herself better.  What things in life am I willing to make that sort of sacrifice for?  There are things I hold on to and don't give up in my life.  These things are in all areas of my life, but especially with my relationship with God.  I allow God into some parts of my life, but not all.  R gives up everything to come to school to improve herself so she can get an education and job that will eventually support her family.  And she does it without complaining or being deterred by anything.  She has one goal- to get an education and a job so she can support her family.  I hope and pray that I may be able to follow God, take the 3 hour long walk to be with Him and learn about Him, and have that be my goal and purpose every day of my life- just like R.