Having spent much of my childhood in Kenya, I experienced many things of which I would hate to deprive my children. I attended school at Rift Valley Academy, which is attended by children from over 20 different nationalities. This environment provided a wonderful perspective of the diverse world we live in. Family vacations consisted of driving to game parks and watching lions play, or climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, or scuba diving in the Indian Ocean. I had a dirt bike (see picture), and my friends and I used to ride down to the Great Rift Valley, which I could see from my bedroom window. I was able to spend a lot of time in the operating room starting in 5th grade when I watched cardiac surgery. Being in the hospital gave me the opportunity to see many desperately sick patients and certainly had an impact on my desire to spend my career back in Africa.Sure I missed out on some things… We rarely watched movies. I did not always have the newest toys. There was no McDonald’s for thousands of miles. And my sense of fashion was always several years behind (though my sister tells me I still have a lot of work to do on this one).
Although no place is perfect, I feel very blessed to have grown up in Africa, and I hope to provide my children the same opportunity.
- Jason
2 comments:
Jason, I really really enjoyed seeing Kijabe and where/how you grew up. That is a special place.
Although I do not feel that the Lord has called us to the field, sometimes I wish my kids could have some of the same experiences I got to have as a kid. Your kids will be blessed with interesting childhoods!
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