Vantage Point (South Africa people)
It’s amazing what you see when you take the time to really open your eyes and look.
It’s also amazing what you hear when you take the time to really open your ears and listen.
I’m not really sure what I expected when I traveled to South Africa. There was plenty I had read about regarding life outside of America. Imaginations can run wild when one hears statistics like “half the world lives on less than $2 a day”. It’s difficult to grasp life like that without experiencing it firsthand. Shoot, it’s still hard for me to grasp it even after visiting people in less than ideal conditions for a few days. When I left for South Africa I knew what to expect; at least that’s what my thinking was. To some extent, seeing huts, dirt floors, and poor living conditions were things that I saw spent time in. But honestly, I got lost in something I never expected.
Despite seeing all the poverty around me, I got lost in the attitude we encountered in the people of South Africa. What I saw was hope. What I saw were many smiles. What I saw was a future! I walked away amazed at the combination of World Vision South Africa staff and their relentless persuit of being “Inspired to see NO CHILD WITHOUT” along with the spirit and attitude of South Africans. 
This attitude has given me hope for my own life. Since I’ve been back home a concerted effort has been made to spend more time “listening” to God, and to see things as they are. Too often I can have the tendency to view the negative, noticing what’s missing in a situation or circumstance, leading to a pessimistic view of life. South Africans inspired me to look for the positive, to take a moment and truly see, truly hear. The fast-paced life that I live all too often leads to my demise. More often than not I miss out on the here and now because I’m either looking back or looking ahead. I want to begin to live in the moment, and drink in what life is offering right now. Good or bad. (Most of my “bad” is pretty mild in comparision to the majority of the world) I want to live life to the fullest, for that is why Jesus came. I want to make a difference in those around me, because Jesus has made a difference in me.
I was sincerley amazed at the hospitality we were shown while in South Africa. The World Vision staff and people treated us like royalty. We were shown so much appreciation for running Comrades and helping to inspire people to sponsor children, and I felt guilty because of it. The World Vision South Africa staff and South Africans are the real heroes. We simply talked to some of you, and trained to run a race. However, they are in the trenches each and every day with people in dire need of help. That’s a calling I could not complete, ashamedly so. The word “heroes” almost doesn’t even do them justice. Truly, they are the hands and feet of Jesus.