Mary is always on top of things! She naturally has already introduced herself to all of you so with only 7 days left I think it is finally time for me to do the same.
For those of you who don’t know me I am…DRUM ROLL PLEASE……
Anna Suminski! I was born and raised in the city of Saint Charles, Illinois with my mother, father, and older sister. I just graduated from Drake University with a degree in elementary education and endorsements in reading and English as a Second Language (ESL).
I have always had desire to travel, but was too scared to pull the trigger. When I originally thought about studying abroad in college I signed up to go on a nice boat trip in the Bahamas. Unfortunately I was put on a long waiting list. I was complaining about not being able to go when I was walking through my sophomore dorm and one of my best friends, Leah Bromaghim, told me that I should consider going on the Ghana J-Term. My parents were walking with us and were not very keen on the idea of their baby girl traveling all the way to Ghana. After a serious conversation and a little bit of charm my mom said that I could go on the trip. I emailed the professor for the trip, Jill Johnson, and asked if I could be added to the class roster. Jill had to work some magic of her own because the course should have technically been closed, but I was thankfully added on the trip! The funny thing is I was never supposed to go to Ghana and now an embarking on my third trip to this remarkable country.
I knew that I wanted to go back to Ghana after my first experience in the village school. There was a little boy who had been very helpful at the school who I found out had a large infected cut behind his ear, but his family could not afford to take him to the medical center to receive the proper care that he needed. So a group of us who were at the school at the time decided to take him to the medical center at lunch to get his ear cleaned and the medicine needed for the wound to heal. We made it about half a mile down the road from the school when we heard something behind us. I turned around to see a little boy crying and running towards us. He looked so scared. I found out his name was Stephen and did not want to be away from his brother. We asked him to go back to school and told him his brother would be back soon, but he continued to follow us. So I picked up Stephen and I held him in my arms until he fell asleep. Once we arrived at the medical center and got everything taken care the boys were so grateful. They were so happy and all we had to do was show them basic love and made sure their basic needs were met. There were many other students at the village school that were in the same shape as these boys. All these children need is someone who is willing to give them a chance and help them learn the skills they need to succeed. I want to be that person.I know that when people think of Africa they think of all of the unknowns. I understand that I am only 22 years old and I understand that there are still a lot of things that I don’t know yet about life. But there are some things that I feel like I know whole heartedly. I know that I can help these students. I know that I can help to equip them with education that they need. I know that I can love them unconditionally. I know that I can make sure that their basic needs are met. I know that I can learn a lot from the people and this place I am going to be living at for the next couple months. I know that this journey is going to be hard at times. Most importantly I know that I am truly excited, and of course a little nervous, for this next chapter of my life as an educator, a traveler, and a follower of Christ.
I do want to give a quick shout out to my loving family for supporting me through out this whole thing! You guys are my rock and I wouldn’t be able to do this with out them. I also want to give a shout out to our great friends that have supported us along the way and the Kingdom Cares staff! You have all been instrumental in helping Mary and I on our journey.
Please continue to follow us on this journey and share what we are doing. We are always more than willing to answer questions or give more information. If you feel compelled to make a donation or support the school in some other capacity please either email us at kccschool15@gmail.com or visit Kingdom Cares International.
Peace and Blessing,
| Anna |
No comments:
Post a Comment