Dreaming Big, Working Small

Here are some words from Christy Reppe after she returned from her trip to Ethiopia last month with Nikki.  Thanks for all of your hard work, Christy.  We truly love you.

I knew before going to Ethiopia that I would be most impacted upon return. That just seems to be how God works in me. Maybe it's so that I can stay in the moment while I'm there, or maybe it's just how God gives me perspective -- looking back. I always feel like I can look back with so much better clarity and with a real vision of the big picture.

The trip was exhausting, in that every day we were diving into people's lives in a very intimate way. The 10 women that were the focus of our trip were sharing with us, one at a time, their private stories. Each one was so different, but every one was filled with so much hurt, pain, and injustice in many ways. Just listening to one story felt like about a month's worth of emotional "heart work"... in fact, sometimes just walking into one of their homes would be the equivalent. But we would listen to, question, encourage, challenge, and pray with each of the women. It was so important for us to be present with each one of them, and I felt so blessed that we were able to do so. We were honored to be with them, and they were honored to be with us. It was beautifully exhausting.

If you have any experience doing humanitarian work, you know that you are often hit with what appears to be never-ending need. From what I've observed, this usually drives us to one of two things: do nothing because we are discouraged at the small size of the difference it might make, or try to do everything and not have time to see the people we are working with.

I love that Eyes That See is all about seeing each and every one of the people involved in their projects. They dream big, yet work small. In a group of 10 women, each one matters, and each one is known intimately and responded to individually. We met every one of them. We heard every one of their stories. We know all of their names (even if we have a hard time pronouncing them). We spent all of our time and energy so that we could know them and remind them of their great worth. This is the kind of purpose I am honored to pour myself into and be beautifully exhausted by.

I hope that those of you following along will feel the same and be encouraged by all of the priceless "small work" being done by Eyes That See. We truly can rejoice in what has begun, and all that is to come! Thank you for being a part of it!