life teachers

Many people have asked me (still ask me) why I wanted to spend a year away in rural Ghana.  I've answered this question numerous times with a semi-scripted response that bubbles out from repetition, but I always knew that I didn't quite know all the reasons why I was going, why I'm here.  With my penchant for anything to further personal/mental/spiritual growth, I knew I was setting up conditions to learn.  Only now do I see the reasons why I am here are constantly unfolding.  Every month, week, day, I realise something new and continue to recognise different situations as gifts of learning.  I don't necessarily believe or quite understand the concept of traditional predestination (as every event being fated), but I am truly beginning to see glimpses of the way things work.  I'm starting to see how my time here has been separated into chapters, every chapter preparing me for subsequent ones.

I had an idea of what my time here was going to look like conceptually: a few months alone, some travel time meeting other travelers, a few visitors, three months with one of the founder of HCC's sisters, some more travel, and the last few months with four volunteer program groups coming in and out.  I laid things out in this way to gather some understanding of my time here and ameliorate some of the fear I had.  My mental calendar didn't have anything to do with the programs I was going to run or the projects I was going to start, but instead the people I was going to encounter.  My fear wasn't around being unable to accomplish meaningful projects, I was afraid of being alone.  I was afraid of what my mind would do when I was alone.  The few months of solitude, travel time, and having guests in the house, all prepared me perfectly for this three month chapter I'm currently writing.  See, this roommate I recently acquired (founder's sister), is not just an ordinary roommate--she is one of the most important teachers I've ever been blessed to be a pupil of.

Before Andrea moved in, I was somewhat anxious to have a roommate for three months that I had never met or spoken to before.  I knew I would adjust, but I understood that our relationship would deeply change my daily life.  When you are living in a small town in the bush, as you can imagine, your days are not filled with busy structured work hours followed by sundry evening activities that leave only moments with your roommates.  There are only so many places to go, so many things to do, and so many windows of time to meet with the children.  I knew my life would be intertwined with this person for better or worse.  When Andrea arrived, I could tell straightaway that there was something very special about her.  She emanated a deep sense of genuine peace which manifested in the way she spoke about people, spoke about herself, moved through the day, and even in how she ate her food.  None of it seemed affected or contrived, but easy and natural.  My curiosity moved me to inquire and she slowly answered my questions about her mindfulness practice and approach to life.  She has generously and warmly sat with me and guided me through a learning process that is based on creating conditions for self-discovery rather than pedantic instructor-inflating lecturing.  This approach has fostered the start of real learning and real transformation.  She has helped to connect this practice to my faith, my fears, my relationships, and every other issue I bring up.  God is using this teacher to ground me in the perfect method, knowing absolutely that nothing else would work.  I have been prepared through various experiences in my journey here and from my beginning to receive the lessons I'm learning now, and these lessons are preparing me for what's ahead.  I am learning that things are as they are and I can move through life with more peace knowing that.  I don't know if I will ever be able to fully express how grateful I am to this beautiful teacher (/friend I can laugh for hours with) and to God for placing her in my life at this moment so perfectly, but I only hope I can continue to be a diligent student.

Thank you dear friends for continuing to follow my journey!

Love from Sandema,
Tippy