My Tattoo
I Have Heard and Kept it-Wisdom and Knowledge
I am a firm believer that as we go through our lives the relationships that we make and the people that we encounter along the way changes us. I believe that every person who has told me their life story or who has touched my heart in ways that are sometimes joyful and at other times heart wrenching have helped shape and mold me into who I am today. From the stories I have heard from my mother to the stories I have heard from the witches of Gambaga, these experiences and moments have made me who I am today. They have fueled my passion to continue following my dreams. The Akan people of Ghana have a symbol called ntesie-mate masie, which translates into I have heard and kept it. It is the symbol of wisdom and knowledge. It is tattooed on my left forearm, so I will always remember the stories, the encounters, and the relationships that have impacted my life. Therefore, I would like to use this blog to share their stories or actually lets say—share our stories—in order to give credit to the people who have been lanterns (solar powered lanterns) lighting my path during moments of utter darkness. A path that has led me on an amazing journey to the Global Social Benefit Fellowship, where I will have the opportunity to work with the social enterprise, Solar Sister, in Uganda. But first, I feel it is important to share some of the experiences that are truly responsible for guiding me to the place I currently am today. So, let us reminisce…
Carry the Message
There are many stories that have changed my life, but there are two that have impacted me the most. I try to live my life by the messages these two tales depict. I know that these stories have been extremely influential in the decisions I have made, which have led me to where I am today.
Throughout my life, my father would always read me the book: A Message to Garcia, by Elbert Hubbard. If he asked me to do something and I copped an attitude with him or asked why I was the one that had to do it, my father would sit me down and pull out his warn copy of A Message to Garcia. It is a message that I have kept with me my entire life:
When war broke out between Spain & the United States, it was very necessary to communicate quickly with the leader of the Insurgents. Garcia was somewhere in the mountain vastness of Cuba- no one knew where. No mail nor telegraph message could reach him. The President must secure his cooperation, and quickly.
Someone said to the President, “There’s a fellow by the name of Rowan will find Garcia for you, if anybody can.”
Rowan was sent for and given a letter to be delivered to Garcia. How “the fellow by the name of Rowan” took the letter, sealed it up in an oil-skin pouch, strapped it over his heart, in four days landed by night off the coast of Cuba from an open boat, disappeared into the jungle, & in three weeks came out on the other side of the Island, having traversed a hostile country on foot, and delivered his letter to Garcia, are things I have no special desire now to tell in detail.
The point I wish to make is this: McKinley gave Rowan a letter to be delivered to Garcia; Rowan took the letter and did not ask, “Where is he at?” By the Eternal! there is a man whose form should be cast in deathless bronze and the statue placed in every college of the land. It is not book-learning young men need, nor instruction about this and that, but a stiffening of the vertebrae which will cause them to be loyal to a trust, to act promptly, concentrate their energies: do the thing- “Carry a message to Garcia!”
Everyday, I try to live my life like Rowan. I try to Carry the Message.
The next story is about my hero—my father. My father is an amazing man. He is an amazing husband, father and neurosurgeon. He has always been known to treat his patients like family. When I was twelve-years-old my father came home from work with a pair of knitted rainbow oven mitts. I thought they were awesome and asked my mama if one of my father’s patients had made them for him. It wouldn’t be a surprise to me if one of his patients had given him the oven mitts as a gift, because he was always coming home with different heartfelt thank-yous. What my mama would say next would change my life forever:
She asked me if I knew why my father received the oven mitts from his patient’s wife. I shook my head no. She went on to tell me that my father took the oven mitts in exchange for the money that he was owed for the numerous brain surgeries he performed that saved her husband’s life. I asked her why. She simply answered, “Because your father is a good man.” Later that night, I asked my father the same question. His answer was incredibly inspiring. It would be my motivation forever. My father smiled and said:
Because Victoria, God has blessed me with a talent that very few people possess. So, it is my job—no matter what—to help those who cannot help themselves. I have been given a gift. It is not about the money, Victoria. It is about the people.
My father knew that this older couple could not afford to pay him for the surgeries, but to him that didn’t matter. From that day forward, I made it my life goal to spend my days helping those who could not help themselves. Five years later I would be journeying with my father to Africa to volunteer at a children’s hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
My Father and One of His Passions
Ntesie-Mate Masie. These stories will forever be in my heart.
My Guardian Angels of Tanzania
When I was seventeen-years-old, I was a lost high school student. I was graduating at the end of the year and I had no motivation to leave Bend, Oregon, no motivation to go to college, and honestly no motivation to finish out my last year of high school. I was lost. My parents decided that they needed to wake me up. Their answer?… Africa! I would be spending a month in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania volunteering in a children’s hospital, while my father volunteered operating. The doctors, nurses, and the children and their families were some of the most caring and wonderful people I had ever met in my life. My experience volunteering in Tanzania is hard to put into words, but I will do my best…
I have always noticed that when people tell me about their lives, there is always one pivotal moment that changed their life forever. For me it was working at the Muhimbili children’s ward in Dar. I only spent a month volunteering in the children’s ward, but it was one of the hardest things I have had to do in my life.
My Father Treating a Patient
The first day I walked into the children’s ward it was hard to believe that what I saw was reality. So many beautiful babies around me were terribly sick and what made it worse was there were not enough doctors to take care of them all. It was one of the hardest and saddest things I have ever witnessed in my life. To this day, even after traveling and volunteering in many other regions of Africa, I have never been so affected by such poverty and hardship in my life. Watching a child die is something I would never wish on anyone. And watching a child die that could have been saved, is something that I pray no one ever has to witness. I had never felt so helpless in my life. What made it worse is that while I was busy feeling helpless by the loss that encompassed me, the beauty of life still lived on around me, but I refused to open my eyes to it. Yes, their child being sick or their child passing away devastated parents, but they didn’t stop living. It was a lesson that took me a long time to learn and to understand. Even today, it is hard for me to talk about the experiences I went through in Tanzania.
Two Brothers at the Children’s Ward
When I first came back home to the States, I was really angry. I couldn’t understand WHY and HOW this happened to such innocent and beautiful children. I felt so incredibly guilty that I forgot the most important lesson the mothers taught me—that we must celebrate life and learn from it. The children’s mothers would continued to live their lives, because they knew their babies were in a better place and they wanted to celebrate their child’s life, not mourn it. For a while, this made no sense to me. For the first few months I was home, I was angry that the people around me could not understand what I had gone through and what I had seen. I was seventeen. I had seen poverty. I had seen death and I was hurting. It wasn’t until I watched my father give a talk at a dinner about his volunteer work in Tanzania that the hurt began to go away. While talking about the people who touched his life in Dar, my father began to cry. It was the first time I had ever seen my father cry and at that moment a huge weight lifted off my chest. I realized I wasn’t alone. I wasn’t crazy for being sad and it wasn’t crazy that I felt like I had so much more to give. It was as if God had finally given me an answer or at least a push in the right direction. On that night, four years ago, I made a promise that has been the determining factor for many of the decisions I have made in my life. I vowed to continue helping wherever and whenever I could.
It is hard to talk about the children I cared for in Tanzania, but I truly think about them all the time. When I was in the dark and needed a light, it was the children from Muhimbili, my guardian angels that lit the way for me. It was these beautiful people, the children and their families that are responsible for teaching me: to never stop dreaming, believing and hoping. To never stop smiling, to never want but rather give and to never judge. I have learned more from them than they have from me. I will never forget those who have blessed me with their presence and showed me the value of life. I thank them for they have opened my eyes. Ntesie-mate masie. I will always remember my guardian angels of Tanzania. If it was not for you my life would have turned out very differently. I might never have gained a brother.
My Guardian Angels
Ben Akobila Awiire Yundt and His Forever Family
Many people that have adopted children will tell you that it is important to refer to the adopted family as the forever family. My little brother Ben will have had many families in his lifetime (biological, foster and orphanage), but my family will be his forever family. Here is Ben and his forever family’s story…
In 2011, I spent a semester abroad in Ghana. After the promise I made, I knew I was destine to study abroad in Africa. I studied at the University of Ghana. Also while there, I interned at Beacon House orphanage. When I was accepted to study abroad in Ghana, little did I know that I would not only be leaving Ghana with the best experience of my life, but I would also be leaving with a new addition to the Yundt family.
Beacon House was founded in 2005. The founder, Romana Testa, established the organization in Accra, Ghana. Currently, it is a registered NGO in Ghana, the United Kingdom and the United States. Beacon House is a shelter for orphaned and ‘at risk’ children aged zero to thirteen who must leave their native environment because of death, poverty and disease. Beacon House’s mission states that the NGO aims to: “Provide a family atmosphere that meets the physical, social, educational and emotional needs of orphaned and vulnerable children who often have disabilities or life threatening illnesses and to provide educational opportunities to ‘at risk’ children and work opportunities to single mothers and their families through special projects, scholarship sponsoring and trade training.” Beacon House is a shining beacon of hope in an often-hopeless world.
My Kids From Beacon House (Ben is on my right)
Working at Beacon House was one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had in my life. But, it also came with plenty of hardships. I became extremely close to the children at the orphanage and leaving them is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I spent almost every day with the children. I would be at the orphanage before my classes and after my classes. I helped teach them how to write letters, how to swim and even how to speak English. I picked them up for school, put them down for naps, and was there when they woke up. I was there when they met their new families for the first time and I was also there when they were ready to open up about the loss of their biological families. I was there for a child’s first day at Beacon House and I was there to say goodbye when it was their last. We became this little family, and like in any family, it was hard to see a member leave and it was even harder to be that member who left everyone behind. It is a personal battle that I have had to deal with. I miss my babies every day. But, I also know that Romana has done an amazing job in getting the children adopted and before I left I knew that only a few of the children did not have families waiting for them. When I was working at Beacon House one of these children was Ben Akobila Awiire.
My Brother Ben
Ben is 8 years old, making him one of the oldest at Beacon House. Ben had two best friends that he loved like brothers, but the problem was that his two best friends had been adopted and would be leaving Ben. Ben is one of the best kids I have ever met in my life. The way he takes care of and loves his fellow brothers and sisters at the orphanage would melt anyone’s heart. It was surprising that he wasn’t getting adopted. One day I was talking to Romana, the founder, and Mary, the volunteer coordinator, about Ben. They told me that Ben had begun to realize that his friends were leaving him and that he did not have a family. This crushed me. Romana and Mary never came out and asked me if my family would be willing to adopt Ben. Honestly, they had no idea what my family was like, but when I left Beacon House to go home for the day, I had a feeling that the right thing to do was to ask my parents if they were interested in making room for another child. My parents had four children already and I knew that this was a long shot, but I proceeded anyway. I always knew that my mama had wanted five kids, but because of complications with her last pregnancy she made the decision that Colton would be her last. I decided to call her first. If I could talk anyone into adopting, it would be her. Before I could even get out the entire question, she had already said of course and that she would ask my father. I will never forget the joy in my mama’s voice that day. It was like she had been waiting for this all of her life and her prayers had finally been answered. I still knew though that my father had to agree to it as well, and that it was very unlikely for him to say yes. Boy, could I have been anymore wrong! The next day, I received a call from home. It was both of my parents on the same line. All my father said was “If there is a child in need of a home, we have a home to give.” Click. Then I just heard my mama’s tears.
From that day forward it has been a very hard, long and extremely emotional journey. I was in Ghana when my family was approved by Beacon House to adopt Ben. I was the one to call home and tell my family that Romana and Mary were thrilled to have finally found Ben the perfect family. More tears. I also had to say goodbye to Ben before we could tell him he was going to be adopted into my family (for legal reasons). Watching him cry, because he thought I was never coming back was so heartbreaking that when I think about it today I still tear up. But rest assured, Ben knows now and is happier than ever. There is still much more left to do before Ben will be safe and sound at home with his parents and big brothers. It will not be an easy road, but it is a road that I would walk again and again to get the seventh member of my family home. Ben has changed my life forever. I have never known love like this in my life. I think about Ben when things are hard or when I wish my life was a little easier. I think of my little brother who has never had a bed to call his own or who has gone through things that not even a grown man could handle. I thought of him when I was filling out my application for the Global Social Benefit Fellowship. In my heart, I know that it was the thought of Ben that helped push me to go for this fellowship. I want Ben to always be proud of where he comes from and I want him to learn how important it is to go back to your roots and to help your community. Therefore, I hope that my family and I can always be good role models for Ben. For now though we just hope that we can be the family he so much deserves–his forever family.
