Visiting Irene (Part 2 of 3)

Irene’s family wanted to give gifts to me. Her mother and one sister went into the house and came out with a basket full of bananas, avocados, and eggs. This family has almost nothing more than what they are able to support their children with and here they are overflowing with generosity and love for me.

Then there is Baraka. Irene’s 7 year old brother who sat there with us the whole time as we talked about Irene and her family. At some point, as quietly as he could, he snuck away and when he reappeared he was holding 2 guinea pigs.

This little boy holding these two prized possessions startled me for a few moments. After the initial shock wore off I realized that he was offering them to me. This was a gift he was giving to me.

Now when I see guinea pigs, I just see rodents. I am not an animal lover by nature. I’m sorry to those of you who are, but if I pet your cats and dogs, it’s not because I want to, but because I feel obligated. When I saw that those guinea pigs were a gift for me I knew I had to suck it up and receive them because this little boy was offering what he had.

Later that evening we took Irene and three other students into town to go out for pizza. Irene leaned over to me with the biggest smile on her face and she said, “My brother saw you at church and he knows who you are and he was so happy to have you come to our home.”

Nobody told him to do it. He had the idea from his own heart. His name, Baraka, means “blessing” and this little boy exudes blessing.

Don’t worry, I’m not bringing home the guinea pigs. There is this nice tradition in Tanzania that if you are offered something you can’t keep, you say, “I accept your gift and thank you, but I would like to leave this gift in your care.”

Whew! I can now say that I own two guinea pigs. I named them “Michael” and “Greg” and they are staying in Tanzania in the care of 7 year old Baraka Urassa.