Katie Hiller

Listen to Katie’s original piece, inspired by her time in Tanzania

My life might not look drastically different than it did when I took off from Chicago to leave the country for the first time in the summer of 2023, but the experience of spending three weeks in Mlali, Tanzania changed my heart forever. When most people sign up for the trip, they go expecting to do a noble act of charity, aiding children in dire need of assistance and love, and I was no different. While it is true these kids do need a lot of help doing basic daily tasks – walking, using the bathroom, and eating – the joyful, tenacious, and generous way in which they love is unmatched. Their unrestrained and unconditional care opened my eyes to a new depth of self-giving. It only took a few days for me to realize that it was really the kids serving me. They gave me more than I ever could ever even hope to give back in the simple ways they found joy in the midst of suffering. This project is the least I can do for all that the kids have done for me. Mungu Akubariki! 

There is so much to love in this place and if it’s not the African hospitality and colorful culture, or the mountains with green growth and orange dirt, or the Franciscan brothers inviting you into their life with joy and song, or the front porch which is a front row seat to the epic Lion King sunrises and intimate heart to hearts; then surely it will be the kids, the children with their love and their warm smiles, that draw you deeply into the Divine Heart of God the Father and set your little heart free.