Africa ~ A story in five parts

An amazing man I know was raised in a tiny, dusty corner of Nevada. As he grew, one of the great desires of his heart was to visit Africa. So, when he was about 18 years old, he did just that. He took the incredibly long journey from America to the beautiful continent of Africa. He spent time learning about the world outside of where he'd grown up, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro solo, accidentally walked into several dangerous wild animal situations and captured incredible photos that would touch his posterity in the years to come.

Previously, at the age of eight years old, this man had the opportunity to be baptized as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But afterwards he had very little exposure to the Savior's gospel. But one day, while in a mountain village in Africa, he opened up the small Bible he had brought with him. He turned to the book of Matthew and started to read the Savior’s Sermon on the Mount. While he read, an overwhelming witness came to him by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. The feeling was so strong and so intense that it changed his life. He returned home and prepared to serve a mission for the church he belonged to. And in the more than sixty years since that powerful moment, he has served his Heavenly Father tirelessly and constantly—on several additional missions, in his long career in the church's translation department, in his responsibilities and callings in the Lord's kingdom, in the sacred temple and mostly in his everyday life as a quiet, humble, powerful, and valiant disciple of his Savior, Jesus Christ.

That man is my father, one of the greatest men I have ever known. He is thoughtful and loving, has the most wonderful sense of humor, is incredibly kind to everyone he meets and serves endlessly. His example and goodness bless my life constantly and an enormous part of who I am is because of what he experienced in a mountain village, on the continent of Africa, more than six decades ago.

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Almost twenty years ago and through a series of incredible experiences and miracles, another tremendous man I know made the decision to devote his life to God by serving His children in a very specific and beautiful way. When this mission began, this believing and faithful man quit his job and literally began working from a shed to provide relief to the hungry. Though there was much goodness and effort and sacrifice before this time, it was when this fine Catholic gentleman visited Malawi and heard the words of a young boy that the mission of his life became clear. The sweet boy, who was literally watching his mother die before his eyes, responded to a question about what he hoped for in his life, saying simply, "I want to have enough food to eat and to go to school one day."

Today, just twelve years since those words were uttered, more than 1.5 million children living in the world's poorest communities are fed a meal in their school every single day. This man’s effort has transformed the lives of millions of children, as well as the lives of those who love them. And there is no end in sight. 

That man is the founder of Mary's Meals and close friend of my wonderful husband (and myself by association). His name is Magnus McFarlane-Barrow and I sincerely don't know of a more humble, more devoted disciple of Jesus Christ. All he desires in life is to feed the poor and the needy children of this earth. Because that is what Christ has asked him to do.

To this day, and even with the unfathomable growth of Mary's Meals, Magnus continues to work from the shed where it all started. He says that being in that shed, long after he could have moved elsewhere, reminds him of how and why he began this work. And with an additional 57 million children still going hungry every single day, he never wants to forget.

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Just over seven years ago, an incredible man I know, was hired by an organization to help them to have more impact in their charity work toward others, to make a bigger, more meaningful difference in the world. He had worked with numerous clients in the social sector, but none of them touched his heart more than this particular organization and their mission and their goodness. He worked hard to help them further their work and to relieve a greater amount of suffering in the world. Yes, it was his job. But mostly it was a privilege.

A few months after beginning work for this organization, this good man had an opportunity to travel to Malawi and see what he was trying to help grow, up close and in action. That trip changed something in him. And as he shared about his experience, it impacted his family—especially his wife—in profound and beautiful ways. 

Sometime later, after an unexpected prompting to move across the country and begin his own social impact practice within another company, his time of consulting with the aforementioned non-profit was over. That was a hard connection to lose. But it wasn't lost for long, as very few months later this person was again contacted by the same organization and asked to serve on their international board of directors. Continuing to work closely with this group and the wonderful people involved in its mission has been one of the greatest blessings in the life of this man and his family. And that faithful and loving man has often prayed with gratitude that God's kindness would let him be associated with such a tremendous organization for so many years.

That man is my amazing husband. Jacob Allen has a servant's heart, a brilliant mind, a humility I've rarely seen in another human, a desire to do every bit of good he can in the world and a deep love for his Savior, Jesus Christ. And being allowed the privilege of associating with and helping this charity, that goes by the name of Mary Meal's, to grow in their mission to feed as many of the world's hungry children as they can, is something he doesn't take lightly. My good husband desires so much to continue to make a difference for so many of God's children around the world. And he is doing just that. It is a beautiful thing to watch. Our Father in Heaven must be so grateful for those that love His children so well.

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Just over three weeks ago, Jacob approached me with the crazy idea of traveling to Africa to be a part of a humanitarian trip that Mary's Meals would be coordinating for their staff, directors, and spouses. It felt ridiculous to even consider it and yet with zero hesitation, I heard myself respond that yes, I did want to go. 

Once the initial shock of my answer wore off (actually, I'm not sure it has yet), we realized the likelihood of everything working out in time was next to nothing. And yet, less than seven days later everything was set. Mary's Meals had space for me, my shots were administered, the visa was figured out, the (multiple) airline tickets were purchased and on and on. I've never seen anything fall into place like this did. And my incredible husband insists on being the one to stay home to take care of our children and make everything about our life happen while I am away. And whenever I start to second guess what we have decided and tell him it is too much, he replies, "I could never do too much for you. You deserve much more than this after all you have done for all of us for almost 21 years. Linny, just go and enjoy." It brings tears to my eyes just to type that. Oh, I love Jacob Allen.

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Once there was a little girl that dreamed of going to Africa. It may have been because her dad traveled there when he was young and she wanted to be like him. It may have been because she wanted to be adventurous and exciting (even though she wasn't really that type). It may have been because she wanted to be surrounded by more of her brothers and sisters around the world. It may have been all three reasons, plus several more. 

But that yearning never left her heart. And as she grew older, whenever someone asked her where she would go if he could go anywhere, she replied she wanted to visit Africa. Especially to see the children and to make sure they knew God loved them. Not necessarily in words, but more importantly, in action. She wanted this so very badly. But also knew it was likely just a dream.  

That little girl is me. And I may be several decades older, but that childhood dream has never left my heart. Today, I am on my way to Zambia. I've seldom felt so much peace about a huge decision, coupled with incredible emotion and gratitude that this could actually be happening. In all honesty, I can't wrap my mind around it no matter how close it comes for me to leave. I’m just so overwhelmed with thankfulness—for my blessings, for this trip, for the three men I told you about and their gentle and profound influence in my life. But mostly for my Savior. Who created something as beautiful as Africa and as pure and wonderful as Zambian children. And then allowed me the privilege of visiting them both.