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The person who made the biggest impact on my life!

 We all have great people whom we consider being highly inspirational and influential to look upon. In my case, when asked about the person who made the biggest impact on my life, I do not require looking at celebrities or any other big influential names in society, I just have to turn around and she is there. The truth is, she has always been there for me. There have been a lot of people who have made an impact in my life but the one person who has significantly influenced my values, beliefs, and my overall growth as a person especially in the area of my walk with Christ is Lynn Elliot.

 Popularly known as Mama Lynn, the founder of Light in Africa Children’s Homes located in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. She is the person I admire the most in the world. The person who made the biggest impact on my life. She is the woman who taught me deep valuable messages such as love, integrity, hard work, creativity, providing as much love as she could, which was a lot given the circumstances, and for stepping up as the warrior mother when I was in dire need of protection. She is the woman who took me in and raised me from the age of nine to the man I am today. Lynn Elliot is an excellent example when it comes to selfless love toward the needy and the broken-hearted. She is an extraordinary person in my life because of her enduring strength that I dearly admire, and she is also kind as well as supportive. I have learned valuable lessons in life from her, in particular, her hard-working nature, intelligence, and most of all, selflessness.

One thing I most admire about her is her strength, which appears to be resistant throughout hard times. She has managed to raise more than two hundred children, all in her care and supervision, providing each one with a nutritious meal, good health, a life filled with opportunities, and education, while still balancing her mission work and service to the surrounding community. Sometimes running a nonprofit, especially children's homes where all children depend on you for their spiritual and physical needs can be tough and stressful, especially when it comes to financial instability where you are forced to engage in other strategies to extend income to take care of the children. I hold great admiration for her because of her determination, how she never backs down, and the way she stands up for what she believes in, no matter the hardships that come along.

She is a woman of prayer in times of need. One of the greatest lessons I learned from her was to always know and believe that God will provide for our needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus. She would always remind me of Psalm 24, telling me that the God we serve and believe owns everything we have known on this earth, and He is willing and ready through Jesus Christ His son to bless those who depend and believe in Him. When there was a need, she would always fast and pray, and believe it or not, her prayers were always answered. In every answered prayer that she prayed, my faith continued to grow. I learned through her that, God does answer our prayers when we pray with faith. God does provide for our needs when we faithfully depend on Him. God provides just enough of what we truly need at the right time. Indeed, her prayer life and dependability on God have inspired my daily walk with God. Through her, my faith in Jesus grew each day.

When it comes to her outlook, many will tell you that she has a striking appearance, but behind this, she is very alluring, admirable, and kind. At first, one can conclude that she is a blunt and cold person because of her quiet nature, but after knowing her, she turns out to be a sweet, friendly, warm-hearted, gentle, supportive, and generous person. She has been a dedicated individual in community health through medical outreach programs. Kindness is crucial and healthy since one takes pride in caring for others who are in need, and it gives people a pleasant feeling. Thanks to her, I have grown to be a kind-hearted and deeply caring person. My heart has grown fond of seeing those in need succeed and live a positive life. I believe that it's upon me to help those in need whenever I am capable just as she has been doing. This is a very special character that she installed in me starting from a very early age.

I am lucky to have her, she is someone who always supports me no matter my misgivings. No matter the activity I am in or the decision I make, she is still there for me to give me advice and encouragement, but at the end of the day, she is at all times by my side. I had a difficult time adapting to my first year in technical school, and I almost quit, but she listened to my grievances, and with her support, I managed to finish my technical training. Her supportive character has given me the strength to endure a lot of challenging situations in life as well as learn a lot about what life has to offer. She is an encouragement to me, my strength available in times of need. Her experiences in life have taught me that I could accomplish anything that I want if I worked hard for it and commit all my ways with faith unto the Lord. More importantly, her struggles during the early days of starting an organization have also taught me to be more thankful for the current things I have in my life and to not look for things that I don’t have.

Special people like her exist to make our lives better and to mold us to become a better version of ourselves. Mama Lynn is a strong-spirited person, kind-hearted, has unbreakable strength, and is very supportive. Words are not simply enough to describe my admiration and my love for her. Despite the odds stacked against her, she was able to emerge triumphant through her hard work and successfully raise and provide for a child who she was not even related to or knew. This is the reason why she has made such a significant impact on my life. Being a selfless person is not easy in today’s world, but she has inspired me to live up to biblical standards. Furthermore, she set a wonderful example to me and the other children who grew up at the homes by being selfless and sacrificing for the sake of others.

Over the years, I have learned a lot through her character and thoughts, which have molded me into the caring, decent, and brilliant man I am today. The story of her life made me feel blessed and at the same time motivated to emulate her diligence, perseverance, and work ethic. The people around us turn out to be the best role models, and in my walk with Christ, she has been a role model.