When I traveled to Zambia, Africa a couple months ago I met a ton of awesome people. But there was one person in particular that I met who I will never forget. His name is Deo and he is a native Zambian. He is 27, and has lived in Zambia all his life. He grew up in what is called the compound, a very poor living environment where the vast majority of the Zambians live in that area. The “houses” are made of self baked bricks that the natives make out of clay and the roof is usually scrap sheet metal. There is no plumbing, so any water they can get is very poor quality. Due to the poor quality of life and lack of real jobs there is a lot of alcoholism and use of makeshift drugs. So this is the environment Deo grew up in. Despite this rough upbringing, he went to school, finished all the way through grade twelve and through some connections with the missionaries, was able to get a job at the Abbas heart boys ranch where he works as the outreach director in the street boys ministry. The amazing thing about Deo is his attitude. Even though he has a solid job he still lives in a very small clay hut, with no plumbing or amenities, and has the best attitude about everything and always has a smile on his face! Such a stark contrast to our American culture of luxury and complaining when we don’t get what we want when we want it. I was always so amazed at Deo’s professionalism also. It was rainy season when we went to Africa, so the ground is always muddy or extremely dusty. But it didn’t matter to him, he still wore his best clothes every day. And no matter what the situation, if something didn’t go according to plan he still never complained and had a positive attitude. I learned a lot about my self and how selfish I can be and how much I take for granted what I have form just being around Deo. He made me strive to be a better person that others can look at and think, “What does he have that I don’t?”