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From Tennessee to Nursing

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By: Jackie Smiley, host mother

This is a story about a young man from Liberia whose name is Lincoln Ninneh (YES 2013-2014, hosted by AFS in Nolensville, TN). Lincoln joined my family in August of 2013. He came to live with us in a small town situated south of Nashville called Nolensville, Tennessee. When he arrived, he came with only a small backpack full of his belongings and a heart filled with hope. Over the course of the year, our family grew to include Lincoln, a boy that didn’t look like us, or talk like us, but whom we loved as a family member. A brother, a cousin, a son, a grandson. When Lincoln returned home, it wasn’t very long until his country was facing a deadly Ebola outbreak. At this time, communication to anywhere outside of the country was limited at best. There were times we went weeks and even months without knowing if Lincoln and his family were alright. Luckily, he and his family were spared, and with a slight delay (of nearly a year) he returned to school to finish his final year. 

When Lincoln called to say, "Mom, I graduated!" our chests swelled with pride. Shortly after this heartwarming call, we received an email with a slightly different tone. When I opened this email, it wasn’t the typical, “Hi Mom, how are you?” It was an email filled with uncertainty but also the same hope filled heart as when I first met Lincoln five years ago. He demonstrated concern about his future. His father passed away before he came to the U.S. as an exchange student, and his mother lived in another village where she worked very hard to support herself and his young sisters. Lincoln knew that ordinarily, college would have been out of the question, but he asked anyway. “Was there any way we could help him reach his dreams?" It didn’t take long to make the decision that the cost of an education in Liberia for us, was a small price to pay for the ability to give our son through exchange, a chance at a better life. Hope for the future. But best of all, the power to use his gifts to help others.  

Lincoln Grad
Lincoln as a certified nursing student

I recently received a message from Lincoln with photos, telling me he has now been certified to be a student nurse. He still has some schooling left before he becomes a certified nurse, but he is one giant step closer to reaching his dream. It makes my heart swell with pride, that this young man will make a difference. Because of YES program, he got an opportunity to study abroad. Because of his character, he is getting an opportunity to be the change and difference in others lives as well.

Little did we know how life changing this journey would be when it began. Nonetheless, it has shaped all of our lives. We learned what true poverty was through Lincoln. We were given the chance to not only teach him our culture and lifestyle, but also to learn to see the world through the eyes of someone who knows real pain and real struggle. We got to enjoy triumphs through a new pair of eyes, and suffer great loss and devastation through them as well. We gained a new understanding of what life is all about and how one decision can be both trivial and powerful at the same time. The moment we accepted Lincoln into our lives, he became ours forever. Initially, we did not fully understand our decision to host but looking back, it was one of the most powerful decisions I have ever made.


This story was written by Jackie Smiley, and slightly edited for formatting

Read about Lincoln's health education initiative in Liberia


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