Soul food
You may have noticed a growing group of tired but happy people huddled at the back of the 10am congregation at Pittwater Uniting Church. Lee-Anne Borrow is one of them. This group consists of fathers juggling babies, mothers rocking prams and tiny little people learning to crawl.
Lee-Anne's youngest son, Sam, runs with the crawling crowd, while older brother, Timmy dazzles the Tiny Tots crew with his big blue eyes. Lee-Anne loves being a mum; " It has improved my patience and expanded my joy". Not only is she an exceptional mother (witnessed by this experienced writer), but she works part-time in clinical research. Lee-Anne is a fully fledged Nutritionist. Her love of food drew her to this profession and she practices what she preaches. The healthiest way to eat, according to Lee-Anne is the 80:20 idea; "80% of the time eating healthy, fresh, whole foods, then 20% of the time, eating for enjoyment."
Such foody pleasures can be found at the post-church morning teas at Pittwater. Lee-Anne and husband, John, have been enjoying those delightful morsels for ten months now. They have joined the ever expanding army of young families at Pittwater which they have found a "very welcoming environment." Pittwater is blessed to have the Borrows in our community. Scratch below the surface of this little unit and you will find more than just your average northern beaches family.
John is a trained maritime officer and Lee-Anne, as we know, a Nutritionist. With these skills in hand, they embarked on a four month stint in South America aboard one of the Mercy Ships. Since 1978 this organisation has been sending floating hospitals to the poorest of the poor; 150 ports throughout the Third World. For Lee-Anne and John these four months somehow turned into eighteen months. On their return to Australia Timmy was born. With infant in tow, they returned to Mercy Ships for two years travelling around Africa.
Lee-Anne recalls meeting one girl who became pregnant after being raped. She was on the ship waiting for a fistula operation. Like many women in her state, this girl was devastated. She was malnourished and unresponsive. Eventually through love, persistence and the smiles of little Timmy, this girl regained her strength and found healing. She left with a care package to remember that somewhere in the world were people and more importantly a God who loved her. This is the vision for Mercy Ships; "Following the example of Jesus, Mercy Ships brings hope and healing to the forgotten poor".
The overall Mercy Ships experience for Lee-Anne was mixed; "It was hard seeing people without hope but inspiring meeting people who have allowed God to change them.". Being a mum on the ship also brought it's challenges as she was limited to how much she could contribute. Compared to the previous voyage, Lee-Anne was not as free to help out as much as she had before. However, she had Timmy with her which brought it's own blessings to the ship's patients.
Lee-Anne now misses the unity of the Mercy Ships community; "There were so many people in one place with a common vision of being God's love in action." This vision is now being enacted in her present calling; a mum to her two beautiful boys. The Borrows' feet are firmly on northern beaches soil with no solid plans to resume their work in Africa.
Currently, Lee-Anne's is challenged to grow in God; " I am inspired for my ‘lifesong to sing to God' (to steal a line from a Casting Crowns song). Whether it be in how I am a wife, a mother, a friend, a manager, a colleague, I want to remain transparent and a person of integrity." Lee-Anne Borrow has an incredible heart, a wealth of experience and wisdom beyond herself. She is humble and compassionate; a welcome new addition to our church family.
