Daniel first dreamed of traveling to Africa in fourth grade. This dream was realized when he went to Zimbabwe following his graduation from Columbia University. He received a grant from the Ford Foundation to study youth development in Zimbabwe. At that time, Zimbabwe had been independent for only four years, following 15 years of conflict between Zimbabwe’s Black liberation movements and the country’s white minority population.

The night before he was to leave on his nine-month journey, he learned that his housing and teaching position had not been finalized. Faced with deciding between staying in the U.S. or traveling, not knowing what he would face when he arrived. He decided to travel to Zimbabwe with his luggage and this card (below) from a friend, Penny Andrews, who knew someone living in Zimbabwe. Penny asked her friend if Daniel could stay at his home for “a night or two.”

Upon arriving in Zimbabwe and going to the address on the card, Daniel found that no one was home. Daniel went next door to find out when Penny’s friend would return. The neighbor, an older white man, told Daniel that no one would be there for a month. The neighbor invited Daniel to stay with him and his family during that time. The neighbor was from Hollywood, California; Daniel grew up in Compton, California, not far from Hollywood.

The lesson Daniel learned from this experience is that faith can be the difference between achieving your goal and giving up.