Above is our Africa Team this year from Kansas!
Nicole Guthrie, Holly Heyroth, Chelsey Herzet, Yours Truly, and Jordan McFall
Day 16 – June 23, 2009 – Tuesday
This morning I awoke and had an egg for breakfast. I then went back to my room and had one nice cookie with peanut butter. Today has been kind of a dizzy day and I am trying to add protein but I think it just may be the heat. No shower for Chelsey and I today – not enough water unless we use Dasani. Oh well, what is one day right? I am sure the flies will love us!
We, as a group, decided that we would like to read a book out loud together so we are reading “Sex God” by Rob Bell. So far it is very good. I love how much time I have for reading while being here. We have the opportunity to take whatever time we would like to do things to keep our soul soaring!
After that we departed for the orphanage. Once there nothing much was going on. The Kansan group headed to the back office room and started going through each of the orphans files to find their birthdays. It was quite the experience to look through their files which included old pictures, facts such as how they ended up at the orphanage, if their parents had died, been killed, were too poor, or just fled. We also got to see what their dreams and hobbies were. Although some of the children had birthdays written on their documents, many did not. Some had a year but no month or day. I couldn’t imagine not knowing the day of my birth. God is starting a movement in my heart of what I have no idea of the contents yet.
After that I went to the book shelf and started looking around. I found a show that I had watched growing up, “Brother Bear.” I pulled it off the shelf and soon had a little one looking over at me. Her name is Rhobi and she read the entire book out loud to me. There were four small books within the book and I asked her after each book if she would like to stop but she was determined we were going to finish the book and we did! I felt so proud to help her read words and sound them out. We both felt great achievement when she would remember how to say a word that was a few pages back. “L”’s seemed to come quite hard for her but we accomplished the word “fly” after a good few tries. I tried to explain what a birthday was (since it was in the book) and she didn’t know when it was…how sad. I feel everyone should have the knowledge of their birthday at their fingertips if they do not know it. I have most definitely made a friend.
After reading I led us out to the main area where I knew painting was taking place. We each sat down and started to paint. She painted a beautiful flower and I painted a butterfly. The butterfly was the kind I was taught when younger how to fold the page in half, paint half of the page, and then fold it over to get the exact image on the other side. I was followed with many eyes during this process. I feel like tooting my own horn and saying that it turned out very nicely. Kippepayo means butterfly in Swahili. As soon as I was finished I had a little boy next to me copying my picture – how cute! I will add a picture later of the results of both paintings. Peter Michael was the child who made me smile by doing that.
After that I made a new good friend by tickling him. His name is Vincent. We danced, jazz danced, tickled, used our strength against one another (he is pretty strong for being so young), and just had a blast. I tickle many children throughout the day and Jordan and Chelsey have been teaching the children lately that I am very ticklish so I have to be on my guard at all times.
For lunch we had rice and beans with pineapple which hit the spot! We then took some time for ourselves. I listened to the i-pod book again and eventually drifted off into a nap with the new fan we got today. We now have two fans in our room and we are very thankful. When I awoke we headed to the orphanage around 5 and had all sorts of fun. I watched some soccer (futbol) with Vincent as the older boys played and actually got kicked a pretty good one once. I have some swelling and bruising already, haha! Vincent and I have a constant tickle/wrestle contest going on where we compare our strength. In a couple more days he might actually be able to beat me at the age of around 10. Sheesh! J I then danced with various people and received many happy hugs. Jordan and I had to get Bebe (grandmother) at one point to help us get rid of four random guys out front of the orphanage. After the stories of random men in the town we are all on our guard…especially when they are talking to our girls.
Once we got that taken care of the fun began again. Lucy invited me to play some checkers with her (made out of soda tops!). I was doing a pretty good job at beating her until Joseph Charles came over and started helping her. They have a different way of playing here in Africa and soon we were almost even. William came up and gave me a hug and I asked him to help me with the new rules and playing. We made a pretty good team and gave Joseph a run for his money…haha. He is a pretty competitive boy so it was funny to see him losing. Rhobi came over after a little while and also helped me which was perfect timing because five minutes later us Kansans had to leave due to it getting dark. I received many good bye hugs – about three each from my kids J and took off feeling so loved.
Their hugs feel like home. When I am in their arms nothing in the world matters but that hug, those arms wrapped around me so tightly, and those smiles that are shining on our faces. Ten seconds down the road I looked back, waved, and said another goodbye and the promise I wish I could always make of “I’ll see you tomorrow!” Those smiles pour into my soul more than any words said. I love those children so incredibly much. When they hurt, I hurt, when they are sad, I am too with the hope of cheering them up, when they need hugs, you bet I am there. Wow. God’s love. I cannot wrap my mind of how much God loves each and every soul so incredibly much that I cannot even begin to fathom. If I feel this much for those kids, how much does He feel for me? How much pain does he feel and how He must hurt. Then again, how joyous He must feel, more than I feel even when I know I am in the middle of His will. God’s will.
After the orphanage we walked over to the hotel for cold Coke’s and a visit from Lawrence. I decided to opt out on soda and drank my tea – delicious! We got a ride home, ate a delicious meal made by Nicole (of Chipote, veggies, and fruit salad of bananas and pineapple). After that we chit chatted for a bit and now I am here at the house. Us youngans are doing a devotion while the missionaries are conversing with the pastor.
Until next time! : )
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