Karibu Sana!!

:D You're very welcome here!!!


oh man! we're learning SO much Swahili!! :D it's fantastic!!!
we've learned many greetings, we've learned what different household items are, different types of people (children, child, white person, white people) we've learned how to bargain at the markets! :)

We are having the time of our lives.

This week has been intense. Day before yesterday, we went to the orphanage at Himo, called Kilimanjaro Kids Care, where they have 22 watoto (children.) 4 of them are in secondary school (high school) and the rest go to a primary school. We got to make jewelry with them and got to read with them too. We read a page, they read a page. There are some fantastic readers there!

Before we went, we had the option of reading some profiles on the kids there, and I read a few, but couldnt handle much more.
One boy that was found hadnt eaten in four days when they found him, and he was literally petrified of people. He vomited when he ate a piece of bread for the first time, because he was so malnourished. Now, he is one of the most outgoing, pleasant, joyful kids there. He was so very affectionate and loved all the attention!

We spent hours at the orphanage, and i got to play guitar and we sang a few songs with them. They sang some of there's, too!! :D

Afterwards, 5 of the kids got to come back to the house we're staying in and spend the night with us!!! They are the most adorable watoto! Christina, Upendo, Mary, Stanley(Mpwenda) and Ino(Innocent... i love that name...)

It was incredible to spend time with these children, and learn about their culture and how they live.
They had never seen a shower, and were AMAZED when they saw how it worked. They were jumping up and down with excitement!!

The little girls were running around in our tshirts and trousers (you cant say pants here, cause that means undies!!) We ate dinner, which consisted of Salad, Banana Stew (tasted like beef stew, but no meat) some mangoes, passion fruit, oranges, bread and pasta. The kids ate and ate whatever they were allowed. I just wanted to give them everything! One girl in particular, Christina, who was the little jokester of the group, would eat ANYTHING that was edible!! Literally!! :D such a little actress!

We were all shocked to learn their ages from 10-14, and they all looked around 6-8... they are SO small!! I will be posting some pictures next time we have internet access. Right now we have to go to an internet library for access, and only get a limited amount of time...

anywhoo,

We spent time playing card games with them, talking to them, laying with them, drawing with them... just time. :D it's the best thing you can spend on anyone, anyways.


The kids usually get up around 6AM to scrub the floors and do chores, then school, but today, they were going to be able to sleep until 8!

........................they woke up at 6:30, thus running into Theresa's room to wake her, then Cody(biggie)'s room to wake him. They let the girls sleep. (LOL)

We had a small breakfast of porridge with bananas and spices and some fruit, then off to church. We visited an Anglican church where the english speaking go (wazunugu - white people). It was interested! kinda like a catholic church, I was told.

Afterwards, we went home to eat lunch, and the three sleepyheads (alanna, lauren and cody) all slept! I wandered around, did some journalling, and helped with lunch. they got up and we ate a late lunch, then drove somewhere to give a soccer team some uniforms! I feel like we stayed there FOREVER cause it was soooo hot!!!

Afterwards we took the kids back to Himo. Said we were only going to stay 30 minutes, we ended up staying for an hour or more! Reading with them, playing with them, singing with them, loving on them! :D they soak up any attention and love they can get!

We were riding back to town when Theresa broke the news to us that we would be eating out that night... AMERICAN FOOD!!!!! WHAT!? Cody was STUPENDOUSLY ecstatic!
:) We feasted on cheeseburgers and kuku burgers. i had some kuku and chips (kuku- chicken, chips - fries)

we ended up telling our stories, how Cody and I met, (BAHAHAHA) and then Alanna and Lauren. we learned quite a bit about Theresa too.. it was awesome.

We thought we were going straight to bed when we got home, but we ended up saying up late! about 1am our time! (i know oooooo so late lol, but we are so exhausted and usually get in bed by 10.) We LOVE our home we're staying in and we LOVE our Mama Theresa! :D

Today, we were supposed to split up and two of us do laundry and two of us help deliver some desktop computers to a school, but ended up that the helper already did 99% of it, and so we only got to hand wash a few things, and hang a few things. But it was definitely a tricky thing.

hand washing, rinsing, wringing out and hanging! oh man... i definitely am not in shape for that. it was rough, and i only did it for about 20 minutes! lol. After breakfast, we ended up all going to the school and dropped off 5 desktops for the secondary school. It actually was a really amazing feeling.... these high school students have never even seen a computer, much less done any type of work on one. Theresa believes that educating the watoto will end the poverty in Tanzania. :D

It was just really cool to be able to do that. After another errand or two, we went back home, ate some lunch, then got ready to go to the market for a bit! At the market we did some grocery shopping, we visited a dress shop, where all the girls bough dresses and gifts for friends and loved ones, then we went to a nzuri sana shop (very good shop) where we got some awesome deals on gifts! I can't wait to give everyone their treasures!!!


tomorrow is Mi Precioso Cody's birthday!!!!! He will be 24! AHHHHHHH we can say "shikamo!" to him now, because he will be an elder!! BAHAHA.

We get to go to the gates of Kilimajaro, have an awesome picnic up there right at the mountain, and spend the day at the waterfalls and in the caves! WHAT A GREAT BIRTHDAY!! IN AFRICA!!!!!

We are meeting up with our other team from EITanzania tomorrow night (I presume).
It's just going to be an awesome awesome day... it's already been an awesome week.
The days kinda run together and I forget the date if I dont write in my journal every night.
It seems insane, but 9 weeks seems to me such a short amount of time.

I can't wait until the rest of our team can be here to experience this amazing place with us. I am so honored to be doing the volunteer work that we are doing, and even more honored to have recieved the prize of being able to cuddle with an African 'mtoto' or get to get my hands and feet dirty for the name and sake of Jesus Christ.

What a beautiful, beautiful thing. If I close my eyes right now, I can see the hugest grin on Christ's face right now while he holds the hands of the children that i held, right there with me. It literally makes me cry joyful tears when I remember Upendo (9 year old girl) sitting on my lap, asking me, "do you have a mother? how about a father? what about a brother? and a sister?" and i could look at those shining eyes and that big smile and those adorable dimples and say "yes to all... and YOU are my sister!"

oh the joy.


I could die a happy woman..


This is what it's about. just being the love that I have so graciously been shown and keep recieving.


i have to stop because im crying in public. :)


I hope that you all keep us and these orphans and these PEOPLE in your payers. It is truly a miracle what is happening here.

I hope, also that somehow you are making a difference where you feel moved that one is needed. I know from this moment, I will never stop.



Enjoy your day, Rafiki. (friend)


Talk to you soon!


Kwaheri!