chasing the bus

this has been one crazy week for me. let me just say though, the lord was with me the entire time.

so yesterday was shoe day again! this week was much smoother because I was group number 9! (which is by far the best number in the world) so i got in early, although it was a little disappointing because lots of the boys wanted different shoes than what they were given. overall though the ended up happy with the shoes they got. Then we went into the community called Flame Waterfall. ok i've never seen anything like this place. well actually it kind of resembled liberty hill a little because it was just land and farming and crops growing everywhere. but the houses these boys live in is ridiculous. they're literally made out of mud/clay and the roofs were just a bunch of straw tied together. it made my heart drop seeing the conditions they have to live in. No wonder all of them are sick from drinking contaminated water.

I actually got a bit harrassed in the village. we were trying to head back because we were already late and we went through this man's garden wrong and he started yelling at us. then he kept pointing at me saying muzungu this and muzungu that (i obviously only caught the fact that he was calling me a white person). so i have two partners, Moses and Karine. Moses completely left me and went and sat down because he wasn't feeling well and Karine is literally just being a translator. I mean this guy is going on and on about how white people come in saying they help but then they just leave and he started asking for money. Karine just translates everything. I was getting frustrated because she should have just said no i can't give any money nor do i have any! and then all of a sudden the man starts coming toward me making fist motions and Karine translates he wants to fight me. thanks karine i think i figured that one out. Luckily my partner from last week had come so he jumped in and we just walked away.

finally we make it to the bus.. and if i hadn't mentioned before.. my back had been hurting pretty much all day but it was a dull pain so i just kind of brushed it off thinking it was just from being in africa for three weeks now. by this point, i'm actually in a lot of pain but there wasn't anything i could do about it for another hour or so because we were driving around picking up other people. and moses was complaining for enough people so i didn't really want to be another burden. finally when we got back to the villa i just went and lay in my bed. after a while the pain was pretty bad on my left kidney. it was so bad that jodi had to run and go get help. I was given some pain killers and skipped dinner last night just trying to sleep. but apparently everybody at dinner (60+ people) were praying for me so that was really awesome when i was told that this morning. well it was a pretty restless sleep but i woke up feeling a little better. exhausted but better. There was no way i was skipping the last day of camp. although susan thought it would be a good idea to go to the clinic, i just couldn't imagine not being with my kids. so i get to camp and right when my boys see me they come running from all the way across the field! with each hug i gave, more and more energy came to me! It seriously was the power of God because there is no other reason that I would be in less pain much less awake at that point.

my boys are obviously pretty energetic so they want to play tag and futbol and all of these running games. I made it through tag but that was about all i could handle today. I did have to go run and get some advil from jodi because my back was starting to be in pain again. but then when i got to the big room and we're doing the songs and they're getting their bags it was gone!

One thing thats just really cool about the whole experience is how much YOU get out of it. On thursday when you go to their community, you leave the kids there and as you take off, they all are chasing the bus trying to say bye one last time. That's how much of an impact you have in their lives. that's how much they need you. After 4 days of knowing you, they can't stand to part with you. But as they leave camp on friday, it's me who was chasing the bus. That's how much of an impact they have on my life. thats how much I need them. After 4 days of knowing them, I can't stand to part with them.

I got to see Kelvin one last time today. He has actually been sick all week so i haven't seen him much lately, but he came by camp to say bye. He wrote me a letter that was so precious. He said how hard it was for him seeing me here and not getting to be my partner which was cool in a way because it's good to know that the feeling was mutual. i miss him already!

anyways i'm back at the villa now just thinking about leaving in 8 hours. I can say with complete honesty that i'm not ready to go. Yes american food would be soooooo incredibly amazing right now. my mouth is literally watering just thinking of having a good burger. but I would give it all up to stay.

theme for next year: chimwewe. meaning joy. What a sweet blessing to get to teach these kids the joy God's love brings them. it's so perfect.

well i'm still not up to par physically so hopefully I get a little sleep in before we head out in the morning.

bittersweet ending to an amazingly sweet journey.

zonana pa sunday family! (see you on sunday family!)