Today was the last day in the village that we started at this week. This village was much smaller with much less people. Although it was a smaller village, we enjoyed ourselves very much. Because there weren't as many people, we got to spend more time with the local people and develop some relationships. Kris immediately found a couple of kids that followed her around for the two days. They cried when we left...it was sad. They didn't want to say goodbye. We played with the school kids a lot today. We built an obstacle course for them to go through, told the creation story and drew pictures on the chalk board and even got the adults to play "Duck, duck, goose!" We also saw over 400 patients today...which is amazing! This village has a long way to go but their new latrine and fresh water well that were dedicated over these last two days will be the first steps in bring better health to these people. The village was so grateful when we left. They sang songs to the Lord and danced and clapped with joy over the treatment that they have received. As a departing gift, they gave us a Goat, some plaintains and oranges.
On our way back to our hotels, a small group of us got dropped off downtown in the market. We bought some fabric and joked and laughed with the locals all the way back. We even stopped at a local Ice Cream vendor and cooled ourselves down with some vanilla ice cream...YUMMY! It's amazing to see how the local people treat us. They are so kind. We get lots of smiles and waves. All of the little kids start yelling "Abroni!" which means "white person." It's really cute. They want to come up to us and touch our skin. There are some that have never seen anybody like us before. We also got a good little rain storm to cool us off this afternoon...it was fantastic. As we get closer to the end of the trip, every moment becomes something to remember. We also have to be careful to look ahead towards returning home. Sometimes we get tired and drained and have to remind ourselves that we have a lot left to give. We have had an individual with us these last two days from Sierra Leon. He is a radio guy that is also looking to do some medical work so he is shadowing us to see what we are doing so that he can take back some ideas. He shared something with us last night that struck me as very special. He said that when he was a boy, he grew up in a similar village to what we are going to now and he was in elementary school. He remembers a group of missionaries that visited his village, just like us. Although it was a long time ago, he still remembers that those people came and that they had a significant impact on his life and a part of who he is today. He emphasized that "the things we are doing now will have everlasting effects on the lives of those that we are in contact with!" What a reminder to us to make sure that we start each day with the same energy that we did when we got here over 2 weeks ago. Each day, there is a new soul that we will touch. God is giving us amazing opportunities and we need to make the effort to take advantage of those.
Prayer - Lord, it has been a great day. Please give us a great nights sleep so that we are ready to start in a new village tomorrow with a new energy and passion for these people. Continue to keep us safe and open the hearts of those that we will be in contact with for the next couple of days. Your will be done. Amen.
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