Its a good day when you wake up with electricity! My shirt and shorts still pass the sniff test, by local standards. I washed them last Thursday but have been wearing them since we got here. (Don't worry, I do shower, use deodorant and change my underwear.)
The locals learned to make french toast yesterday so guess what they fixed today!
We are getting ready to load up and head to the build site as soon as a vehicle gets here... we'll start dragging our shelf parts as we go, trip by trip.
Last night we ate and had our usual game of Catch Phrase. Its funny what you learn when people try to give clues for a word. Apparently there was a war called the Veterans War in the US, people in Ireland wear a vest under their shirt, "coin" is pronounced "kine" there also. Apparently "korchine" rhymes with fortune... and yes, an American college student invented that word. Its a good thing we all love each other.
I tool several pictures as we went through the day and instead of jabbering, I'll post what we see most days...
These shots are a typical ride to the build in the morning.
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| The van load... like sardines. |
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| The local prison... they say you dont want to be locked up here. |
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| The road is littered with pedestrians and bicycles. |
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| Even the dirt roads going to the village... |
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| I'll be you couldn't do this... but they do it every day and this is a small load. Usually it is firewood, charcoal or sugar cane. |
Arriving at the village... they see us...
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| Doug greeting a few of the kids. |
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| I just gave this crew candy... and made some great friends. Sam is in the wheel chair, the little guy I worry about is in the back row, second from the right. He's sick. :( | | |
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It was time to put some shelf sections together and my crew that got candy showed up so Cristi and I had them hammering nails. We're on Africa time so there is no hurry... the kids loved helping us out and did a really good job. I have to say, I was proud. Its good that they feel that they contribute to their school and library.
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| This little guy needed a little help with the equipment. |
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| Sam enjoys hammering... and does a good job of it. Fingers clear, please. |
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| This little guy thought he needed to carry the rake. |
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After building the shelves and letting them hammer... and starting the day with a little candy, these two didn't want to let go of my hand. It breaks your heart when a little kid walks up to you and grabs two fingers of you hand and is just happy to stand there with you.
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| All they want is your time, your friendship, and your love. |
Glenn and Doug start glazing the windows into the front door of the library, John is working on the side windows...
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| John "The Irishman" ( I love this guy.) |
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| Glenn, or "O.G." as we now call him. (Original Gangsta) Everyday is a great day with Glenn. |
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| Doug... "Our Doug" Always a happy and helpful Doug! |
The contractor's crew finishing the pointing on the back wall and finishing the cement around the edge. This allows the water to run off without undermining the foundation of the structure. They do great work considering what they are working with!
Then we went to the village for lunch...
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| This is the Invest Resource Center at Makalani Village. |
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| Lunch Inside... |
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| Actually a very good lunch, Nsima, Beans, Potatoes, Greens (not so good), Tomato soup (I skipped that) and local tangerines, that were green, but good! |
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| Megan and company have been painting the name on the building. | |
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| Then there is time to play... |
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| This is a basketball goal, African village style. :( |
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| I played ball with this crew today, a ball made out of tightly rolled walmart bags, shown in my right hand. (Works well) They would have been happy to play it all day. I'll admit, it was fun. We made a good team. | |
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Then, leaving the kids is always kinda hard.
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| They do the Peace Sign Goodbye... |
Hug your kids, and don't forget your conversations with God.
-Dusty
Thank you for putting the pictures up, Dusty! This looks amazing, and what you all are doing is awesome. We are praying for you!
ReplyDeleteThat was awesome, seeing the pictures and seeing what you guys do as the day goes on. It really makes us feel like we were there too (kinda). Like the new, bigger pictures. I know it will be so hard to leave all of those kids. How cool that they just want to hang out with you guys. Some of our kids here just want to get away from the adults :( Enjoy your week!
ReplyDeleteJennie Z.
Thank you, thank you for posting all the pics. The pics of the kids brought tears to my eyes, especially the one of them holding on to your hand... Bless all of you for the work you are doing, especially the time you are taking to play with the children and bring smiles to their faces.
ReplyDeleteMeg, great job with the painting! I knew you'd find a way to share your love of painting:) Miss you!
Tammy, are you still there? Haven't seen any pics of you. Miss you too and can't wait to hear your stories.
Praying for a safe rest of the week and safe/smooth travels home for you all.
I saw Cindy in a picture! Can't wait to see more and hear stories. It's like an honor to hold your hand. They will never forget you all nor will you forget them.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
Debbie
Where's Max? At the disco?
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for letting us join todays journey ... the pics put thoughts, feelings and events into perspective.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog updates, too
In short: supreme
Sylvia
These pics are just amazing. You can see the light in the kids' faces. I can't imagine actually looking into their eyes and holding their hands. We're praying for protection of the children, for your special buddy that is sick, and for all of you. You really are in another world right now. I'm sure it is hard to stay positive, but embrace the change that you really are making. In building not only the structures, but the relationships. You're giving them hope.
ReplyDeleteDusty, dusty, dusty- thanks for the pictures and stories. I especially liked the one with Mayeso grabbing your neck. I have tons of pics of him. I think the kids have grown a lit in a year. Amazing the food looks good and you all look like you are fairing well. Thank you Megan for the great lettering - that was the first thing I noticed when I saw the resource center. Enjoy your time we miss you all - your loved ones are cherishing every word, picture and story. Thank you. I can't imagine how much time it took to do this. People don't understand the sacrifice you are making by posting daily and taking time away from the team and kids to keep us informed. It is the highlight of our day. Safe travels friends! Great to see Cindy, Jacquie, Linda and Sherry in the pics too! Take care
ReplyDelete