Monday, April 5, 2010

Day 12 - Good Hope


Comments…

We have a small April Fool’s confession…all the comments posted by Mario and Zach were in fact done by Ashton and Christian. Uncle Doug still doesn’t know, but will when we read this post to him.

Shae, Thank you so much for your diligence and encouragement. It is much appreciated.

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Today was a great day! We headed out first thing in the morning to go to the Good Hope orphanage in Sombetini.

(Turns out Easter is a Celebration for Many Religions. This is a Sikh Parade in Arusha.)

We weren’t exactly sure where it was, so we met Juma and Ali (the director of Good Hope) at the Shoprite grocer! We were all excited to go in and get some treats and check out all of the goodies they have there. The food has been good here...but Chicken can only be cooked so many ways; when you are eating it two times a day. They do not eat a lot of variety here, and they do not waste…anything! So things get a little repetitive; we were excited for our grocery stop!

Back in the car with our treats in hand we headed to Good Hope. The orphanage is in the slums, and the area reminded us of the D.R.C. But, in truth it was more like the nicer areas in the Congo.


When we arrived we were immediately greeted with big smiles and hugs.




We quickly jumped right in and started reading and playing with them; it was fun showering the children with the treats we brought for them.


One little girl in particular (Rachael) was so excited about her “Bag of Blessings” that she would not put it down! She carried it everywhere with great pride.



Two of the volunteers at Good Hope were there from Australia. We decided they are saints! As mentioned earlier, the conditions there are very rough and dirty! They had been there for two weeks and had another two to go - Callie and Dio are college students on their holiday. After their time at the orphanage they will head to Greece for a cruise…they expressed how hard it will be for them to leave here, and wish they were staying longer after seeing what they’ve seen and knowing what they know!


The cooks were in the kitchen preparing a special Easter dinner for the children. They were very proud of the feast they were preparing and requested that we join them. We were getting ready to leave to meet James and Debby (Volunteers at Havileh Orphanage) for our Easter lunch, but did not want to offend them, so we all grabbed a plate and dished ourselves up a small amount to taste.


Juma let Ali know that we were meeting others for lunch, but that we would love to taste their feast! They had prepared Goat, rice, and cooked banana. Now, remember, this is in the slums; they do not have clean water there and they shop for their food at the street vendors. We feared that this meal would be introducing our bodies to all new types of bacteria!

After lunch, we said our goodbyes and then headed off to the Coffee Lodge to meet our friends for our Easter lunch. We really enjoyed our time at the Good Hope orphanage. We feel tremendously blessed by all of the little faces that have touched our hearts.

After a very enjoyable day, we headed back to the UAACC. When we arrived, we hopped right out of the car and headed to the area where the children stay and began playing with them. They were so happy to see us! We think it was one of our best nights here. We spent our last few hours with the kids reading, playing basketball and jumping rope. The cameras were left behind; we just laughed and played. We all cherished every second of our time left with these precious children that we have grown to know and love!

We’re feeling a little blue that our time is running out here…

5 comments:

  1. Well, what more can I say, another wonderful day, such beautiful children, what an amazing experience for all. I hope you didn't get sick from the food but glad you shared the meal with them as they were happy to share it with you. Leaving there is indeed going to be bittersweet, but you will return and hopefully I can join you on one of those trips. I can't wait to see you all and see all the pictures you took and hear about all the adventures you had. I love you

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  2. This trip seems to be one of the best. I can tell when Mon reads your Blog, she come down the stair and I know she is saying, I should have gone.--- I know just in the way she answers a simple question I may ask her (Shan you know what I mean)
    One thing I got out of this trip other then the beautiful people and countryside is how accepting and loving they are. I believe you all have already realized the more you do for people the better you feel.
    Thanks to Beth the next time you go back to that church their they may be clapping after special music. Thank you Beth---Beth, they will remember you for a long time. Now, while you got them you need to make them some of your Green bean almond-dean.
    Thank you all for sharing this fantastic trip with us. I know we all have a thousand question to ask you when you get back home. Stay safe, love Dad S

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  3. It looks like I have been slacking & not keeping up since I have lost some of my comments along the way...not sure where they went? I claim the computer is at fault & is working at times independently. Have you heard that before Paul? I thought my prior comment for day 11 was deleted but now I see there are two for you to read...sorry I am repeating myself! It is wonderful to see you all having the experience of a lifetime. The joy in your face says it all, Corrinne. God blesses us so much as we give to others. It just spills over like a water fall reaching all of us who are following your trip. Hopefully we can share the next journey with you & be part of love in action. Thank you...be safe...we love you!

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  4. Hey, friends! I've been thinking about you all . . . just not when I've been at my computer. Looks like you're having a wonderful experience and bringing blessings to many. We're happy for you. Glad you'll be home soon.

    Janice (Dave, Meredith and Allison)

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  5. The project looks quite exciting. Reminds me that it's been too long since I was on a mission trip.

    May God bless your endeavors to help those in need.

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