After child of hope we got back into the vans and headed to the orphanage. This orphanage has been a project of one of the guys on our team, Matt. On our way to the orphanage we had to go through a police check which we did not pass. Awhile later with some money and talking we were on our way again. When we got to the top of the hill we were greeted by hundreds of orphans running towards us singing and welcoming us with open arms and songs:
Just a side note: it is incredibly difficult to type all of this while in the van. We literally swerve left and right every other second to avoid the huge holes and canals in the road. The roads aren't the best here and they are all dirt. So excuse the spelling errors and typos as I am shaken like rattle in this car.
So we arrive and they have prepared songs and dancing.
So we arrive and they have prepared songs and dancing.
Matt dancing with his Ugandan dog was probably my favorite part of that, surprise surprise.
This here, behind the building, is where thanksgiving was prepared. Look closely as this picture. First, that view! Second, my Thanksgiving was prepared atop a mountain, behind an orphanage, where they slaughtered the turkeys and cooked everything else on actual fire pits.
After serving the adults we had our feast: avocado, potatoes, rice, beans, and plantains.
We served all of these adults first who some of which are guardians to some of the orphans.
I did not eat my turkey. I saved him for my lessons later:
We will get back to this in a moment.
So, while eating these white ants with wings started to crawl out of the dirt in mass swarms. The kids thought these were quite the treat and began to eat them.
We then went to the site where they are building classrooms for the orphanage. We made a huge assembly line of kids and volunteers and then started passing bricks from the bottom of the hill to the top. I was so impressed by the kids who did this for what seemed like hours without any complaints. It wasn't easy work but they kept an awesome attitude and continued to push forward despite the hardship. I think we can learn a lot from their example. These aren't normal bricks either, they are huge. After being sufficiently covered in red dust.
Back up. Let me tell you about then men on my trip real quick. I have been beyond impressed by the men who are with this project. The Dame brothers who started Proof Eyewear and the men volunteers who came with HELP and Proof are the kind of men all men should strive to be like. They are kind and courteous, they are uplifting, they open doors and check in on everyone, they make sure you have water and bring food, they are positive and work their tails off. They never stop. When some of us are tired beyond belief and are lagging they are our running with the kids. Today while we had a brick line they were pushing wheelbarrows full of dirt up the mountain. I'm just so impressed and love seeing them in action.
Ok, so after awhile I recruited the sick bay girls and we went back to the current school house/ orphanage and did the turkey crafts my kids prepped.
So, while eating these white ants with wings started to crawl out of the dirt in mass swarms. The kids thought these were quite the treat and began to eat them.
We then went to the site where they are building classrooms for the orphanage. We made a huge assembly line of kids and volunteers and then started passing bricks from the bottom of the hill to the top. I was so impressed by the kids who did this for what seemed like hours without any complaints. It wasn't easy work but they kept an awesome attitude and continued to push forward despite the hardship. I think we can learn a lot from their example. These aren't normal bricks either, they are huge. After being sufficiently covered in red dust.
Back up. Let me tell you about then men on my trip real quick. I have been beyond impressed by the men who are with this project. The Dame brothers who started Proof Eyewear and the men volunteers who came with HELP and Proof are the kind of men all men should strive to be like. They are kind and courteous, they are uplifting, they open doors and check in on everyone, they make sure you have water and bring food, they are positive and work their tails off. They never stop. When some of us are tired beyond belief and are lagging they are our running with the kids. Today while we had a brick line they were pushing wheelbarrows full of dirt up the mountain. I'm just so impressed and love seeing them in action.
Ok, so after awhile I recruited the sick bay girls and we went back to the current school house/ orphanage and did the turkey crafts my kids prepped.
Oh, that's where the picture from above comes in. I was getting ready to talk about turkeys when suzanne tells me they have alive turkeys! We call to David and he goes and gets one! I wiggled the turkey's gobble and showed the parts and then we made the turkeys. The kids swarmed us when we tried to hand out supplies. I'm not sure they have ever done an art project before. Perhaps they had never seen glue or markers either. Look what happened when I pulled out crayons:
Check this out: #NailedIt #pinterestfail
The kids loved it.
Now that's an eventful Thanksgiving. These kids have one pair of clothes, no shoes, and they live here:
If you are looking for a good cause to donate to this Thanksgiving please check my Facebook page for a link to donate to this orphanage. I would post the link here but I don't have internet. ;)
These kids need their school to be finished so that this room can be turned into a dormitory for them.
These kids need their school to be finished so that this room can be turned into a dormitory for them.
Also, if anyone has any ideas for a sustainable project in Ca or an amazing organization let me know. My family is going to find some alternative way to do Christmas again this year but I want it to be sustainable and meaningful, not just hand outs. That's going to be harder but it needs to happen.
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