Showing posts with label orphanage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label orphanage. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Our last day in Africa....

On our last day, which was Sunday, we went to Pastor John's church service in the Deep Sea Slum.



As before, the children gathered to greet us.




We walked down the alley....


and were greeted by song.......





Song and dancing and exuberance in Pastor John's church!


The energy was wonderful !









Oblivious to the service, these little ones found piece of chalk and began to draw...






Time to fly home....5 hours from Nairobi to Dubai...then 16-1/2 hours from Dubai over the pole to land again in San Francisco. On the way over, the first 10 hours were okay, but the last hours were really hard for me. On the way back, the flight was surprisingly easy and fast.
When we first arrived at the Nairobi airport, at the beginning of the trip, the airport felt small and close and very foreign to me. When we departed from the very same airport, the airport looked spacious and familiar. I seemed to be looking through different eyes than I had when I first arrived.
By saying "Yes" to Africa, was I changed as everyone said I would be? Well, I can definitely can say that I feel expanded. This trip has gifted me with a deeper understanding and experience of the word gratitude. The sentence "I am very very happy" means so much to me now and brings with it memories of beautiful happy faces and meaningful experiences. I look forward to my return and I definitely will travel with Rebecca and Valerie again. The idea of a Purposeful Tour is exactly the way I wish to see the world.

Monday, November 15, 2010

A visit to an orphanage....


The outskirts of the city are beautiful, but Arusha town is crazy busy!
People everywhere, walking, biking, selling, gathering....on the move.

This was an herbalist, all set up with bottles and bottles of special herbs.

a seamtress....draped in fabric choices





We drove up and down little side streets, winding right and left until we parked in front of the orphanage...

through the gates to a cleanly swept...and barren yard.

We brought puppets to put on a little puppet show and the children rushed up to us, so very excited.

















They sang for us, to welcome us to their home.
Big, big smiles!



Sofas, out in the yard....

The only toy that I saw.....up on a shelf.....
Purposeful Tours....if you find yourself saying "Yes!" to Africa.