touchdown dance!

the lord has blessed me in many areas but writing and communicating my thoughts or ideas is not high on the list. each time i sit in front of a computer and attempt to write of what i saw, i feel like i cant do it. i don't know where to begin and i usually end up in tears because i long to be there. i long to be there because i know that im being used in ways i wouldnt be used in the states; because things are put into perspective; because those precious people bring utter joy into my life just through a simple smile. they have my heart. and for every person who asks how the trip went, i cant help but to tell them i want to be there now more than ever.




one of my favorite days was when we got to play with the kids across our hotel. all we had to do to get their attention and lure them in was throw a frisbee and play with a soccer ball for maybe five minutes. after that, its like they came out of every nook and corner to see these white people. honestly, they probably saw us from a mile away because we all stood out with our sunscreen bodies. one by one, they would come out and play with us. i noticed the simplest things make their days. ie: playing with a foam football, learning how to throw a frisbee, or just laughing at our "mad" soccer skills. i think my favorite moment of that day was teaching them how to celebrate with a proper touchdown dance. who better to teach them than three white girls?



one by one we taught them how to celebrate this huge accomplishment of catching the ball. youre probably wondering how we did this...let me be the first to answer your question. they were practically begging us to teach them how to dougie and how to properly do the stanky leg; so that is exactly what we did.

as we continued to play with these talented kids, i noticed that some of the moms watched us; some would glance while others would stare. i couldnt help but notice that most of them had a look of...i guess thankfulness. i dont know how to describe it. i know im not a mom and there is no way i could understand the love they have for their kids but to see this look of satisfaction on their face was astonishing to me. i feel like they were enjoying their kids be kids; enjoying their kids have fun and run around. im not saying that they dont have fun any other time but as if, for a moment, they didnt have a care in the world and they could just be. in my head, its like they forgot their problems for a little while and enjoyed the simplicity of life.

i couldnt help but to immediately love them as they wrapped their little arms around my waist and looked at me with their big brown eyes. all they needed and wanted was to be loved. some wouldnt play; they would just stand by us holding our hand. as i think about it, i just want to go back and love on them. tell them that they are cherished and adored by their creator. teach them how to walk in the ways of the lord. i want to be there and provide for them so they dont have to worry about providing for their younger siblings; so they can be a kid while they still can. but even in the moments of realizing they are in a poverty stricken place, i know that the lord loves them and that his purpose and plan in bigger than the human mind can convey. for he created them and knows them intimately.

any time i think of africa, these precious kids pop in my mind. they were the first to capture my heart. we got to play in the dirt together and play with a frisbee and football that was covered in some wet substance; i really dont know what it was and i really dont care to know. all i know is that they prepared me for the thousands of other kids we see and love on.