The week before last, we had our outreach week in Sindo- well, kind of. Sindo is only a 30 minute drive from Mbita, and we stayed with Hezron’s family (he is one of the young staff at SEEK that translates for us). So, on that Monday, we loaded up our things into Paul’s old Land Rover and drove to Sindo and proceeded to set up tents in the rain (always a fun time)! The next morning however, I was not feeling well and because Paul was already driving back to Mbita, I agreed to go back to the doctor, and, surprise, surprise!- I had amoebas, worms, and a bacterial infection. So, for the next three nights, I stayed at SEEK with Kathleen and Jess, who were also sick. I was only back in Sindo from Friday to Sunday.
On Friday morning, I went back to Sindo via piki-piki (motorbike), and really enjoyed the ride. Side note: I love taking piki-pikis places… It’s always fun to ride on them. Anyway, once we got back to Sindo, the team loaded up and drove over an hour to get to Magunga in order to visit an orphanage. On the way, we drove through Rand National Park and went on our own little “safari” of sorts, which, in Swahili, actually means “journey”. During our drive, we saw plenty of brown, four-legged mammals. You know the kind: typical lion’s prey you see on TV- not just antelopes, but some that are bigger as well- I apologize that I don’t know their names. But more importantly, we saw two giraffes! It was awesome. And to complete our journey to the Shalom Christian Ministries orphanage, we drove up the side of a mountain in order to reach the property.
The orphanage was beautiful in and of itself- set atop a hill, overlooking a valley and distant mountains. When we arrived, we (and all of the children) introduced ourselves. In addition, we were told the history and mission of the orphanage. It was so wonderful to see kids being cared for by people who really understand the love of Christ. The staff care so much for the kids and desire so strongly that they all receive love. It was beautiful, really: They want the kids to feel normal. They share rooms but have their own space (not like the big halls of many orphanages). They don’t even call the kids orphans because God is their father- heavenly and perfect in His love. While they were talking about their plans to build more rooms and a primary and secondary school on site, I kept thinking, “Wouldn’t it be cool to come back here after college and teach Science in the secondary school or English in the primary school for a year or two and really get to know these kids?” The organization is devoted to giving the kids the best education possible, and while only time will tell whether or not that would be something God has for me, I certainly wouldn’t be opposed!
After all of this, we went to work. I helped to wash all of the kids’ clothes while others cooked dinner, washed dishes, or played games and did crafts with the kids. After that, we were able to spend some time just hanging out with the kids. I ended up sitting with four four or five year-old boys (the only name I remember is a boy named Papa John). Anyway, they initiated a tickle fight that lasted for ten or fifteen minutes. Absolutely one of my favorite moments on the trip! Unfortunately, we were only able to be there for one afternoon, but I know we would all have loved to have spent more time there.
Take the unexpected safari, giraffe sightings, wonderful orphanage, and time with the kids, and that was probably my favorite day of the trip so far. Certainly one to remember!
