Today the rain stopped briefly in the morning so we headed to the children’s home. Since I only had sandals (I was expecting heat!), Emily gave me shoes to borrow. We walked to the main road, caught a matatu and got off where we saw the Africa Harvest of Hope sign.
Shortly after we began our walk, we met up Phillipo, Herbert’s right hand man. He was very helpful to us. We took a motorcycle for part of the way, but once we hit the river that was now blocking the road, we had to walk the rest of the way.
By this time, it was pouring rain. I decided to embrace it and not care that I was wet and dirty. We took off our shoes and wadded across the river.
(Yeah! We made it across the river!)
Once we crossed it we had to make a decision – take the short cut or the long way. The short cut is much faster, but it’s very steep and very slippery in the rain. The long way was still slippery, but not as steep. Herbert said there was no way we could do the short cut so we went the long way.
Now, the rain came down even harder and George was pulling me up the road. At one point. I started laughing hysterically and couldn’t stop. George thought I lost my mind. As the rain fell harder and harder, the situation became even funnier. I slipped more, I got muddier, I got my shoe stuck, I got wetter…. Things couldn’t get worse yet we remained in good spirits. It’s all part of the adventure!
(Kids from the village greeted us at the top)
Eventually, about two hours after we left, we reached the home. It was great to reach the place we had prayed so much about. Again, everyone was so kind to us. When we got there, the house mom, Helene, asked us for our shoes and socks so she could wash them. Even though we would be heading back down through the rain and mud, she still wanted to wash our shoes for us. That humbled me so much. Herbert took us on a tour of the home and I loved it. It’s a really great place.
A few of the younger kids had finished school and were already at the home when we got there. As we waited for the older ones to get back, we had lunch. Of all the food we ate, George loved that meal the most. He loved the way the greens and rice were prepared. Once all the kids got home and ate lunch, we had a chance to talk with them and hear from them. They greeted us with songs. They sung so loudly… I loved it. They had so much joy, it filled my hearts with joy.
There are 32 kids who come from different regions of Tanzania. Quite a few of them come from Muslim backgrounds. I was happy to see the home was available to kids from a variety of backgrounds. Although they come from all over, they have formed a special family.
George and I had a chance to share with the kids why we were there. They clapped and shouted when I passed along the greetings from Alan and Shannon. It was so cute. After Herbert spoke, the kids said they very much wanted us to come and stay there and said they would pray for that to happen. We had a great time at the home and were sad to go. However, we had to get down before nighttime.
Now it was time to head back down the mountain. This time, even though it was raining, Herbert took us down the short cut. It was insanely steep and slippery. Phillipo and another boy did the sweetest thing. As it poured down rain, they went before us with picks and hoes and made a stair case for us to walk down. They dug up the wet mud and reached the dry earth below which made it possible for us to go down without falling. I will never forget what they did. For someone who is prone to falling, I was so thankful for their sacrifice. I didn’t slip once.
At the bottom of the short cut, we once again wadded through the swollen river and walked to the main road. It was too slippery for a motorcycle to take us there. As we were waiting for a matatu, Herbert recognized a driver of a truck heading our way. They gave us a lift back to the house.
After an exhausting day, we were blessed with a meal of mashed potatoes, chicken and chapatti. It was a great day.
