Day 5

This morning we went to Cross Roads church. The attendance was so high that many of the Fox River group gave up their seats to accommodate the other visitors. I was able to hang out with teen girls from Tiwi that I had met last year. Lillian was one of the girls. She introduced me to some of her other friends that I will see tomorrow in Tiwi. These girls sang in front of the church and amazed all of us with the beauty of their harmonious voices.

After church we went to the hotel for food. Then off to Bomani’s celebration day. We had such a warm welcome. When the children saw our bus arriving, they ran towards it quickly with much anticipation. One girl was standing on the side of the bus, when she saw us looking at her she clapped her hands, giggled and smiled so brightly. It was so sweet to see her genuine happiness to see us come. I am so amazed at how much they appreciate us. The gratitude in their hearts is unlike any I have seen in my existence. This touches my heart in a deep way.
I spent the day playing with familiar faces and new ones. The children played with my hair because it’s an interesting sight for them. We sang songs, goofed around, played volleyball and enjoyed each other’s company so much.

There is this one girl in particular that I just adore. She is so special. Her personality shines. She stuck by me all day. At the end of the day when it was time to go I was trying to get her attention and she just sat there looking sad. I took her and hugged her as she was crying. There was a crowd of children around us. I took her into a room and closed the door to make it easier for her. I tried asking her what was wrong and she would not tell me. Soon a teacher came and she told the teacher that her head hurt. I want so badly to take away her sadness. I look forward to seeing her again. She is my special girl. Her name is Mbeyu.