October 24, 2009

“Akuna matata.” –submitted by Ben

Our first weekend in Ipalamwa. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, and was a bit apprehensive. The morning started with a later breakfast and was followed by games with the students…scrabble and draft. We never knew that scrabble could be so popular with teenagers.

Cheryl, Pam and I took a two hour walk with three students…Effie, Liam (our political student) and Fontansta. We saw so many street children. It was incredibly sad. Seeing this firsthand is a heartbreaking experience. I kept on thinking…how do they survive and how do they keep on smiling?

The walk was an opportunity to exchange ideas and take in the beautiful mountains and the serenity. Ben remained determined and continued with his construction.

Walk one was followed by lunch and walk number two. General and Lea took us to get some sugar cane. It was delicious and definitely worth the walk. Did I happen to mention what I thought was going to be a one hour walk turned out to be three hours? Needless to say we got our exercise for the day and were exhausted. Pam might’ve been a bit less exhausted because she stopped by Pastor Jan’s and spent the time catching up.

The day ended up with all of us attending the choir program put on by the students. Once again I was humbled. Words cannot express the hope and enthusiasm these students possess. – Rich