Quick Updates

Well, my time is up. I leave tomorrow morning at 6:00am, provided that I have transportation, that is. Our boat decided that it doesn't want to run any more, but there are some people next to us who have a boat and we're hoping that they can take me to where our cars are parked tomorrow morning so I can make it to the airport!

Since I've written last, the water has gone down a significant amount! Every morning we are surprised that we can now walk on places that were covered in water the previous day. Some of the children are sad that we won't be moving- that they will miss out on an adventure like the one last year to Hippo Lodge, but as for the staff and volunteers, we couldn't be happier!

I also wanted to share with you all that two of our children, one boy and one girl, qualified to go and compete in Windhoek (the capital of Namibia) for running that they did the weekend before I arrived here. They left by bus on Thursday and will return tomorrow (Monday). We heard yesterday that the boy received third place in one of his races already, but we haven't heard anything about the girl yet. Everyone here is very excited and proud of them. There are also two boys, who play soccer for a team in town, who will be going to Windhoek next week to compete in the Coca-Cola Cup, which will be televised! I am definitely very excited for these two- they have worked really hard for this.

I'll definitely have to put pictures and videos up when I get back because words don't do justice to the treatments Margaret and I receive when we go to read to the little girls at night. We get massages, globs and globs of lotion rubbed on our legs and arms, and our hair brushed and braided (or knotted!). Friday night I brought over some nail polish, and we all took turns painting each others nails. The little four year old who painted my toenails also suceeded in painting half of my toes! Once they little girls were finished, I gave the nail polish to the older girls to keep- I knew it would be in safer hands there.
(The top picture is Marsela rubbing lotion on my leg, left picture is Maria with her pretty nails, and the last picture is Efa, Esther, Hilda and Maria. I had a really cute video, but for some reason it's not working)

Yesterday they had Independence Day celebrations in town since the previous weekend all of the Officials celebrated in Windhoek. A small group of us only went for the afternoon so we could watch the two boys who are on the soccer team in town play their game against Zambia. The boys were actually starting players and stayed in the whole game (even though the team is made up of 20-30 something year olds and our boys are teenagers!) The boys team ended up winning the game, which made the Independence celebration that much sweeter! My favorite part of the day had to be when Becca and I went looking for some really nice Independence Day t-shirts that we saw on people who had performed or on people who were working there, and were refused and then sent to look somewhere else by a man with a big box full of them (we think he sent us on a wild goose chase for them!) but when we came back to confront him, another man told him to give us a shirt. They also gave us a visor with the same print as the t-shirt on it! We definitely wore those proudly for the rest of the day, and then decided to have the children sign them this morning after Church.

Well I am going to go and enjoy the last of the short hours that I have left. Thanks to everyone who has supported me throughout this whole process- I am SO THANKFUL that I was able to return and spend more time with these lovely 57 children!