The Lovely Little Moments

  • Lunch with Saltie, Kempho, Marc, Dwight, Kabo, Sahara and Oriana at the Reach for Life Training. Laughing with them over an traditional meal was the best feeling ever.
  • The excitement at watching Sahara get her first tattoo and turn around and exclaim “I love it so much guys! I can’t believe we did that!”
  • The aftermath of the tattoos in the taxi cause OMG WE JUST DID THAT
  • Playing basketball after the party at our house where Gabby was so aggressive and Kayleigh and I collided once again
  • Having a mini dance party with Sahara and Katie in the living room while we tried to hide our craziness with tie dye sheet curtains from the visitors on the porch.
  • Late night girl talks with Saltie and whoever was up on the coach.
  • Sitting on the porch in the cool African night with music in the background, Saltie unbraiding Marc’s hair, Sahara laughing about who knows what, the rest of the team trying to sleep except the room on the left who is yelling about a movie, Kempho dancing so smoothly and trying to get Oriana to dance too and me just soaking in the moment.
  • Fire by Nite just listening to the children all raise their voices in worship after they had just danced it out for Jesus.
  • Head out the window of the van with the wind blowing in our face
  • Laughing with Tyler on my bed till we were crying and looking like crazy people
  • Mornings with hot chocolate and a Bible and the dumb bird calling in the background
  • Picking wild flowers with Cass and talking to the bird and it responding back
  • Walks to school with Beth as our low-key mom and Gandi the dog tagging along
  • All the sweetness of Mrs. Michelle
  • The album drop that made my jaw drop
  • Fat cakes and way to much PB&J
  • All smushing on that beat up couch with the bar in the middle digging into your back and feeling the springs poking you in the butt but hey it’s a couch and these are my people
  • Laughing at Kayleigh throwing eggs on the ground early in the morning
  • The kids running up to you when they saw you like you were the best person they had ever met and giving you “squeeze hugs”
  • Climbing in and out of windows at the Life Center with Sahara
  • Hugs from Carley
  • Making apple pies from scratch with Sophia so that Pastor Reba could understand how amazing American pies is.
  • Getting hit on just cause I wanted to buy a dress and Oriana and Sophia not helping the matter
  • Cass trying not to pee when she laughs
  • Cass peeing over what she said when we replaced every first letter of words with a “d”
  • All of our team worshiping in the car together on the way back from 20-20
  • Star gazing with Madi and Tyler and just talking about life and seeing shooting stars
  • Doing squats and Carley sounding like she was giving birth
  • The whole youth group doing the Church Clap our last Fire by Nite and Cass falling over in the middle of it
  • Harry Potter marathons
  • An over abundance of popcorn making
  • Scaring Pastor Nfila by slapping the back of his van while he was backing up
  • Tyler and I swapping good music because we couldn’t fall asleep
  • Making a punching bag out of a stuff sack and laughing at ourselves as we got our frustrations out
  • Playing spoons for team time and seeing the way to competitive sides of my team mates
  • Coffee dates and testimonies with KT, Sophia, and Cass
  • Nando’s good chicken and apple lemonade
  • Building a fire in the backyard with Sophia
  • Sophia cutting my extensions off my head
  • Kempho screaming like a girl cause Oriana or Sahara tickled him
  • Cass and I racing to see who could get the Oreo to our mouth from our forehead the fastest
  • Getting warm shower cause you were lucky enough to go after Saltie’s shower
  • Cass’s dances moves at Fire by Nite let me tell ya…
  • Praying strength and a spirit filled heart over all those children
  • Following the Lord’s direction in spirit filled conversation in squeaky van on the way home
  • Our Sunday morning on the way to the village… just the scenery…Africa is so beautiful…green grass, yellow flowers, those trees the sprawl out in all directions and a purple blue sky with a grayish tint hinting that rain was on its way
  • The kids getting paint everywhere while they tried to do leaf prints but it was ok cause the way they laughed and smiled and loved it was worth ever drop not on the paper
  • Horseback safaris with Cass loving that she was on the alpha horse, Sahara yelling at her horse to stop being sassy and Kayleigh’s horse just blazing it’s own trail
  • Getting to let the horses run and having my camera thumping up and down on my chest which resulted in a couple bruises, pure adrenaline and one of the best videos I have ever seen.
  • Freeze dance during gym class with all the elementary schoolers
  • Getting to at Moses again in a play for the elementary schools and them thinking it was the most hilarious play they had ever seen.
  • All the early mornings were worth it
  • Going to visit Leo and getting smoothies
  • Going to look at stars with Tyler and Madi and talk to the guard about God and the crazy universe we live in
  • Climbing the huge African tree down by the river
  • Deep life talks till 1 in the morning on the porch
  • Walking Kempho back to his house cause he is scared the guard dog is going to eat him
  • The sunsets on our way home
  • Baked stuffed brownies with peanut butter and oreos
  • Jamming to songs while doing laundry
  • Making a poster of a prayer over Botswana
  • Making tacos and have talks about a life worth living with Beth
  • Burrito rolling in our hammocks and laughing with Oriana
  • Opening both doors and feeling the cool wind come through the house.
  • Sitting in my hammock with tears on the verge of escaping because as I write I realize how much I love this place and how much it is going to hurt to leave
  • Just being so loved
  • Late nights at Kempho’s
  • 12 am ice cream
  • Smoothies with Leo
  • The little kids running up and hugging and sitting at our last Easter service
  • Making peanut butter Easter eggs and eating a whole try secretly with the girls in our room
  • Mark acting like a big brother while I took out my frustration on a piece of the thatched roof
  • Riding in the back of a packed van with Kempho and Leo on the way to the bus stop
  • Not being able to leave them all. The hugs. The want to stay. The well spent tears. The way my heart broke.
  • Realizing how much God had changed me
  • My heart is so filled up

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