Joy and Tears in Mansa

Our projects here in Mansa are in full swing. While the days are long (7 a.m. to 8 p.m. or later) they are full with joy, laughter, tears, and an overwhelming sense of making a difference in the lives of these forgotten children.
Some of the things we have been doing include:
Crafts with the children: it is amazing that their attention is held with the simplest projects and they have an incredible attention to detail. The whole team has been working with the kids on their projects and it has been a great way to get to know them. Today we are doing a Noah's Ark story and rainbow craft.
Music: Rob, Rachel, and Sam have been our resident musicians to entertain the kids. Although we are really more impressed with the musical abilities of the kids. This morning all of the children have prepared a traditional music/dance show for us to watch. One of the older kids, Kasuba, is very musical and has really enjoyed practicing worship songs with Rob and Rachel.
Games: It has been interesting trying to organize games with the kids who often don't speak English. Terrt Townsend, Rob, Rachel, and I (Amy) were in tears of laughter trying to teach them Duck, Duck, Goose and Red Light Green Light without the aid of an interpreter. Lisa's idea of hitting a volleyball was much more easiliy figured out.
Painting: A good portion of the team have been involved in painting the orphan center inside (it was bare cement). It is about 2/3 done.
Shoes: We distributed the shoes yesterday and it was an amazing process. In groups of about 5 they came into one of the rooms at the orphan center and we "fit" them for shoes. We also distributed some clothes that had been donated from South Africa. The majority of these kids came in with shoes in tatters and left proudly with new black school shoes on their feet. As we didn't have all sizes some of the kids had to wait until we purchased them here locally. So Lisa, Pam, and I spent several hours at many different stores from ShopRite to a local "department store" (the term is used very loosely here) to the stalls at the market to find all the correct sizes. As John said - I will always find a way to shop no matter where I am.
Dinner for the workers: Terry Turner is organizing a dinner tonight for all of the teachers and volunteers at the center and the whole team is pitching in to help. This is quite a bit more labor intensive than it would be in the states where we would just go to Costco. The meat needs to be ordered in advance, the ShopRite is often out of basic items, and we are also working with limited space and supplies at the orphan center. We are hoping to have a very nice meal to show our appreciation to these hard working volunteers. We are even having a cake which is VERY special here.

These are just the physical things that we have been doing - there is so much more to say about how we have all been in tears at one point or another as we have been touched by these children on an individual basis - how we have seen such kindness and joy in the face of unbelievable adversity - how the church workers are so giving of their time to train the kids. Our experiences have definitely pulled us out of our self-absorbed American attitudes.