identifying E: Day 5 - It Is Finished!

IT IS FINISHED! The playground was completed today. After 4 full days of constructing a playground from the ground up, we were able to watch the children play on it this afternoon literally 5 minutes after screwing in the last screw. I have never experienced such joy and happiness in my life! These children have lived their entire lives behind the walls of this orphanage, which is an amazing place, but they don't have the opportunity to just be kids 100% of the time because of helping with so much around the orphanage. The only thing on these kids' minds today was trying to see who could slide down the slide first or who could climb up the rope ladder the fastest. It's a memorable moment to see someone enjoying something to that extent that you helped build with your own two hands.

Us newbies on the team have had the chance to meet and talk to many of the children and teenagers at Hope Home this week and get to know them in similar ways that the rest of the team knows them. These children are majority handicap, like I have discussed in a recent post. One of the moments that stuck out the most today was watching a child named Carl ride down the slide. I was busy taking pictures of all of the children playing with their new equipment and noticed Tony and Tim carrying Carl, a boy who uses a walker and crawls to get everywhere he goes, onto the top of the slide to slide down for the first time in his life. All he needed was for someone to help him to the top, and he had it from there. In all 432184683109 pictures that I took of that moment (not really, but for those of you who know me and how many pictures I take it felt like that many) he had the LARGEST grin I have EVER seen on someone. You could see both sets of teeth on that boy. He was having the time of his life. When he got to the bottom Tony asked in the midst of all the laughter and celebration, "again?". Carl screamed, "AGAIN! AGAIN!". There wasn't a dry eye around. Tony helped him back to the top and Carl slid right down again. Then Tony, Tim and Lauren helped him over to the swings. They were extremely touched by being a part of his special experience today, but I know that they weren't nearly as touched as he was. They were literally the body of Christ for Carl today - helping him be a normal kid for just a few minutes. It was truly an unforgettable experience. Saying goodbye today wasn't easy, but it had to happen. We can't stay here forever, but our hearts can.

After we left Hope for the last time, we came back to the hotel for a quick shower then headed to Ruimveldt Children's Home which is a home for children living with HIV/AIDS. We weren't able to stay for very long, but we enjoyed every minute of it! We left two footlockers worth of supplies for them and one of the caretakers Jenny was so thankful! These kids were so wonderful and in the twenty/thirty minutes that we were there, it seemed as if we had been there all week just like Hope Home. It's amazing when you work within God's Kingdom with those who love him because when you're all around each other, it doesn't matter if you have met before or not. You all share that special love and that brings you together - once again, my brothers and sisters in Christ.

We ended the night with a sub from Quiznos and watching our Wolfpack beat Miami!!!!! GO PACK!!

Thank you SO much everyone for the prayers this week. We have felt them. We have seen them at work. Continue these last two days to pray for safe travels and God's grace upon our journey home. Tomorrow we will begin with breakfast, shopping, a visit at the Red Cross orphanage, and lastly a stop at Joshua's House. Oh, and you better believe another Wolfpack win tomorrow night against Syracuse ;) haha, I hope! I really can't thank you all enough for your thoughts and prayers over the past 6 days. I can't wait to come home and share these stories with you. Goodnight!

This is how the playground started this morning. We still can't believe we finished it all today!!

Digging holes.

Beginning the bridge. (You can also see Tony's design of the roof here on platform #1. We are referring to his roof design as the Duck Dynasty design. haha)