They say a picture is worth a thousand words. This is true for me when it comes to the ones I have included here. As home draws near, I have taken the time to dig through and pick out the most significant photos to myself. This is my past 11 months in images. While there is no way I could put my whole race experience into words, I am opting to let these photos do the talking for themselves…
Months 6 and 7:
ETHIOPIA
‘Blessed to live with and love on 23 sweet orphans out in the African bush for the whole month.’
‘Round homes with straw roofs cover the fields. We are hours from any town out here.’
‘Children run over to say hello.’
‘A pony pulls a family in their cart.’
‘The orphans we lived with help cut the hay with sicles.’
‘A boy rides his horse to the market.’
‘The market.’
‘All food shopping is done here. Everything is purchased by the kilo.’
‘Sweet boys Tirune and Tariku stealing my heart.’
‘The children on the other side of the fence liked to braid my hair through the hole in the chicken wire.’
‘Kisses for Zaritu.’
‘A man bridles his horse in the field.’
‘Two women walk with their donkeys, taking a load of goods to the market to sell.’
‘The sun set burning red each evening.’
‘Local churches.’
‘Churches print one letter per page of paper and tape up the scripture on walls.’
‘Praying.’
‘The church choir singing in their robes.’
‘Face painted little lions.’
‘Scavenger hunt for the children: can you find all the animals in the hay?’
‘One day I will be an astronaut.’
‘Senna baby.’
‘The children trying to road block the driveway on the day we had to leave.’
RWANDA
‘Our whole team with our host. Fatier, our African mama.’
‘Home is out in the village next to the banana trees.’
‘Chopping the goat meat up with the machete.’
‘Laundry day is always in the yard.’
‘All water for washing, cooking, bathing, and drinking has to be fetched from the bottom of the village at the well. Large jugs are used to bring more in one trip. They are strapped to a bike and pushed back up.’
‘This boy is making his morning trip to the well for his family.’
‘Smaller children are given jugs to fill. They stop by our front porch on their way down.’
‘Baby Sifa takes a bath behind our house in a bucket.’
‘During the one hour walk to teach at school we pass this boy. He is playing with a truck he has made by pulling it around on a string.’
‘Men weigh potatoes by the sack fulls.’
‘Transporting bananas to sell.’
‘The children at school run out to greet us with hugs everyday.’
‘Mine and Paige’s Kindergarten class with Ms. Mercy.’
‘Church is five days a week. We enjoyed preaching at the services for three weeks.’
‘These girls are beating on the drum in Sunday school.’
‘We discovered Yohana at church one Sunday. He had a very severe leg infection. God provided money for us to seek him medical attention. His leg was saved. He and his sister are now attending school.’
‘God also provided money for us to get Yohana’s family a new house. They were living on the floor of a dirt room with five other people. Now they have beds! Yohana’s mother accepted Jesus the next Sunday.’
‘Carrying water on their heads and babies on their backs.’
‘The women of the church surprised us and had dresses made for gifts.’
‘Do we look Rwandan now?’
‘Zebras running wild during our safari.’
‘A beautiful family of giraffes.’
