Africa - July 7

Sleep in!!! A perfect way to start my morning! Rachel, my room buddy and I stayed up until 2 am talking about this crazy journey we have been on this far! This is truly the most amazing experience I've ever had! My heart is so huge down here and my cheeks hurt from smiling. As much as I was thinking I was coming on a mission trip to bring them supplies and help them...I couldnt have been more wrong! What Africa has taught me is so much more important in life than the things we brought for them! I have learned that it's okay to be different and show your spirituality, happiness comes in any shape, wealth, nation or skin color and things...they are positively just that...things. We finally had the opportunity to lounge around a little bit this morning and play with the children that are always running around the house! Rhode, Esta (Ester), Bene (Bernard) and a few others have been glued to my hip because I taught them how to play games on my iPad! Thanks Kamden for having Auntie download letter apps because these kiddos loved them! I have had to charge it every night because they pass it around all day taking turns!

My heart is so full and my feet are so dirty from this afternoon! We had the opportunity to take a couple volleyballs and net to a large sandy area. As we walked we had children gathering to follow us! Wasn't sure if it's because we had balls to play with or that fact that crazy Americans were walking through the village! That's a question I'll never know! We set up the net and kids of all ages came to play with us! I was able to teach a short volleyball lesson on passing and setting the volleyball.

I made a friend named Sam who helped me translate from English to Ewe (primary language in Lome,). Many know French, but not until they are old enough for school. As the older children and teenagers played volleyball we had the little ones playing everything from duck duck goose to hokey pokey to follow the leader and I even taught them to do fish lips! The amount of fun this afternoon was cannot be written in a blog. You would have to be here to understand.

I got to go into their local school and see what it looked like today as well. Children are required to attend school in Togo beginning at age 5. I never got a clear answer on what age they are completed, but I do know that some children go on to a University for further education after primary school.