Jordan's Rock!

Today was a slow day at the Havens. We didn't get to do a whole lot of feeding therapy because a lot of the kids are still sick/recovering from last week. We spent the afternoon doing feeding therapy as a group, then playing with the babies before we left. It was funny because Seth accidentally hit me in the nose and I was pretending to cry and he just grabbed me and hugged me. it was too cute! Tonight we packed up and went to Jordan's Rock, where we got to experience God's beautiful creations. We roasted hot dogs and ate s'mores while watching the sunset. It was an amazing experience. When we got back we had our karate lesson with Webster, which was quite successful. He then taught us some more Tongan words. We're all going to miss him very much! We're all exhausted and need some good rest. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Love and miss y'all! 

Last Monday!

We had a great day at the Havens today. We enjoyed a nice walk to and from the Havens. We had feeding/swallowing therapy this morning, but we didn't get to see very many of our kiddos because the stomach bug is still going around. One of my little ones had to be taken to the clinic today because he has not been feeling well for the past five days and he needed more medical care. Please please continue to keep them in your prayers. This afternoon we played with the toddlers in their sand box area. That's one of my favorite things is when we go out and play with them while still doing language stimulation. You never know what they are going to say when they are in their environment and comfort and. Seth and Lincoln were adorable as always! I just sat and held Lincoln for the longest time trying to soak up as much as I could before we leave this weekend. I'm sure going to miss them! Another day of hard work coming tomorrow and then we get to go to Jordan's Rock and grill out tomorrow night. Super excited! Hope all is well at home. Love you and miss you all! 

Sethie!!

Martin!!

Momo!!

Count Your Blessings

Today was AWESOME!!! We went to Kasibi to attend Leonard's church and eat lunch with his family and church members. The service and church building were so inspirational. I don't even know where to begin to give ya'll an insight to what we experienced. We took a crazy ride down the roads in Khaki Jackie to get there. The church building was so small yet they crammed 144 people in there. I am going to talk a little bit about the different thoughts and feelings I had throughout this experience today. First of all, the Zambians will get up every Sunday morning even when they might not have anything in our minds to be grateful for and walk for miles just to get to church. They worship God with all of their hearts and enjoy hearing his word. As I sat there during the service this morning I was caught off guard by a toddler eating a rotten potato. It was probably the only means of food that his mother had for him to eat and we watch our toddlers back home barely pick at their plates and food put out in front of them. I feel like I have just talked so poorly of our customs back home but they are all so true. Until you see something like we saw today you will never understand how fortunate and blessed we really are. We sang our Tongan song that Webster taught us and an American song and they LOVED it. They said "white people can sing" hahahaha.

Once church was over we headed down the hill to Leonard's home in the village. We ate lunch sitting on chairs and benches facing the Zambian people. In their culture is considered respectful to let your guests eat first and you do not eat until the last guest leaves. We sat in front of them and ate while they watched us...needless to say it was a little awkward. As we struggled getting some of the nshima (signature food of Zambia) down, we looked up and saw all the little children just staring at us with sad little eyes. I then began to think, "Oh my goodness, this is so hard for me to eat and they are probably over there starving and not knowing when their next meal will be." Needless to say I felt awful.

After lunch, we attended a "Program" as they called it. The Kasibi Band played and the children and got up and danced the entire time. It was amazing. When I think of Africa that is the type of stuff I think of and we finally got to witness it today. I will post videos on Facebook since I can't on here. 

As we sit around the table tonight talking about our day, Jake informed us that one of our night watchmen coaches a Soccer team. He was telling us about the struggles they have with being able to compete and go to tournaments because they don't have sponsors or enough money to attend. If they had enough money to go they would rent one room that would sleep 25 to 50 athletes and coaches. It made me sick to my stomach to think that us athletes that play AAU sports during the summers in the States get everything paid for and we don't even worry about how we will get there or where we will stay.  I have learned the true meaning of counting my blessings and naming them one by one, especially today. 

Tonight we witnessed two baptisms. God is Good, All the Time!! I love all of y'all and miss you everyday I'm gone. As you read my blog I ask that you please keep us and the people of other countries in your prayers because you do not know what they might be going through. Until tomorrow...Dream Big, Pray Hard, Live Strong!!

Olympic Games!

Today was so relaxing! We got up and had breakfast then headed into Kalomo to do some last minute shopping before we leave next weekend. We got some really good deals on Chitange material and souvenirs. When we returned, we spent the rest of the day catching up on notes and sleep. It was wonderful! Tonight we had tacos for the first time. It was yummy! After dinner we had a "meeting" which consisted of Hiz-Path Olympic Games. We all chose a country...I was Jamaica...Courtney was Australia...Jake was Uruguay...Staci was The Dominican...Brittany was America...Rachel was Peru...and Taylor was Russia. We competed in different games such as; Quiz about the Havens, Tongan conversation, Riff off, Slip and Slide, Kids songs, Mango tree, Mrs. Mono's 30 seconds, Supervisor swaddle, and Longest Leg Hair. Jake won and Brittany, Taylor, and I got a close second, womp wah! We all got individual awards and I got the "Failure to Thrive" award because I have lost so much weight since we've been here. It was so fun though, we really needed that entertainment. I wish I could post videos on here but I can't. :( We are going to Leonard's (our cook) home church in Kasibi tomorrow to sing our Tongan song, have lunch, and attend the village party. We are really excited and I will post about it tomorrow. Dream Big, Pray Hard, Live Strong! 

Almost there!

We have successfully completed the end of week three. I think I speak for all of us when I say we have fallen even more in love with the babies this week. We have developed relationships with them and it melts our hearts when they see us walking up the path and they run to us with the biggest smiles on their faces and they say "I miss you." It's just too cute! We finished today with feeding/swallowing so we could get caught up on our hours. This has not been a great week for the babies as a lot of them have been sick. Please keep them in your prayers. We are exhausted and are in desperate need of a good nights rest. Hopefully we accomplish that tonight. I posted videos on my Facebook if y'all want to check them out. I couldn't get them to work on here. Miss and love y'all! Dream Big, Pray Hard, Live Strong!! 

Jesus Loves Me!

This week I have seriously fell in love with these babies. I go to the Havens and I can feel e love and joy that those babies bring me! Watching them sing with such passion and just run around makes me happy. Even though they are orphans they are the happiest and most disciplined children I have ever seen. I hope that when I have children one day, I will remember to love them and treat them with unconditional love day in and day out because that is what I have seen out of the aunties here. I find that children at home tend to be so spoiled and used to getting everything they want with no appreciation. These kids don't even have a family and they appreciate every single thing we do with them, whether its a hug or playing patty-cake. I have learned and seen so much that I never knew existed here and I know that it has changed me for the better. I definitely appreciate everything I have at home. I will try my best to not take anything for granted when I return because I have learned that I even take fast food for granted. We crave our fast food restaurants everyday and I never thought that I would miss that but I definitely do. As I end this blog I pray that you all think about your blessings and be so grateful for every single one of them. If you have babies, hug them tight and let them know how much you love them because you have the opportunity to! Until tomorrow....Dream Big, Pray Hard, Live Strong! 

Progress!

Okay so I was really tired last night and didn't feel like blogging. Courtney and I sat in our room and read for hours. I have a sinus infection :( so I haven't been feeling too good lately. Yesterday was awesome for therapy. Joello started babbling and he hasn't vocalized at all since we got here. We taught him how to sign "more" when we were playing in the sand box. It was so cute. Topher began imitating words when Jacob ran a truck into my ankle and I said "ouch" he repeated me :) When we went to Haven 1, I played an interactive book on my iPad and all of the babies in our language group was attentive and loved watching it. Stevie began to babble he loved it so much. It melted my heart. You guys probably think vocalizations and babbling isn't that big of a deal but to an SLP it is a HUGE deal. These kids are progressing so much so fast and its heartwarming. It get reminded everyday of why I chose this profession!

Today we spent the majority of the morning singing to Haven 2. They are the ornery toddlers. We teach them songs in English and they teach us songs in Tongan. They were so cute I had to video them. I will upload them if it will work. A lot of the babies in Haven 1 are battling a stomach bug so please keep them in your prayers. Jake learned a new Tongan word "c-umba" which means lion. We were like oh hey that's really close to Simba in the Lion King...that's where they came up with his name...crazy!! Like I've said a lot before, I really love the Tongan language. :) We are having a movie night tonight...woop woop! My fav!!Hope all is well at home and God is blessing you guys as he is me. Love you all! Dream Big, Pray Hard, Live Strong!!