remembering a year ago

I got home from Zambia a year ago yesterday. I went with a group called Mothers without Borders.(http://www.motherswithoutborders.org/)
It's been on my mind a lot lately: the people I met, the kids I helped, the experiences I had, and all the sorrow and the happiness that I witnessed. For the past few weeks, I've been re-reading the journal that I took with me. Each day, I've been reading what I wrote a year ago that day, helping me to remember the feelings I had and the things I went through.

The two and a half weeks that I spent in Africa were the best days that I've ever spent anywhere with anyone. My world changed when I stepped off that plane in Lusaka. My eyes and heart were opened to a whole new world around me. The people that I met will probably never know how much they truly changed me. Here are just a few pictures and videos that continue to touch my heart and bring back beautiful memories:

Carol:
My hero and one of the most amazing people I've ever met. She has every reason to be bitter and hate life, but there she smiles, close to death, day after day.



Reading with Tabu



I never found out the names of these kids, but they hold a special place in my heart

Baby Moureen:
From Julius Village. Earlier this year, for one of my classes, I wrote a story about my experience with her.

Moureen peed on me later that day. Haha.

playing with chickens!

Dani and Chiloba:
Some of the best friends I've made. Chiloba is serving a mission now in Congo. He's AMAZING!

Leaving our mark on the doors of the warehouse that we helped build.





One day we were there, the kids at the orphanage put on a show for us. They sang the primary song, Love is Spoken Here. If you're familiar with the song, listen to what happens at about 1 minute when they try to combine the verses. Haha.

The kids from the CRC (orphanage) singing Mwamba mwamba, a traditional African song.