Ohole!

Let me start off by saying... last night was my turn... we came home at 10pm and I headed straight to the toilet the empty my stomach... this makes 5 people on our team that has been sick through out the week (yes, more than half... and then there are sick canadians too). On a more positive note, today I am feeling better. I decided to stay in this morning because I did not sleep at all last night and my back was aching so much that it hurt to breathe. Ibuprofen has set in and life is good. I figured it would be a great opportunity to blog and post some pics. I also posted some pics on Thursday night, but was so tired that I did not take the time to tell you, it has been a very draining (but exciting) week. And now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

Ohole is Oshiwambo for love... I have been so amazed by our team. We have been working overtime this past week. Jesse, Nate, Steph, Ginger, Melissa have completed painting the hall across from the kitchen area. Jan, Matt, Grant & I have been working at the soup kitchen every morning making peanut butter & butter or jam & butter sandwiches to feed 400 for breakfast and then set up the tables & chairs under the canopies. I can not believe that the people who work there do it all by themselves EVERYDAY!! The picture to the left is the "kitchen" where the afternoon meal is prepared.

We come back to the plot for a quick lunch then head straight back to the soup kitchen for lunch service. This time has been such a great opportunity to get to know the kids. There are a group of girls that I have become quite close with. Sylvia, Victoria, Debbie, Lydia & Ester. I remember seeing them from past years, but haven't had the opportunity to really talk with them. Sylvia asked me some questions for her health class all about HIV/AIDS contraction & prevention. She was in shock to hear some of the statistics and information that I told her. I also took that opportunity to ask the girls what they want to be when they grow up. This time they didn't preface the answer with "if I grow up", but it was a similar response with "if I finish school". These girls aspire to be doctors, lawyers, soldiers, embassy workers (not MBC workers which lead to my confusion :) ). Their hopes are so much bigger then the zinc shacks that they currently reside in.

I also spent time getting to know the people that work at the soup kitchen. Kauna is the administrator of Ileni Tulikwafeni - Center for Hope & Trust. She runs a tight ship and is extremely over worked. Sigfreid is the sandwich maker extrodinare... I love the smile on his face when I tell him he's got sandwich making skills. It's been such a blessing joking around with him this past week. There are so many more workers that make this place a success, but I will not get into all of their stories right now.

Friday was such a bittersweet day... it was the last day that we went into the soup kitchen as a team. Sigfreid kept telling us this is the last time... tomorrow we have to do this all by ourselves. The girls did not want us to leave in the afternoon, but with other obligations we needed to go. Although some days were quite overwhelming for the team... the crowds of kids pining for attention... the reality of the finality will soon hit them hard, although I heard many of our youth say "I will see you next year". I am so proud of our team that has worked their hearts out more than they may ever have.