Cementing Relationships

Orphanage
Originally uploaded by yo_paully.

We started the day at the job site. One of the different things about this job site is that everything is done by hand. Today Dale and Bob each moved 110 lb bags of cement as they "cemented their relationship" with some of the workers (sorry for the bad pun), and some of us carried 18' roofing panels to the house area African style (on our heads) - this was done by three women and one man.

From a physical morning to an emotional afternoon... We visited an orphanage. When we arrived, we handed out soccer balls and skipping ropes. It was unbelievable to see the smiles on their faces. We spent over an hour playing soccer and skipping with the kids. The girls danced and sang with us which was truly breath taking. They were so excited to have us around and spend time with them. Though all of these children have suffered in the past they have the most joy that we have ever seen in our lives.

From the orphanage we visited some remote villages. One village in particular, where one of the workers lives, had a much different feeling. Compared to the orphanage, this village had a very somber mood. The children were very malnourished and sick. It was unsettling to think how many of these children were not going to make it past their childhood. It was like a World Vision commercial. These people live this daily.

It's only day 4 in Malawi and we've all got some bumps and bruises. As a team we are really starting to connect.