july 4th, 2006

Five years ago on this day (yep, Independence Day), I arrived in Beira, Mozambique. I spent the month of July working in orphanages, building grass huts, and giving service where needed. It was one of the most life-changing experiences I have ever had; worth everything it took to get me there.
For the remainder of the month, I am going to post entries from the journal that I kept [meticulously] while in Africa. I will also share at least one photo a day from my experience - more when I have them (my computer crashed 2 years ago and I lost all but a small handful of the 1,200 photos I took while in Africa). No worries, I will still post here and there about our current activities and doings.

July 4th, 2006
[Speaking of the trip to LeSedi the previous night] "We got there during the middle of the music & dance performance. I cannot write how alive and intense it was. The room was a circular hut - like 40ft in diameter. The audience sat on cushions that lined steps around the room while the dancers and drummers were in the center, dancing and playing around a fire. It was so loud, but it was beautiful! Just a few minutes after we had grabbed seats, the performers were pulling the audience onto the dance floor to dance and chant with them! It was fun to be a part of it! I think there were 30 audience members there, altogether, so it was a pretty intimate performance! When the dancing finished, we made our way to another hut. The performers were singing and chanting as we walked along the dirt path to the dinner hut... I ate so much! I had ostrich, lamb, venison, and so much more! My favorite was the ostrich. Dessert was delicious. I don't even know what I ate! When most people had finished, everyone was given a drum. The drummers taught us a few beats and we all tried to drum along. They kept yelling "faster, faster!". It was out of control! LeSedi was great!

***
"This morning we got up & ready, had breakfast, then were out the door to get to the airport for our last flight. I thought the plane from Phoenix to LA was small! This plane was even smaller! We had to ride from the airport to our plane on a shuttle bus. Once at the plane, we were told 4 people had to catch the next flight. We were all reluctant, but finally 4 men volunteered. Then we were told we still exceeded the weight limit & that our luggage would be on the next flight. It was crazy! Finally, an hour later, we were on the tiny, ity bity plane. 25 passengers! I had a window seat AND an aisle seat at the same time!"

I am so grateful I wrote as frequently and as detailed as I did during my stay in Africa. Though a majority of my pictures are gone forever, I still have my memories recorded. And journals help add a depth of emotion that photos don't always capture...