A lot has happened in the last couple weeks! The director/co-founder of Village of Hope was here for a couple weeks. She was a lot of fun to have around. She even treated all of us to Macaroni and Cheese- KD for the Canadians ;) and spam. It was so good. Last week we to the school's music, dance, and drama competition. We got to ride there in a cattle car with the tubs of beans and rice for the kids. The kids did so well, we were all like very proud mothers. When we arrived at the school where the competition is, everyone saw us white people and swarmed us. It was one of the most memorable things I've experienced. Some of the kids there had never seen white people before. As soon as I reached out my hand to shake some of the kids hands, nearly 50 hands came at me. We felt like celebrities, always being watched. The kids received first place so tomorrow they are going to the next level of competitions. We're hoping we can go to see them perform. It might work out to pay for sometime to drive us on a motorcycle, or "boda" as they call it. We've gotten to ride a couple times and it was a lot of fun. It reminded me of some video game, having to maneuver all the pot holes and go around vehicles and people.

I just counted that there are 8 days left at the Village counting today. My parents are coming tomorrow which I'm really looking forward to. Pray that the rest of their traveling will go well. They got delayed in Chicago because of thunderstorms.

It seems weird to be leaving here after spending a lot of time here with the kids. Some kids know that I am leaving soon and are already asking when I will be coming back. I think it's hard for them to understand how difficult it is to come and visit. It's really cool seeing how healthy, friendly and intelligent these kids are. Knowing some of their backgrounds, and seeing where they are today is amazing. It's hard to imagine them as the same person. One of the boys here, Norman, was forced to kill his parents because of the LRA. I see him today and his brother and sister, and can't even picture what they have been through.

I asked the director about the 11-year old girl Mercy, who I had mentioned earlier. I was really curious about her story. She told me that Mercy's parents were killed by the LRA. Mercy had told her all the places her father was cut. I'm guessing she was there when her parents were killed. Her grandmother took her in, along with her younger brother. But her grandmother was too old to take care of her, so she went to one of the IDP camps (internally displaced persons). Today she is at Village of Hope and doing really well. Miracles do happen.