South Africa =]

   After 36 hours of travel time, and 21 hours in a plane...we are safe and sound in AFRICA!!!
  
   I LOVE IT HERE! Africa is so beautiful! Mountains are all around us and I got to touch the Indian Ocean! The children are so adorable! They make me so happy...even though some can hardly speak English...they constently grab my hands and drag me around. I have gotten tackled! It's sad how as soon as they see me they trust me and want hugs and kisses and to be played with. Their stories are so sad, but they carry such happiness around.
   We are living right by the slums, and in person, looking at their homes the pain you feel cuts deeper than any picture could ever show. How can "I'm broke" or "I'm hungery" roll off my lips when they have nothing but a few boards and a piece of tin as a roof. It's winter here, and at night is when it gets cold...so many people have no blankets and I have comforters at my house in the states that are stored away...It has just been very eye opening.
   Gerrit and Ami have been wonderful to us. I have met 2 of their 3 biological children, and their 7 adopted children. We have so much fun with their family! We taught the kids the game signs and it has been are ritual the past couple of nights to walk over to their house and play the game with them. They know English well, the thing that makes it difficult are their accents...it takes some getting use to.
   After this week, the next 3 weeks the children have their winter break, so we will have the opportunity to go into the slums and to the hospital. Megan also wants to go to the Villiage of Hope for a day. All is well and great here in Grawbou!!! I look forward to sharing my whole expierence with you when I return! Until then...I will post a blog hopefully within the next week!

This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine!
With love, Alissa Rene