By Molly Duncan '11
all of us just wanted to send a quick update about our ventures yesterday (tuesday). sorry we are late in posting, it has been difficult to find time!!
Yesterday morning began at 530 with prayer, as always. Although we are all fairly exhausted so early in the morning, there is something very peaceful and comforting about prayer and reflection so early in the morning.
After praise and worship, we went back to sleep for about an hour. after breakfast we took off for an elementary school of about 400 students. they were all so orderly and were lined up waiting for us when the bus arrived...
as you can imagine, we make quite a scene whenever we go anywhere. Manny and Andrew both talked to the uniform-clad children who listened so intently...the children admire them so much.
we then got the chance to lead the children in song. schinamarinkydinkidink (try sounding that out....its an old song from lambchops) was quite a favorite, as was father abraham. the children were so happy and eager to follow all of the hand motions in the song.
we washed the feet of about 200 of the children and gave them a new pair of shoes. we also trained local volunteers from andrew's church that will eventually finish the school and will distribute more shoes once we leave. the church members are so hospitable and they have picked up the process so quickly. it is definitely comforting to know that people will be able to take over what we are doing after we leave.
while church members learned how to wash feet and run the process, the kids (me, morgan, lauren, frank, and andrew) were put in charge of the schoolchildren. we loved leading them in songs and picking them up and spinning them around.
even in the rain, the children loved running around in the schoolyard and jumping all over us. some children had to be carried from one building to another to get their feet washed. lauren, morgan, chris easterling (a huge davidson fan) and i loved carrying them from one porch to the other so that they would not get their bare feet wet and muddy. they jumped into our arms and squealed as soon as we opened up our arms.
frank was busy picking up a new hobby...story telling. using picture cards, frank told different groups of children the story of noah's ark. their favorite part was definitely the animals and mr and mrs noah walking onto the boat. the sight of 6'10'' frank and 5'9'' blonde molly strutting onto the imaginary boat was apparently hillarious.
after we finished at the school, we went to the local hospital where our partner team is working to give free medical treatment. we grabbed some peanut butter sandwiches for lunch and were thrilled to have a cold coke as well.
at the hospital, morgan, lauren, and i (with occassional help from andrew and frank) helped put pills into bags for the pharmacy to dispense. we were at the hospital to wait for the governor's wife who we were told was "right around the corner." Three hours later, she arrived. When she finally arrived we were so relived because even our creative minds were out of ideas to entertain the children for one moment longer.
After she gave a speech, we had the chance to demonstrate what Samaritan's Feet does by washing the feet of a few children in front of her. It was really difficult to only choose a few because everyone waiting in line outside the hospital wanted so desperately for their children to receive a pair of shoes. turning away crying mothers is one of the most difficult things to do.
on a happier note, we had the chance to meet the Governor's wife and take a picture. for dinner, we returned to KFC (not what you are thinking....kada fried chicken is a local fast food chain). we were so grateful to return back to the hotel for a much-needed early evening. after relaxing, we headed to bed for the night....but not before checking morgan's email (luckily). a young man, joseph, we met yesterday sent one. the subject line: "Hi Queen Morgan."
