Summer's End-almost

My husband and two of my children just returned from a trip to Zambia where they were helping at small village outside the capital city of Lusaka. An orphanage is under construction there and they worked at the site as well as with the people of the area. They had an opportunity to work at the local school with 300 children who attend there. They also helped with painting and other work in the area.

The thing that seemed the most stirring to them was the poverty--the average wage is $1 per day. The families live in mud huts with thatched roofs, no running water and holes in the ground for toilets. The children are very curious and were fascinated with all the white people in their village. They took soccer balls and left them there for the kids to play with--you would have thought they were given a million dollars! The kids were thrilled to have something to play with, as they have no toys at all.

One of the goals we as parents had for our children was to have our kids appreciate all the good things they have, and that the rest of the world doesn't have them. That goal was met. My son, who is now getting ready to go off to college, suddenly doesn't care so much about the color of his comforter, or if he has the right materials. He has seen how bad others have it, and is grateful for a warm bed, clean clothes and good food.

I will try to post some of the pictures of the trip, so you can see what it was like. It was a true adventure.