Heading Home

I had such an amazing time in Africa!  I'm sad that we have to leave, but I think I'm ready to go home.  I think the biggest thing I took away from this trip is that we don't need money or things to make us happy.  The people in Africa have almost nothing, and they seem happier than us!  I realized on this trip that we take so much for granted in the U.S. - like hot showers and variety of different foods.  I will definitely be living with a different perspective of life from now on.  

And thank you for all of your prayers for this trip.  We stayed safe and I'm positive that God saved us from getting attacked by that elephant on the safari day.  Apparently the situation we were in was very dangerous. 

Our Eighth Day in Tanzania

Today was definitely the best day yet.  It was the day we got to meet our sponsored child, Zulpha.  All of the people from our team formed two lines for the children to walk through and sang, "This is the Day."  (We kind of copied the children from the first day.)  We were told to stay in the line as the children walked through.  I soon saw the kids walking down the path.  I kept my eye out for Zulpha.  My heart then stopped.  I saw a girl with big, beautiful eyes who looked my age.  My eyes started tearing up.  I grabbed my mom's hand and said, "That's her."  Without thinking twice about it, we got out of the line and embraced Zulpha.  We pulled her into the line with us, barely singing with all of the tears of joy.  Her program leader, Lisa, and translator, Mao Godlisten, came to greet us.  We went inside to find a seat to talk with them.  I think it was the happiest moment of my life.  No words can explain my emotions.  
              Zulpha gave us some African skirts that she had bought.  That was so touching because she really didn't have the money to buy us skirts.  This is a great example of how generous and selfless the people are here in Tanzania.  We sat down and asked Zulpha to tell us about herself.  Since the letters she writes us only talk about school and what she bought with what we gave her, we knew nothing about her.  She explained to us that she lives with her mother, father, brother, aunt, and cousin.  She also said that before she was in the Compassion program, (which was six years ago) her family was Muslim.  Everyone in her family (except her father) is now a Christian.  Her father is thinking about becoming a Christian right now, though.  She obviously has a very strong relationship with God.  She shared her favorite verse in the Bible- Psalms 24:1.  We found out that their family of six lives in one small room, which they rent.   In Tanzania, those who rent rooms are considered the poorest because they don't have home-ownership.  Apparently this room costs $19 a month.  Since there is not enough room for all of them, they sometimes ask if Zulpha can sleep on the floor of the hair salon nearby. 
            Before the trip, we had bought her a swimsuit in case we wanted to swim.  But when we got there, we were told that the children here never swim, so we decided not to bring the swimsuit for her to the meeting place.  When I asked her what she likes to play, she said soccer, tennis, and swimming in the river.  I was so surprised to hear this!  We still had the swimsuit in our luggage at the room, so I told Zulpha that there was a pool at the hotel and that we brought a swimsuit for her.  Her eyes lit up and she definitely wanted to swim.  We spent a good portion of the day swimming in the pool.  She actually didn't know how to swim!  We went into the kiddie pool where the rest of the kids were and played Marco Polo.  After a little while, I asked if she wanted to go to the deep pool.  She immediately responded, "No."  But when I got into the deep pool, the translator asked her again if she wanted to go in.  It took a little convincing, but she soon was in the pool.  She stayed close to the edge with a tube around her, but I was so proud of her for getting in.  She had never swam in a deep pool before, so this was a big deal!  
            After lunch, we played games like tic-tac-toe, Hangman, dot-to-dot, and Uno.  She enjoyed that!  Before we knew it, though, we only had 20 minutes before the children had to go!  We scrambled to get her gifts and she excitedly opened them.  The backpack of gifts included candy, headbands, flip-flops, and craft supplies.  We also gave her an early birthday present.
            We went outside with only 10 minutes left, so we took some pictures and prayed.  All of the kids and sponsors gathered up to take a group picture.  We gave Zulpha one last long hug before it was time for her to go back home.  We thanked her for the lovely skirt again and before we knew it, she was on the bus, waving goodbye at us.  
            The day seemed to go by so fast.  What a blessing it was to meet my sponsored child!  Apparently, only 1% of the children in the Tanzania Compassion program, which is about 650 children, get to meet their sponsors.  I will forever remember this wonderful day.  
    When we first met Zulpha



  In the pool!







  Saying goodbye

So sorry!!!

I am so sorry that I haven't been posting anything about our time in Tanzania yet.  We have had no wifi at all, but I have been writing about every day on a Word document. 

Our Seventh Day in Tanzania

Sunday was a safari day!  I saw many safari jeeps pull up in the hotel driveway as we were about to leave.  We drove through Tarangire National Park and saw many different kinds of animals (ones that are not usually in the U.S.).  We saw animals like zebras, gazelles, impalas, giraffes, (female) lions, elephants, and beautiful blue/turquoise birds. 

My tennis coach actually told me before the trip, “Don’t get eaten by a hippo!”  Well, I didn’t get eaten by a hippo today, but I almost got charged by an elephant!  We were driving in our little jeep as an elephant started to cross the road.  We stopped the jeep to let him pass, but he just stayed there in the road and stared at us.  He was literally about 10 feet away from us.  My heart was pounding.  Apparently elephants don’t have good eyesight, so this elephant tried to smell and listen to us.  He stuck his trunk so close to the vehicle!  Everyone on the bus was terrified.  Then he started flapping his ears and stepping toward us (a sign of aggression).  My mom nervously asked the driver, “So…. what do we do in a situation like this?”  He whispered, “Stay absolutely quiet.”  From there on the bus was dead silent.  Eventually the elephant wandered off, but I think that was one of the most terrifying moments of my life! 

When we went to have a lunch break, we stopped at a little picnic area.  That’s where the monkeys were.  I got so close the monkeys - maybe about 3 feet away.  While I was videotaping a monkey, I heard screams over to my left.  I quickly turned to see that a monkey had just stolen someone’s food from their lunch box.  I ran over there and found that there were little monkeys everywhere!  In Tanzania, they’re considered pests since they steal everything.  I had a good time watching them steal bananas, yogurt, and other food items.  Except, I was kind of nervous that one of them would take my phone out of my hand!

When we were done with the amazing safari, we drove back to the first hotel we stayed at.  (Had my first warm shower!)  The leader of the trip advised us on what it is going to be like the next day, when we get to meet our sponsored child.  I am super excited, but a little nervous as well.  Will Zulpha (my sponsored child) like me?  Is she shy or outgoing?  I don’t know much about her; I don’t even know if she has parents or siblings.  Most of her letters talk about school or what she bought with what we sent her.  Please be praying that it will go well!

Naughty monkeys!


                      Our safari jeep

Our Sixth Day in Tanzania

So, before we went on this trip, we were told that we would be putting on a VBS (Vacation Bible School) for the children.  The whole VBS is supposed to be based on the idea of turning “ordinary into extraordinary.”  We used the analogy of a caterpillar (Hermie in this case) turning into a butterfly.  On Saturday we went to the center that the VBS was at.  I decided to be in the Bible lessons/skits group where we acted out the story of Hermie.  Basically, Hermie was a common caterpillar and wanted to be like other bugs that have special gifts.  He asked God why He made him so common and God kept telling him, “I love you just the way you are, but I am not finished with you yet.”  In the end Hermie turned into a beautiful butterfly and realized that God wasn’t finished with him yet.  For the play, the team wanted me to be Hermie.  The skit went really well and the kids enjoyed it very much.

As soon as we were done performing the skits, it was time to go back to the chapel.  Many girls rushed up to hold my hands. As you can tell, this happened a lot, but I never really got tired or annoyed by it.  I felt so loved to have kids include me right away like that. 

In the chapel the children from the choir sang and danced for us.  This was the best singing and dancing so far.  The boys especially danced their hearts out!

When it was time to go, I shook hands with as many people as possible.  This was my last Child Development Center, so I was a little sad.  Riding in the bus, I thought what a wonderful experience this has been and how blessed I am to have such an amazing opportunity.  But only after about 30 seconds, the bus stopped.  I found out that we were stuck in the mud.  A few of the men had to help push us out.  I felt bad for them, though, because they got so dirty! 

I heard that our next hotel was going to be a tented hotel.  I had never heard of tented hotel before, but I assumed it would be pretty rough.  However, this was not the case.  This was the most beautiful hotel yet!  In the U.S., they call it "glamping."  As we were driving in, there were zebras, warthogs, and exotic birds everywhere.  The hotel rooms looked like big, nice huts with tent material for some of the walls.  We went to the pool where we could see the gorgeous sunset and wildlife out in the distance.  After staying in a small, rugged hotel for four nights, this was a big treat for us.  Hallelujah!!! 




 

       (Our wonderful tented hotel)

Our Fifth Day in Tanzania

On Friday we visited another child development center – TZ-229.  We don’t typically remember the number of every center but this one had a special significance.  On our way to the center, we learned that on February 21, the director of this center was murdered after some local people discovered they were just about to receive a special grant from Compassion to do a project.  Thinking that the director was now rich, they murdered him in his home with the hopes of finding the money.  It was so sad to think about what this center had just been through.  I was amazed to see that, despite the tragedy, all the kids were still able to show us their huge smiles and hearts.  The joy of the Lord was indeed their strength. 

The children were very excited to see us!  Three girls (one was 13 and the others were 14) greeted me with a warm smile and grabbed my hands.  Their names were Alima, Diana, and Naemma (Naemma is a very common name in Tanzania because it means “grace”). 

Today we really focused on playing games.  First, I played Frisbee with the boys and a few girls.  Since the Frisbee had a whole in the center, many of the boys tried to catch it around their heads.  I tried to do the same thing, but it never worked out.  I saw lots of children playing with bubbles in the background. 

I soon wondered where my mom went, and I discovered that she was on a rock in the distance playing games like tic-tac-toe, hangman, and dot-to-dot with four girls.  I joined them and found that the kids were happily licking ring pops my mom had given them.  They especially enjoyed watching their tongues turn multiple colors. 

As we were playing tic-tac-toe, we heard crying in the distance.  I saw a little girl coming toward us with tears streaming down here face.  I quickly grabbed some chocolate and gave it to her.  She almost immediately felt better.  “Chocolate always cures the tears,” I told her.

We then had lunch and played some more games outside, like the hokie-pokie, duck, duck, goose (which they call “ku-ku, ku-ku, bata, or chicken, chicken, duck), and red light, green light.  Probably the most significant game we played, though, was called (ooh – power just went out as I was typing this) Lion and Gazelle – translated ‘Simba na Swala’.  When playing, everyone holds hands and forms a circle.  One kid is chosen as the lion and one as the gazelle.  The job of the circle is to protect the gazelle from the lion.  As the lion runs around inside of the circle, the gazelle runs around the outside.  The lion tries to “attack” the gazelle, but the job of the people in the circle is the move strategically so the lion cannot reach its prey.  After the game of chase ended, our team leader Sean explained that the circle represents a community.  If someone strays from the community, it is the job of the circle to protect that person from the enemy who wants to devour them.  In the same way, God is always seeking after his lost sheep.  The enemy is the roaring lion, trying to devour its prey.  But it is our job to work with God to protect his children. 

When the rain started to come (typical in the afternoons, during this rainy season in Tanzania), we moved inside for more games.  Some played Uno and other games, but the majority of us played a fun game where we raced against another team to grab a water bottle in the center of the room.  Everyone was assigned a number.  When your number was called, you had to race against the person with the same number on the opposite team.  The team with the most winners at the end took the whole game.  It was very fun.  In Tanzania, the kids don’t need iPhone apps to enjoy games.  In fact, many kids are often seen playing in the dirt all day.  Life is more simple here.  And there is much to appreciate about that.  The children in Tanzania are teaching me that it is not money or things that bring us happiness.  It is more about time spent with the people we love.  And let and me say – Tanzanians are very easy to love. 

As we said our goodbyes, we left the center with a piece of luggage full of gifts.  It included paper, crayons, and other craft materials along with a few snacks and games.  In turn, they presented us with one final song that included lyrics about their thankfulness for the Compassion program.  It was also very meaningful because one woman on our team (Jeannie) decided to sponsor a second child that morning.  To our surprise, the child was at the center with us that day so Jeannie got to meet her in person and spend time with her.  Usually people meet their sponsored children after writing many letters to them overseas, so it was a very special moment for all of us.

In the evening, we returned to our hotel for some down time before planning our vacation bible school activities that we would be doing at another center the next morning. 
 

Our Fourth Day in Tanzania

  On Thursday, instead of going to a Child Development Center, we went to a Child Survival Program, where at-risk mothers of 0-3 year old babies are given counseling, medical care, spiritual guidance, and are taught how to make a living by sewing, raising chickens, and other trades.  There were many beautiful babies there.  The mothers wrapped their babies around their backs with thin blankets.  The mothers also sang and danced for us in the chapel.  They had incredible, powerful voices. 

Next, we were given a tour of the whole Child Survival Program- a room for moms to play with their babies, a chicken coop, a preschool, and a room where they sewed.  When we visited the room where they would sew, we noticed many beautiful thin blankets (like the ones they used to wrap the babies around the moms).  We asked if they were for sale and they replied yes.  My mom and I each picked out one that we liked.  I picked out a bright green/yellow/blue one and my mom picked out a red one with different colored designs on it.  A lady wrapped it around my waist as a skirt and it looked very pretty.  My mom had wanted to hold a baby on her back like a true African woman since we got to the center, so she asked a mom if she could have the baby wrapped in her blanket around her.  The mom said yes and helped her.  My mom needed lots of help.  We were both impressed at the way these women needed no help to put a tiny baby on their back and wrap them in a blanket as a carrier.

            The mothers sang and danced for us again when we came back into the chapel.  I saw some cute little kids wandering around and said, “Jambo!” which is “hello” in Swahili.  They all smiled and came to talk to me.  One of the little girls just reached her arms up to hug meJ.  I have a big heart for the younger kids, so this was fun for me to get to talk with them.

As we were heading to the bus, all of the mothers shook hands with us and we thanked them.  Some were shy and some were very social.  But one thing they had in common, though, was that they all had loving, caring hearts, which is all that really matters.
  

Our Third Day in Tanzania

On Wednesday we divided into two different groups again and had a 20-minute drive to another Child Development Center.  When we hopped off the bus, we each had two children that took our hands and walked us into the chapel.  The pastor welcomed us and told us about how they help the children at the program.  Then the two 6^th graders holding my hands, Amelia and Naemma, walked me to where we could wash our hands so we could have a snack with tea.  The soap was in a powder form and the water came from a little bucket.  The snack was a couple fritters (2 different types of donuts), an egg, fruit, and chai tea.  I dipped the fritter into the sweet tea and it was delicious.  When we were done eating our snack, the children sang and danced for us.  I soon found myself walking up to the stage and dancing with them, like most of the people on our team did.  Amelia and Naemma were very happy that I did that.  They even thanked me! 

            The home of the sponsored child that we visited that day had four generations of family there.  There were two toddlers and two girls my age.  The grandpa in the house explained to us that he is the oldest man in their town at age 91.  We asked them questions about what they do around the house, what they cook, and what they think about America.  When someone in our group asked about what they think of America, a woman replied, “When I think of America, I think of white people and rich people.”  She didn’t believe us when we told her that there is poverty in America.  It’s interesting how Africans view Americans.  The mother asked us to leave before we could explain the diversity in America.  I think she was getting a little overwhelmed with all of our questions.  But someone from Tanzania also explained that visitations are a huge part of the culture here so they are much more comfortable telling people when a visit has ended.  The whole time I was at the house, though, there were a few adorable kids peeking at me from outside.  One of the girls had the sweetest smile!  I couldn’t help but wave back at them almost the whole time.

            Before we hopped on the bus to go back to the hotel, the children put wooden cross necklaces on us.  They were so beautiful!  It’s so humbling how even though these people live in poverty and have nothing, they want to serve and give.  They truly have the hearts of God.

Our Second Day in Tanzania

On Tuesday we divided into two different groups-group A and group B. (I’m in group A). We had a 20-minute bus ride to another Child Development Center.  As we walked off the bus, the children put necklaces on us that they had made themselves.  Like the first day, the children danced and sang for us once we entered the chapel.  Music and dance is a huge part of Tanzanian life.  The pastor welcomed us and told us about their program that helps the children.  He then excused us to lunch.  The lunch was delicious.  It included rice, beef, potatoes, vegetables, fruit, and soda.  After we ate lunch, we went outside to play with the kids (the ones I played with were all around my age).  Just like the first day, the kids were so welcoming and loving.  It was probably a treat to have someone close to their age.  They repeatedly said my name (Emma is usually a boy’s name in Tanzania.  It’s short for Emmanuel) and were also quite fascinated with the color of my skin.  We were the first group of Americans to visit this particular area, so many of them had never seen a white person before.  We went to a little field where my mom and I pulled out some chocolate eggs.  I expected them to just wait for their turn to receive the chocolate, but once I opened the bag, they all tried to reach inside and push each other out of the way.  It was a bit crazy, but I guess we’re not the only place where people go crazy for chocolateJ.  Then we walked through their little village to get to their primary school where a few of the girls and I passed a soccer ball around the circle.  I realized, though, that some of the younger children around us were staring at me.  I was an obvious foreigner, so it was a little scary for them at first, but they soon got comfortable with me. 

We passed the ball to each other and said our names as we caught it.  There were actually some names that are common in the U.S. like Rachel, Leah, and Lucy.  In another area, our team was teaching the kids games like football (which turned into rugby because it was too hard to explain all the rules), soccer, jump rope and frisbee.   My mom was also sitting under a tree teaching kids tic, tac toe and other games on paper. 

After playing that for a little while we went back to the chapel where the children sang and danced for us again.  But this time, the children wanted me to dance with them.  I tried my best, but I wasn’t as good as they were.  They have grown up dancing and singing their whole lives; it’s so natural for them.  Then it was our turn.  My mom got to teach everyone 3 Christian songs and lead us all in worship.  She said she felt very honored to teach them some of our favorite songs. 

Our leader then announced that we would be visiting one of the sponsor children’s homes.  He warned us, though, not to comment on things in their house (like to compliment on a nice object they have) or else they will want to give that object to us.  The Tanzanians want to serve you in any way possible.  We went to a home with a 13 year old daughter and her mother.  They did not speak English, so we had a translator.  They actually didn’t show us much of the inside of their house.  We mostly just stayed in the main entrance.  The home was very small, especially considering that 5 people lived there.  The entire place was made out of wood and mud.  Inside was one small sitting area and 3 bedrooms with curtains and doors.  The home was about the size of a large U.S. bedroom.  The kitchen was outside in a little hut.  It mostly had some clay cooking pots and a few stones to cook on.  The home was surrounded by cornfields, which is their source of income.

Soon it was time to go back to the chapel.  The children sang and danced for us again!  This time there were two little boys who danced in front.  They were so adorable.

Then it was time to say goodbye (always the hardest part of the day).  Everyone shook hands with me and I thanked them for having us.  The girls swarmed around me and said goodbye multiple times.  As I walked into the bus, they came to the window and held my hands.  We said “I love you” in Swahili until the bus drove away. 

Our First Day in Tanzania

We arrived in Arusha, Tanzania on Sunday night and drove to our hotel.  A few men tied our luggage on top of the bus, and when we got to the hotel, we had to walk down a long, dusty road to get to our room.  On Monday we had a four-hour bus ride to one of Compassion’s Child Development Centers, where children are educated and taken care of by Compassion.  Once I heard that the bus ride was a four-hour ride, I got pretty scared because I thought I was going to be so bored.  However, this was not the case.  We drove through villages and beautiful nature.  I would wave at the Tanzanians and about 90% of them waved back, with a wonderful smile on their face.  I got emotional once I saw how happy the Tanzanian children were to see us.  I wish it were more like that in the U.S. where everyone is always so happy to see each other.  When we got to the Child Development Center we were greeted by children singing This is the Day the Lord Has Made, with boys on one side and girls on the other.  We walked in the middle of them.  My spirit was filled with pure joy.  They all smiled at us with the biggest smiles.  We sat down in an outdoor chapel and the children started singing and dancing for us.  When they sat down, the teachers/program directors greeted us and told us all about what Compassion is doing to serve children in their community.  Compassion serves about 65,000 kids in Tanzania.  I soon realized that all of the girls were staring at me.  They were ages 6-18 years old.  Apparently they don’t usually get visitors from America, so it was a big treat for them.  Immediately after we were excused to lunch, all of the 12-14 year old girls swarmed around me with huge smiles and giggles.  We introduced ourselves and they hung out with me the whole time we were there.  They wouldn’t let go of my hands.  It was really sweet.  They were all very interested in my hair, my sunglasses, and my porcelain skin.  We talked for a little while and they showed me their school.  It was interesting how they enjoyed listening to me reading their schoolbooks.  They complimented me on how I read then showed me some Swahili books. 

When it started raining, we went back to the chapel and the children sang and danced for us again.  It was very exciting to watch.  I got very sad when it was time to say goodbye to all those sweet girls.  They hugged me and kissed my cheeks and hands.  I don’t think I have ever felt so welcomed and loved in my whole entire life.

Our Time in New York

We stayed in New York for about three days.  It's amazing how many things we were able to see in that short amount of time!
On day one I went to see Times Square for the first time. This was one of my favorite parts of New York because I was able to experience the environment of it. My mom and I also saw Phantom of the Opera on Broadway which was incredible. I have never seen the movie before, but my mom says that Broadway is a much better experience.  That night we ate at a delicious Asian fusion restaurant called Tao.
On day two we visited Carlo's Bakery (as I already posted), walked around Central Park, and went on a fun tour called The Ride.  It's a bus with a huge window on one side, and the hilarious tour guides tell you about New York while interacting with street performers and random people on the street.
On day three we had the best food of our lives! We went on a Southeastern Asian and Chinese food tour (my mom and I were the only people on the tour).  The tour guide took us to the best hole-in-the-wall restaurants/bakeries in Chinatown. It was so delicious!
New York was amazing! I'm so glad that we left early so that we could stay there for a few days. But I am even more excited about Tanzania. It will be such a life-changing experience. :)

Heading off to Tanzania!

We will be flying out to Tanzania today! We will arrive in Amsterdam, Holland at around 7 a.m. Amsterdam time, and will fly from there to Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. We will arrive there at about 9 p.m. Tanzania time. Tanzania is 11 hours ahead of Washington (code for we're probably going to be tired) But getting super excited!!! :D

Cake Boss!

We decided to go to New Jersey to visit Carlo's Bakery, home of one of my favorite TV shows, Cake Boss.  The pastries weren't as exciting as the actual experience, but it was awesome to be able to go to Hoboken and actually see the bakery in person.

The Empire State Building

On the plane to NYC!

We had a nice 4 1/2 hour plane ride to New York yesterday and were greeted by very cold weather! There's snow on the ground and the temperature is about 20 degrees.

A Fun Surprise!

We will be with 40 people from all over the U.S. for this trip. As we were looking through who would be with us, we noticed there was a couple from Gig Harbor! How cool that out of all the places in the U.S. there is another couple from Gig Harbor! My mom actually had coffee with them today and found that they were very nice.

Zulpha!

This is Zulpha, our sponsored child!

The Schedule

This is a little summary of what the schedule will look like for our trip:

• We will arrive in New York on March 4th. We'll spend a few days there and do some fun activities, including an Asian food tour.
• On Saturday, March 8th, we will fly in to Amsterdam, Holland.  It will take about 7 1/2 hours to get there.  We will arrive on the 9th.
• From Amsterdam, we will then have an 8 1/2 hour flight to Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.
• Each morning in Tanzania we will have a time for devotion and prayer.
• On March 10th we will get an overview of Compassion's child development program in Tanzania. There will be a few children from that program to greet us.
• On March 11th we will divide into our family groups (a small group of about 6-7 people), meet a child from Compassion's program, visit his/her home, and meet his/her family. (According to Compassion, this is always one of the highlights of the trip because we start to gain a deeper understanding of life in Tanzania.)
• On March 12th we will divide into two groups and visit the child development centers again and interact with some of the children (not our sponsored children though).
• On March 13th we will all visit the Child Survival Program. Then we will divide into our family groups and see some more homes.
• On March 14th the focus will be on learning about Compassion’s global reference curriculum and how Tanzania has contextualized and enhanced it for maximum impact in their culture.
• On March 15th we will experience a typical student center day and interact with about 250 beautiful Tanzanian children. We will be putting on a Vacation Bible School for the children including crafts, games, worship, and Bible-lessons. (I am hoping to be in the group that is doing the Bible-lessons/skits)
• March 16th is a safari day! We will be going to Tarangire National Park where there are over 300 different species of wildlife. Here is the website about Tarangire National Park:  http://www.tanzaniaparks.com/tarangire.html
• March 17th is child/sponsor fun day! This is the day we will be able to meet our sponsored child, Zulpha! We will be able to talk with her and do some fun activities such as swimming, crafts, soccer, or other fun sports. (This is the last actual day of doing activities in Tanzania)
• We will depart to Amsterdam late at night on March 18th. The flight will be overnight, so I'm going to be very tired!
• We will arrive in Amsterdam on March 19th, fly to New York, then go back home. :)

Zulpha

Zulpha is our sponsored child! My family has been sponsoring her for about five years. When we were selecting who our sponsored child was going to be, I was about seven years old. I wanted to find a girl around the same age as me. I scrolled through tons of pictures of seven year old girls, and once I saw Zulpha's picture, I knew she was the one I wanted to sponsor. Zulpha and I like to exchange letters with each other. Each letter from her includes an encouraging Bible verse and a pretty drawing of a flower or an animal. On this trip I will be able to meet her! I am beyond excited about this.