We're Here and Doing Well!

Hello from the MOM Orphanage in Otutulu Africa!  Our travels have brought us through many airports, long layovers, through many towns and BUMPY roads!  It was a 2 1/2 trip before we finally arrived at our ultimate destination.  We spent our first night at Hope Eden in Abuja.  It was a great place and we all learned how to shower with a pail of cold water and a cup to use to pour the frigid water over our heads.  The next morning we stopped by the Lakoja orphanage where we handed out, much to the thrill of the kids, Trix cereal and left them with a new blow up playhouse and slide set.  In return, they gave us two babies to care for the next two weeks.  The mothers of both of these babies had tragically died while giving birth.  The two new additions to our family are Jushua, a 3 week preemie and Ele, a 6 week old baby. 

We then departed for MOM and arrived mid afternoon.  Once there, we were greeted like we were rock stars with over 200 kids running out to meet us, all holding our hands as we got the grand tour. Today we made a trip into the market which is over an hour away from the Orphanage down, you guessed it, more bumpy roads.  Market was an absolute trip, with motorcycles, cars and people all swarming around like a bee hive.  One thing we learned was here in Africa, the cars and not the pedestrians, have the right of way.  With horns blaring and crowds moving, it was a challenge to cross the streets without getting pegged by a speeding motorcycle.  It was really an exciting experience, much different than going to our market in La Cantera!

While we were all dodging the cars and motorcycles, Barb stayed behind to care to the babies and play with some of the younger childern who don't yet go to school.  She said that while she was hanging out outside caring for the baby, at first a couple kids came out to hang with her.  Within a little bit, she had roughly  15 kids and aunties laughing and playing with her.  Barb used very sophisticated methods, like putting pipe cleaners in her hair to look like antennas, to attract the crowds.... if only we were around to take a picture of it!

The terrain around MOM is absolutely breathtaking, reminding several of us of the terrain found in Hawaii.  It is amazing to see such beauty serving as the backdrop of such poverty.  Even though the residents are poor, you would never know it by the smiles on their faces.  It has also been an absolute joy spending time with the kids at MOM who so appreciate the attention and love we try to give them.  A big thanks goes to our immediate families as well as our family at C4 for making this trip possible.  Nafedowe (We love you!)