Monday, We got back to VBS. The drama station was getting more intense because the children would be performing a play the last night of our visit. After lunch, we began our first project. We would be painting the children’s playground. It was really rusty and gross looking. Some of us weren't very excited about it. We wanted to complete some of the more impactful projects. But we realized, this is what the kids play on everyday, its for the kids, and that is what it is all about. It got pretty messy especially since a lot of the kids jumped in to help. We had to use kerosene to get the paint off since it was oil based (pretty nasty stuff). The next day we completed the playground. We wrote CRC on all the seats and our names on the back side of the slide so the kids can remember us forever. We moved on to the other project which was to paint the outside bathrooms and showers. This was a little more impactful because they were pretty nasty inside and out. It took a lot of nose covering and sometimes eye closing but we got it done. It looked so much better than it had before. I was proud because I don't want these kids using a bathroom or shower everyday that looks beat up and disgusting. The facilities manager was pretty pleased with me since I was the "project leader" and all haha. He really enjoyed what we did with the playground though.
We ended the night with my devotion. I have the tendency to find God through these trips and let it slip away as the months pass. Last time I came, Abdul made me promise me I would never forget his name. So I had everyone talk about their favorite moments they would "never forget" hopefully keeping these memories and experiences with us for the rest of our lives. It got pretty emotional as we shared some of our favorite moments. Mine was when Lansana sat me down to write a letter to our whole team. He's about 8 years old but has more love in him than you could imagine. “Thank you for visiting the CRC compound. I wish you many many Christmas. I wish to see you all again. I love you. I love you all. Goodbye to all. May God bless you all.” We also talked about Alieu who was struck on the head with a machete during the the civil war. Some of the rebels poured cocaine in the cut to see what would happen. He lost a lot as a result. It's hard to explain but it almost seems as if he has always been mentally challenged but you can tell he's still in there. He doesn't communicate back much but he does in a way because he is ALWAYS smiling and laughing. The kids say people in town beat him and steal his stuff sometimes because he doesn't know better. That being true, another one of my favorite moments was to watch how well the kids at the CRC treat him and cheer for him when he enters the CRC. He lives outside the compound but they let him enter during the day anyways, the kids all love him and greet him with high fives, it's really touching to witness. Everyone of these kids has a story behind them growing up in a war torn country. I won't ever know them all, but I think about they way they still love everyday and pray, and how I can apply half of that to my own life back home.
Monday, We got back to VBS. The drama station was getting more intense because the children would be performing a play the last night of our visit. After lunch, we began our first project. We would be painting the children’s playground. It was really rusty and gross looking. Some of us weren't very excited about it. We wanted to complete some of the more impactful projects. But we realized, this is what the kids play on everyday, its for the kids, and that is what it is all about. It got pretty messy especially since a lot of the kids jumped in to help. We had to use kerosene to get the paint off since it was oil based (pretty nasty stuff). The next day we completed the playground. We wrote CRC on all the seats and our names on the back side of the slide so the kids can remember us forever. We moved on to the other project which was to paint the outside bathrooms and showers. This was a little more impactful because they were pretty nasty inside and out. It took a lot of nose covering and sometimes eye closing but we got it done. It looked so much better than it had before. I was proud because I don't want these kids using a bathroom or shower everyday that looks beat up and disgusting. The facilities manager was pretty pleased with me since I was the "project leader" and all haha. He really enjoyed what we did with the playground though. 
We ended the night with my devotion. I have the tendency to find God through these trips and let it slip away as the months pass. Last time I came, Abdul made me promise me I would never forget his name. So I had everyone talk about their favorite moments they would "never forget" hopefully keeping these memories and experiences with us for the rest of our lives. It got pretty emotional as we shared some of our favorite moments. Mine was when Lansana sat me down to write a letter to our whole team. He's about 8 years old but has more love in him than you could imagine. “Thank you for visiting the CRC compound. I wish you many many Christmas. I wish to see you all again. I love you. I love you all. Goodbye to all. May God bless you all.” We also talked about Alieu who was struck on the head with a machete during the the civil war. Some of the rebels poured cocaine in the cut to see what would happen. He lost a lot as a result. It's hard to explain but it almost seems as if he has always been mentally challenged but you can tell he's still in there. He doesn't communicate back much but he does in a way because he is ALWAYS smiling and laughing. The kids say people in town beat him and steal his stuff sometimes because he doesn't know better. That being true, another one of my favorite moments was to watch how well the kids at the CRC treat him and cheer for him when he enters the CRC. He lives outside the compound but they let him enter during the day anyways, the kids all love him and greet him with high fives, it's really touching to witness. Everyone of these kids has a story behind them growing up in a war torn country. I won't ever know them all, but I think about they way they still love everyday and pray, and how I can apply half of that to my own life back home.
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