My heart melted as I stepped off the bus and onto the red dirt road in the small town of Salama. I was in tears as I looked around me and saw the faces of 42 precious little children. Orphans. The love that overtook my heart was so overwhelming and so different from anything I had ever felt before. I knew that this is where I was supposed to be. In a lot of ways, my heart found its meaning. Our entire team flooded the children with hugs and kisses as we lifted them into our arms and held on tight. The children, ranging from the age of 3-17, had clothes that were dirty and most of them did not wear shoes, but the way their white smiles looked against their dark skin was something that would attach itself to my heart and never leave. Joy. Unexplainable joy. We all introduced ourselves to the orphans, and handed out the goodies that we had brought them. Small candies, 'biscuits', jump ropes and soccer balls. The smiles on their faces was contagious. They gathered around as we all ate our first meal in Africa. I can't remember exactly what we ate, but it was probably something along the lines of Chapati, 'Peas', rice, and some goat meat. I didn't know exactly what to expect when I tried the food for the first time. Our whole team had brought a huge bucket of food from america just in case there was someone who absolutely hated the African food. I ate SO much Chapati. Chapatti is like a tortilla, except for ten times better. So needless to say, I was in love with the food.
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