Before I left, I was warned: Once you go to Africa, you will leave part of your heart there.
I wasn't so sure. I am an emotional person, yet at times I can have a very "get real" attitude.
Needless to say, I DID leave part of my heart there. A part of my heart that would someday like to go back. Fortunately, I was along as the team photographer, so a lot of my heart is shown through the images. I love to capture, and Africa and its people provided subjects that were packed with depth.
While there, our team was responsible for helping at the Lifesong for Orphans school. I can still remember the first day we walked there. We were a big group of white kids, and we stood out. As we journeyed the couple miles on the dirt roads, there were many Africans that walked alongside us. Seeing others walk on the street was as common as seeing cars drive on the streets of America. It was a culture shock.
As we neared the school, several beautiful kids ran up and grabbed our hands. All we had to do was look at them with love and they trusted us. Their hands slipped into ours, and we made the rest of the walk together, hand-in-hand.
Over the next week, we had the opportunity to meet and spend time with children starved for love. A lot of these children only had one parent or no parents at all, so lived with friends or other family. Most only ate 2 meals a day, both of which were provided at school.
All you have to do is look at the pictures to see into the heart of these kids. Jesus loves all the children of the world, and these precious souls in Africa are not forgotten. I have included a selection of favorites from my trip last year.
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