The kids of Korah...

One of the hardest things to share about my trip..So there, I warned ya!

If you missed my first post about our trip Click HERE

Or, my second Click HERE

Now, my next 'story'...The Kids of Korah.

It feels like more than a year ago when Andrea and I sat down over wine and pasta to choose which trip to go on.  There were several options.  Each one a bit different, different focus, different locations, different times.  In my mind, we chose this trip for one reason...Teshome.  I love Andrea and Teshome is Andrea's sponsor child.  I have been able to hear about Teshome for a long time.  I got to hear about the first time they met and see the pictures, hear the stories.  I love his smile.  I remember one of the first letters he wrote her and how he asked so sweetly "when you come to?".  I was beyond thrilled and excited to JUMP at the chance to meet the boy that has a permanent place in her heart because he, in turn, has a permanent place in mine.  And, don't even get me started on that smile...

All of the trips went through Korah, but this one..Korah was our focus!  We got to go to Korah 4 mornings of the trip and basically put on a Vacation Bible School for the kids there.  A little bit of skits, a little bit of crafting, a little bit of teaching a basic lesson of Gods love.

First, a bit of back story on Korah.  Almost 80 years ago, Korah was a village that was established because of Leprosy.  Two American doctors heard of the spread of leprosy and went to request land to build a hospital to help the people suffering from it.  King Hale Selase agreed to give land, but only if it was furthest away from the town to keep the lepers away from the other people.  There, the ALERT hospital was formed.  The people of Ethiopia use to believe people that contracted Leprosy were cursed.  Once their disease was discovered, people in other parts of the country were put in separate huts and there were attempts from their own families to set them on fire.  After the communists took over the reign of King Hale Selase, the military wanted the lepers gone.  They would even send their military out to kill those people.  These people had been cut off from any type of food, water, shelter..they had NOTHING provided to them.  Their only survival was to send the kids to the trash dump, which is right next to Korah, to find any kinds of scrap food or any objects of value to sell in the village.  Survival.  This is still the common practice today.  Korah is a village of severe poverty.  HIV is prominent and, so are orphans.  

So, Monday was the first day we were going to Korah.  I was very nervous.  I knew it would be probably the poorest place we went.   How do you prepare yourself for what you can only imagine will break your heart?  I remember I was SO nervous about my reactions to the smell.  Would the kids smell?  What would it look like?  

Day 1 was easy and incredibly tough all in one.  Day 1, these precious children were just precious children.  Day 1 the smells of the village were TERRIBLE (I am happy to say, they got better each day that passed).  It was a day of learning and boundaries.  

 While some of the children know some English, the language barrier is a difficult hurdle to overcome.  You want to give and share love with these kids who don't often get any signs of affection or love.  You want so badly to share with them your feelings of nothing but the best for them, but they don't understand a word you are saying.  Well, except "whats your name" and "how old are you".  Those two questions were pretty much the starting points with any child.  They want a relationship, any relationship.  They want to hold your hand.  They want to hug you.  They want to say "I love you" because it is one of the few things that they know how to say!  They call you "mom".  They ask for "candy".  They are kids.  Simple.

Day 1 was quick, easy and a day I will NEVER forget!  I learned so much that day.  I got so many questions answered.  I was introduced to my first "squatty potty"...things really got real.  I finally got to see what it looked like and replaced the imaginary images in my mind.  It was good.

Day 2 was good.  Happy.  Fun.  

Day 3 was bittersweet.  My favorite memory from Day 3 was after a craft that we did during VBS.  As part of our craft, we handed out a small mirror to each child to decorate with stickers and a verse on the back.  Seeing the peoples faces as they looked in a mirror, some for the very first time at their faces...it was a moment I will never forget and one that I will always cherish.  

Leaving Day 3 (wednesday) was probably the most emotional part of the entire trip for me.  Tomorrow was IT.  The last day in this beautiful place where I had given my heart to these kids.  Those kids I met on Monday?  I knew them now.  I knew their stories, their siblings, I had heard about their families or lack there of.  Each face was more than just a face, it was a story.  A story that for 4 short days, I got to see first hand and be a part of.  It was a gift and now, I had to leave.

 Yabsara and Henok...both have a special place in my heart forever.  

(More on Henok later...that's another post in itself)

As our team piled in the van at the end of Day 3 and we backed out of road to Korah, I lost it.  I couldn't even fathom tomorrow being my last day with these kids.  I think it was the first time it all sank in and all at once, I was heartbroken.  I didn't want to leave.  These kids made a huge impact on me.  As I gathered myself Andrea put her hand on my shoulder and said "This is why you're here".  I remember in that moment wishing I hadn't come.  Wishing I hadn't become vulnerable to this love that they so desire and that I can't give.  Wishing I hadn't seen with my eyes images that I will never forget and problems that I.CANT.FIX.  It hurt too bad.

Funny, the dreaded Day 4 turned out to be nothing but joy and blessings!  Not one tear was shed, not one regret even crossed my mind.  It was the BEST day of my whole trip!  I hate to leave you with a teaser, BUT Day 4 deserves a post all on its own.  Day 4 is THE REASON I WENT.

I promise to write that blog quicker than this one...this one took some time.  This story isn't one I can share easy.  

I am glad I went.  Glad I met the "kids of korah".  Glad I gave all I could give those 4 days because, it was only 4 days for me...but it still means the WORLD to them.