Smiles to go

I had every intention of spending the day mainly packing and getting ready to leave tomorrow for Cape Town.  I'm beyond excited at this point and greatly looking forward to the sights we will see and the incredible experience that I know awaits us.  However, as I was doing the typical laying out of clothes I want to take, I was asked to take a few pictures out at Chinsapo for The Chisomo Idea.  I never pass up an opportunity to go out to this village as the people are so welcoming and so filled with joy.  I love seeing the dirt fields and I know there will be tons of kids playing soccer, no matter what time we arrive.  With fuel being an issue, we took public transport.  This meant another ride on a mini-bus (actually 4 mini-buses total) and since we had to take a mini-bus instead of driving our own car, we added over an hour to our travel time.  I cannot complain though, as arriving there and being greeted by many smiles makes it worth it.  As we walked into the village, the children ran out of their huts to see me.  They waved and smiled and I found myself unable to stop smiling in return.  It's incredible what that many little smiles can do for you!  I came back to pack much later than I had planned, but I did so feeling thankful for the chance to see so many wonderful people.  I know you can't actually "pack" smiles, but I will hold them close to me tomorrow as I travel and in the days of vacation when I am absent from these beautiful people.

I will leave you now with a picture of me with some of the kids.  I realize I don't post a lot of pictures of myself since I'm usually the one taking the pictures.  I hope this brings a smile to your face too!