In Africa, we love the Lord

My obsession with Africans began at a young age.If you were really good friends with me when I was in middle school,I'm sure you remember me entering this stage.It hasn't gone anywhere.
I believe I was in 6th or 7th grade when Mwangaza Children's Choir made a stop on their world tour in Texas.My family was a host home for some of the kids in the choir while they were here. We had the opportunity to even host children a second time. Each time we had a new group of kids come to our home I was shy.Then right when we warmed up to eachother it was time for them to leave.It was awful. I will never forget the good times we had together though.

On Easter of that year I got to sing with their choir. Our church had a big service downtown and they were a part of it. After the service, me and my girls came home and invited some friends over.That day we introduced them to cascarone eggs [a mexican tradtion] and the game we all know as tag. It's the little things with these kids. Their lives are so different.  They also gave me a new outlook on life. They taught me that petroilum jelly could double as lotion haha!  They would read passages from the Bible to us,and it was so comforting. And their accents were the cutest things ever.  Just ask my kids how to say Lasagna or Spaghetti .. so hilarious.   One night we stayed up in my room and they danced and sang for me and I just sat there in amazement.

Then there was the group of boys that stayed with us. Not all of the boys are in this photo. I'll have to find one of all of us. But they kept me entertained as well. They discovered our karaoke machine and the echo button which was probably one of my favorite memories of their stay. It was totally different because we're not used to having boys in our house, so watching them interact with eachother was something I won't forget.

The reason I randomly decided to write this blog today was because I got to skype with one of my friends who is currently in Africa. She was a part of the choir. It was so cool !  A lot of them still keep up with me, and it's amazing to see. I would give ANYTHING to see my friends again.   What a lot of people don't know is that my mom and I were scheduled to go to Africa a few years after my friends left, but the trip didn't work out.   I haven't lost my passion for those people,and I really hope to visit them some day in their homeland.

The word Mwangaza means "Shining Light" in Swahili. - That's exactly what these kids were to me. They are some of my most treasured friends even though I don't physically get to see them. A part of them will always be with me, they have taught me so much. These kids are the pearl of Africa, and I'm so blessed to have met them.