Last Saturday we went to Livingstone! We were so happy to arrive at the Protea Hotel because we were able to take long showers. That evening we went to the Royal Livingstone for high tea. The Royal Livingstone was ridiculously nice! As we were driving up, we saw a few zebras just chilling next to the road. Crazy. High tea consisted of a choice of tea, coffee, or espresso (Kay?) and about 50 desserts. It was delicious, but it was also our supper! Too much sweet stuff for me... So much that I ended up getting sick that night and for the whole day on Sunday. Luckily, it didn't cause me to miss anything!

My little tea cup.

Only one side of the desserts!

After we were finished with tea, we were able to walk around on the beautiful lawns of the Royal Livingstone. This hotel/resort is right on the shore of the Zambezi River just down from Victoria Falls. It was BEAUTIFUL! Kaylee said she now wants to get married there... as soon as she finds her man! :) Love you, Kay. We started walking around and soon realized that there were monkies everywhere! A bunch of them were jumping around and playing on a table out in the middle of the yard. Lacey and Kaylee decided to get a closer look. And then a closer look. And an even closer look. Then they were only a few feet away and all of a sudden the monkeys started chasing them! One of them even grabbed the hem of Lacey's dress. It was hilarious... of course they screamed and made a scene. Luckily, I got a few classic pictures of it... which will be up on Facebook once I get home. Once the sun started going down we all gathered on the big deck to relax and watch the sunset. I was just sitting there and all of a sudden I had a little visitor...

Hey monkey!

Kaylee, Lacey, and me enjoying the sunset!

Sunday morning we woke up early for our safari day! We drove to Botswana (yay, another stamp in the passport!), which also included a short boat ride! Three guys from Mexico ended up being in our group with us for the day. They were hilarious! They were all decked out in Mexico soccer attire so we had to ask... were they here for the World Cup?? Umm... yes they were! We were so pumped to meet someone who had been. They had already been to a few games, including USA v. England, and by the end they were going to see 9 games total. Legit. They were doing it right!

Our friend, Julian, who went to some World Cup games!

We were super impressed when we arrived at the Chobe National Park Lodge. It was absolutely beautiful. After taking a quick bathroom break and meeting a girl from Bentonville, AR (no joke! small world), we loaded up onto the boat for our morning boat safari! Our boat was pretty big and we definitely didn't fill it up, so we were able to move around and get great views of the wildlife. We saw so many different birds, which the Tulli took turns naming and telling us facts about. We also saw elephants, hippos, cape buffalo, crocodiles, massive lizard like guys that I can't remember the name of, and so many other things! It was amazing and so relaxing just chilling on the boat.

We saw tons of elephants swimming and playing in the water!

We headed back to the Lodge for a nice buffet lunch... which I ate none of since I still felt queasy, but everyone else said it was great. As soon as everyone was finished eating, we loaded up into two Land Cruisers for our afternoon game drive. After looking at Kev's pictures of his safari in Kenya, I had something totally different in my mind for what our game drive would be like. He was more in the plains, but we were right on the shore of a river. We saw so many elephants, I couldn't even begin to count them! We saw some more hippos lounging in the sun, and we saw tons of impalas, sables, and other guys like them.

Happy "heeppo"

This guy game running RIGHT next to our car! We literally could have touched him!

After a while, we were really keeping our eyes pealed for some giraffes and lions. Then all of a sudden, I saw something cat-like moving along the bush. Turns out, it was a LEOPARD! Our guide got on his radio and called all the other drivers out there and they all rushed to see it. We got to watch it for a long time! He was stalking an impala when we showed up, but decided to leave him alone. There were a ton of jackels out that were almost taunting him. They kept yelping and following him. As soon as the leopard would turn around, the jackels would scatter. We kept hoping the leopard would attack or something exciting, but he just cooly walked away. It was still the most exciting part of our safari! Our guide told us that leopards were really rare to see in that area and that we were lucky!

My leopard! He was beautiful!

Towards the end, we came across tons of "Pumbas" as our guide called them. We were taking pictures of them when we saw this cute little guy!

Baby giraffe!

When the safari was over, we drove back to the border where our guide, Johnson, dropped us off. We had to get a picture with him because he was so great!

Our safari group with our guide, Johnson.

That night we met together in B Weave's hotel room for a small devotional. Ian was in charge of it, and it was so sweet. He has done a lot of growing up on this trip and we are all proud of him! We also discovered the big fuzzy blankets in our hotel room that night. We couldn't believe we'd missed them on the first night! Catherine and I snuggled up in our beds and watched a movie before falling asleep. The next morning, we decided to sleep in instead of going to the market. Excellent choice! We were so rested and relaxed when we met up with the rest of the group for lunch. After a little picnic in the parking lot of a grocery store, we went back to Victoria Falls! B Weave decided to just sit in Khaki Jackie while we went and walked around. We had to wait for a little bit while DT paid for all of us. We were just standing around when we saw a big monkey come up and try to get in the window a guy's cab! He shooed him off, but the monkey (and a few of his friends) roamed around the parking lot. I went over to warn B Weave since she had her window down. Sure enough, right after I warned her, the monkey came over and jumped up on Khaki Jackie! He had a little staring contest with B Weave while we all took pictures. Funny!

There are really no words for Victoria Falls. It's unbelievable. Does not even compare to Niagara Falls, which happens to be one of my favorite places!


After taking a few "dry" pictures, we made our way down to the mist... Now last time, when we were there at night, I ran across a bridge that goes straight through the mist. This time, when I saw it, I decided it was a no go. Padge, I don't think you would have wanted to do it either! Pretty small bridge, way high up, that's super slippery! No way! Everyone else decided to go across it so I just headed back up to the dry areas and took a few more pictures. Later, we all decided to brave the market there. Out of control. They really know how to work you and they make you feel bad if you don't buy something. Jaime ended up buying some ugly carved heads just because she felt bad. Ha! I only got what I had on my list (yes, I had a list. Nerd. I'm not denying it) so I was good. Then it was back to the hotel for the wet people to change before our sunset cruise. We got picked up at our hotel and were driven down to the Zambezi. We took a little sunset cruise down the river. It was really peaceful and relaxing. A great way to end our trip!

We decided to have a little dance party on the back of the boat.
We all put our headphones in and played "Imma Be" at the same time.
We thought it was hilarious... B Weave?

There was a family also on the boat who were missionaries in Malawi that were taking a long weekend trip. Turns out, the wife was a speech pathologist! So she was very interested in our work and they were so nice talking to. The sunset was beautiful! I may have taken over 20 pictures of it. Surprised? I'm such a sucker for sunsets.

Why yes, this is my new background.

When we got back to the hotel, Catherine and I stayed in our room and worked on another little G.A. secret for everyone. This morning we got up and headed over to the market. The people in Livingstone are really used to tourists and really working people. That was a major change from the markets in Kalomo and Choma where they just kind of sit back and let you look. It was exhausting going from stall to stall with about 5 guys around you at all times saying, "My sister from another mother, you have something to trade? Come and look at my shop!" It's a good thing we went to this market at the end of our trip when most of our shopping was done, though... otherwise we might have spent too much money buying little things we were pressured into even though we didn't necessarily want them!

We had to come back to Namwianga a little earlier than originally planned, but that was okay. We got back in time for lunch and then had the afternoon to pack or whatever. Dr. Weaver said we could go to the Haven if we wanted, but she warned us that it would be hard to have to say bye all over again. Kaylee and I were the only ones who decided to go back. We thought, who cares if we cry again? We want to love on our babies one last time! So we walked over there and gave the aunties a few last minute things from Caroline. As soon as we showed up, we were put to work. Kaylee went to Haven 1 and helped Pauline get the Lost Boys dressed after their baths. I stayed in Haven 3 and helped Naomi. Of course the first baby I went to see was Dennis. When I picked him up, I thought he felt lighter. Uh oh. Then I realized his diaper was stinky so I was going to change him. Naomi decided to go ahead and give him his bath. When she brought him back for me to put some clothes on him, he threw up all over himself and used the bathroom again. I told Naomi and she just told me to go rinse him off in the tub. Poor baby, he just cried the whole time. Naomi told me that he has been sick all weekend and has lost weight. After I got some clean clothes on him, I rocked him for a while. Naomi asked me to feed Memory while she finished bathing the rest of the babies. I'm not sure I've even mentioned Memory on my blog... Memory is special! She just arrived last Friday from South Africa where she has been the entire time we've been here. She has Down's syndrome and was having heart problems. They were able to take her to South Africa to have heart surgery! It was successful and now she is back and doing really well! She is sweet, happy baby and it was fun feeding her this afternoon and getting to interact with her some. Finally, it was time to go meet up with Kaylee in Haven 1 and head back home. I made a quite round of that Haven to give each baby a little bit of last minute loving. After saying bye again, we walked over to Eric's house to get some pictures with George for my capstone project. The boys over there are such a hoot. They were so funny. It ended up being a great little visit and we were both glad we decided to go one last time.

Tonight at dinner, Catherine and I hosted "The Hizzies"... our end of the trip awards ceremony. Each person received an award that we had made certificates for on the backs of Ellie's postcards. You might not get it, but here are the awards:

• Marja- "Stimulating the Zambian Economy" and "Wedding Bells"
• Meghann- "All Natural"
• Jaime- "Singing Therapist"
• Ian- "Regurgitation King"
• Lacey- "Next Ellie Hamby"
  
• Sarah- "Honorary Auntie"
  
• Caroline- "Richard Simmons"
  
• Kaylee- "Mrs. McLain Wannabe"
  
• Catherine- "Healthy Hippo"
  
• me- "Bookworm"
  
• Mrs. Keri- "Food Fairy"
• Dr. Tullos- "Safari Joe"

For our final award, we called Dr. Weaver up to sit in a chair at the front where we were sitting. We gave a little mini speech about how much she means to us and how proud of her we are now that she is the new dean of the College of Communication! We have kind of joked while we've been here about having a "deaning" ceremony for her. We had no idea what to really do to "dean" her, so we just made up our own thing. Catherine had brought a sweet cowboy hat that was baby blue and had rhinestones all over it. We put it on B Weave's head, but had a chitenge over it so no one else could see what it was. In unison, we announced, "By the power invested in us, by Martha Vendetti, we now pronounce you: Dean Dr. Ba B Weave!" And we pulled the chitenge off and everyone cheered. B Weave was laughing and loving it... and then she saw the cake. On Friday we "ordered" her favorite apple cake with a request for something special to be written on it. It was perfect! She absolutely loved it.

With her special cake!

It was a really fun, silly end to a great trip. I have been so blessed by coming here. Thank you to everyone who made this trip a reality! I can't wait to share more pictures and stories in person with you!

Today was our very last day at the Haven! This morning we had around 3 hours to just play with the kids. As soon as we pulled up, Weston ran up to me and jumped in my arms. He pulled my sunglasses off and immediately put them on... they look humongous!

We have an assignment from Dr. Weaver to write a report on one specific child... Where they were on their developmental milestones at the beginning of our trip and how far they've come since we've been here. I chose to write mine on my little man, Dennis! That means I got to spend a little extra time loving on him this morning! I fed him, gave him some tummy time, sitting pracitce, and then we just rocked. He ended up falling asleep on my chest. He is so precious!

My little man!! I love him so much!

After putting Dennis back in his crib, I made my way over to Haven 1. Kaylee, B Weave, Sarah, and I have all worn our Toms while we've been here. If you don't know, every time you purchase a pair of Toms, an identical pair is sent to a child in need somewhere in the world. The Toms website has a page where people can send in pictures of "how you wear them"... People have worn them to prom, on vacation, wherever. Well, we wanted to take a picture to send in! We all chitenge'd a baby to us and took the picture in the back yard of Haven 1.

We love our Toms!

Sarah and I with twins, Bester and Elias. We LOVE them!

Caroline and Hamilton. He's come a long way, but he's still got a long way to go!
Please continue to pray for him!

After lunch, we picked up a special treat for the aunties... Leonard had made a cake for each Haven's aunties. We just wanted to show them some appreciation for all the hard work they put in for these babies! Even though they're easy to love, the babies can be a handful! We are so thankful that these women spend their days caring for them and giving them love.

The aunties at Haven 2.

This morning was all fun... This afternoon is when the sadness really hit! I spent some more time in Haven 3 just holding Dennis and playing with the crazy girlies from the pink room. Finally it was time for Dennis' bath so I figured that was a good time to say goodbye. I had to do it quick, but man it hurt. I am going to miss that little guy!! After I gathered myself back up, I went over to Haven 1. I held Hunter for a long time and took some pictures for Sarah with the Lost Boys (Peter, Jack, Ross, and Shawn). Aida, one of the aunties who I always joke with, had been at the clinic with Ketra (the newest addition to the Haven) all morning. She finally came back so she could say bye to everyone! I ended up tearing up again saying bye to her and Pauline.

One of the aunties at Haven 1, Aida, and me. She is so fun!

To stop myself from really crying, I had to step outside onto the porch. When I did, all of Haven 2 spotted me and ran out wanting to play on the playground. I was still teary eyed so I didn't say much to them. They all said, "Up, please!" to get on the round-and-round. When they were all on and I put my hands on it to start spinning it, they all said, "Ready, set, go!" Once I started spinning it, they all started singing, "Round and round! Round and round!" It immediately cheered me up because those are the things we have been working on. It was so great to hear them talking without any verbal prompts. Success! I ended up going back into Haven 1 for a little bit and I played with Elias, who was all smiles. Finally it was time to say goodbye. It was really hard after investing so much time in these babies. We will all miss them so, so much. Sarah and I decided to walk back home to just clear our heads. Once we got home, we were okay. We have really talked to the aunties about working on the babies milestones and language, so we know that the babies are in good hands! I am so glad I got to have this experience. It has been amazing to see how much progress these babies have made in just four weeks!

For a while now, Catherine (the other GA) and I have been scheming and planning for tonight. We knew it would be a hard day and that we'd need something fun to cheer us up tonight. After dinner, we announced that we would be having the first ever GA Olympics! Everyone came over to the house... all of us girls, B Weave, the Tulli, and the pharmacy kids (Brittany, Joseph, John, and James). At first, everyone was pretty skeptical and weren't real sure that it would be any fun. Shows what they know... Catherine and I are a blast! For the opening ceremonies, we played "Circle of Life" and welcomed everyone. The first event was "Longest Leg Hair." Now, I need to explain this. When we went to Livingstone to see the moonbow (like a month ago!), Catherine asked if I wanted to compete with her and see who had the longest leg hairs. We decided not to shave until we return to Livingstone (which is tomorrow! Thank goodness... we're ready!). After people heard about it, a few others decided to join in on the competition. So, everyone who participated came into our room and we hid under my quilt (Mom and Grandma.... don't be jealous! I had one of the aunties at Eric's house make it for me out of chitenge! I absolutely loooove it!!) so the judges would not be biased.

After much debate, Catherine was declared the winner!

The next event was "Sock Sliding." Our floors are concrete and we are always slipping and sliding on them. Everyone participated in this, including B Weave and DT. With as much skill as I could muster up... I ended up beating Ian by a few inches!

Talent.

The next event was the "Chitenge Wrap." Chitenge are just a big piece of fabric. You can find them in all the markets and they come in all kinds of designs and colors. The women here use them for everything. Skirts, blankets, to tie a baby to them, to tie stuff they need to carry on their head, wiping kid's noses, and so on. We have all bought plenty of them! Out of our chitenge, we have worn them as skirts and made them into things... like bags, coin pouches, head bands, laptop cases, baby quilts, big quilts, aprons, and table runners. So, chitenge have been a big part of our time here! This event required everyone to hold the chitenge in front of them and when we said "go" they had to wrap it around them. The first to hold their hands up without the chitenge falling would win. Everyone (including the boys) participated. Sarah ended up winning, but I had to post this picture instead!

DT and B Weave! Love them! DT, please don't hate!

For our next event, we had the "40 second Clothes Pile." Each room had 40 seconds to pile on as many articles of clothing as possible. Really wish I could post all of my pictures of Caroline and Marja, because they were hysterical.

Kaylee and Lacey ended up winning with 24 articles of clothing!

Our next event was called "Unlock the Door." Our front and back doors both have a metal bar door with a padlock on it plus the regular door lock. Some people always struggle when trying to unlock it and it is something we have to deal with everyday. For the event, they had to unlock and open both doors and get the keys out of the padlock. Sarah ended up dominating this one in 13.6 seconds. Pretty impressive.

For our final event, we had the "Bottle Chug." This was originally supposed to be with actual bottle nipples, which seemed appropriate because it's what the babies have been working on. Because we were trying to keep the Olympics a secret, there was a miscommunication with Caroline and she ended up leaving all of our extra nipples at the Haven. We improvised and just had them chug water from the bottle without a lid.

Lace won this one. There was no competition. She dominated.

As a part of the closing ceremonies, B Weave had a special announcement... When we first became a department (Dept. of Communication Sciences and Disorders), B Weave created a special order for those who graduate with the degree. It's called R.O.S.S. The Royal Order of the Silver Slipper. When we graduated from undergrad, we had a little induction party, were given certificates, and wore silver shoes to graduation. When we graduate from grad school, we will be Master's of the R.O.S.S. So tonight, B Weave inducted the first two honorary members... Marja and Caroline! Wooo hoo!

Marja, B Weave, and Caroline with the "silver slipper." They were too excited!

Finally, it was time for the Olympics to come to a close. Since we didn't have the Olympic music, we just played "We Are the Champions." After figuring up everyone's scores, we had our medalists. With the bronze, we had Kaylee Carlson! With the silver.... Lacey Nunnally! And finally, with the gold medal, we had Sarah Hendrix! Yay! Instead of medals, we put chitenge around their necks and Sarah got to hold the "torch." Catherine threw up some confetti and we all cheered. Cheesy? Yes. Fun? Heck yes.

The 2010 GA Olympics was a total success. B Weave decided that it should become a yearly tradition and that Catherine and I are the best GA's in Zambia! We might be the only ones here, but we know she really thinks we are truly the best. This has been such a fun night and we only have more fun to look forward to tomorrow! After breakfast, we're on our way to Livingstone!

Yesterday morning when I woke up and walked into the bathroom, this guy was on the wall! Maleah... they even follow me to Africa!

This morning we had to go into Kalomo to get our visas renewed... Thank you B Weave!!

We got to the Haven just a little later than usual, so our Haven 2 kids were already drinking their tea/juice/milk. As soon as we showed up, Bright, Emma, and Weston ran over to me holding up their drinks so I would take the lids off. When I took their bottles, they ran over to the bench and sat nicely waiting to get their drink back. They are learning so well! While we were doing our lesson, Clintus (one of the aunties) came out to watch. I asked her if she would like to sing some songs and she said, "No... tomorrow." Well, tomorrow we are not doing our normal therapy so I had to explain that to her. Then she said, "Ok, after tomorrow." When I had to tell her that tomorrow is our last day, she got teary eyed and said, "No! So sad, so sad!" That was the first time it really hit me how sad saying goodbye tomorrow is going to be... Oh, goodness. Not thinking about that yet!! At Haven 1, the aunties are all very sweet and love talking to us... which I think is because Sarah has basically become and honorary auntie while we've been here. When I asked Pauline if we could take a "snap" she said only if we take two and I leave one with her! She is just precious!

Pauline and me!

This afternoon, we spent our time on the front porch at Haven 1 writing up a very detailed schedule of what we've been doing, a list of all the children at the Haven, and organizing our supplies that we're leaving here. We ended up getting it done pretty quickly so we had some time to just hold some babies. A lot of them are sick right now so they weren't as lively as normal. I picked up Hunter because he was crying in his bed. I ended up holding him for about an hour! He is so sweet and so tiny! Marja joined us back from her day at school and we worked on recommendations for next year. I used a chitenge to tie Hunter to me so I'd have some free hands. He just loved it! I think it was really good for him to just be held close. I didn't want to have to put him back in his bed when I left!

Sweet, sweet Hunter

Tonight we're just hanging out... the power went out again for about an hour but it just came back! We always end up finding ways to entertain ourselves, so it's all good. Oh, but we do have some sad news... probably not going to get to go on the elephant ride. Every company we've contacted is already book. Oh well! We are going to have plenty to do in Livingstone as it is!

This week I am with Lacey and Jaime working with Marja doing language therapy. Now, if you don't know... When it comes to speech path stuff, I am so much more interested in the medical aspect of it. So pre-school language therapy is not my favorite thing to do. Sunday night, Marja and I had a little talk about this and I am just choosing to have a good attitude about it even though it's not my favorite. I told Marja that I really appreciated that she was so passionate about it... since I'm not. She just laughed and said she totally gets it. She's glad people like Caroline and me are more interested in the medical side of things since it's not her passion. Glad we balance out!!

Today was a GREAT day for language therapy! At Haven 2, where the toddlers live, we are trying to help them transition into being a "big kid" by doing the little things... like not drinking out of a bottle anymore!
These cuties are Shelley, Weston, Emma (I absolutely LOVE her!!), and Bright. They are practicing drinking out of cups without lids. If they drink all their juice without spilling... they get a smartee! They are so motivated and they love it! They can be a handful, but they are also making so much progress with their language that we are pretty happy with them.

Our babies at Haven 3 (all the ones in our feeding group- Dennis, Bennett, Sidney, Shelby, Choolwe, Amanda, and Matt) went to the doctor today for TB reviews. Since they weren't there at the normal times, the feeding group had them during our language time at Haven 3. So, since I was scheduled to be working with them, I just helped Lacey out in the girls room! They were so much fun! Lacey had a new version of "1 little, 2 little, 3 little ducks" where we sang, "Dancing, dancing, dancing on our beds!" The girls thought it was the best thing ever and whenever the song would end, at least one of them would say or sign "More!" (Success!!!) They were also doing some great imitations and it just totally made it worth it. Lace and I were out of breath from so much singing and dancing, but it was too fun.

Catherine and Christine... the biggest cheesers for the camera!

Dorsi... out of control, but so much fun!

Bethany and Kim. Bethany has come a long way... and Kim is a big time observer!

Then, David caught one! Impressive.

Since I stayed later, I had to walk home by myself. So... I decided to take a bunch of pictures to document the road we take every day to and from the Haven.

This is right as you leave the Haven and Eric's House. So beautiful.

And this is right as you come up on the college.

Good day. B Weave has just posted (thanks to our handy dandy printer!) a schedule for the rest of our trip. My emotions are so torn right now. So sad about leaving the babies. So excited about everything we get to do in Livingstone. So anxious to be home. Only 9 more days!

This weekend was extremely eventful. We had some sad news Saturday morning before we left for a trip to Choma. We found out that baby Alfred passed away early that morning. We were very sad, but Alfred had been struggling to breathe the past few days and now he isn't struggling at all! That's the only way we can have peace about it, to know he is with our God in Heaven!

After a quick stop in Kalomo to fill Khaki Jackie up with gas and get some snacks for the road, we headed off to Choma. We spent some time at the little crafts museum and then we went to the grocery store (Super Spar) and got some lunch (a quarter of a chicken and chips, or fries). Delish. Then it was market time! Mrs. Mono, our neighbor who sews all the cute purses and stuff, asked us to go to a store for her and buy some thread while we were there. We had no idea where this store was so we asked an older man at the museum. He said, "Oh, it's too difficult to explain, I will just walk you there." It was like a 10 minute walk! What a nice little man! We walked passed some guys and they called to the man and said, "Boo yah! something something something" haha it was in Tongan, not English. He yelled back to them and I heard "boo yah" again. I asked him what that meant... it means grandfather. When I told him what we use it for in English he laughed hysterically! I love it. He was a funny old man. He said he finally feels like a grown up because he just got some grey hairs. Love it. Anyway, when we got to the shop it was closed. Bummer. We gave the man some candy in appreciation. He loved it. Then Jaime helped me pick out some chitenges for a quilt! I am going to take them to some of the ladies who are at Eric's house and they are going to make me a quilt! I am really excited about it. We decided we had enough chitenges and wound our way back to the front of the market. All along the front stalls, there are tons and tons of dried fish, rice, and other grains. We're not completely sure, but we think it's like a snack for them. No way you could get me to try it!

When we got home we watched Twilight and just chilled because we had a later dinner tonight. There is another orphanage about 20 min away (awful dirt roads in the bush) called 7 Fountains Farm. And the family that runs it invited us over for dinner. They are from South Africa so they have a cool accent... it's like British and Australian mixed. There are also a few pharmacy students from Lipscomb who just got here today that came to dinner too. The family made us a South African specialty called poikey (no idea how to spell it) but it means little pot. You apparently normally cook individual little pots of it, but they just made one massive one. It was basically just like a beef stew, plus we had rice, salad, and rolls. Then they made a ton of desserts and we had tea. It was like a 3 hour deal. It was delicious, too. Kaylee, Lacey, and I ended up sitting across from the Tulli (Dr. Tullos, his wife- Kerri, and their 13 yr old son- Ian). We talked to them about tons of stuff and by the end we were getting bored so we started playing ERS. Everyone else was looking at us like we were crazy because we were screaming and laughing, but we had fun.
Right as we sat down to eat, the power went out! So we ended up having a nice dinner by oil lamps!

This morning, we were invited to attend services at the Kasibi Church of Christ where Leonard (our amazing cook) is an elder. The drive out to it was crazy! The roads were super bumpy and in the middle of nowhere but we made it! When we arrived, some of the women of the church came out to greet us by singing and shaking all of our hands.
The entire service was done in English and Tongan. Dr. Tullos helped with the Lord's Supper and Will, a guy from Texas who is visiting with his family, preached the sermon. These two guys in the picture did most of the translating and they kept cracking us up! At one point Will said something about "athletic clothes" and the shorter guy was translating. He thought for a minute and then rambled out a bunch of Tongan and ended it with "sports attire." We all laughed pretty hard at that one. When the service was over, the Kasibi Singers (pictured below) sand a few songs for us. They were great! Then we were asked to sing a song for them. We sang Wonderful, Merciful Savior and even though we're not the greatest singers, they all loved it. After church, Leonard had us over to his house for a lunch he had prepared. His house and their little village was a few hundred yards away from the church. We had to drive Khaki Jackie since we weren't coming back to the church. Almost everyone decided to walk, but Lacey, Marja, and I decided to ride since we'd driven through some tall grass. Didn't want to risk being surprised by a snake! Since there were only 3 of us in the 12 person vehicle, we opened up the doors and motioned for the little kids to get in with us. They ALL wanted a ride! It was excellent. There were 27 of us in all! It was great. Leonard had fixed us a delicious meal and we all felt pretty special to be eating in his humble home. After we had cleared our plates and had a piece of his "Welcome to Kasibi Church of Christ" cake, we headed outside to listen to the band with the rest of the village. Dad, don't you have this shirt??? Love it. Maybe you two were on the same boat? The band was awesome. They all had homemade instruments and they all sang. As soon as they started playing, all of the kids started dancing around the band in a circle. I mean, they were dan-cing! It was crazy. After some convincing, we all jumped in there with them! It was so much fun.After about an hour of dancing, we finally decided it was time to go home.These two were my dance partners! They were so cute.

When we got home, we had a nice couple of hours to just relax. After dinner, we were back at the house talking about therapy tomorrow and.... the power went out. We decided to have our own head lamp devo at home instead of going to church since we wouldn't be able to hear/understand anything without the mics and in the dark. We were all set for that when Dr. Weaver came in with the best announcement ever! Ian decided to be baptized tonight!!! What a blessing! We walked over to the Mann house and everyone gathered to witness. After Ian was baptized, another person stepped forward and decided to be baptized. And then another. And then another! Altogether, 6 new brothers and sisters were added to our family tonight! When we first got here, Ian immediately made a new friend, David. They are the same age and Ian has spent a lot of time hanging out with David and even went to school with him a few times. They have become great friends and tonight both of them put on Christ in baptism. So special! You would have thought Ian had 10 extra moms tonight because we were so proud of him! What a great way to end the weekend.

Tomorrow we start our final week of therapy at the Haven! I can hardly believe our time is coming to a close!