My Dear Friend Godfrey

I have come to realize that in the past i have been horrible about telling my stories from my many travels. I always write about how excited i am for my trips.. but then leave you hanging with nothing ever really said about them. I have thought hard about why i do that.. and i have come to think that it is because i honestly dont know how to write about the things i saw, the people i met, the amazing smells i smelt, the thing i did, and so forth. It is so hard to do these things justice. They are so near and dear to my heart that it is hard to express just how much i love the people of Kenya. However, i feel that now that i have been home for 2 and a half months it is that time. The time to share.

When i went to Kenya back in 2010 i fell in love to say the least. Africa is truly magical. Anyone who has been there will agree with me. We went to a school where we had previously done a water harvesting project so the children could have water to wash their hands. After teaching, we got to play with the kids for longer than usual. At first i remember being followed around by 4 girls.. and all they wanted me to do was sing, dance, and be crazy for them. This happened at nearly every school... the girls were very outgoing and wanted to play with us, while the boys would just run off and play soccer. Well anyone who knows me well knows that i would rather be playing soccer any day than sing, dance etc. Those things just arent my forte. So i eventually snuck away and found a little boy playing soccer. We started playing together and before i knew it every boy at the school was watching me play soccer with my dear little friend, Ezra. Ezra had two other little friends, Godfrey, and Evans. I instantly fell in love with these boys. We ended up playing soccer together for a good 2-3 hours. I skipped lunch that day so i could keep playing. We set up a little field and played 1v1 and we set up a goal and shot penalty kicks. While this kids couldnt really speak english well, we communicated very well with each other. We celebrated when we scored on each other and i joked that a girl beat them in soccer. Even though they couldnt speak back, i knew they understood what i said to them.

Can you even see me? hahah :)  and the ball we played with?... a bundle of plastic bags wrapped with string. You can see it held up on the left side of the picture..

The time came and it was time for us to leave. My heart honestly hurt because i knew the odds of me seeing them again were virtually nothing. I remember sitting in our van and saying a silent prayer that i would be able to see them again someday. I will be the first to admit that i was certain it would be in the after life. I cried that night because i was so sad that i wouldnt see them for so long.

(2010) Godfrey. Evans. (creeper). Haley. Ezra.

Fast forward to 2011. This year i had the amazing opportunity to go back to Kenya as an assistant team leader. We were going to be serving in 2 different areas of kenya, one of which was the same area i was in the summer before. I made sure that we would go back to the school where the water harvesting project was done... You know... to check up on the project. :) obviously i had other motives. As we drove to that school i was so excited i could hardly handle myself. We pulled up and instantly our vans are surrounded by the school children. I kept looking and i saw one that looked a little familiar. He looked different but i could have sworn it was Godfrey. I saw him whisper to his friends and then point in my direction. But every time i looked in their direction they would look away! The younger children of the school were performing a welcome dance for us and finally i got the nerve to sneak away and grab my little friend. I grabbed his arm and said as i pointed at him "are you godfrey? you are godfrey?" and instantly he had the biggest smile come over his face! He responded "futbol! we play futbol!" Oh my gosh i am crying right now just writing this. I was so happy ..he remembered me! He knew who i was and remembered the time we shared the year previous. I'll be honest Godfrey was my favorite of the three boys.. he would laugh at the things i said and i knew he understood my english. he would joke with me and had a smile that melted my heart. i asked him where his friends were and he told me that they were at home. I was obviously sad about that, but i couldnt stop smiling all day. His english was much better this year and he could communicate with me very easily. He told me he would tell them hello for me. It was seriously the coolest thing ever. We took a picture and i gave him a hug before i left.

(2011) Godfrey and i. not the greatest picture of him.. but one of my favorites from the trip.

Once again.. as soon as i got in the van i started crying. Up to that point in my day, everything had gone wrong. The other team leader was sick so i was left to direct the team alone for the day. (SCARY!) haha.  We were behind schedule and i was stressed. How quickly the Lord can turn your day around! I cant express how much that small little tender mercy meant to me that day. And not just that day, but it still affects me today. I know my Heavenly Father hears my prayers. He is aware of our wants and desires. He knows how to makes us happy if we will just let him. I am so grateful for the opportunity i had to see Godfrey again, and i know that someday i will be reunited with all my dear little friends from Kenya!