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Change the Truth Board member and member of the Team One mission trip (and my very good friend!) is in Africa. She is climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in honor of her fiftieth birthday. Before starting her climb, she spent three days at St. Mary Kevin Orphanage, meeting with Joseph and Rosemary to discuss projects CTT is currently funding, as well as projects we may be able to help with in the future. Her assistance to CTT has been absolutely invaluable. I want to share excerpts from her emails with you. Here's the first installment:

"We toured the water system. The current water from the town is cut off because the bills are too high, and the water coming from the well isn’t working because significant repairs are needed; for the last month, they have gotten water by filling jugs carried from about ½ mile away. There is no current anticipated end to this situation. After seeing all of the various areas and spaces available for various projects, we headed to the room where we had the art lessons last December.

There each teacher introduced themselves to me (some are new) and thanked me for coming and for the work CTT does to help feed the children. Richard made a short speech on behalf of them all telling me how much easier it is to teach the children now that they are not hungry. Everyone thanked us for being so trusting and allowing them to do the work they do. I was struck by this. Clearly this isn’t the experience they have had with other organizations. They asked me to say something, and through fighting back my own tears (I think caused by a combination of what they had just said and my inability to speak easily to a group), I told them how excited I was to be visiting again and that CTT appreciates the work they do everyday and the dedication they have to the children; that they have made it very easy for us to want to help the children. I also told them that their friends in America had expanded to many, many people who have heard about SMKOM and want to help.

Then the music. Wonderfully led by Douglas, I was treated to a performance which, of course, made me smile and cry. I was just blown away again by the music and the sheer joy that they have in that form of expression. I came very close to jumping up and joining them.

The art and therapy are continuing!!! I was shown many drawings. The therapy is mostly being done by Douglas and Betty and in fact during my meeting with the teachers, Douglas got up and made a special point of telling me how helpful it has been to get the children to draw and talk about their feelings and experiences. He says it has been very helpful, and they were appreciative of being taught. Very cool."

Clearly, we are making a difference. I hope those of you who are supportive of Change the Truth realize what a good thing you are doing!