We splurged on our last night in Uganda and stayed at the Serena Lake Victoria. This place is p.o.s.h.
We invited six kids from St. Mary Kevin to spend the afternoon with us. So, just a few hours before we boarded our flight back to the US, we welcomed Oscar, Erias, Enoch, Beatrice, Queen and Oliva to the pool!
Melissa made sure it was a big surprise. She had secretly gone to the market and purchased second hand swimsuits for $.50 apiece. (She did an excellent job guessing the kids' sizes!) She piled the kids into a taxi. They had no idea where they were headed until they pulled up to the gates of the hotel.
They all seemed a bit shell shocked when they walked in. This is a world they rarely, if ever, have a chance to see, much less be a part of.
The kids drank a round of sodas and polished off all of my remaining trail mix. Then we headed for the pool. They were tentative for all of about three minutes. This was a new experience for them but they embraced it such gusto! Soon Bobbie and I were teaching the kids how to put their heads underwater, kick their feet and move their arms. In no time at all, we were playing pool games ("keep away" was a huge hit!) and the kids were giggling like never before. There was a trampoline and a moonwalk for them to explore; watching them explode with laughter as they jumped and leapt about was almost too much for me to take in. We were all so happy.
For a couple hours they just got to be kids. Kids without a care in the world. I wished it could've gone on like that forever.
I'm sure they did, too.
I know it was a day these six children will always, always remember.
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