team 4: suzanne

Suzanne and Patiency

"You can’t imagine the feeling of being hugged by a total stranger and yet knowing that you are loved for just being you and being there. That is what I have felt everyday at SMK. I wake with the sound of the rooster at a nearby farm and I end my day telling stories of the children that have touched my soul. There is Patiency who holds my hand and Diana who runs and hugs my legs and Rosetta who has taught me how to make the banana dolls (she tells me kindly that I am a fast learner like Eddie, but the legs on my doll are skinny) and so many more. I had followed Team 3 last year and tried to imagine what it would be like in December when I would journey to Uganda, but nothing compares to the warmth and gratitude that I have felt since being at SMK. There is a boy, Reinhardt that has been writing and sharing his stories in a journal that I brought and everyday he asks if he can write a story. There are so many stories here and all of them special and unique. We have done yoga, we have replaced mattresses and made art, we have skipped rope and carried jugs of water to the showers, but most importantly we have held hands, we have hugged, we have been welcomed and wished a good night, we have shared so much in just three days. I can’t wait for more days to come and stories to be shared and moments to be forever sketched in my memory. One can never have enough hugs, the ones that truly hug your soul." Suzanne