the team is one!

Tonight David, Emily, Jennifer, Jeff and Avis arrived (remarkably with all their bags!) at the Entebbe airport. As this was cause for great celebration, we swung by SMK around midnight to see what was going on. There had been a goat roast which had morphed into a raucous dance party. The kids were awake and in high-adrenaline mode. It was wonderful time to introduce them to the rest of Team 4. In the pitch black, hands reached out to hold other hands, and people wrapped their arms around bodies that blended into the darkness of the night. A lot of whoopin' and hollerin' rose up into the clear night sky. I turned around at one point to see every team member loaded up with and weighted down with giddy new friends. It was pandemonium and pure bliss all rolled up into one very sweet package. I felt so proud to be bringing together two such amazing groups of people. They will adore each other and will establish friendships that may continue for years to come. I am also very honored to be considered a friend to both groups. I couldn't control myself when Claire Faith was running her little fingers up and down my arm on one side, and Leku Ivan was giving me kind of a little shoulder massage on the other side and Rosette just kept coming up and kissing and hugging me, and I just had to exclaim, "I love you guys! I really do. You are awesome people and I feel lucky to be loved by you." I was overcome with gladness watching the whole scene: a love fest on a dirt road under the dazzling stars in a small place called Kajjansi in east Africa, a place that is filled with hope and hard work, trust, love and joy.