Cape Town, South Africa!: The End

Well I've survived South Africa! It has been a once in a lifetime experience that I know I will never forget. Today was my last day with the kids and I leave for the airport tomorrow afternoon. It is so crazy how fast this month has gone by. Today was a really great last day. We made the class a photo album of pictures we had taken this last week and they were really excited about that. Tandeka also had us bring in white t-shirts, and today she helped the kids put their handprints on them and she decorated them for us. I am so excited to have this! It was so nice of her to do that for us! And it's so funny because she wrote "Luthando Educare. Have Nice Day Karli. Thank You." on the shirt. But you would never be able to tell because she stamped the letters all out of order. I don't know why! I was trying not to laugh as I watched her make it. She was so pleased with her work though and I think it just adds to it! I love it!

The one girl I have connected to the most here is Lelethu. We have developed this really neat bond that I love. And although she speaks little english, it was so apparent today that she understood this was the last time she was going to see me. That this was a real goodbye. She wanted to be held the whole day and almost never left my side. She wasn't her usual hyper self. The last half hour, I just held her on my lap as one of the teacher's daughters was reading them stories. She always plays with my chin and face, and she was doing this as she rested in my lap. I was talking to her and explaining why I had to leave and how much I loved her. And she would just look up at me and nod with the saddest face. It was so hard to get her to smile. And seeing this made it so much harder for me. When my ride came, I stood her up to give her our last goodbye hugs. It was so sweet and special. It's hard to explain, but I know that she understood the meaning of us leaving and that we weren't going to be able to come back. After saying goodbye to all the other kids, who were of course very energetic and jumping all over us, I looked back at Lelethu right before I walked out. She just stood there silently in the back, waving her hand with the saddest face looking back at me. It broke my heart and that's when I couldn't hold my emotions in any longer and let them loose.

I have loved my time with these children. It's so hard to enter their lives for such a short time and then have to leave. Especially knowing I could give them so much more. There is always more that can be done to help. But right now I am so full of gratitude for the opportunity I have been blessed with to come here, and to get to know these sweet children of God for the time that I did. I know they may not always remember me, but they have made such a deep impression on me and I will keep memories of them with me my whole life. They will always be in my prayers and I hope that they will be able to feel those prayers.