The Weight

Today my mind is on Grace. I woke yesterday morning after receiving an e-mail from her. It took me days to figure out who exactly it was. Then yesterday morning I woke and said.... "GRACE".... you did it.

Grace and I had great conversations in Africa. It is my hope to possibly sponsor her so she can go on to continue her education. She wants to become a doctor I believe. Grace is 16 and has two more years left in the orphanage she was at. When I asked her to teach me how to walk with water on my head she tried. Many of the children laughed hysterically when I tried. One thing I will say is that those girls and women have extremely strong necks. That bucket wasn't even 5 gallons and it was heavy. Look at the picture... I look like I have NO neck, because it was heavy. Yet the women and girls walk around with everything on their heads so that their hands are free to keep up with little ones or hold something else.

Grace and I sat and talked for a long time. I was facinated at how I wasn't sure what to do and all the young girls came to me to simply talk and try communicating with me. We exchanged words, smiles, hugs, and a whole lot of love. They were all beautiful. Grace's english language skills were very impressive and I admired her incredibly.

To the left is a picture of a woman walking down the street. She has a baby on her back, he laundry on her head, along with her big black bag and a bag in her hands. She was wondering what we were doing there. This was a comon sight in Tanzania. I was mesmerized at how easily they can carry so much. When I strugged so much with just one thing.
We are truly blessed with all that we have. Today I will attempt to make contact with Grace and continue working on my goals. I will smile and know that I can only control my own actions. I will never forget the weight I have to carry is much less than those others must carry in order to survive.



Hugs,
Rachel

Mufia

Some things stay in your mind forever. So it is with Mufia. Mufia was a child that was sort of peeking out from behind another person at one of the orphanages I visited in Africa with Soles4Souls. I asked Todd to take this picture for me because I wanted to remember her.

Mufia is a small tiny girl that is courious about so much, yet wouldn't dare ask. She wears a cute top that reminded me of the kind I wore when I was a little girl. Gently Mufia held onto my hand and looked into my eyes and smiled. It was a smile that warmed my heart and spoke without words. I didn't want to let go of her hand that day and I hope to never let go of the memory she left engraved in my mind.

Kindness knows no skin color, hope has no name or age, and peace is possible despite language barriers. Thank you Mufia for letting me share with you a special day. You will always be in my thoughts. It took me forever to get your name down and when I finally associated it with "Mu-fa-sa" in the Lion King... I knew a little girl like her would be a queen in my eyes if only for a few hours. And.. thanks Todd the picture means so much to me.

Hugs
Kumbatia Mufia
Rachel

SHOES

Shoes.

They still speak to my heart in so many ways. At the beach with family and went for a walk on the sand dunes. Everyone here just leaves their shoes in a little pile and walks. Shoes.... something so simple.

What do your shoes say about you?

Are you ready to take on the world? Are you successfull? Are you tired?

Today I think I will wear none. I will enjoy the sand between my toes and think about the kids that have never owned a pair and how fortunate I am to have the choice today in somthing so simple as wearing or not wearing shoes.

Hugs

Rachel

Processing Information

This morning I woke to spend some time to read a book that I have found very interesting, informative and can relate to. The Blue Sweater by Jacqueline Novogratz. Something just jumped out at me and and I said.... "That's me... ding ding ding. That's it in a nutshell". I've been trying to figure out for a few days how I can go back to Africa and raise a family in America. Young children that will someday hopefully go to college and running a home require some organization and love. I always say... why ask for a hut when you can have a mansion. Let me first quote what I read and maybe you'll understand more.

" Still, I longed for the colors of Africa, the smells of cooking over an open fire......I missed the simple way that people embraced one another, the way they always asked about your family, you day, your health before discussing business, the way children waved their hands back and forth, like little Japanese fans aflutter. I missed bargaining for everything. I missed the optimism and resilency of so many Africans I knew. I missed finding beauty in everyday things I even missed the rotten roads in Rwanda, as my frined Ginette had predicted as she drove me to the airort in Kigali on bumpy, muddy streets full of potholes Most of all, I missed feeling useful."

So... I humbly reached out to Africans and Africa touched my heart beyond what words can possibly describe. We have an incredible abundance here in America and we take so much for granted that others truly do not have.

I am going to host a shoe drive in an attempt to collect the most pairs of shoes for the next 5 months. So, if you have old shoes... get them to me. My goal is 50,000 pair in the next 5 months. I've got lots of ideas and many people have said you'll never do it. I say... watch me.

Why old shoes? Disease is spread in Africa because many times people simply do not own a pair of shoes. Soles 4 Souls believes in micro-business. What happens is Soles 4 Souls allows Africans to make their own investment in shoes and repay shoe distributors after they sell them for a fraction of the cost. The African people then learn that they can make a living working instead of waiting for charity organizations to hand out. I've also heard it referred to as a "Hand Up not a Hand Out".

So... I've got my list in hand of people and place to contact here in the US and I'm going for it. If I can collect the most shoes for Soles 4 Souls in the next five months, then I can go back to Africa on another shoe distribution trip. I'm still working on how to market the news, but I believe this is going to be my full time job for the next few months. God says you can move mountains, but you better bring a shovel. So, I've got my shovel in hand and I'm going to ask my friends to help me move a mountain.

I feel energized and recharged. Have a great weekend all.

Hugs

Rachel

Me and Water

I'd like to share with you my thoughts on water.

Here is a picture of me on a boat ride to the Gombe National Forest in Gombe Africa. This is where Jane Goodall did all her research on chimpanzee's. I look happy. Note, I'm at the back of the boat so I can jump overboard at a moments notice and I'm even smiling. I sat next to Ramadan and he most likely sensed my anxiety and would have grabbed my arm if I did try to bail out. Regardless, he kept my nerves calm and I did not bail ship.



This is the real Rachel on boats after a day of swinging on vines in a rainforest. As you can see, I needed some rest and felt it best if I just put my head down and prayed we'd be back to our home hotel soon.

Growing up in Southern Maryland and in Oregon I've lived near water. I've crabbed and crossed all those darn bridges out in Portland. I even like white water rafting at one point and time in my life. But for now... well, I'll let water be water all on it's own. I'm not a big advocate of it most likely because I've seen how powerful it can be and how much greater it is than myself and have accepted the defeat that it will win in any fight I choose to have with it.

I always say... don't mess with Mother Nature.

I respect it and know I need water in order to survive. Good clean water. I think as American's we truly do take for granted how fortunate we are to be able to turn on the faucet and get a drink of water. You really don't know how much you rely on something or someone until it isn't there anymore.

That being said... yes I love the beach and our family goest to the Outter Banks in North Carolina every summer. I love the sand. The water not so much. I'll continue to respect and love water, but completely understand my own limitations with it. And know... I have no problems bringing out the water hose on a hot day to have a great water gun fight with my kids.

Hugs,

Rachel

My Friend Torri

This morning I woke and thought about Torri. I wanted to share a little about my experiences with her. Torri is a wonderful woman who has a BIG heart and a great sense of humor. Torri was my buddy in Dubai and the one I wished I had in my room with me when the lightening fire broke out on the side of the mountain. She loved seeing the gold in Dubai and the spice markets and was a real down to earth; tell it like it is; kind of person. There were not a lot of frills and sugar coating with Torri and this I liked about her. Every once in a while... I would just crack up wondering if she was thinking the same thing I was during our travels. It was like we didn't need to say a thing to each other the expressions on our faces told the WHOLE story!

Torri lives in California and has a bird for a pet. She told me a lot of stories about her bird which I found entertaining. At one time during one of our distributions Torri handed me a stuffed Eyeore and said... "Rachel... she if she wants this?" And I almost cried right there on the spot at how the little girl just looked at the stuffed animal and hugged it and loved it. Torri was also a great buddy to have because she made sure if I wasn't at dinner or on the bus to hold the train and wait for me. Every day I need someone to cover my back and keep me focused and on task. Torri was that kind of person to me. And always with a smile.

Torri... thank you for being you. You are an inspiration to me to keep doing good. What goes around truly does come back to you. Your humor, friendship, and sincerity are one of the many blessings I was able to participate and share in during our recent travels.

Hugs
Rachel

From My Point of View

Happy Wednesday All,

I spent an incredible amount of time trying to get a child to be last night and need to wake her soon so this post will be short. No sleeping in for her today!

Today's picture of the day is a view from my point of view on my last day in Africa. I believe God smiles at us each and every day and whether we are in a position to receive that smile or not is entirely upon me as an idividual. So much of the time I see people who don't stop long enough to realize that roses or flowers really do smell.

For years I've wanted to write a book and title it "So What If They Dance On The Cornflakes...Throw Them In A Casserole". My life lessons about parenting. If I could write another book it would be titled.... "From My Point of View". I've recently found myself in some pretty interesting situations and can only laugh at myself when I think about the experiences I've had. And yes, sometimes I sob becasuse in order to understand happiness I must also know sorrow.

So my little peace of mind today would be to not take myself too serrious and enjoy life IN today. I am not guaranteed tomorrow.

Now to waken those little beautiful eyes to share another day with that I was looking at last night at midnight.

Hugs
Rachel