“Tree of Life”, it does not tell you what it is, though personally I think that it is a fitting name for the orphanage. A place where children brake out of their buds and blossom. The Tree of Life is a large property made up of a valley and a large hill located outside of Lusaka, Zambia. There are 35 houses right now and five more in the making. The unique part about Tree of Life is that the Houses are not separated by age. Each house has an assortment of ages and two women who go by the name of house mom. The different houses act as families while every body acts like friends.
The children at Tree of Life were so caring. Each kid seemed to have an older kid that cared for them and that the younger kid looked up to. Every child seemed to be interested in what we know and where we’re from. Every child was unique. One would be amazing at building sand castles and an other would be able to run extremely fast. Every kid was nice, unique, and interesting.
There were many children, though one girl seemed to always be able to find us. Her name was Faith. We always bumped into her some how. She loved peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. There was just something about her that was comforting and warm. She was fast and graceful in her movements. She was always laughing. It seemed like she did not care where she was as long as there were other people to play with.
Tree of Life was an amazing experience that taught me how lucky I am. Some of the kids there were just sad looking. One girl had burns all over one side of her face where her mom would pour hot water on her. An other had knife scars on the backs of her legs from where her dad’s girlfriend would throw hot knifes at her. All of the kids had sad stories though they all seemed happy to be there and I was too.
Wow, Nadine, that must have been a very intense experience, and unlike anything else. I’m so glad you got to see the world through the eyes of those children, and see that even when bad things happen, you can feel good again. We learn that over and over and over again, so don’t forget! Love you, Aunt Bon
NADINE, I WAS SO SAD TO READ THE LAST PARAGRAPH OF YOUR BLOG, THANKFULLY THESE GIRLS ARE OUT OF THESE AWFUL SITUATIONS. YOU AND HANK ARE DOING A WONDERFUL JOB OF DISCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCES, MARK AND I ENJOY READING THEM VERY MUCH. SOUNDS AS IF YOU ARE ALL HAVING A WONDERFUL TIME, ENJOY. MARK AND KAY
First, let me tell you that I am moved by the quality of your writing, Nadine. You are very eloquent and able to put your feelings into words. It was a pleasure to read the blog. You had told me a bit about the experience in your email, but I learned more from your blog. I’m glad you got to help these children a little, and I imagine the experience underscores how wonderful our own lives are.
I hope to hear about the next part of your adventure soon. Dubai? Now Hawaii? Fill us in!