Hello :)

Hi everyone!
It is so exciting reading everyone's comments, I am so glad that I have all of your support back home. The last few days have been great, super busy and filled with even more exciting and sad experiences. We are almost done sanding and painting the complex that we are staying at, and I a few of my team mates were painting the older kids orphanage yesterday. When it is all painted we are going to get all the kids to make a rainbow of hand prints and we are going to add ours aswell as a way to remember us.
On Friday we got to do easily the coolest thing yet. There are a group of children here called "compassion kids" and they are the ones who have sponsors from all over the world. All we knew was that we were going to organize a few games and songs for these kids and spend some time with them, I really had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. We arrived in the back of our truck (the way we get everywhere, all 14 of us cram in the back of a truck, its so fun). We turned into this huge field and saw the church is runs the compassion kids program and immediately saw 400 of the most beautiful faces that I have ever seen. All wearing matching green shirts and running towards us. They were so excited to have friends to play with and have apparnetly been looking forward to us coming for so long. We broke into different groups, but as soon as I started leading repeat after me camp songs in the middle of a small circle, the number of kids surrounding me tripled. I guess the teacher in me kicked in and I entertained 300 kids for an hour. We sang songs, played games and it was absolutely amazing. At one point we sang head and shoulders and they already knew that song. I stopped and just let them sing and it was actually like the children choirs you see from Africa on tv, just such a cool moment. At one point we were running out of games to play with all of the kids, so one of the leaders was like I have an idea, see Tory, go chase her. So I ran down the field, turned around and actually had a stampede of green shirts sprinting towards me. Something that most people will never experiance in their lives, I felt so lucky. They all ran towards me and everyone single one joined in, in the biggest group hug ever, it was adorable. I have some videos of us singing with the kids and tons of great pictures that I cant wait to show you.
Yesterday was a tough day at the orphanage, every time I go I have to mentally prepare myself that I am going to have to hear, see, or learn something devastating. When I first got there I was told that William, one of my favorite little ones had been adopted. I was actually really happy to hear this because it sound like a great family had fallen in love with him as much as I had now, and hopefully will love him and take care of him. I met a new little girl named Paully for the first time. She is six years old, and I had never seen her before because she spends all her time collapsed on the floor in pain. It made me frustrated because she just cries and cries and it almost seems like the nurses just ignore her. She is the skinniest little thing I have ever seen, and cant weight more than 40 pounds. I sat with her and had to force feed her and when she got up and collapsed on the floor. I asked one of the nurses what was wrong with her and was told that she has stomach cancer and the pain is excruciating for her. As if being an abandoned orphan in Africa isn't bad enough, this little one has to fight for her life every moment of every day. I carried her to bed and was actually sad that I wouldn't see her again after that moment. I am pretty sure that she is going to pass away while I am here.
Just as I was leaving the orphanage a brand new baby was brought it. It is always so sad when this happens because the story that goes along with that child breaks my heart every time. That morning his mom had passed away from the chicken pocks and that was his last remaining family member. Now he is actually alone in this world, also fighting chicken pocks without the proper medication. A part of me wondered if it would just be easier on this little guys if he were to just die to, but my fingers are crossed that he will be ok and a family will adopt him.
Tomorrow we are being tourists and climbing this huge rock that has a waterfall on the top called "sippy falls". We are all really excited. Apparently it is quite the hike, and with the heat might be a challenge but it should be really fun.
Tonight is a big party at our base since the students who we have been living with leave tomorrow, so I have to get back to that!
My friend Tyson has malaria we found out yesterday, but he is taking a different pill than I am so I think I will be ok!
Love you and miss you all!
xoxox
Tory