Hrt4Africa: I thought you look familiar....

So I am well aware that this post is longgg over due. Forgive me please! I've been back from Malawi now for just over a month and half; can't even believe it! Work, getting ready for school, making arrangements for my internship, traveling, socializing, family stuff, etc... all this has kept me so busy. And made the summer fly by. I already had my first day of class in Athens yesterday!

There are always so many great memories from these trips to Malawi; it's hard to pick which ones to share, however, there was one that I would love to tell you about because it was so completely unexpected. Mgywai Village is such a special place for me because it is where I first experienced Africa. In 2008, God opened my eyes here and exposed me to realities that I don't have to face when I'm at home in the U.S. Because of this small village and the people of Mgyawi, I was forever changed. Their fingerprints are still all over my heart and always will be. While walking on the dirt path to the soccer field, something started happening that totally caught me off guard. I began recognizing kids from when I was here three years ago. And this is where technology came in and made these moments really special. Every time I recognized a face, I pulled out my iPhone, brought up the Africa '08 folder under my photos, and scrolled through every picture until I found who I was looking for. Showing them the screen was the best part! They would squealed and then ooh'd and ahh'd, hardly believing it was a younger version of themselves they were looking at. And then they would look at me, look at the photo (again), and it clicked. Like a light bulb went on. They realized why my face looked familiar- I'd been there before and now I'm back. I've come back to see them again. It was such a wonderful moment for me and so humbling all at the same time because they got so excited that I was back! Laughing and smiling and grabbing my hand (fingers really, I had like 4 kids on each hand at one point). Over me. It's not like I'm famous or anyone special for that matter. It made me fall in love with Mgywai all over again.

Here are some before (2008) and after (2011) pictures of some of the kids I recognized during my time there. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. They've grown up so much!