Gratitude

Theresa and I are sitting in the Kilimanjaro airport right now waiting for our flight back to San Francisco. The two weeks have flown by and I think we are both feeling a sense of disbelief that we are headed home (and have 24 hours of travel ahead of us). We said our goodbyes to the rest of our project team this afternoon and while I expected us all to be crying, it was more of a "see you soon" and gratitude that we all have made some new life long friendships. With the intensity of our experience it would almost be impossible not have bonded they way we did. I am so grateful.

Earlier today we watched again as our second class of teachers presented their lesson plans and was very impressed by a few of the standout students. Incorporating the digital content into their lessons was again what they embraced the most and because the 21st century skills are so foreign from their traditional way of thinking, it is the area of opportunity for the next team who comes in 2016.

This afternoon we gave a debrief to the World Vision country director and his program staff on our experiences with the "spark a child" program we were supporting. He seemed genuinely grateful and optimistic about the work we have been doing and long term impacts it will have to the people we touched and their students. One statement that hit home to me was "in these oral communities, your visit will be shared for years and through generations to come". It certainly made me feel the impact of our work and lasting impression we have made.
As we drove away from that conversation (which was followed by a beautiful prayer for us) and the zen gardens of the World Vision center, I felt so fulfilled and fortunate. Fortunate because of the whole experience.

"For Children
For Change
For Life"
....World Vision