Banda the beautiful!

Hello everyone…Jarod here. Wow we are finally here at our site…the place that we envisioned ourselves working when we started the whole application process some year and a half ago. Also, I see that Sarah has filled you in on most of the details so I will keep this short.

Banda really is an absolutely amazing place…a place surrounded by so much beauty, lush green forest, animals galore and many smiling, welcoming people and yet poverty has hit Banda so bad that it is sometimes tough just to walk to the market and see everything we see. I have never seen children so dirty…honestly, some of them may not have had a bath in months or changed clothes in months. It is sad to see but regardless of how dirty they are their faces light up with excitement the second we say hello or walk by.

So we hitched a ride with our PCMO to Kamembe to visit AJ and Gillian and it was weird leaving our village. I mean we had only been there 10 days but it felt as if we were abandoning our people even though we were coming back the next day. We waved as we drove off and their faces were curious like, you just got here and now you are leaving. I can’t imagine leaving after being here two years. I already feel a sense of attachment and commitment to our village this early in the game. Anyway, many things are happening and I am excited to see how everything will play out. Take care guys and we hope to hear from you via email, letter or however you can contact us! Be blessed!!!