A Few Funny Quotes

(girls are watching The Little Mermaid, and it comes to the song "Under the Sea")

Keren: That crab sings like a Nigerian.
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Me: Okay everyone, it's time for recreation.

Ian: You mean, like God created the earth in 7 days?

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Me: Okay Nancy, this time when you swim to me, try to stand up on your own without grabbing my hands.

Nancy: Okay (*holds her nose and prepares to go under, then hesitates*)
But if it looks like I'm staying under the water for a long time, just pull me up, okay?

If you're feeling down...

These videos should cheer you up even on your worst days. The first is Moses singing My Girl, and the second is Kevin singing You Are My Sunshine.

Last week we stayed in condos in Panama City, instead of being in host homes. One of the other interns and I decided that this would be the perfect opportunity for the girls' first bubble baths. They had such a blast, and here are some videos of their experience that I thought everyone might enjoy.

Today is my second day off, so my mom headed up here to Atlanta to spend the day. After some shopping and lunch, we headed over to my grandparents house in Dunwoody. Right now I'm enjoying some relaxation time while hanging out with them plus my aunt and uncle. Things on tour have been going great. There have been a few bumps along the way - for example, the AC on our bus still isn't working - but God's bigger than all of these little problems. I'm doing the sound system for the concerts, which scares me a little bit since everyone would know if you messed up, but I'm getting more and more comfortable with it each time. Please keep praying for this journey, especially all of the kids. Although they're all having a great time, I think many are getting homesick. They get to call home every once in a while, so that helps. Can't wait to see everyone again! Let me know if any of you come to a concert.

I'm going to post a link to the Daraja blog here, so everyone can keep up with the whole choir. Also, you can add Daraja Children's Choir as a friend on facebook to stay up to date with where we go.

http://darajachoir.wordpress.com/

So we're back in Panama City for the second week of camp, and last week we were in Destin. Today was my day off, so I got a chance to relax some and spend some quality time with one of the other interns who also had her day off today. It was good to get some errands done, and just spend some time not surrounded by 34 other people, but I really did miss being with Daraja. I think the highlight of my day was when Caitlin, the other intern, and I were heading out to dinner, and we past the kids on their way up the stairs. They all screamed our names and gave us the biggest hugs ever. I knew that they would notice that we weren't there and maybe miss us a little, but I never expected that. It was just nice to see that what we do everyday, even the little tasks like doing laundry, ironing, and making sure everyone takes a shower, really does make a difference. I did enjoy getting to make phone calls to some people today. I told several that I talked to that sometimes I feel like I'm in a Daraja bubble, cut off from the rest of the world. It's not a bad thing - I absolutely love what I'm doing and I never feel like I'm missing out on anything else - it's just very surreal. Anyway, next we're headed to Blountstown, Florida, wherever that is. The youth group from Monticello will be a camp next week, so it will be nice to get to see some people from home. Take care everyone!

I'll leave you with a funny story (or at least I think it's pretty funny):
When we were eating breakfast at our host home in Destin, the host asked if any of the girls would like a piece of toast. Cynthia, one of the choir members, turned to me with eyes wide and excitedly asked what "pizza toast" was.

I'm sorry for not giving you all an update sooner, but as you can imagine, things have been very busy with me. We are now in Panama City at BigStuf Camp, and the kids will do their first big performance tomorrow. The trip to Kenya was amazing, intense, eye-opening, and so many more adjectives. We spent time with the kids at their "camp" to learn the songs and dances, visited the 410 Bridge communities, and went on safari. When we got back to the US we hit the ground running. I've learned so much over the past few days about being a parent, mentor, and friend to these kids. I only have a few more minutes to be on the internet, but I wish I could give more details. If anyone wants to talk to me individually, feel free to call or text me. I'd love to share more about my experiences. I will try to check in again soon.

I miss you all!

So, I leave for Kenya on Thursday, which is technically tomorrow now I suppose. Several people have asked for a way to keep up with my journey with the Daraja Children's Choir of Africa this summer, and I thought that a blog would be the best way to keep everyone updated. At this point I'm almost done packing up, and I'll leave for Alpharetta in the morning. I want to take a minute to thank everyone who is supporting me, both financially and prayerfully, as I embark on this amazing experience. There is no way I could of done this with out family and friends who love me and, of course, God. Please keep me, this kids, and all of the staff in your prayers throughout the summer. I'll try to post again before we fly out, but in case that doesn't happen, here's the deal: I won't have my laptop with me in Kenya, so I wont be able to give any updates while I'm there. On the bright side, I will be keeping a journal, and I will try to post some of those entries once we are back in the States.

Thanks Again,
Nicole