A Week After The Plane...

Actually, it's more like a few weeks, honestly.. School started.. I just figure I'll update you all a bit more... This blog'll be finishing off pretty soon, but I think I'm gonna start another one to continue writing about this trip. I honestly can't stop thinking about it.

I guess some of you might want to know what I learned on this trip! You've heard all my stories by now I'm sure, as I've completely updated this blog. Pictures are up on facebook too! But I haven't really talked much about what I've learned! Here we go, then!

One thing I learned is that it's easier to make friends when you aren't scared of what people think about you. People generally like you better if you're just you, without being shy. Basically on this trip I just talked and goofed off and was honest and real and talked to the kids like I didn't care what they thought of me. It worked! They loved me and laughed at a lot of the things I said, and wanted to be around me! So, from now on, I'm just gonna try to be more me, without the barrier of shyness.

The more important thing I've learned, that I honestly just want to tell EVERYONE, is about the love there!

Love here, is maybe to your parents, or your husband or wife or maybe even a few close friends and relatives. That's pretty much it. If you go to a random stranger on the street, and someone asked you if you loved them, you wouldn't say yes. That'd be crazy and unthinkable and somewhat... Weird almost. But there, they love unconditionally. Their love just flows everywhere and it's amazing. We walked into that school as four strange people, who don't even look anything like any of those kids. When I told them about me and things that I think describe who I am, they didn't even know some of the things and people I was talking about. But even on that first day you could tell that they loved me. They loved Mr. Rudi. They loved Bridget and Jodie and Gracie. And they showed that. That's unthinkable. I really think that it's something that we need to learn here.

If I can give you once piece of advice from this whole trip. It's love. Love like you don't see flaws. Love like you can't tell if someone looks different or the same or like a walrus. Love like you don't care about past mistakes and failures. Love like you've never held a grudge. Just.. Love. These kids have little to nothing. But they love each other, and they love others who come there. That's what God is. God is love. The love that they show just represents God. And if you want to be more like him, and have a happier life and just live to the fullest. My advice from the ripe old age of thirteen, from the head that's been to Africa and back, is love. And that's the best I can say, and the most important lesson I've learned so far.