We meet the Mutabaruka Family!

Today was fantastic! We drove for 3 hours, mostly on pavement. And the mountain roads were wider than I thought they would be! yay! Ben was our chauffeur and we arrived at the school where we would park. We had a translator with us for 1/2 of the ride and he was helping me to pronounce the names of all the family members in the family that we sponsor. We were told that the family would be at Constance's house, which is an hour walk from the school. However, when we arrived, Gilbert our translator looked at me and said, 'this is Piscase'! I knew this was the mother of our family! I looked at her and she hugged me and then I met her husband and 3 of their 4 children. We were so surprised that they were at the school. I showed them the card that I keep in my kitchen with their photo and names on it. The school is on top of the mountain and they live in the valley below, a minimum 2 hour walk on rocky trails! So, we started our 1 hour walk to Constance's house, we were told to meet there because we would have more time to visit. The Mutabaruka family wanted us to come to their house so that they could cook for us as a gift, but it was too far.

We all went into the house (GFR built it last year, so it is similar to Serafina's) they had benches for us to sit on. We gave them a photo of our family and they were so happy to see it and said that they always think of us and now can see us too. Constance was in the field when we arrived, but when she got home, we helped her harvest some beans that were growing on the hill by her house. Then Jeff, Guy and Ryan beat the pile of bean vines with a big stick and all the beans fell out. (men's work) Then I stepped in and helped Constance and Piscase put handful of beans into a large flat basket. They showed me how to toss it and blow on it to blow the bean leaves and stems away so we just end up with beans only. (women's work) By the way, these beans grow like green beans, but the beans that come out of the pod are red and yellow. I was not too good at the basket tossing thing, I think I'll stick with driving to Jewel!

We went back into the house to give gifts to the family. Their oldest son is now married, so we did not get to meet him. The youngest son (age 15) was with us the whole time, but the other two remained at school to finish out the day. We had a backpack full of things for each of them. They would have been thankful for JUST the backpacks! They said they would be very useful! Then I pulled out some slim jims and asked if they wanted to try it. The father and son tried it and really liked it. Then I pulled out some candy ('bombon' in their language) which is always a hit. We gave them some toothbrushes and soap and shampoo. Each also got a shirt or two in their pack and some pads of paper and pens and pencils. There were some foil packs of tuna, as well. Gilbert told us this was a delicacy to them. They were so excited! After we had shown them everything and packed it back up. Both the mother and the father took turns standing up and thanking us and telling us how much the sponsorship had meant to them. It was very moving. Then Jeff stood up and said that we have been blessed and so we want to bless them, it is an honor to us. It truly is hard to put words on how we all felt. It was very moving to the boys too. Then it was almost time to leave so Ben asked if we could all pray together. Piscase the mother wanted to say the prayer. It was so moving, she prayed with one hand lifted in the air to God Almighty. She prayed for blessings on our family and our travels home. Just awesome.

It will be difficult to top this day! Off to safari tomorrow!