globalX Macedonia Team | October 2016

Wow.  Words cannot express what kind of day we had today.  We arrived at the orphanage around 9:30 and were immediately surrounded by kids.  I must admit that I was a little afraid that the kids would just flock to the group members who had already been to Macedonia on previous trips, but that couldn't have been further from the truth.  The kids surrounded us all from the beginning, and I immediately knew that this week was going to be a life-changing experience.  I am truly amazed by the love that the kids showed us as well as the energy that they have.  From basketball to soccer to singing songs (in Macedonian...I have no clue what I was singing!) to being told "I love you" (in Macedonian!) all day long, today was truly wonderful.
Of course it wasn't all fun and games, we all worked our tails off to get the old plastic tarps off of the three (yes three!) greenhouses that are in the back of the orphanage.  This definitely isn't a small project!  It's quite daunting, but I know that we will be able to finish the task by the end of the day on Saturday.

Some personal highlights for me include:

Literally sleeping the entire plane ride on all three legs of the flight (okay that was yesterday but I still have to mention it)
Getting kisses, hugs, massages, and flowers from the girl orphans throughout the day
Having my hair played with while sitting in the grass
Being told I love you in Macedonian
The smiles on the kids faces when I finally counted to five correctly in Macedonian...and later to ten (don't ask me to do it now!)
Teaching the kids to chant UGA, UGA while holding my hat :)
Being called Selena Gomez by the orphans...then later having them call me Rebecca Gomez once they learned my name
Having a child pour water on my dirt-covered pants in an attempt to wash them
Kabobs at lunch (okay, maybe not...I've never seen so many pieces of unknown meat in one sandwich)
Kristina, Dustin, and me meeting with some of the young single people from the church tonight just to talk about our lives, faith, backgrounds, etc.
And, of course, running home from dinner in the pouring rain with Kristina, Teresa, Dustin, and Jeff (which included running through multiple rivers haha). We still have no idea if the others are back yet!

I won't mention the low parts of the day (yes there were some) because I know God has a plan and purpose for it all.

I truly appreciate everyone who has made it possible for this entire group to be here whether through financial or prayer support.  It's no accident that we're here, and God is truly working in our lives and in the lives of the orphans.

God bless!

Go UGA!

arrival at the orphange

Massage!

Soaking wet! 

The group (prior to the rain!)