A happy/sad farewell at the Camp

                 The kids at the Refugee Camp gave us a farewell Saturday afternoon that was perfect in every way, and one of the most moving events of our lives.   We had a suspicion something was up when they kept asking us our schedule for leaving and then asked us to attend a Youth Committee meeting Saturday at 1:30, a time they do not ordinarily meet, but it fit our schedule and the various events of the families - mostly church.

                When we entered the camp we saw none of our friends, but we were waved over to the library by the  Chair of the Youth Committee.  When we entered  our friends burst into a song one of them had written, for which the refrain was "Thank you for coming into our lives."  More than 2 dozen of them, including almost all of the ones we have taught in regular classes and then tutored individually and in small groups, had gathered there, plus a few others.  They had made, on a white board provided by PC which we had donated to the Camp Library, a sign saying "Thank you Mark and Katherine for coming into our lives." 

                When the song finished 8 of the younger girls slipped out, we visited with the rest for a few minutes, and then we went to the dining hall, where those girls danced for us.  I joined them, but the steps are harder than they look. 

The little ones who always follow around their older sisters and brothers were doing their own dancing and Katherine jumped in.

The Youth Committee Chair (on the right)  and one of the older young men got into a more frenzied style.

                We returned to the library, where 5 of the older boys and the oldest girl (hmm, need to get more girls speaking up) spoke beautifully and movingly of their gratitude.  Things they said included:

We will miss you.  We will think of you always.

In our language, we say only mountains don't move.  People do.  We hope some of us will see you again.

You gave us confidence that we could stand up and give speeches.

You urged us to study.  You helped us organize the library and made it nice for us again, so that we are reading now.

You weren't like other white people who came and talked to us and took pictures and then left and we never saw them again.

You taught us to keep time.

You helped us.

Our Sunday afternoons won't be the same.

You had us learn 3 irregular verbs every time we met.

You loved us.

                We had been bringing over to the Camp the clothing we will not take back with us to the US, and some of the other volunteers have come by in the past few months and done the same.  As we looked around, we would sometimes be startled by a shirt or pair of shoes that we recognized on one of these kids.  They looked good!

                Our African son John had planned to come to the Camp for this sendoff, but he was detained at his school; it turned out his friends at the school "hostel" (the boarding area) were throwing a surprise farewell party for him that day.  It was probably OK to let the ones still at the Camp have their day in the sun; when John is around the others are reluctant to push themselves forward as much.

                This was a wonderful time for us, sending us on our way feeling sad and very good at the same time.  "Parting is such sweet sorrow."  Seldom have we felt so special.