Andy

Last week we said goodbye to our dear friend, Andy. Amazingly, we didn't even know him two months ago. We met him at the airport on our way back to Mali. Poor guy flew with us across the Atlantic. I'm thankful he didn't run after that. He was so helpful and it was awesome to have another hand during travel. All month, though, when Kenan was tired or not feeling well, he would look at Andy and say, "I'm mad at you because you were mean to me on the plane!" I never knew what he meant but the last night Andy was here Kenan finally told us that it was because Andy took his blanket while he was sleeping. Really, the blanket just kept falling off as he moved in his seat, but he blamed Andy for it and didn't let him forget it. However, except for those moments of complaining about the plane, Kenan loved Andy. Each night, if not during the day as well, he would crawl up in Andy's lap and sit for long periods. All the boys loved Andy. Dawson said the last night that "his nose was running because he was sad Andy was leaving."

Andy was willing to do whatever. Many visitors come and SAY they are willing to help however, but really they have their own agenda/desires of what to do/accomplish. He was up for anything, even if that meant drawing lines in a notebook for an afternoon to make a clinic register (and it was decided once he had done all the lines, that it would just be easier to use the computer!). He offered to come over early one Saturday morning so we could sleep in. He watched the kids that whole day (and said at the end that going to the hospital was easier!) :) He was just so great. He was humble, recognized that he was in a different culture and respected what that meant, and was just all around great.

He was also a cook. A single 20 year old guy. We made fried okra, brownies, butter pecan ice cream, key lime pie, and banana cream pie. We also made the graham crackers from scratch. It amazed me what he knew about food. Frankly, it amazed me what he knew about everything. I don't know that there was a subject that he didn't know about. Countries, history, animals, insects, plastic surgery, the list goes on. I did love, though, when I asked one night why he knew all these kinds of plastic surgery. His response was "Doctor 90210." Ha! The boy was amazingly smart and again incredibly humble. I often forgot I was talking to a 20 year old college student, esp since he was teaching me all month! :)

Andy was truly fantastic. I think our family would have been perfectly content had he just thrown away his ticket to return home and stayed with us permanently. We all miss him and look forward to his return!