Faces and moments I never want to forget

I wanted to post pictures of dear people who have changed me forever. To have been a part of the lives of these families is a blessing beyond what I can describe. The lady sitting beside me and the one behind her (whose daughter is in my lap) have been a part of the program I work with since the very beginning. They were the first two I started working with years ago. I have watched their kids grow up. We've sent one to sewing school and have seen her excel. These are dear, dear women to me and the thought of not being able to work with them again breaks my heart. The day this group left (we had called them in just to explain that we had to leave the hospital) was probably the worst day of our last six weeks (aside from the day we received the news that we were let go). I wept when they left. Wept. Did they fully understand how much I loved them and how thankful I was for them? How could I ever express that? As they walked out of the hospital, I watched the job I loved walk out with them. The ministry that had grown me and taught me so much was over. And while I hope the relationships will remain despite us not being at the hospital, I knew that the ease to see one another would never be the same. When they walked out of the hospital, so did a piece of my heart.

Several other ladies were not able to come the day the others did so I have some pictures with them as well.

This was our neighbor, Ali. He is deaf. Our family loved him and we were learning sign language before we left. He was a great teacher.

Now this family better stay in our lives forever. :) This is at the baptism for Jeremi's son, Stan. Baby Brett, who isn't a baby anymore, is the boy in blue. 

The last week were in Mali we had a time together with the staff at the hospital. We were blown away by the number of people who showed up. The chapel was full, as you can see, people had to even sit behind us as Brett shared some with them. After a time of prayer for us, the staff presented us with a Ciwara, which is given as a sign of good work, a job well done. I do not think they could have given us anything else that touched our hearts more. We were so blessed by this.

They ended with the whole chapel raising their hands and singing blessing over us. Again, words cannot express what this meant to us. We are so thankful for the time we got to spend at the hospital and the relationships that were built there. A tremendous, tremendous blessing. So incredibly thankful for the opportunity to have worked among these wonderful people.