Friday, July 15th

          Friday was our last day working in the Mathare Valley slums.  We arrived at Kosovo, and a small group of us immediately walked through the slums to the Pangani school.  We were delivering a suitcase full of dresses that were made and donated by a few women in our church.  We took the dresses, the pattern to make the dresses, and some additional fabric to the women's sewing class at the Pangani school.  The dresses were handed out to the children of the women in the class, and their faces were priceless.  Their moms helped find a dress that would fit them, and then the girls all wanted their pictures taken in their new dresses.

          After walking back to Kosovo, we immediately began playing soccer!  The final day's special event was a soccer tournament between several of Missions of Hope's schools.  The kids were thrilled that we (the white Americans) had a team in the tournament.  We were not so sure.  Our team had a few high school students, a few of us who used to play quite a bit (although it's been 10 years since I've played in a real game), and a lot of competitive adults who had barely (or never) played soccer.  We all agreed that the goal was to have fun and enjoy playing with the kids.  Our coach was our bus driver, Philip, whose goal was to win at all costs!  We tied the first game (playing 4th and 5th graders) and were exhausted.  Our second game started after a twenty minute break.  Just before we started the second game, Philip walked up to me and my friend Jenny, pointed at us and said, "You and You. You start.  You STRIKE!"  Yes, coach!  So, Jenny and I started the game.  We won our second game and feared that we might have to play a third time.  My legs weren't ready for a third game.  Thankfully, we were finished.  We got to watch the 8th grade Joska team play one of the high school teams in the championship game.  It was a good game, since Joska's team has two or three youth national team players on their team!

          While we were watching the game, a group of kids came and sat near and around us.  They played with our hair, touched the guys' arm hair, and watched us.  Some of the little girls started drawing pictures in the dirt.  Matt joined them.  I sat and watched as Matt and six little girls drew pictures in the dirt.  Then he sang them a Maori war chant that he learned when he played rugby.  He had sang it for them on our last day at games and it was an instant hit.  It was such a sweet moment, just sitting in the dirt with the kids watching a soccer game.  In Kenya!!

          The day ended with a very touching closing celebration.  We listened to several short thank you speeches and then watched presentations by the students -- a play they wrote for us, several tribal songs, and a few stories.  My heart was heavy as we said our goodbyes to the students and our new friends that work for Missions of Hope.  So many children came up, took my hand, and said, "When will you come back?" or "Please don't forget me."  There was so much hope and expectation in their little eyes.  So much longing in their hugs.  When we walked up the hill toward our bus for the last time, I actually felt a little empty.  We'd spent such a short time here, and yet part of my heart would stay in Mathare with those children and their families.