what a mix.

another day has come and gone! i keep asking myself, "am i really IN africa?" man. it is so crazy to think that i am here. it's not so weird because i am with my family in a foreign place, but still, it is amazing! ah!


like i said, we are in mutare, zimbabwe. we are in a small hotel located near leopard rock, a well known golf course and mountainous area. we golfed a round, yes, i did golf! wahoo! as adam would say, "this is africa right here." the course was full of hills, grass, those flat african trees seen in lion king, serious ruff, and out of bounds areas that were dangerous to go into because of snakes! we made good friends with our caddies, paul and benjamin. they are locals and work three times a month at the course. they make maybe 20 dollars each time they work, that's maybe. it amazes me still that these people are living day to day, working however they can, with whatever jobs are available (which aren't many) and they are surviving. 


i love driving around, spotting children, and hurrying to jump out and hand out toys to the kids. at first, they are scared because these white people are running up to them, but once we stop, show them what we have, their faces light up. i know they will cherish those items forever, seriously. 


we had the opportunity to visit may people and families that adam converted and baptized along with families who were already members. everyone is so so so hospitable towards us and they are ready to give, no matter what. they sacrifice so much to go to church along with living their lives and putting food on the table for their children. we have met so many wonderful people and had great experiences, even in the smallest of places. 


i have been trying to take pictures like crazy and i'll post when i can, whenever that is, we are in africa! we will be traveling through zimbabwe, heading to masvingo, bulawayo, victoria falls/botswana, kwekwe, and back to harare to finish out our amazing trip with the spencer's & family. 


there is so much more to share, i could go on and on. each day i am here, i know how grateful i am for what i have at home and grateful for what we have been blessed with. i pray and hope you all can pray too, for the people here. they deserve so much and i hope they can be helped and guided to where they need to go. i am here for two weeks and love everything about this place and its inhabitants. all i can imagine is two years.

africa at last!

the moment of truth arrived when i was alone, by myself, in the heathrow london airport. and then, i knew, i was on my way to africa, to zimbabwe, to see my family! 

the fact that i was going to africa didn't quite hit me until i was in johannesburg and i was the only white person waiting to board the plane to zimbabwe. 

a seriously long day of flying, dragging bags, smashing into airplane seats and talking to no one (not many english speakers) and i was prepared to be waiting to see my family after i had gone through customs and all of that business. little did i know, i was talking to a woman about what i need to do and my dad came up behind me and gave me the biggest hug. of course, instant tears. 

we know some amazing people who were able to get me through customs quick and easy. first blessing right there. 

we had a wonderful night with the spencer's. they completely opened their home to us. sharon and rob had their children go stay with their grandparents as we took over the kids' bedrooms. they are the most giving and charitable family i have ever met. along with all 5 of sharon's sisters. 

monday. was the day! adam was to be dropped off at the spencer's gate promptly at 7:30 am. we were out and waiting at 7:20. i couldn't believe the time had come. man. it was amazing. he rang the bell, the gate was opened, and there he was. bags and all. it was such a beautiful reunion. 

i wish i could post more pictures of the spencer's gorgeous home and all of the amazing things we have been part of, but the connection is quite slow and it takes some time to get those loaded. i'll try and put up more pictures when i can!

i wish you all could meet the people we associate with here. the spencer's, the nield's, all of the sisters and their families, so you could understand their demeanor and their personalities. they have lived in zimbabwe all their lives and give and give and give. ever since i have arrived, we have gone out and served. 

we went to maternity wards and handed out hygiene kits & newborn kits, hospitals and interacted with everyday people on the street. we played football (soccer) in bare feet with some school children. 

the most amazing this far, for me, was when we went to the rubbish dump. the people there literally live IN the rubbish dump. their houses are there. they dig through the rubbish the truck brings and that's what they use to survive. what a site to see when our truck pulled in and we saw swarms of people running, sprinting to line up and receive the items we had with us. it was the most humbling experience i have had in my life. 

these people, they lined up on their own. they knew where they needed to go. they were so very excited to receive the items we had for them and they didn't grab and scream, their waited. we outfitted all of them with a new pair of shoes and a pair of trousers and a shirt. they were so so thankful. their symbol of thanks, at least the women did this, is clapping their hands together like a cup. i wasn't sure how i would feel when we were driving over, but as soon as i got there, i wanted to help every single person. i didn't care if i touched their hands as i handed out candy, i didn't care that they hugged me. these people were full of humility as we made their day, their week, their month.

we sang "god be with you 'til we meet again". they sat on the ground and listened to us in silence. the spirit was so strong and i knew that we were doing something amazing for the people in the dump and in zimbabwe. 

we were also able to go to a clinic a ways away from the home we were staying at and witness a cataract surgery performed on men who are blind. we were all outfitted in scrubs and shoes and got to stand right in the operating room and watch this done. in just two days time, the patients will be able to pull their bandages off their eyes and be able to see like they have never seen before! 

we have taken part of so many other amazing spiritual and service experiences, i could share for hours and we have only been here a couple days. 

right now we are in mutare, zimbabwe at the white horse inn. it is more of our "vacation" time. adam will be driving us around to see areas he has been and we will do some touristy activities. and of course, on the way, we will be throwing out toys, blankets, clothes, and wooden cars and i can't wait for that. the children hold on to the treasures like they will never, ever let it go.

i am so grateful to be here. so grateful to be here with my family. so grateful for the gospel and all we can learn and the part that it plays in our lives. and so grateful for adam and all he has done for the people in zimbabwe. i can tell that he is in his complete element. he speaks the language, he knows the culture and i am thrilled we are here to do this with him! 

don't forget, click on the pictures and they will be much more clear! 

lasts.

today was our last day in edinburgh. in europe. 

the time has seriously flown by. you know how time goes? it goes slow but then it goes fast. hard to explain but it makes sense to me. 

lots of lasts. 

last shower in europe. ha.

last taste of the european culture. 

last time of no taxes on anything. 

i will miss the bus rides, the adventures, the tesco's, the non-airconditioned buildings (not), the history, and most of all, our professors and wonderful girls!

i lucked out. no kidding. we didn't have any problems. everyone was super flexible and we were okay with whatever was planned, most of the time. 

it will be so weird for me to NOT be with these girls. hilary and i were pretty much together 24/7 for the past seven weeks. 

i am so grateful for the friends that i made and the experiences that i had! it's been the best thing and i wouldn't change it. 

worst hair choice for the closing dinner, believe me, i already know.

we had a great closing dinner. a 3-course meal and an enjoyable slideshow of everyone's top 20 pictures of the trip. we had so much fun together!

i think of my lasts on my trip, and it only leads me to think of what adam is doing. 

his last couple nights as a missionary. his last baptism tomorrow. his last time at church on sunday. his last goodbye's to the people he loves in zimbabwe. 

he has had a very successful mission and has changed many lives for the better. i am overly proud of him and i can't wait to see him in just a couple short days! 

first glimpse of scotland.

hadrian's wall, never heard of this before. 

i guess it is the wall that separated the roman's and the scott's. it goes on for miles! we stopped for a few.

view from above the city in edinburgh our first night in scotland. so beautiful!! i love that i can see the ocean from there. the air is so crisp and fresh. 

a small hike up to arthur's seat was planned on sunday afternoon. it was a hike and it's a good thing i wore my tightest pair of jeans! seriously. 

it was so so beautiful.

on monday, we took off north to inverness. driving of course. we stopped at the culloden battle field but i didn't take much too it... i had no idea what it even was! don't judge.

we stayed the night and drove west to fort williams. loch ness was on the way and we all hoped we could catch nessie out of the water. unfortunately, it didn't happen. still, an amazing body of water!

"nessie".

after loch ness, there was time to spare walking around the city because we couldn't check into our hostel. of course, we found a cafe with FREE wi-fi. yay! the hostel was seriously in the mountains. afterall, we were in the highlands area. the land where people go to hike the mountain. they are the serious ones with the hiking sticks and everything!

when i say camping, i literally meant that. thirteen girls in one room. no floor space. and bugs flying in the windows. a spider got a yummy taste of my skin. ew. 

kelsey's face speaks for itself.

we were on our way back to edinburgh for our last few nights in scotland and on the study! (can you believe that??) the area we drove through was amazing. everything is so beautiful, i feel like it's only things i've seen in movies! 

stirling castle and the braveheart monument were right in our path to edinburgh.

alas, arriving back in edinburgh, we were all pleased to find out that we have our OWN rooms. i repeat, our own rooms! it's been wonderful. 

spare time and a bit of a slower pace these last couple days has been the best thing. 

perfect.

lakey lakey.

one of my favorite places this whole trip, the lake district, more specifically, hawkshead. we were all so exhausted from our drive, lots of driving this past week and half! but we got settled in our hostel late and decided on a community dinner and it was just glorious! penne pasta with red sauce, salad, and garlic bread. let's just say, it was a warm meal and different from a store bought sandy (that would be sandwich)! 

our room in the hostel was spacious and quite cozy, at least i thought. we were in the lake district right near a lake, obviously. the air was crisp and cool. reminded me of fall time in utah. and man, i miss that! but soon enough, it will be here. and now that i think of it, i'm not quite sure how i feel about it!

the morning we left from that hostel, we went for a run at 630 am. it was SO beautiful! i loved it. 4 1/2 miles around the lake and so refreshing.

more bunk beds? check.

in the same area was beatrix potter's house. she is the author of the peter rabbit tales. her house was ancient and full of heirlooms from her herself. pretty neat. 

the house.

yorkie poo.

still traveling north, york was next. 


another minster, yes, york minster. (i swear, all of these pictures are starting to jumble together!)

we marched on this roman wall into the city.

this guy looks super comfortable, don't you think?

there was a neat crypt underneath the main part of the minster that held things from the history of this particular minster. this church had gone through reining's from roman's, saxon's, norman's, and a medieval period. the architecture was, again, amazing and articulate. 


after seeing the church, we had about an hour and a half to spare and we wandered through the town. we passed a little shop that was doing, yes, you guess it... deluxe aqua pedicures. guess what this means? a pedicure where fish suck the dead skin off of your feet!
catie and i were the only ones who would brave this activity. 

i could NOT put my feet in. i was so scared.

wonderful hot cocoa though!

it was the weirdest feeling! the fish were without teeth so they literally sucked on your skin. i was dying laughing and crying. it was hilarious. had there been others in the shop, they probably would have walked out. 


fountain's abbey. another historic abbey. it was huge! and there were gardens and grounds that went around for two miles.