Traveling to Africa was an amazing experience. Looking back about a week later, I'm still in shock that I even had that opportunity and that I made even a small difference in the lives of the students at The Mercy Care Centre. I'm already planning my life there it seems like. I definitely want to go back soon if its possible and I would love to live there and be a permanent fixture in the lives of the children in the Mathare Valley. I want to tell anyone and everyone about my experience. I have decided to sponsor a child at the Mercy Care. While my group was there, she approached me about sponsoring her. She gave me a letter saying how thankful she was that we were there and that she loved me and she told me about her family. She was just an innocent 8 year old girl and she's already having to worry about being able to go to the school the next year and have a meal everyday. This is typical for most the students at the school. They grow up so fast and I hope that maybe when they're at school and they feel safe they can relax and finally just be kids - even if its just during school hours - they all need that time to be kids and have fun. The teachers there are amazing. They give up many unpaid hours to travel to the school on Saturdays to feed the children. They love on the children and they genuinely want them to succeed. Since I've been home I've been chatting with one of the teachers on facebook and he's been telling me a little of his life story. His mother was a single mother and she died when he was 15. He grew up in a slum. But now he's in college and he's come back to help the students at the Mercy Care Centre. He says nothing would be able to keep him from helping those students. That's amazing. Even after everything he's been through he still believes others deserve his help and he does everything he can for those students. He now supports himself completely and his job pays for everything! He is proud of everything he has accomplished even though he came from such terrible conditions. I was so proud to be involved with this organization and I hope to continue taking trips down there and supporting from back here in America. Those kids touched my heart and my memories from Africa will always be with me.