More and More Smiles

I shared about Wisdom's smiles in the last post, but there were lots of other smiles this week too. Look at these grins full of white teeth. Oh, I miss them!

You already saw my "running hug" pictures when I arrived, but here are some more of when Mama Shannon arrived, and when Mark arrived.

They make you feel like a movie star with their joy in seeing you again. And, there was all kinds of tackling and guy grunts when Mark walked into the boys' room. I love this picture of them pouncing on him.

And, so many of the smiles came from the gifts you gave, both for the Touch a Life kids, as well as for the communities we traveled through.

Wade & Kelly, the silly string fight was genius. They have never had so much fun. (And, neither have we!)

In fact, the kids' smiles never left their faces, whether we were having a silly string fight, drawing with sidewalk chalk, playing with playdough, blowing bubbles, glowing with glo-bracelets, reading their handmade cards from kids in the U.S., or painting with new watercolors...they had SUCH a fun time being kids. And, couldn't stop saying thank-you for their surprises.

The candy was also the perfect way to connect to the communities around the Village of Hope and also at the lake. We gave candy to villages we passed through, and watched as children with no expression, just came alive with smiles.

We also saw children who were sitting in a canoe on Lake Volta, trafficked and enslaved, crack huge smiles as we handed them a blow-pop or a bag of skittles.

For a moment, they were just children excited about a treat. And, they held on to their treasures for dear life.

And, of course, our own Touch a Life friends had a pretty good feast on candy too. :) Even the biggest kids were squealing with joy at all the "toffees" (this is what they call candy.)

We also got to laugh really hard as Mark and Taylor chucked candy and art supplies out the window as we drove home from the lake. We didn't have time to stop each time, so they got really good at their aim. And, a few kids thought they were receiving gifts from heaven. :)

Do you see these Skittles in mid-air?

And, it was so fun to look out the back window and watch the kids going crazy, jumping up and down, yelling, and waving at us....with HUGE smiles. It really was priceless.

But, my favorite moments were handing out soccer balls along the road. Just like last time, the kids went CRAZY for new soccer balls. And, every time, we found the perfect recipients. One time, we threw it onto a school soccer field, and the kids all cheered and immediately began playing with it. One time, we found one single boy walking down the dirt road with a soccer jersey on. I think he was the happiest boy I've ever seen when he caught the flying ball. And, then there were others who Taylor and Mark got to actually walk up and hand the ball to. These are just the sweetest pictures, and best smiles.

So, thank you to everyone who gave SMILES to these kids. You made their day, and showed them how loved they are!