It’s hard to believe we’re wrapping up our final day in Macha. We started the morning like usual – breakfast at the Thuma’s, followed by our morning sports camp. It was an enjoyable walk to the field as several kids were waiting for us along the way and when we got to the soccer field, there were even more ready to play with us.
We broke into our three groups again and lead stations for soccer, wiffle ball, and lacrosse. It was fun to see the kids really enjoy the new games and the group did a great job cheering everyone on. Lots of hugs and smiles today as the kids knew that today was our last morning with them.
To wrap up the morning, all 13 of us joined together on a team to play a soccer game against a team put forward by the Zambian kids. It was a hard fought battle, learning how to read the bounce of the ball off the dirt and playing through wind and dust. Thanks to 2 goals by Danny, 1 goal by Luke, and an unfortunate own-goal from the Zambian team, we came out on top 4-2.
After a lunch break, we got to go on a tour to the Macha Missions Hospital. It was so interesting to learn all about what Eric’s grandfather Alvin Thuma started and to see how it has grown. The tour really opened our group’s eyes to the healthcare system in Zambia and the malaria research taking place in Macha.
Next we got to take a trip to the Macha market for slingshots and cold colas. Even with just a five minute walk to the market, we had some kids following us, grabbing our hands, and looking for smiles and high fives.
During the afternoon session, everyone got to do their own thing. It was awesome to see everyone doing things they loved and the kids enjoying it as much as they did. There was disc golf, soccer, volleyball, board games, and more soccer. At the end of the session, we handed out candy to a crazy mob of kids trying to hide their first lollipop so they could get a second. We also took lots of pictures with our friends who we will miss dearly. After the kids left, our team got to play our favorite game, a competitive game of volleyball.
It was a great way to end our time in Macha. Tomorrow morning we head out to Livingstone to spend some time at Victoria Falls.
Sydney & Caroline
AROMA Missions: Zambia 