My last week in Ghana went by so quickly. I felt a pit in my stomach as the date of my departure became closer and closer, knowing that this dream of mine would end. I still tried to enjoy every second that I had with my kids. I still worked and pretended like nothing was going to happen. I took two people to the hospital and took care of two more children when they were admitted. I watched the boys play futball, walked the little ones to school, teased the older boys more than ever, and each day more and more kids would ask me if it was true that I was leaving. One night, about five days before I left, I broke the news to Patrick that I was going to leave the coming Sunday. Patrick is 13 years old, extremely quiet, shy, and usually gets picked on because he looks a little bit different than everyone else. He takes lots of crap from others in the orphanage, but does it willingly. He reminds me of the Savior. He loves unconditionally and would do anything for anyone. He is often seen carrying the older kids' backpacks home from school. He is a sweetheart. I love him so much. When I told him I was leaving, his eyes got big and he froze. He covered his face and tears streamed down his cheeks. My heart dropped. I have never felt so heart broken and so flattered at the same time. He refused to look at me and kept his face covered. I sat there next to him and waited for him to calm down. I put my arms around him and told him that it would be okay. I told him that I wanted to come back and would try my best to make it happen, but the words that came out of my mouth seemed dry and cliche. I sat there with him for a long time. It was dark and close to bedtime, so we sat on a bench and I pulled him close to me. He backed away at first, and I asked him if he was mad at me for leaving. With tears still streaming, he shook his head "yes." All I could think to say was, "I'm sorry, Patrick." That was one of the moments, I am sure, parents feel sometimes, yet I couldn't help him. I got tears in my eyes and tried to be strong for Patrick. I remember the first time I said "Hi," to him at the orphanage. I had been looking through a book with names and pictures of each child and realized that I had never talked to him, so I decided if I saw him, I would greet him with a smile. And that is what I did. He looked at me in surprise and timidly said "Good afternoon," with a beautiful smile. From then on, whenever I saw him, I would say "Hi," and we would exchange smiles. He was too shy to have a complete conversation with, and so we went on greeting each other. It was a wonderful friendship. I could feel his love and joy every time we smiled at one another. He eventually became more comfortable with me and could poke me, hide, making me find him and then I would give him a big hug. Our hugs became my favorite part of the day.
As we sat there in the dark, I didn't know what to do. He grabbed my hand and held it tight. Never before had he done this, and it made my heart sing. We held hands in the silence. Other children came up to us and would talk to me, but we never let go. He was my little boy for the night, and I will keep him in my heart forever. For the rest of week, we stuck together.
Another fella who was quite upset about my departure was Shadrack. He, being more confident and outspoken, would complain to me every day that I was "troubling his heart" because I was "leaving him alone." What a silly boy. He didn't cry, thank goodness, but wrote me a heartfelt note that makes me smile every time I read it. I was so fortunate to get about five notes from various boys in the orphanage. I felt so loved. The Saturday before I left, I gave out notes and "toffee," their word for candy. I wrote a note to each child in the orphanage; I had to start weeks before to get them done on time. But yes, I did it and passed them out to the kids. Shadrack was so proud of me. He came into the office with a surprised face. It made me feel good to let each kid feel loved. I only pray they did through my letters, but also throughout my stay.
My last day was really emotional. It was a Sunday and so the kids had church at the orphanage. We dressed up and I wore my new dressed that I got made. The kids all looked so nice and were neatly sitting in their chairs while we waited for the service to start. It was a good service with lots of singing, praying and amen's or hallelujah's. I sat there trying hard to not think about what I would face at the end of the day. When the service was over, Mama Jane called me up and gave me a huge thank you by talking about all the hard work that I had done. She told me that I would be blessed for my service. She said that the "angels who were with us today at the service will visit and take care of Caitlin in the future." It was beautiful what she said and it made me feel so good. At the end of her talking about me. She asked everyone to give me a round of applause. The kids all jumped to their feet and clapped and yelled. I was overcome with emotion. I could not help but to cry. It was such a rewarding feeling. I cried because I felt loved, appreciated and I looked at all the kids knowing I would have to leave them that day.
Overall, my experience at the Potter's Village was awe-inspiring, filled with humbling yet incredible and exciting moments. I will forever be grateful that I was able to fulfill my dream of going to Ghana and serving children in need. I know that this experience will stay with me for the rest of my life. I learned so much more than I ever though I could. The children taught me. I know I was supposed to go so that I could grow and have my eyes opened up to more of God's wonderful creations. Never have I missed something more, than my kids back in Ghana. I think about them every day and pray that they are happy. I am planning to go back there hopefully next year so that this journey doesn't have to end. I thank my Heavenly Father for keeping me safe and healthy so that I could do all that I did and be influenced by so many people. Ghana will forever be in my heart. I will cherish the memories that I have made. So there is no "goodbye," just "see you later."
This is my last day when I was about to leave and get in the cab. I got swarmed with hugs and kisses. Yes, I cried the whole way to the airport sitting next to some random Ghanaian man driving the cab. Good times.
