I came to Addis Ababa thinking we were coming to help and love on all the kids at bring love in. But no, we created friendships that will last a lifetime.

There were two girls in our arts and crafts class, named China and Kal. They both really kept to themselves at the beginning of the week. I think this is because they knew it was going to be heart breaking to see us leave if they connected with us.

After a few days they started showing their love for us. They called my mom (Charity) “mom”, and me their sister.

To be honest I didn’t think I would create strong friendships and relationships with the kids. I made lifelong friends that mean the world to me only in one week.

Seeing other teammates create strong bonds with other kids. It was so cool seeing how they bonded and interacted with each other.

It was heartbreaking for me when I saw all the kids crying because we were leaving. One of the girls started crying into my shirt because she didn’t want us to go. It is so heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.

– Brya