Meaghan is incredibly excited

Cape Town: where the beauty of the landscape is matched by the beauty of the people

Today I am so incredibly excited because in only a little while four of the young boys who live at Beautiful Gate* will be staying at Loch Road for the night! Throughout this week a vague idea of being able to hang out with some of the kids turned into a concrete plan of hosting four boys until tomorrow afternoon. Originally it was two boys, which then turned to three, and then four. I am excited and nervous because I want them to have a lot of fun and enjoy themselves. I know it may be overwhelming for them to be here with 17 people, but everyone is really excited to meet them and have them stay here. Kate, Kayla and I have been anxiously awaiting today and have been trying to plan some fun activities that they do not have the opportunity to experience frequently. Hopefully tonight we will be able to hang out and watch some movies, and tomorrow we plan on going to the beach! The boys seemed really excited about going to the beach so I’m hoping for good weather. Then tomorrow afternoon hopefully they will be able to experience some of the braai we’re having for the visiting professors. We invited Nokuzola, the head nurse at Beautiful Gate, who has been helping us out a lot with the planning of this whole experience. I was struck by the thanks and welcome we were given by Mama Titi on Wednesday after they visited the house in order to make sure it was suitable for the boys. She expressed extreme gratitude that we could give the boys the opportunity and that we could be part of the Beautiful Gate family. This stands out to me because I know that Kate, Kayla and I were actually extremely grateful to be given the opportunity to have them come stay with us. I am so excited and never imagined being able to do such a thing. I hope that all goes well, and maybe something similar could happen in the future!

*Beautiful Gate is where Meaghan, Kate, and Kayla are interning.  Beautiful Gate supports families and communities through its various projects in caring for its orphans and other vulnerable children and families while providing direct support to children and families in need.