One group working on the interior walls of the Community Center in Ramabanta

Hello Friends and Family!

We’ve just returned from our hour and a half getaway to beautiful Ramabanta! We really wish you all could have seen this place; it was stunning. There are pictures below (which I hope you all have been able to view better!) but they just don’t do it justice. On the way there we stopped outside for some group pictures before pulling into The Trading Post.

Getting off the vans we were ecstatic at the warm weather and the amazing scenery. The hosts, Pete and Judy, who were so accommodating it made it hard to leave four days later, soon greeted us. We were served near‐American food for the duration of our stay including favorites such as hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, three‐bean salad, and veggie burgers!

After lunch half the group went out for a horseback ride while the other half waited until the next day. Our horseback ride was quite an experience! We had everything from veteran riders to first timers. I, personally, haven’t been on a horse since I was five with my dad, so I was definitely nervous! I was so glad I did it though, as I think was everyone else. At times the trails were narrow and steep, but the view was worth it! It was like nothing I’ve ever seen. My favorite part was seeing the streams running down below from high above on the mountain, then half an hour later being down at the base and crossing that same water (twice!). The next day we were all more sore than we expected, but stilled thrilled about the ride. That night we had a bonfire to celebrate both Dr. Rosenberg’s and Megan Shubitowski’s birthdays! It was a wonderful night surrounded by the stars, booming laughter, s’mores, and even an occasional outbreak of song.

The next day was spent doing an assortment of activities: A handful of us went off to the local Church in the morning, while others set off on hiking adventures and brought back gorgeous geodes (sparkling rocks) from the mountains. The afternoon was spent lounging and doing leisure reading; it was a great day of R and R. That night we had a serious group discussion. My favorite part of the talk was when Crystal Rosenberg talked about plating a seed, figuratively and literally. Literally, we have done some of that here. But we’ve also planted seeds in our hearts to serve, to understand, and to give. Hopefully we’ve planted seeds of hope here to, hope for a future, hope that people care, and hope in the form of a hug. We all headed off to bed with a lot on our minds.

The following two days were back to service. Both started on the front lawn watching the sunrise over the mountains. After that we hiked up to our worksite, about 15 minutes away. We split up into smaller groups once we arrived. One group worked at an AIDS clinic that was trying to expand. Their mission was to bust through a cement wall. They worked their both days, making slow but steady progress. The other group did an assortment of odd jobs at the local Community Center: painting a base coat on the interior walls and using putty to put glass window panes into frames the first day and doing interior decorative painting the next. The time passed quickly and breaks were filled with handclap games with the kids.

Our time at Ramabanta was great, a perfect combination of leisure activities and service. We are now back at Thorns in Roma and preparing for a big day tomorrow including a carnival at the Baylor Clinic in Maseru and an afternoon touring a textile factory. We’ll write soon! Take care!