This entry should echo everyone else's blog: the hospitality and warmth of the poeple is undeniable.

Friday night I had dinner with Wilfred. Wilfred and I had been communicating sporadically these last frew months, so it was good to spend some time with him in person. We were in different groups while the JUMP teams worked, so I saw very little of him.

We dropped off several kids before we reached Wilfred's house. Alec was petrified of going to dinner at someone's house by himself. Though he ended up having a good time, I think that evening shook his world. Erik was dropped off at Annlinda's house, and it was a small blue house that spoke of the family's income. Many of the other kids had similarly worn houses.

Wilfred, though, seemed well off. His house had a high stone wall surrounding it: at least eight feet high. There was a large metal gate to enter the yard. At the front door, there was a metal gate that his mother unlocked, and the front door its self was also metal. The inside was cozy and clean. I didn't see much of the house, but it seemed very big compared to his peers' standards.

Wilfred has a sister that's thirteen, but she's off at boarding school. His father is a trucker, and was also absent. His mother is a high-school religious studies teacher. Wilfred said he was almost selected to be in her class, but luckily studied history instead. The mother fixed a huge meal with rice, vegetables, chapati, beef stew and some tribal mashed potatoes. We were constantly talking, which was very nice. We traded stories about our culture, our past, family, politics, weather, everything. I had to nearly beg to do the dishes.

At one point the mother was going around the living room pointing out all of the pictures and artifacts in the room. I had spent some time in there by myself earlier when she and her son were setting the table. I comments on this small stone plate that was beautiful: as smooth, colorful drawing of Africa and its countries. Below each name of a country was its date of independence. As soon as I made the statement, she ran over, took it down and handed it to me. I tried to refuse the gift, but they both insisted that I take it.

I had brought my juggle ball with the hesistant idea of performing for the family. I've glad I had brought it because it allowed me to give a little back to the family. The mother was giggling while I was juggling.