The "Lorato Baby House"...House of Love

Sorry it's been so long since Ive written Mom! It's been busy;) Everything is wonderful here in Botswana. Beautiful weather, amazing children, and an incredible work taking place. Since Ive been here, Ive been assigned to the orphan house, "Lorato Baby House," which is where all the infant orphans are housed. I am completely in love and am definitely bringing one back! haha...Each of their stories is unique and tear jerking. BEcause of confidentiality, I do not have any pictures at the moment but will have a time to take some in the next few days so you can see why I am smitten. Currently, there are 5 infants, all under the age of 1, except our Khosi, aka "chief". He is the oldest at 20 months. Here are there stories:


Rose aka "Rosita" (since she likes to shake her booty)- She was brought to the mission at 1 month where she was found in plastic bag with a note from her mother stating that she loved her very much but her circumstances wouldnt allow her to keep Rose. She also had AIDS. Rose is the chunkiest, softest, most sweet baby Ive ever seen. She is the one I wish I could bring home with me:( SHe is almost 6 months old.


Benolo and Nadul- Set of brother and sister twins brought to the mission at about 3 months, they are currently 5 months. There story really brought tears to my eyes. Their mother was raped and birthed the twins. Upon their birth, the mother became very mentally ill and depressed and upon several occassions, tried to kill the twins. The grandmother brought them in and they are now surrounded by so much love. You can tell they have been through alot because Nadul cries more than most babies Ive ever heard, but they are both sweet and loving. 


Olisejo "Blessed"-she was the firt baby brought to the mission, actually during our visit last year. Se is a miracle baby and is the most loving and laughing child. She loves to bite but she is playful and loud:) She will be a year on the 16th. She was found by the side of the road and was brought to a hospital by a villager. She was a premie at about 5 weeks early. She is strong fighter and is a blessing to everyone she meets. She is a gift from God and you can only hope that her mother is ok. Her story is amazing because of the fight and amount of prayers it took to get her to the Lorato House. We were a huge part of that last year. The fight with the government for the rights to house infants here at Love Botswana was our biggest challenge last year and it is so amazing to see that after a year there are now 5 babies. :)


Khosi aka "Chief"- 20 months, he was brought to the mission by his teen mother, which actually attends the village church. Their goal is to reunite the mother and Khosi when she has finished school and is capable of caring for herself and her son. Khosi is the man of the house and is very loving. He LOVES to read books and walk around the house naked. haha...he has the most beautiful big brown eyes ive ever seen on a child and the biggest dimples:) I just love him...he is my dance partner. We like to dance to the "Jungle Book" song, "Bear necessities":)


All of these babies have brought so much joy to my life in such a short amount of time spent with each of them. They have so much love to give and I am so thankful that the staff and volunteers here treat them with such love and care. The local women I have been working with have treated me with such kindness and openness. They ask if I am married and have kids and I always laugh at them.  I tell them Ill probably just bring Rose back with me and be a single mom for a long time. haha...they also tell me I have a black butt and that If I ever get pregnant, I am going to explode! How comforting. I have been doing a lot of solo work while the other team works within the schools and other various projects so Ive had a lot of alone time, which is nice. We have alot of great stuff planned this week and next and I will do my best to share every minute with you. Im looking forward to showing pictures of the babies when I can. 


I am considering staying longer if possible since Sierra Leone fell through, if I can get my flights changed around. If not, I will still be going through London and am looking forward to some quality Lauren time:) When I visited Oxford last Jan, it was beautiful, peaceful, and I felt safe so I am considering staying there for a day and just relaxing, writing, and eating in some of the awesome pubs:) It would be a lot more fun without the snow on the ground. We will see, but knowing how I am, I will probably not know until the day before so no worries mom, I will be safe! Ive got mad karate skills ;) Anyways, I need to go eat lunch and play with my babies! Love you all and thanks for everything...i miss you so much!:)


ps...yes, Prince Harry and William are here and we may get to meet them next week! Im so excited!! :)


LOVE YOUUUU!!!

"A man travels the world in search of what he needs
and returns home to find it."
-George Moore