I have finally arrived in a location with Internet!! yay!!it has been very scarce on this journey over the last week. I don’t even know where to begin describing to you this weeks adventures. I am traveling with a girl named Summer Rayne and a tree hugging mountain man named Alan Schwarz…. Together we have ventured almost the entire country of Mozambique in the last 5 days. During our stay in Pemba, we stayed with an Isreali family who lived near the coast and worked on building a child nursery in a town about 2.5 hours journey on bumpy roads. The community there was absolutely amazingly beautiful…. pictures can only show you  a part of it. The majority of the town is Islamic and on the last day they had the head of the Islamic Sector in Africa named Agikan arrive in a helicopter to visit the village.. the craziest thing in the world. The whole place transformed from this really poor children in rags with blown up stomachs to everyone in their finest clothes and streets decorated… they paraded down the streets singing Islamic songs as the Agikan arived ( an older white man who looked italian)….Saturday we drove to a city called Island of Mozambique. It had been pretty much destroyed by the civil war here 10 years ago.. it was like stepping into the late 1800’s era and the place being bombed.. there was an old hotel we stayed at that felt like something out of Ever After. We met some Europeans that day and had an incredible lunch on the ocean overlooking the Indian Sea. It was the site that you can only imagine.We arrived just today in Garongosa National Park somewhere in the interior of Mozambique ( looking it up).. Alan is a tree planter here and helped develop communities. We might get to see some Lions tomorrow..( my fingers are crossed)  As for my health, i’m doing pretty good. I have a small rash on my face that will hopefully go away.. other than that.. Africa is doing me well.. I am sad to have to leave on Wednesday.I know I will be back.. soon enough.Love,Esther 

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made it to the land of Mozambique today.. staying in Pemba and i’m headed to the bush 6 hours north in the morning.

Talk about beauty….this is the Africa i pictured in my mind….. it is nuts.

we are going to a place where lions and elephants roam freely…… probably the most remote place i’ve ever been.

-Esther

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So… i just found out that it is Thanksgiving in a few days in the States. That just blows my mind. How time flies by. i tell ya.

Today, I found myself almost heading home as things with Toms came to an end. I think all the people bonded on this trip like a family. We all united to give up ourselves and GIVE asking nothing in return. That is only the beginning to something even bigger.

As I went to the airport today to fly back home I was really feeling confused and didn’t want to leave this beautiful country. An oppurtunity arose at the last minute to go to Mozambique for a week and work on some projects. I’ve decided to jump on board. I will be traveling through the Bush for the next 9 days in the middle of no where. Luckily, Candace, hadn’t used her malaria pills and gladly handed them over to me to use. This is such a spur of the moment thing but it seems so right.

I will see you all on the otherside when i return to civilization next week. I plan to have no internet during this time.

-Esther

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i think i want to move here.. seriously.
the past few days have been spent on safari’s in the bush .. having shoe drops in in very remote places all over the eastern area of south africa.
I can’t even describe to you what i’ve seen in the past couple of days. The people here are so beautiful and kind.. I absolutely love them. The band Hanson.. they have now joined up with us for the rest of the shoe drop till monday. It has been a blast!

I will write another post as soon as I can….
esther

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Hello All,

I’m in Durban further up the coast. We had a bunch of shoe drops yesterday morning and ended up with a dance party in the street with all the kids at the midday. We caught a flight later in the afternoon to Durban where we will continue with shoe drops in more urban settings.

Today we are going on a safari .. hopefully I will catch some elephant images!!

I am still loving Africa and every single person on this trip. The photographs have been nothing short of amazing. I cant even describe them to you. I can’t wait for you all to see them.. i feel like they are little gifts to me.

The days to come are going to be in the middle of nowhere so i plan to have no internet. update more later.

-esther

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First of all let me say …. I love Africa!!!!  it’s nothing like i expected it to be…… I think South Africa is a bit different than the rest of the country of Africa.It’s freezing cold here and its summer!!! so so wierd. I am wearing a jacket and scarf almost all day long.Today we flew from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth and started early out on our first shoe drop. I wasn’t sure how it was going to be.. i imagined chaos in my mind. It was rather organized to say the least. We first went into a school with little kids and they were precious as can be all barefoot waiting for their new pair of TOMS. Their faces lit up as each child had a new pair placed with gentle hands on their feet in the right sizes. From there we went on 2 more shoes drops at another school and then a kitchen where this woman fed hundreds of kids a day out of her house. These kids are so precious and all BAREFOOT! I mean imagine the pain.. and to see them running up and down the streets chasing each other, now with shoes on, it can only bring tears to your eyes. I am getting to know each of the 24 people on this trip quite well. All of them are being changed by this.. i mean how could you not.  I am blessed beyond words to be here. Tomorrow we have an early flight to Durban which is further up the coastline. I can’t wait!! photos have been great.. i can only fathom what is still to come! Thank you all for your prayers and support.. you are amazing! ~esther  

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arrived. after a day in johannesburg. flew to the coast.on to the first shoe drop of the day .. in elizabeth port on the ocean  tell more later.esther 

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