True Love

Service week at Sir Lowery’s Pass was a life changing experience. Each day our bus arrived to the township where we were greeted by dozens of smiling children. Though we were all tired, the kids’ excitement energized us for another afternoon of singing, dancing, and playing games.
I was amazed by how quickly I formed relationships with the children. From day one I connected with several kids and for the rest of the week they were by my side. Savannah and Rogan were two of the kids I fell in love with. They wanted nothing more than a piggyback ride or to hold my hand. Simple gestures such as these instantly filled their faces with delight.

Leaving the township each day has been the hardest part of my experience in Cape Town. I have climbed Table Mountain in the hot sun, climbed Devil’s Peak in at 3 am with nothing but a headlamp, and I am looking forward to shark cage diving and bungee jumping, but saying goodbye has been the ultimate challenge. My mom has always told me that it is okay to be sad when saying farewell because that means you love someone. Well, in this case there was a lot of love. On Friday when I gave Savannah and Rogan their final hugs, both of them kissed me and asked if I would be back tomorrow. This question broke my heart. I had already tried to explain that my friends in the other group (the Springboks) would be coming to play with them, but they are young and didn’t quite understand. All they knew is that they wouldn’t be able to play games, dance, make bracelets, or even just hold my hand all day long. They both cried and asked if they could come with me. It killed me to say no, but at the same time it gave me such joy. They loved me too.

When they finally let go of me I ran onto the bus and we all waved and blew kisses until their parents came and led them home. The bus started to roll down the street and all the rest of the kids followed waving and shouting their goodbyes. Right before we turned the corner I looked out the window one last time and what I saw will stick with me forever. A little boy in a blue sweatshirt was running as fast as he could along side the bus-it was Rogan. At the exact same moment we made eye contact. Rogan instantly stopped in his tracks and began jumping up and down. He was waving and a huge smile appeared on his face. As I frantically waved back I could distinctly read his lips as he said, “I love you Morgan.”



Morgan Sellers