Autumn has officially arrived here in Pennsylvania. The leaves have started to turn color and are now beautiful shades of red, orange, and yellow. The temperatures have started to drop and the days have gotten shorter. I have started to unpack sweaters and jackets, paid a visit to the pumpkin patch, and have been brainstorming Halloween costumes and treats. I have always loved this time of year and all of the fun and spooky festivities that accompany it. This love that I have for the Halloween season is why I was especially excited when I got to visit Africa and experience their traditions and celebrations!

Greetings and welcome back to Holly’s Headlines! I hope that everyone had a well-deserved, fun and relaxing summer. While everyone uses their downtime during the summer season differently, summertime for me is always used to play catch-up with long distance friends. Personally, I enjoy reaching out the “old fashioned way” – by handwriting a letter. While writing these letters this summer to my old friends, I found myself thinking about my African pen pal named Lilian. Throughout my years working in Africa I have met hundreds of children of all ages and backgrounds. I’ve encountered children who were healthy, children who were sickly and starving, children with families, and children who were orphaned. My encounters with all of these children brought me equal amounts of joy. However, there was one little girl in particular that really stuck out in the crowd.

Without a doubt, summer is the most anticipated season of the year. And whether or not it’s your favorite ~ one Gallup poll puts summer in third place as a favorite season for Americans, behind spring and fall ~ there are endless things that we love about it. Longer days, swimming at pools, going to the beach feeling sand in between your toes, barbecues, catching lightning bugs at night time, plus campfires and endless smores. Many families here in the United States take vacations during the summer months. It’s a time to reconnect with each other, a time to relax and enjoy, breaking the monotonous routine of our daily lives. Many of us like to play games.