Falling in Love...Again

Tomorrow our day will begin by going to Festo’s church (he is the oldest pastor here and the first Baptist convert in Uganda) and worshipping with his people. Church here is not like in America. There is no time limit. The people will not be looking at their watches and wondering if the Muslims are already filling up the restaurants. They will be enjoying the spirit of the Lord and possibly worshipping for hours! I love this time with them. The singing is beautiful, they dance with pure joy and they truly love worshipping with one another. This time they spend together that we get to share is one of the best times we have! It is really a beautiful moment.

Today was filled with a wonderful experience. We left the hotel early and headed out to the second school Tree of Life sponsors. Keep in mind it is Saturday. The only children that board at the school are P7 students (equivalent to our 7^th graders) who are preparing for the end of the year exam), so I really wasn’t sure what to expect. I should have known better. As we drove up the grassy area was filled with children waving to greet us. In the crowd was the cutest little girl ever. She was very little and had the biggest smile on her face. She had on a tattered striped shirt and was just beautiful. I fell in love just like that! I got off the bus and she immediately reached for my hand. Needless to say, that closed the deal! She just latched on to me (absolutely no encouragement from my end!) and stayed by my side from that point forward. Her name is Rashidah. Now for the challenge. As it turned out she was recently sponsored by Les and Vickie. What a sad moment in time. But Les and Vickie were really generous and offered her to me with the understanding that they would take on another child. What a blessing. With that Vickie and I headed with her out to her house where we met her dad and gave them a lantern and a mosquito net. He was so thankful and gracious. She is one of eight children; with three younger siblings. The father pulled out two chairs and before long all the village children were closely piled around us. As is always the case, where one Mzungu or more gather there is always a crowd. And the children are always smiling. It is such an amazing gift to be around them. They have so little and yet find joy in everything.

We then went back to the school and stayed there sitting under a tree in the shade surrounded by a different group of children. In the grassy area a group of boys were busily playing a game of soccer. As usual they were barefoot and not deterred one bit by the hardness of the ball or ground. The temperature today was hot and they continued to run and play for a long, long time. Meanwhile, the cluster of children around us continued to grow. I had Rashidah on my lap the whole time while taking pictures of all the other faces. While we were there the others on our team had gone out into the surrounding area with the pastors to evangelize. They had taken with them the mercy bags we had made last night (each one containing a bag of two cups of sugar, salt, soap and tea) as well as mosquito nets. They went out into people’s homes and prayed with them. It sounds like this was a very positive experience for all.  Sylvia taught the girls how to jump rope (Lynda, Les, Stacia and Vicki all proved to be quite competent in this skill) while Adam taught the kids to throw a Frisbee. This proved a little more challenging as most of them had never seen one before. While these activities were taking place Russell had his own gaggle of children flocked around him as he was blowing bubbles. At first he was blowing them and the children were trying to catch them. Then he turned the tide and had them attempt to blow their own bubbles. Some were much more successful than others but they all had a good time trying. Truth be told, I’m not sure who had the most fun. Then the team members, the pastors and staff members convened for another delicious meal. There was no meat so I was a happy camper and we all managed to eat quite well. After lunch we got back on the bus and headed out to the second farm. This is a 30-acre working farm that Tree of Life has invested in. We walked the land (this is where travelling with people my age is something of an advantage. No one was rushing me to hurry up or taking off at break-neck speeds). Adam and I climbed a very high rock (Adam on his own accord and me with a little help) where the view of the area was absolutely beautiful.

Afterwards we headed back home but not before stopping in town at the pharmacy to buy medical supplies and for me to do a little shopping for Rashidah. I bought her a pair of shoes (every child should have one) and then went to the grocery store to buy some staples for her family. I will get to deliver these to them on Monday when we go back to the school. We finally got back to the hotel around 6:15 at which time we showered to get ready for dinner, and prepare for tomorrow. By the time I got to dinner I was tired! Make that TIRED! But I was also renewed. Today was a really special day. Up until now I have been in Uganda doing. Today I was in Uganda being. I connected with the life here and with a very special young lady (she is six). I love this country and I feel this is truly where I am called to be.

Now for our thoughts on the day:

Les:  Enjoyed seeing the farm. They mission has talked about it for a long time and it is part of the future of the ministry. He loved seeing the crops and the trees on the land. He was amazed at how big 30 acres is and how great an investment the mission made upon purchasing the land.

Russell: His greatest part of the day was evangelizing. Last year was an awful experience for him. He felt like he was better qualified to be a Wal-Mart greeter. This year he feels he has learned how to talk about Jesus. He also appreciated the gratitude of the people they talked to.

Sylvia:  She, too, loved the evangelizing. At the third house they visited the woman they spoke to just brightened up when she put on the pair of glasses they gave her. She read the front of the mosquito net speaking in perfect English.

Stacia:  Over the last few days she viewed the people of Uganda collectively. It was a nation of poverty with faces filled with smiles. Today the people became individuals with personalities. Evangelizing with Vicki and Wilson was an awesome experience for her. She learned so much from them in how they communicated to the people they encountered.

Adam:  As we were coming back up from the bottom of the farm Steven (our pastor) had taken Stacia’s hand. He found it interesting to watch his wife holding hands with another man!! He also enjoyed teaching the kids how to throw a frisbee.

Vicki:  While evangelizing she was touched by Stacia’s sweet spirit. She was also touched by how many people accepted Jesus today. She knows that God prepared the way for them as went to the various houses. She was also amazed by house much the pastors love one another and the children. They brought a child who lives a good distance from the school today because he had an infection on his leg and knew he would be able to seek the medical attention he needed. It was incredible that they cared enough about one child to go out of their way to help him!

Lynda:  She enjoyed spending the day with Debra (Irene’s granddaughter). She was also touched deeply that one of the nurses that Tree of Life had put through school died yesterday in childbirth. Death during childbirth is something so rare in our country. Yet here it is still prevalent and so unnecessary. Quality medical care still has leaps and bounds to make in this country.

Judy:  She got to see the kids that her family sponsors. As she was leaving the school to go evangelize with Russell she heard her name being called. As she turned around there were three girls running to catch up with her. They ended up going out with Russsell and Judy to evangelize to the people. It was exciting for her to know the girls have now seen the team give to the children themselves and know that the girls have seen them also give to the community at large. It was good for the girls to see them share Jesus with everyone, not just the kids at the school; but instead to know that sharing God is a part of who they are.

Vickie H: She enjoyed going to Rashidah’s house. There was extreme poverty along the way and Rashidah is one of eight children. But immediately upon arrival we were surrounded by neighboring children. And by surrounded I mean practically right on top of us. As we prepared to leave one of the women holding a very young baby said, “Praise God”. That was exactly what we were doing!

As for me, the best part of my day was meeting Rashidah! I feel at peace about the door closing in Uganda on the mission I’ve been a part of for the past two years. I will see those children while I’m here, but I now know in my heart that my long-term involvement with that ministry, at least for the present time, is over. I am able to say that with no regret. However, I do believe God has opened another door.  And I am willingly walking through it…