Week Six

Week Six

The weeks go quicker and quicker as another week has already past and the reality that I only have two full weeks left is beginning to really sink in. Every once in awhile I will have a quick flash of memory of something small from the US like smooth roads with stoplights, air conditioning, endless rows of fast food chains and dogs walking on leashes and it all seems so foreign and different. But on the other hand, I really do miss my family and friends and would love to see them again. Today, I said goodbye to seven dear friends of mine, three of which had been here with me for a full six weeks and I realized just how quickly the clock is ticking. I hope these next two weeks I remember to stop and look around and appreciate the beauty around me before it is too late and I am back on the plane, heading back to my old life as a new woman.

Exhausting and unforgettable are the two adjectives I think best describe this week. Monday six new girls came, we had our usual planning meeting and song practice in preparation for the new week. Then we spent a short while in the slums playing games with the kids, chatting with the adults and helping haul handmade pots from point a to point b. I loved the disorganization of the event because it allowed us to really connect on a deeper level with the people of Uganda. Tuesday we went to primary and secondary schools with our usual program and then in the evening we went to Kids in Need. A couple weeks ago at Kids in Need we spent the entire day with the kids, helping around the compound, eating lunch, doing our usual program and giving away clothes. Coming back many of the kids remembered us by name and face and I remembered them as well. While I think it is wonderful to go give attention and love to in need children for a day or even a week, I am beginning to really understand the huge difference a real, consistent relationship can make on a child. When the child asks, "when will I see you again?" and you can answer honestly, "same time next week", the face of that individual brightens in an indescribable way. It is hard to say which one of us is more excited to see each other tomorrow, the kids or the volunteers.

Wednesday we went to Katelemwa (my favorite project!) and to another Secondary School. The day was wonderful and my conversations with the youth continued to challenge and provoke thought in me. However, that evening was the real miracle. We were all exhausted from a couple long days of service, but on the schedule we had planned to go play basketball at a school. Most of us have zero to none athletic talent, it was scorching hot and as I said, we were completely out of energy. However, we tried to put on our happy faces and trudged over to the school with dragging, but willing feet. When we arrived, what seemed like the entirety of the school had gathered to witness the Muzungus attempt to play basketball. I, of course, volunteered my cheerleading services by making up ridiculous cheers and bringing out the secret weapon, my high kick from the old drill team days and encouraged the EAC team to "Be Aggressive, be be aggressive, b-e-a-g-g-r-e-s-s-i-v-e." The EAC girls ended up winning by some miracle and the EAC boys lost miserably, but all participants had fun. The amazing part was the relationships built during the event. After the EAC girls beat the students, the students were eager to get some tips from the girls and many of them spent the entire next game chatting and joking and loving one another. Also, some of the girls enjoyed watching me cheer and came over to help cheer on the EAC team. We ended up laughing and bonding and one of them, Kedrine, even wrote me a note which she delivered to the house telling me how much she loved cheering and talking with me. Hopefully before I leave she will stop by the house again and we can spend more time together. We left the school that day even more exhausted, but in complete euphoria from the impact we felt we made on the students and the impact their humble welcome had on us. I would LOVE to have that event again.

Thursday was the usual, Sanyu Babies Home and Remand Home and while I know I am already getting very lengthy, I of course have another story. At Remand Home, I met a 17 year old named Randall and we became quick friends. He had been there for about 3 months and only has one month before he is released. During the message, Molly, a lovely volunteer here with me, shared a bible verse and I saw Randall frantically trying to jot down the entire verse on a ratty piece of scratch paper. He does not have a Bible, yet he desires a closer relationship with God. The young man oozed spirituality and a desire to know more about God, yet he lacked the tools. It made me think of all the Bibles sitting gathering dust in the living rooms of spiritually stunted Western homes and how much we take it for granted. It made me think of all the times I have grudgingly done my daily quiet time in the Bible out of habit and obligation instead of a true desire to know more. God blessed us with the amazing text of the Bible and we take it for granted while other people in the world are left praying their hand can keep up with the speakers mouth. I plan to bring Randall a Bible this Thursday and I know with utter confidence that he will treasure and protect that gift more than I ever would.

Friday we went to Zairobwe (the village) and weeded corn, built a squatty potty and cut grass with slashers. The morning dragged on and by the afternoon, we were tired and feeling ready for a cold shower and a warm bed. However, we decided to stay for the afternoon and go talk to the residents of the village with the help of the Ugandan staff members on our team. First, we had promised one of the ladies we brought mattresses, mosquito nets and gerry cans to last week that we would bring her a Bible in Luganda, as she was a recent Christian and desired to grow. Then after walking back from her hut, we ran into another woman who had become a Christian the very first time we went to Zairobwe about a month ago and I had been one of the three that had prayed with her. She had told us of a debilitating stomach pain she had been having and we prayed over that too. However, looking back I know in my heart I doubted. I said the prayer to heal her out of obligation and because she asked, but my heart was thinking, this woman needs a doctor. Anyway, flash forward a month and the woman, Margaret ran up to me (which is incredibly forward and unusual for a woman in the village) and fell at my feet and hugged my waist and said that my prayer had cured her and that she had not felt any stomach pain since that day. I was completely caught off guard and shocked at the news, but amazed to see the transformation in this woman. I remember the first time I met her, she never ONCE looked me in the eye and sat timidly on the mat, letting her husband talk for her. Now, her she was, smiling, looking me in the eye, speaking boldly for Christ. She was testifying to her friend, telling her that God is real and that he does heal because she saw it in herself. I realized in this moment how weak my faith is. She was healed NOT because I prayed, but because she believed that God could heal her. I can take no credit for it because I know in my heart, while I said the prayer, I was not saying it believing it could happen. But she listened to the prayer knowing it would happen and it did. I honestly believe it was a miracle. And while I am a Christian, so you would think I am quick to say miracles happen and people are healed of physical pains without doctors, I realize now that up until this point, I do not think I really truly believed it. And to some extent now, I know I still doubt. But the reality is, God does heal and now I have seen it happen. It was an incredible day. It is funny how the tables turn. Margaret looked at the EAC team for spiritual guidance and examples in the beginning and now I see her as my spiritual leader, my teacher and the person I want to become in my walk of faith.

The rest of the weekend pales in comparison to my experience Friday of course, so I will skip the details. I wish my words could do justice to the experiences I am having here. I wish all of you could step into my skin right now and see what I see. However, you cannot so I hope my small stories and quick overviews can at least shed some light onto what this is like. It is all interconnected, it is not black and white and it is real.

"Then Peter began to speak, 'I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism, but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right" -Acts 10:34-35

I miss all of you so much and I cannot wait to see you.