Well, our second day (first day as a complete team of 31!) is in the books and it was a huge success. The team got to sleep in a bit since the group from Redeemer arrived late the night before. Breakfast time was bustling with so many people and it was so great to see the team mesh so well and so quickly this first morning together. Our hotel is letting us use a large conference room overlooking the Nile River for our morning devotions (which have been wonderful as we have two pastors in the group). It was an awesome time for introductions, reflections, and spiritual preparation for our first full day together. We loaded the two buses and headed out to Nakabango, a nearby village partnered with Messiah Lutheran Church in Weldon Spring, MO. The children there are very comfortable with Mzungus (an endearing Ugandan term for white person), so every team member had a buddy as soon as we stepped off the bus. Vicki from Redeemer said her favorite part of the whole day was just sitting down and holding the small children in her lap - and there truly was not a lap to spare. The open way these kids show us strangers such love is truly inspiring and every team member was able to experience that. As soon as the team all walked into the school for the school program to start, the skies opened up and the rain on the tin roof was deafening! As the head teacher put it “God has a different agenda today.” The team made the best of it as we waited for the rain to subside. We sang songs, took some cute selfies with the kids, and held a lot of babies! Before we knew it, the program resumed and we were entertained by dancers and music. Then it was time to start handing out packets to the sponsored students. It's a great way for sponsors to connect with their students and it's always thrilling to see the joy in the students' eyes when they see a picture of their sponsor and see what goodies were packed for them. While we were focused on that task, Becky took the unsponsored kids outside to play with a huge parachute that she brought. Hearing squeals of laughter & joy from outside was so delightful. It rained just enough to turn the whole ground into the thickest layer of mud and the buses had to move closer to the road (farther from the team) so they wouldn’t get stuck. This meant the team had to walk through the mud very often. The quickness it cakes onto one’s shoes is shocking! The team made the best of it and the day continued, just with more indoor activities! One special story from the day happened while we were passing out packets. Toni Vogt (our Financial Coordinator at Hearts & Hope as well as a congregant of Messiah!) brought a blanket for a older student’s baby named David. The blanket was made by Toni’s mother and even had the baby's name embroidered on it. Unfortunately, that student did not show that day with her baby. However, Toni’s own sponsored student Mariam brought over her new little baby brother for Toni to meet. Can you guess what this baby’s name was? David! God works in mysteriously wonderful ways! We are shown examples of that daily in Uganda! Before we left the village, the team split into two groups - one to visit Patricia at her new school and the other group went to visit some local families in their homes. Patricia’s presence was definitely missed in Nakabango, so the team members who knew her from previous trips were excited to see her again. I was amazed when she greeted me and said, “Hello, Kelly, how are you?” I had never heard her say more than one word in English at a time. She is definitely learning and improving in her speaking skills!!! The other half of the team were able to go on a few home visits and based on their reports, it was very impactful. The way in which the women who lived in these houses cared so much and were so proud to show off their homes was very humbling to the team. These people don’t put their value in the size or price of their house and items, but in the wholeness of the community in which they live, quite the opposite of our American culture. We finished the night with the largest table setting at the Sunset hotel we have ever seen! The hotel did a tremendous job at increasing their staff & capabilities for our large group. Food usually doesn’t arrive for up to 3 hours on a typical visit, but it was there in record time on Tuesday night - even with a record group size! We are so blessed to have such a cozy, caring and accommodating place to call our home in Uganda. This is why we often refer to the Sunset as our "home away from home." Tomorrow we head to Butangala which is partnered with Immanuel Lutheran Church & School in Wentzville, MO. Pastor Jason Auringer and members of his congregation will have a great opportunity to connect with the village, church, and school leaders there and continue to strengthen their relationship with this poor, but joyful community. Hearts & Hope recently facilitated a Village Advisory Committee a few months ago and we're excited to see first hand the progress of the various initiatives the committee identified! We have quite a busy day planned and we are looking forward to every minute!!!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
About USHearts & Hope is a nonprofit organization focused on unlocking the potential of people in Uganda through relationships with people in the US. Archives
February 2020
Categories
All
|