It's pretty much impossible to summarize what we've experienced in the last 48 hours. It feels like we've been here for over a week--in a really good way though:) Day 1 included a trip to Jinja (where the source of the Nile is) eating lunch, soaking in the African sun, and getting to know our wonderful team members. God definitely put this team together for us! I'm sure Brett's just wishing he'd thrown in a little more testosterone :)
We then headed to Kiwogo Village to spend time with a little church. After an insane drive up a dirt mountain with giant pot holes and random turns in-between trees (no street signs in sight!) we were welcomed by the singing voices of one of the sweetest churches I've ever seen. We had an incredible time getting to know them, and especially their heart for the orphan & surrounding communities. They asked me to speak & I’m always amazed at how God uses our simple message to touch their lives. Such a humbling experience. They gave us precious homemade gifts and sugar cane….and we learned that the pastor and his wife and their 3 little children walk more than 2 hours one-way to get to church. They do this four times a week! I made sure Riley heard that their 3 year old walks for two hours! She begs us to pick her up after about 10 minutes.
Today, we spent most of the day at the local pregnancy center. Every time I am there I’m more humbled and blessed by the work they do. They showed us birthing kits that they give each pregnant woman. The kits include gloves, birthing pads, clamps and a razor blade! Each woman has to take the kit to the hospital or the doctor won’t deliver her baby. We learned today that much of the infant mortality is due to the fact that women can’t afford these kits so they deliver at home-with no medically trained person present. And the kit costs $4! That was just the beginning of the day. It’s hard to absorb some of what you hear about the culture. Abuse, rape, disease…and yet, our team left so envious of the deep sense of peace & joy that they possess. They soaked in everything we had to share and we learned so much from them. What an example of being faithful with the little they’ve been given. They’re making such a huge difference in this city!
This evening we drove to a “local” orphanage. It was about 20 minutes away but due to Kampala traffic, took over 2 hours! I thought we were about to lose Brett (still not used to the toxic fumes in the air) and hitting pot holes is super fun when you’ve got really full bladders in the car: But the most amazing thing is that more than 200 children sat and waited over an hour for us to get there! They stayed in their seats for an entire Reality Check presentation and were so excited to hear we’re coming back next week. I looked around at one moment and saw everyone on our team with a little orphan in their arms. What an incredible picture of Matthew 25:40. As we sat there, loving on “the least of these” I couldn’t help but imagine that this is exactly what the Lord is calling us to do. I sat in the middle of the younger kids and within about five minutes three little ones snuggled up to me and fell asleep. I wish time had stopped at that moment. So precious.
This Valentine’s Day, my heart is so overwhelmed with love for my God, my sweet family, and the beautiful people of this Country.
Here are a few of my favorite memories today:
- Handing the pregnancy center workers a stack of baby food, explaining that the tub of orange liquid was carrots. They died laughing when they learned that we feed our babies mush!
- Holding Riley on my lap as she sang “how great is our God” as loud as she could while Becki led us in worship.
- Hearing “you are most welcome” from everyone we meet and good-bye hugs from every little kid.
- Hearing Riley say “Muzungo (white person)” and telling us who is a Muzungu and who is not.
- Watching everyone pick Riley up, and seeing their fascination with a little Muzungo. And then her laugh in return. She absolutely loves it here and truly has been an angel and such comic relief for our team!
- Late night talks with various families from a church in Alabama, staying at our guesthouse, that are adopting orphans. What incredible stories!!!
- Hearing that Veronica (pregnancy center director) named one of their clients babies Talitha. The mommy hadn’t named her baby in a few days so they decided she should name her after me!
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