I've read this scripture a million times but a few days before we left Uganda, it came to life for me. We returned to Bulamu Children’s Village (orphanage for 285 kids ranging from ages 4-20) outside of Kampala and it ended up being one of the sweetest evenings of the entire trip. As we pulled up, we were instantly greeted with heartfelt hugs from more kids than I could count...some living in the surrounding villages and many of the Bulamu kids. This little Hilda was the first to find me and became my best buddy:
Bulamu's Director, Joseph, had left for the Netherlands so his assistant greeted us and started to give us a tour of the property. I was so impressed with the vision and heart of Bulamu. We walked through what felt like miles of grass & hills across the property. I saw a little lake where they explained that some of the “stubborn” boys bathe :) We saw where they’d build this underground water source that actually supplies all surrounding villages:
The largest ant hill ever!
And their pig pens:
This was the first place we’d seen that was raising pigs! Everyone else has chickens (if anything). He shared that they kill one pig per month so the kids get a little protein in their diet. I made the mistake of asking who kills them (the oldest boys) and how (gross!). My brother and his wife have a pet big so all I could so was picture Hamlet in that pig pen!
Right now they have about 5 dorms that sleep all 285 kids (yes, that's more than 50 kids per dorm room). One of the greatest challenges is that because so many kids are in one room, they’re not able to use any mosquito nets. They just don’t fit on the triple bunk beds. So, as a result, they have quite a few kids that come down with malaria each month.
I was pretty shocked to find that there are really only a few people on staff. The older kids tend to look after the young ones. The little kid dorms have a house momma who sleeps with them and the older ones are on their own. There’s room for them to add at least 20+ more dorms on the property and their vision is to sleep over 1000 kids. I have to say that these kids were some of the most amazing kids we’d met. They were gracious, loving, humble and so full of life….it felt as if we were visiting a 300 person family. They all attend local schools and then walk home each evening (most arrive back by 5pm). They cook for each other each night (the portions are huge!). It's the staple Ugandan meal posho & beans. Every once in a while they add veggies and pork to the mix:)
After dinner they have a chapel service from 6:30ish to 8pm. This particular night we were supposed to lead their chapel with a follow up to the previous week’s Reality Check program. Most of the kids don’t speak English very well so their service is in Lugandan (national language). They spent a good amount of time in worship & prayer and it was such a treat watching them even though we couldn’t understand a word:) Their hearts were so tender and they LOVE to worship. They have a little band and because there are so few instruments, they stand in line and rotate playing each instrument. The leaders lead with tenderness and grace (something we didn’t see much of in Uganda) and you can tell it trickles down to the hearts of the kids. We thought we were there to teach them but they in turn taught us. I kept thinking of Matthew where Jesus talks about us becoming like little children. Bulamu reminded me of why He spoke about children so often. They worship uninhibited, love unashamedly, and forgive unconditionally.
Throughout our presentation, I kept seeing nods of encouragement & support. Brett shared his story with the guys. He talked about coming from a broken home, about his dad leaving when he was young, the struggles he faced and how he overcome some of his greatest challenges. He talked about relationships and staying committed to moral values. They boys immediately flooded him afterwards saying that they were encouraged and wanted to follow in some of the same footsteps. Here's one of the sweet boys!
Our team was unbelievably touched as these kids prayed for us. We ended the night thinking we’d share a song with them. Since Becki is a worship leader & had a guitar:) she started to play Hillsong's version of Hosanna. Within 10 seconds their band was playing along and all 300 kids were singing along at the top of their lungs. They knew the entire song and when I say they had worshipping hearts it’s an understatement. At one point I opened my eyes and saw kids with their hands extended, voices crying out and praising God. I had a little glimpse of what heaven will be like! It was incredibly touching-- one of those memories I’ll cherish forever. The Assistant Director ended the evening saying: “There’s no doubt this team has stopped at many homes along their journey in Uganda, but it’s clear that this was their destination!” Nothing could be further from the truth. As we left that night, we each received close to 300 hugs—with some kids lining up for 2 to 3 to 4 hugs each:) Absolutely precious.
My heart left so unbelievably tender and yet so full!
I see the king of glory
Coming on the clouds with fire
The whole earth shakes
I see his love and mercy
Washing over all our sin
The people sing
Coming on the clouds with fire
The whole earth shakes
I see his love and mercy
Washing over all our sin
The people sing
Hosanna in the highest
I see a generation
Rising up to take their place
With selfless faith
I see a near revival
Stirring as we pray and seek
We're on our knees
Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me
Break my heart from what breaks yours
Everything I am for your kingdoms cause
As I go from nothing to Eternity
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