Ok so here's the deal. Don't make fun of my typos in my last blog I was very tired and forgot to proof read and I'm also very tired tonight so this blog will potentially be more concise but I will try to keep the typos to a minimum.
So we started the day a little late today but we headed out to New Life which is part of Andrews ministry. Andrew has created a school that is also home to a church and a women's group which is really huge for this community. When we got there the worship for the children had already started and you could hear them from a mile away. The kids were literally pouring out of the building singing out their praises and dances. One thing that I know I need to carry home with me is the children's intense passion for worship. I 100% agree with the mentality that if you're going to do something you need to be all in with it and this definitely is a necessity when it comes to worship. Naturally we started with the introduction to the teachers and students as it is part of Ugandan culture to be welcoming. Afterwards Denise gave her sermon about how no matter who you are, where you are, or what you're doing God loves you deeply. Right before she went up there I knew she was a little nervous but she did fantastic. At the end we even got to teach the kids the shema and when we told them to be loud they really stuck to that idea.
After church we went outside to play with the kids. For a little bit we all stayed in one giant group to dance while Esther played the guitar. The girls really wanted to see my "traditional dance" from America and were severely disappointed when I tried to throw together quite literally any dance move I knew. At this point I realize my lack of rhythm is quite amusing to them. Eventually the kids started to break off in groups. Kylee, Esther and I have kind of naturally developed age groups that are attracted to us. All of the boys normally go play soccer with Esther, the youngest like to sit with Kylee and the older girls like to talk with me. The kids here at New Life were absolutely fascinated about all things America and kept asking me to "tell them stories of America". I really didn't know where to go with that so I told them about my family and my school and my friends which seemed to be good enough. There was one girl named Esther in my little group that had absolutely the most spunk and sass I had ever seen. She had a way of taking charge of the conversation and translating for everyone else in the group but I get the feeling she might not have really been saying what they were asking.
Eventually the kids got called back into class and we went to pastor Andrews office for lunch. Again I will mention that Ugandans make really amazing food but when you get your food it is so important to remember to keep kyemba far away from your plate. As he mentioned today he has 2 stomachs and he sometimes believes that everyone else has 2 stomachs so when you're least expecting it he will drop a giant heaping of Matoke or rice on your plate and you will have to eat it despite how full you already are. We sat in Andrews office and talked about all things Uganda like everything we had observed and anything we still had questions about. One of the things we were all in agreement about was that the overall work ethic and drive, especially in the women and children, was phenomenal. In the past week I've met women over the age of 50 who were making bricks and building their own houses. I've meet children who run to school at 7:00 in the morning because they're so eager to learn something. And this isn't an abnormal occasion here it's an every day motivation.
After lunch we got to go meet with the local women's group. Before we got started I think I found the cutest baby that has ever existed. I went over to her mom and asked to hold her and she told me her name was Abiah. All I can say is me and sue were obsessed with this baby so expect to see about a million pictures of her. At the beginning there was maybe 20 women in the room but slowly more and more came in and near the end there was 58 women. Right before Andrew called sue up to give the normal introductions she leaned over and said "your turn" and I have to admit I got a little nervous. I got up and said how thankful our team was to be here and I'm pretty sure I said all of our team members names right when I introduced them to the group so overall not bad. Before Denise went up to give her sermon again pastor Andrew told us that for many of these women it was their first time hearing the word of God from the Bible and some of them weren't even Christians. That made me even more excited for them to hear what Denise had to say. She did even more amazing with this group. At the end we went over the shema with the women but this time we had Andrew translate it to their local language. I think it was even more powerful for the women to be able to speak the word of God in their own language. When Sue told them to be loud enough so the neighboring village could hear them they definitely did.
After the sermon we went around and asked each woman their name, how many children they had, how many grandchildren, what their relationship status was and where they were from. Of the 58 women only 11 of them were married and the rest were widows. Not only were they widows but they had many many kids. The record high for children was 20 and the record for grandchildren was 36 but some women said they had too many to count. I can not express how hard these women work and how motivated they are to care for their families. After we were all through with names we took prayer requests and for anyone reading this that wants to join us in prayer they were as follows
- Health for them and for their families
- Help the widows to keep their strength
- Healing specifically for Amina who is constantly ill and injured
- Good opportunities for their children and grandchildren in life
- Enable them to continue to glorify God in all that they do
There's no words to describe how absolutely tough and caring these women are.
After prayers we broke off and headed back to the van to go home (and by home I mean musana). When we got back we had time to play with the kids that live here and I got really sad when it dawned on me that I'm leaving really soon. I don't know what I'm going to do without Becky trying to bite my ear off everyday, Dezi trying to cut my hair or Rece trying to jump on my back and feed me to the giant ants. Speaking of the giant ants did I mention that they're GIANT. Forget what you think about "everything is bigger in Texas" because it's bigger here. But anyways, I'm definitely going to miss more than just the kids, I think my hardest goodbye is going to be with Dorkus and Prosie. They have been not only the best cooks but also the first smile I see every morning and the most welcoming. Dorkus has told me that I can move in with her so if I can convince sue I really may not come home. Also my dad has told me that I will be on house arrest when I get home so that is also a motivating factor.
But as of now this is my last blog and as far as I know and I will be landing on Tuesday and I can't wait to tell everyone at home about the amazing experience I have had. Uganda, you have amazed me in ways I have never expected. As I come home I hope to embrace Ugandan culture and be as welcoming, motivated and caring as every person I have met here. I will cherish this whole trip and I hope to make it back in the near future.
Signing off, Aubra
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