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| Joseph and I :-) |
I was excited for this week because I had about 100 adorable dresses to hand out as gifts to the little girls in the village. My mother's friend from work had some ladies from her church make them for me to give out. It was such a blessing to be able to have these dresses for these little girls who have almost no clothing to wear. I was also excited because Hilary, a fellow volunteer, and I had the great idea of getting t-shirt for the boys. Because of course - you can not give a little girl a dress without the boys wanting something as well. So we were able to bring along 60 t-shirts for the boys as well.
Almost immediately after we set up our tents, there were children gathering around out camp site. We were not doing anything at the moment... so I took that time to start giving dresses and t-shirts to the children who were gathered. Almost instantly their faces where filled with joy. I was so happy to be able to give clothing to these children. Instantly I knew that I would have my week filled with joy knowing that I could bless these kids with new clothes.
In the village, every morning looks the same... but you never know what the afternoon has in store for you. This past week we spent every morning working hard in the wells. This was my 3rd trip to the village so I had already cleaned out 3 wells. And honestly each well gets much harder to clean out. The well that we worked on this past week was a 1 mile walk away from camp. So we would get up, have our slice of stale, sometimes moldy bread, drink some tea or coffee.... then grad our hoe, slasher, or shovel and start walking. After the 20 minute walk through super tall grass, you would finally make it to the well.
When cleaning out these wells, you have to get all of the mud out of the hole. So our team spent 3 days making assembly lines , passing muddy buckets, sweating, working hard, and enjoying each other company. Cleaning these wells has been such hard work because it is hard to see the end. It feels like you are going to be covered in mud for the rest of your life. But we were able to all work as a team and effectively clean out the well.
In the evenings we were able to do a wonderful assortment of things. The very first night we split in to small groups and did home visits. My group consisted of Lara, and Felix as our translator. I do not have much experience in evangelism and neither did Lara, but our plan was just to love on the families and smile lots. Lucky for us we had Felix as our leader who is probably the sweetest Ugandan in Uganda, so the three of us were able to smile lots and love the family that we visited. We spent about an hour 1/2 sitting and talking with 2 Ugandan women and getting to just hear about their lives then spend time praying for their needs.
The second night in the village we held a crusade , or worship service for the adults in the village. We wanted to spend this week empowering the parents so that they can lead their children. At first I was upset because we would not be heading to where we had done programs in the past. We were going to stay closer to our camp site. I was upset because I had fallen in love with 2 girls who are sisters who live right where we have held our programs in the past. But as usual here in Africa , plans often change. (TIA...This Is Africa). So we were able to go back to my girls and back to where we have held our programs before.
Knowing that I was going to be able to see my favorite sisters, I packed two dresses in my bag then headed down the dirt road with my team. I was so excited to see my girls. The youngest one is my favorite, she is about 2 years old and her name is Jovia. The older sister is called Naomi and she is about 6 years old. I don't know why I loved these girls. Every time I have seen them, the youngest one has been sick so all she does is pout and fall asleep in my arms. And the older girl always seemed to be sacred of me so she would never come near me.When we got to their home, their mother was outside the house selling her chapatti. I approached her, sat down next to her and greeted her. My girls quickly came over to us as we sat on the mat that she provided for me to sit on. I pulled the two dresses out of my purse and held them up to the girls and then gave them to the mother. She thanked me with a HUGE smile.
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| Jovia and Naomi |
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| Naomi in her dress |
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| Jovia in her dress |
Our program then soon began. I was holding the youngest girl, Jovia when the mother called her over to be bathed. Directly after her bath, her mother dressed her up in her new dress then sent her right back to me. Then the mother called Naomi over to do the very same. I quickly noticed just how grateful this mother was of these dresses. She so urgently wanted me to see how appreciative she was of them.
Soon after our program began, the sky opened up and rain came pouring down. Without hesitation the mother of my girls invited me into her hut. I sat down on the mat in their living room ( the only form of furniture in the house ) and began playing with my girls. They had 2 really old and worn out white baby dolls. We sat quietly playing with the dolls as the girls laughed and smiled and laughed some more. I had never before ever seen them as happy as they were at that moment.
Before I knew it, the mother had invited more people into her house. She was so hospitable. I was completely blown away by her hospitality. As the rain came down, this woman fit 9 adults and about 15 children into her home. Now to give you a visual.... her home is about the size of the average size American full bathroom, or about the size of a shed you would find in someone's back yard. Everyone was wet and dirty, but because this woman saw our need of needed to stay dry while listening to the preacher, she willingly welcomed us into her home.
I immediately thought of my own mother. I see my mother as a very hospitable woman. But It was hard for me to see my mother letting so many wet adults and children into her house. And most likely she would have to make sure it was clean before she let that many people in. I think that a lot of people back home would willing open maybe their car garage for people to sit in, but I find it hard to believe that we would open our house up the way that this woman did. Yet, this Ugandan woman, opened up her doors and she willingly let strangers into her home to keep dry. She didn't turn anyone away. She in fact went out looking for people who needed shelter from the rain to bring into her home. She was truly being a servant.
As the rain let up, people left the hut. But I stayed inside to play with my girls. When the mother saw the love I was pouring out to her children, she wanted to give to me even more. Not only had she let me play with her children, she showed me her appreciation of the dresses I gave to her children, she let me come into her home to stay dry from the rain, and then she feed me by giving me a chapatti. I was completely blow away by this woman and all that she did to show her appreciation.
The next few days, I became my favorite girls favorite person. They became my shadow. I could not see them without them running up to me. It filled my heart up with joy to know that a wall could be broken by a simple gift. I gave 2 girls a dress and they saw it as much more. Through these dresses came happiness and for that I am grateful.
Being in the village this past week showed me the need for Sponsorship as well. A lot of children are not going to school because their parents can not pay their school fees. Some children wake up every day walk to school and try to sneak in only to get sent home by the administration because they have not paid their school fees. In some households, the children who go to school are the only ones who can read or write so it is vital that these children get educated so that they can help their parents. We were able to spend time this week meeting with families of children who need sponsors. We were able to pray with them and give them encouragement. These kids need a hope. They need to know that they are worth it. They need to know that someone loves them. And most of all they need help. I am thankful for the need that I saw within the Sponsorship department this past week.
This week as well as many other was eye opening. I was able to spend a week living the life of a villager. It was hard as well as rewarding. I was able to bless the people and children and in turn they were the ones who blessed me.
Prayer Request :-)
* Pray for the people and children in Zirobwe as well as the many other villages around the world.
* Pray for my strength to work hard for the glory of God
* Pray for my wisdom so that I may effectively spread the love of God
* Pray that these children who are in need will receive sponsors.
* Pray for Uganda
* Pray for my family back home to give them peace about me being so far from home.
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