Uganda Recap: Day Two

Today we went back to the same village as yesterday. Just as on the first day, the kids greeted us in rock star fashion. When I got off the bus, my friend Patience was there waiting to greet me. We split up into smaller groups with the children to tell them the story of Jesus, play games and do some arts and crafts. Our group had a little bit of a hard time following directions and focusing, but we still had a good time together. Kids are kids no matter where you are, right?!

Telling the story of Jesus

Handing out Arts and Crafts

Matt and Carla praying for Pastor Stephen

Preparing the meal

 We took our lunch break and sat on the bus to eat. This was one of the harder things to do at first. The kids know what we are doing. They can see that we have food to eat. And so they stand and stare with their longing, wide eyes, hoping that we might give them something to eat. There's no hiding from them. It's hard because we know they are hungry, but in each village we minister to, Journey Church pays for the meal for that day. The kids will get a hearty meal, but only after the adult men and women are served first. If there are any leftovers, then the children will get to eat, and it's most likely they will share a plate with at least one other child, maybe two. (As time went on, we became more accustomed to eating our lunch while the kids looked on. While it still wasn't comfortable, it was do-able.)

After lunch was finished, Matt and I sat down outside the church building while the teaching was finishing up. Within seconds, there was a group of kids surrounding us. We had no translator so we couldn't play a game or tell a story, so we just sat together. We laughed, we smiled, we "talked", we giggled. The only thing these children wanted was to be close to us. Have you ever had about 15 sets of eyes all staring at you at once? I have to admit, I was a little intimidated by it, but it was completely innocent. It's not every day they see a white person in their village! It's fascinating to me how these kids wanted to touch us and check us out because our skin looks different. I had my fair share of pokes and prods and fingers pulled on. On the other hand, we think the kids were trying to figure Matt out. He wasn't exactly a "mzungu" but he didn't share their same skin color either. (Over the course of the trip, this would become a source of humor for all. Very rarely was he called "mzungu" and one time he told one of the kids that he wasn't a "mzungu" after being called one, which is the truth. One child asked him where his village was and then on another day of ministry, one of the Pastors told the kids that Matt's village was 40 miles from where we were located that day. Ha!)

Women's Teaching

I spent the rest of the afternoon listening to the women's teaching. While the kids tried to follow us in, they quickly got shooed out of the building to go play. Our friends Ashley and Sayre spoke boldly on suffering and freedom in Christ. After the teaching, our team headed towards the main street in the village for a crusade. A crusade consists of music, someone sharing their testimony and someone presenting the Gospel. When I reached the main street with our group, I turned around to see Patience running towards me. When she reached me, she said, "I was looking for you." What a sweet moment. Then she, along with Grace, one of local women and a translator for the day, grabbed Matt and me by the hand and asked to show us some of their village. They showed us a restaurant that resembled more of a shack than a place to eat. We saw the well where Patience draws water from four times a day. The water isn't free, you know. We passed by Patience's house and met her little brother. For a few minutes we were able to experience Ugandan culture as we were immersed in this village. We also learned that many people, including Patience, love to swim in the Nile. But not Grace. Grace is afraid of the water.

Patience (left) and Grace (right)

Local Village street where we walked

Main street of village

That evening, Austin gave his testimony and then Mark presented the Gospel in front of a large crowd that had gathered. It was also at this point that I noticed how dirty I was for the first time! I was certainly glad that our next stop was the guest house and hoping that a hot shower was waiting for us.

As our team was walking towards the bus, Grace and Patience had walked across the street. Truthfully, my heart was a little heavy because I wouldn't see Patience again. Oh, how I longed to hug her good bye. I looked back and our eyes connected. Chills went down my spine. We waved and tears filled my eyes. When I was all settled on the bus, I turned around and looked out the window only to see Patience and Grace standing below. I was so thankful in that moment that I got to share one last goodbye with the two people I connected with the most over the last two days. I was so thankful that the Lord allowed our paths to cross. It was a very good day.