Stories

STORIES

I have been in Uganda for 13 days now. At times I feel as though I have been here forever because I have already seen and experienced so much. I am writing this from the orphanage…there is Sunday school going on a few rooms down and I can here the drums and tambourines. The toddlers are in preschool learning about shapes and colors. The babies are outside on the front walk, some are crying at the moment. There are a lot of sounds and activities going on in this place constantly. At times I find it overwhelming. I usually retreat to the preemie house when it gets to be too much and cuddle with the little babies. We got a new one this weekend, Resty, she is 6 mos. and weighs only 3lbs and 5oz. She is already looking healthier and smiling more.

We’ve made it out to the villages a few times now. There are evangelism teams that go out every day to the surrounding villages and put on a VBS for the kids. The kids look forward to the team coming every week. We will begin going to the islands on Monday. This will be a new endeavor for Welcome Home and it will be exciting to be a part of it from the start.

We went to Stella’s home last week. Stella is one of the night workers and is from the North. When she first got here she asked Mandy, the director, to pray that her family would die. They were stuck in the North, the rebels had ransacked their village, and there was nothing left for them. They were living in the bush under a piece of plastic for protection. Stella’s sister, Doreen (in the picture), was separated from the family when the rebels came. The rebels took their truck and ran over her body repeatedly and left her for dead. Two days later the family found her. Doreen cannot walk or do anything on her own, but amazingly no internal organs were damaged. She has no joints left and her bones have fused together. She needs replacement surgery on both ankles, both elbows, both hips, both wrists, and both knees. She is coming today to have new x-rays taken and they will be shown to doctors in the states in hopes that they will take on her case. There is a family ready and willing to host her if she comes to the States for the surgeries. She is 17yrs old and is a very smart girl. She teaches school everyday from 1pm-5pm to the village children that can’t afford the school fees. She then tutors the older children after they come back from school. I cannot imagine the horror and terror that Doreen has experienced in her short life. And yet, she is resilient. She is wise beyond her years. She is beauty beyond compare when she smiles. She lives and here that is the biggest weapon these people possess. Living despite the many obstacles they face that scream at them to give up and lie down…but they live.

We arrived at work last week and found out that one of the worker’s brother’s was murdered the night before. As we found out more of the story it turns out that he had murdered his wife and the village came and macheted him and threw him into the fire. There were no police to call. This is justice here in Africa.

Jean, one of the workers with the babies, is in her late 20s. She is full of spunk and is a lot of fun to be around. She has some markings on her face. I found out yesterday how she got them. She was a part of the genocide that took place in Rwanda. She is Tutsi and she saw both of her parents murdered in front of her eyes. How she got away, is a miracle in and of itself.

I am humbled and burdened by these stories. I feel an incredible responsibility to give voice to their stories, and yet I feel so unworthy to hear their pain and struggle. I have never know tragedy or pain like this before and yet somehow I am blessed to have the privilege to laugh and love and serve these incredible brothers and sisters of mine.

I have included pics of (Left to Right) Mommy Joy, Mommy Norris, and Mommy Kavina. These are the necklace makers here at Welcome Home. Thanks to many of you for your interest in selling these necklaces. I bought 400 from them today to send back to the States tomorrow. They were all hugging and kissing me and sending their greetings and thanks to all of you for wanting them. Mommy Joy will not have to worry about getting her meds. Mommy Norris will be able to put all 14 children that are under her care (her brother passed away and she now raises his kids) through school. Mommy Kavina will be able to put 8 kids through school. They will all have the money for transport to get home to see their families. As it is now, they live here in town and are able to make it home only twice a year to be with their families.

Some of the proceeds will go to help with the medical needs that present themselves at our gate everyday. We will be able to cover surgeries for children and adults alike. We will be able to pay for ongoing medications that are needed but not affordable by many in this community. We will be able to cover the transportation costs to get people that are critical to the large hospital in Kampala. The money will go a long way here in Jinja and lives will be changed for the better as a result.

The stories are plentiful, the rest, as of now, is limited. We did have the opportunity to go on Safari this past weekend. We traveled about 9 hours to Queen Elizabeth National Park. From our lodge we could see Zaire/the Congo and Rwanda. Idi Amin and his soldiers devastated the park during the end of his reign. They went into the parks and machined gunned down all of the animals they could find. Destruction for destruction’s sake. We were still able to see 2 lions and hippos, waterbucks, water buffalo, a lot of beautiful birds, baboons, and a herd of elephants. We had scary close calls with a Mama Elephant and a baboon. But…we are all alive and well, so that is good :o) It was fun riding on top of the vehicle going 40mph down the road and waving at all the kids on the roadside shouting out “Mzungo, Mzungo” which means “White person, White person!”

We had a big Welcome Home Party last night for all of the workers and children. The workers got gifts and a raise. The kids got special treats including cupcakes! There were balloons, party hats, lots of singing and a TON of dancing. It was great to experience the joy and laughter of all those that were there.

It looks like I am going to have plenty of opportunities to put my youth ministry experience into use here. Pastor Robert from the church wants me to meet with his youth director this week to plan some service projects, fellowship gatherings, and some Bible studies. Pastor Timothy from the islands wants me to preach at a youth crusade this Saturday and do some drama. I am praying for incredible insight and wisdom into understanding this culture that I am in. I am grateful that Truth transcends time and culture and look forward to these new experiences.

All in all, life is great here in Jinja. There is much more to share, but it will have to wait for another time. I need to make a run to the bank, kiss some babies and then go downtown for lunch. I hope all is well back home. Until next time…