Friday, September 21, 2018
Mom and I (Sarah) arrived in Uganda late lastnight/ early
this morning. We were tired but beyond excited to finally be back.
We grabbed some much-needed sleep before heading to the Ekissa
compound this morning. I’ve been
waiting for this moment for months.
Phase I of Ekissa Model School has been completed and filled with
children, and now Phase II of the school is nearing completion. How could 2 ½ years have gone by since
I was last in the Pearl of Africa!
Just prior to leaving for Bweya Village, Mark asked, “What
are you expecting to see when you arrive at the land?”…I was unsure of what to
expect but filled with anticipation.
Sure, I exchange various forms of communication with our staff in Uganda
several times a week. I know
growth and expansions have taken place—I’ve even seen pictures. However, one thing is for sure…there is
nothing like being here and seeing these projects in person!
Our van turned off the main road and continued down a dry,
red-clay easement. We rounded the
curve and what stood in front of me took my breath. I was in utter disbelieve of all God had done and
overwhelmed with emotion…students wearing collared red/ white striped uniform
shirts and gray pants/ skirts/ dresses, waved with excitement as they stood on
the veranda of the pail yellow painted stucco finished school. The Ekissa Model School logo image, beautifully
painted on the side of this newly constructed school greets every visitor to
it’s campus.
We were ushered into each classroom to greet the children
and respective teachers. So many
beautiful, eager smiles filled with a hope for their tomorrow. We didn’t spend
a lot of time with the students as today was a day for me to simply take it all
in.
As I was coming out of the last classroom, I was introduced
to Martin. Martin is a young man
who has received his degree in agriculture and is the individual who runs our
small farm. I had previously been
informed that the farm had expanded from simply being a “piggery” (pig farm). Martin guided me through the farm which
now contains 3 pregnant sows, 1
sow that as recently given birth, one boar, 4 piglets, 4 rabbits, a pen filled
with chickens, and our first young calf (cow). Additionally, Martin has planted a small banana plantation,
8 orange trees, among several other fruits and vegetables. It was an amazing
sight! This farm is working towards self-sustainability. Martin informed me that several
individuals have approached him after seeing his success, requesting that he
train them. So Martin is not only
running the farm, he volunteers to train other young men to begin setting up
their own farms. After teaching
them at our farm, he regularly visits the young farmers to remain informed of
their progress as well as to ensure the health of their new animals. This farm is indeed a blessing…not
simply to the Ekissa community, but to the community at-large. I love Martin’s passion for creativity,
ingenuity, vocational training, economic development and sustainability!
Our first day was GREAT! I’m emotionally drained at all the
goodness and blessings that have been realized today. I remain humbled at the level of these blessings---my heart
is overflowing!
I will try to upload some pics tomorrow as I chose not to
take any today. I simply wanted to
be “in the moment” and take it all in.
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