Thursday, May 27th
After the emotionally draining day we had yesterday at Mercy Home, several of us had a rough night Wednesday and individually felt the presence of the enemy throughout the night. The enemy's presence here in Uganda is nothing like any of us have ever experienced and is so much clearer and thicker. We even had someone at home email us to tell us that they were woken up at 4:45am the night before with an overwhelming urge to pray for us - that was the exact time we were arriving at Mercy Home here in Uganda. We are so grateful for all of you praying for us - we have surely felt those prayers here.
Chelsea's morning devotional had three inspirational quotes that I want to share about the struggle between good and evil:
- Our invisible God is greater than the visible enemy.
- The cure for fear is faith.
- If you don't believe in the Devil's existence, just try resisting him for a while.
I think we were all glad that for the time being we were going back into the village of Bweya and not Mercy Home on Thursday. We had a day planned of walking the streets and ministering to the people there, handing out mosquito nets. We traveled to the outskirts of Bweya, along a narrow, winding, bumpy dirt road up the hill from where we were earlier in the week. This was a much different area of Bweya than we experienced on Tuesday. If Tuesday was the "ghetto", then today we visited the "Beverly Hills" of Bweya. There were nice, larger homes with grassy yards; houses were spread out more and people had larger plots of land. There were not as many people around this part of the village, likely because they were working and families could afford to send their children to school (we were there during the school hours). We were able to walk around and talk to the locals, introducing ourselves, asking them where they worshipped (some were Muslim) and giving them mosquito nets. Although we talked with several interesting people, we observed that (sometimes just like in America), the more material possessions the people had, the less receptive they were to talking with us. It's like the further we had gone into poverty on our first visit Tuesday, the more friendly and welcoming the people were.
We invited them to a worship celebration we were hosting in a field in a couple of hours (some land ekissa had looked at purchasing). After our walk, we settled in the sunny field; Bob started playing the guitar and we sang. School was letting out, so some school children stopped to join in the fun. We taught them how to sing Deep & Wide, This Little Light of Mine, and Jesus Loves Me. We then gave them salvation necklaces and did an impromptu VBS with the children under the shade of a tree, telling them the significance of the colors of each bead and the cross pendant. We gave them coloring sheets and crayons of the story of Joseph and played catch with them. We got out the parachute and all of the children got around it, whipping it around trying to keep the ball bouncing up in the air on the parachute.
After our time in Bweya, we went to Uganda's version of Wal-Mart - the Quality Supermarket. We went in and bought ice cream, cold soda, and a few souvenirs. Diana even found a bakery and bought the team some yummy pound cake and chocolate cupcakes for an afternoon snack!
We came back to the Gaba house where we're staying and had designated tonight as the night we were going to cook for all of our African facilitators, help, and friends. We cooked them Southern-style chicken pie, carrots, green beans, and a yellow cake with chocolate icing. I think Florence secretly enjoyed the break from being our personal cook, however she could hardly pull herself away from the kitchen! When anyone would get out a sharp knife, she would take it from them and say "that's too sharp - use this one"; she was still looking out for our safety - what a servant's heart she has! She brought her personal stove for us to use (the oven in the house was broken) on the back of a boda boda (motorcycle). Yes, she strapped the stove on the back and hauled it over from her house to ours!! It was a coal oven, so we really felt like we had gone back in time when cooking! We all wanted to break out into song and sing I'm Every Woman because we're pretty sure Florence fits the description in the lyrics! Our African friends sat around our dining room table and many of them commented that they hadn't been that full or satisfied in weeks. It was such a blessing for all of us to be able to serve those who had joyfully served us all week!
Tomorrow is sure to be an adventure - we're riding in a wooden boat across Lake Victoria and then hopping on the back of boda bodas (motorcycles) to ride through more of the African countryside to Bethany Children's Home, a best model, best practice community for orphans.
Please continue to pray for us as we are quickly beginning to wrap up our trip. It's flown by and I don't think any of us are ready to leave just yet. It's hard to believe we only have 2 more full days here. God has already shown each of us so many amazing things that we cannot wait to share with our friends and family back home. I think we all wish each of you could experience Uganda. Continue to pray for our safety and protection, as well as our family members back at home who are dealing with loss and difficulties. Pray for our African facilitators and friends and for all of the people we've talked to and ministered to this week. We know that no one is never too far into sin for redemption, so we pray for redemption for those who are misled.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Spiritual Warfare
Wednesday 5/26
We dropped off our team nurses, Diana and Mary, at Wentz Medical Clinic for the day. The biggest realization of their time spent there was how far behind the United States they are in medicine and lack of sanitary procedures (sterility). At the medical clinic, patients don't have insurance - they pay cash for their visits and medicines (and any lab work needed), so if people can't afford to go to the doctor, then they don't go. Another interesting fact is that doctors won't talk to women about birth control until they've had 8 (!!!) children. The people of Uganda are superstitious (stemming from ancient witchcraft practices), even in their medical care. One lady got her medicine and asked the doctor if she could have something else to take, because she didn't want to take yellow-colored pills! At the clinic they saw an outbreak of "red eye" (not referring to a flight!), but what we would call pink eye. All of the clinic employees as well as the doctor (Dr. Martin) are born-again Christians and their faith is something discussed often with each other and the patients.
A piece of great news is that our remining bags came in, so Kevin and Patrick journeyed to the airport to pick them up. All of our bags went through Nairobi, Kenya (??) on the way to Uganda, and the crazy thing is that it seems as though the inspection officials emptied all of our bags out in a big pile and then repacked them. None of our bags were packed the way we had originally packed them and we had a smorgasboard of teammates' contents in the bags.
That same day, the other 9 of us went back to Bweya Village to visit the orphans at Mercy Home. Honestly, I'm not usually speechless, but I'm really struggling with how to capture what we experienced there in this blog. Words like oppression, injustice, deprivation, corruption, starvation, neglect, and evil come to mind. Yet still, words like hope, forgiveness, grace, and unforgotten also come to mind. It's a struggle between good and evil - a visible spiritual warfare - that is taking place on a daily basis in that location. Most of us had heard stories about this place and the administration and children before, so it wasn't a surprise that we wouldn't be in ideal conditions or that this is not a good place, but nothing could have prepared us adequately for the feelings we'd feel while we were there or would later process. It's unlike any other place on Earth and unimaginable, but I'm going to try and capture it as best I can for you in this blog post.
When we first arrived, all of the children greeted us at the gates of the orphanage grounds, shaking our hands, not really making eye contact, and eager to get the introductions with the muzungus over with. It's like they really didn't want to look at us for fear that we would realize their feelings in their eyes and face. Like if we had looked into their eyes, we would have surely recognized the pain and fear and they didn't want to take that chance, for fear of reprocussions from the older children or administration. They emotionally & physically kept their distance from us the entire time we were there (unlike the other people of Bweya Village we had met with the day before, who were very affectionate and warm). Rejection was written all over them, from their expressionless faces, to their dirty, ratty clothes, to their broken or nonexistent shoes, to the dirt and dust that covered their entire bodies. The hollowness of their existence and the lifelessness of their sweet little bodies were almost unbearable.
The only time the children showed expression (and we suspect it is packaged and/or manufactured) is when they were singing or dancing for an audience. The children did what we referred to later as the administration's "dog and pony show" of singing and dancing which was actually quite amazing. These children are incredibly talented. All of a sudden, the children came to life, smiling while dancing and singing about Jesus. The downfall of that is that the children aren't getting the real story of Jesus - the sacrilidge of the teaching of Jesus is overwhelming there. This "show" was the administration's way of stealing your heart so you would give money, which likely would be misused.
We did a Bible story with them about Joseph and the coat of many colors, talking about jealousy, sin, and forgiveness. They listened intently but were still so stoic and it makes you wonder how a child who has gone through so much could ever experience pure joy, love, grace, and mercy. Thankfull the Lord can do all things for those who believe in Him, but you can't help but think that it would have to be a long and grueling process for these particular children.
After the Bible story, the younger children colored a picture of Joseph and the older children went outside to play a game of football with the soccer ball we brought them. It broke our hearts that the children coloring did not want to keep their pictures after they colored them - they insisted on giving them back to us. It was puzzling, since these children have nothing to call their own - we thought they would want them, but this may be the very reason they didn't keep them - they didn't feel worthy of having any possessions, even if it was just a picture they had colored.
I've never seen Satan in such a visible and recognizeable way than I have at Mercy. Pastor Moses, the group's spiritual leader, was evil - there's no other way to describe him. He talked a good talk, he was charismatic, he was attractive, it's almost what you imagine what the anti-Christ will be like (albiet much more polished, and Moses wasn't able to deceive us). It's literally a form of brainwashing. They take everything from the children - food, clothing, independence, innocence, confidence, self-respect, a sense of safety, love - to break them down enough to have control and power over them. Abuse is overwhelmingly rampant in the orphanage - sexual, mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual. Even when a child there dies, they receive no dignity. They burn the child's body in a large fire pit located in plain view beside of the dormotories - no proper burial is given. It's like the child never even existed.
It's so hard to believe that just a few weeks ago, the children at Sozo home (where we visited on Monday that was founded by the college students from Alabama) were at Mercy - were just like these children I'm describing. However, their basic needs are being met at Sozo and the difference between those children taken from Mercy to Sozo and the children still at Mercy is radically and indescribably contrasting. The children at Sozo are getting regular meals, clean clothes and shoes to wear, love, play time, a safe place, medical care, education - the result is that they've come back to life. Undoubtedly, the children at Sozo have many issues they're dealing with & will deal with for probably the rest of their lives, but they've been given the one thing they desperately needed - HOPE.
It's so ironic to all of us here that the name of this hell on earth is Mercy. Words like compassion, love, forgiveness, and grace come to mind when you hear the word "mercy" - here it is a complete oxymoron. When we think of this Mercy, our thoughts go to words like oppression, deprivation, injustice, and sacrlige.
One of our teammates said something very powerful - "the most potent thing we can do for Mercy is to pray for them." Pray that these children are somehow rescued. Pray that they hear the true story of Jesus and know the love of Christ. Pray that their basic needs are met. Pray for wisdom and discernment for those trying to minister and help Mercy. Pray for safety of the children. Pray for strong & honest spiritual leadership of people who are interested in the welfare of the children. Pray for the distinct spiritual warfare taking place in that location.
We dropped off our team nurses, Diana and Mary, at Wentz Medical Clinic for the day. The biggest realization of their time spent there was how far behind the United States they are in medicine and lack of sanitary procedures (sterility). At the medical clinic, patients don't have insurance - they pay cash for their visits and medicines (and any lab work needed), so if people can't afford to go to the doctor, then they don't go. Another interesting fact is that doctors won't talk to women about birth control until they've had 8 (!!!) children. The people of Uganda are superstitious (stemming from ancient witchcraft practices), even in their medical care. One lady got her medicine and asked the doctor if she could have something else to take, because she didn't want to take yellow-colored pills! At the clinic they saw an outbreak of "red eye" (not referring to a flight!), but what we would call pink eye. All of the clinic employees as well as the doctor (Dr. Martin) are born-again Christians and their faith is something discussed often with each other and the patients.
A piece of great news is that our remining bags came in, so Kevin and Patrick journeyed to the airport to pick them up. All of our bags went through Nairobi, Kenya (??) on the way to Uganda, and the crazy thing is that it seems as though the inspection officials emptied all of our bags out in a big pile and then repacked them. None of our bags were packed the way we had originally packed them and we had a smorgasboard of teammates' contents in the bags.
That same day, the other 9 of us went back to Bweya Village to visit the orphans at Mercy Home. Honestly, I'm not usually speechless, but I'm really struggling with how to capture what we experienced there in this blog. Words like oppression, injustice, deprivation, corruption, starvation, neglect, and evil come to mind. Yet still, words like hope, forgiveness, grace, and unforgotten also come to mind. It's a struggle between good and evil - a visible spiritual warfare - that is taking place on a daily basis in that location. Most of us had heard stories about this place and the administration and children before, so it wasn't a surprise that we wouldn't be in ideal conditions or that this is not a good place, but nothing could have prepared us adequately for the feelings we'd feel while we were there or would later process. It's unlike any other place on Earth and unimaginable, but I'm going to try and capture it as best I can for you in this blog post.
When we first arrived, all of the children greeted us at the gates of the orphanage grounds, shaking our hands, not really making eye contact, and eager to get the introductions with the muzungus over with. It's like they really didn't want to look at us for fear that we would realize their feelings in their eyes and face. Like if we had looked into their eyes, we would have surely recognized the pain and fear and they didn't want to take that chance, for fear of reprocussions from the older children or administration. They emotionally & physically kept their distance from us the entire time we were there (unlike the other people of Bweya Village we had met with the day before, who were very affectionate and warm). Rejection was written all over them, from their expressionless faces, to their dirty, ratty clothes, to their broken or nonexistent shoes, to the dirt and dust that covered their entire bodies. The hollowness of their existence and the lifelessness of their sweet little bodies were almost unbearable.
The only time the children showed expression (and we suspect it is packaged and/or manufactured) is when they were singing or dancing for an audience. The children did what we referred to later as the administration's "dog and pony show" of singing and dancing which was actually quite amazing. These children are incredibly talented. All of a sudden, the children came to life, smiling while dancing and singing about Jesus. The downfall of that is that the children aren't getting the real story of Jesus - the sacrilidge of the teaching of Jesus is overwhelming there. This "show" was the administration's way of stealing your heart so you would give money, which likely would be misused.
We did a Bible story with them about Joseph and the coat of many colors, talking about jealousy, sin, and forgiveness. They listened intently but were still so stoic and it makes you wonder how a child who has gone through so much could ever experience pure joy, love, grace, and mercy. Thankfull the Lord can do all things for those who believe in Him, but you can't help but think that it would have to be a long and grueling process for these particular children.
After the Bible story, the younger children colored a picture of Joseph and the older children went outside to play a game of football with the soccer ball we brought them. It broke our hearts that the children coloring did not want to keep their pictures after they colored them - they insisted on giving them back to us. It was puzzling, since these children have nothing to call their own - we thought they would want them, but this may be the very reason they didn't keep them - they didn't feel worthy of having any possessions, even if it was just a picture they had colored.
I've never seen Satan in such a visible and recognizeable way than I have at Mercy. Pastor Moses, the group's spiritual leader, was evil - there's no other way to describe him. He talked a good talk, he was charismatic, he was attractive, it's almost what you imagine what the anti-Christ will be like (albiet much more polished, and Moses wasn't able to deceive us). It's literally a form of brainwashing. They take everything from the children - food, clothing, independence, innocence, confidence, self-respect, a sense of safety, love - to break them down enough to have control and power over them. Abuse is overwhelmingly rampant in the orphanage - sexual, mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual. Even when a child there dies, they receive no dignity. They burn the child's body in a large fire pit located in plain view beside of the dormotories - no proper burial is given. It's like the child never even existed.
It's so hard to believe that just a few weeks ago, the children at Sozo home (where we visited on Monday that was founded by the college students from Alabama) were at Mercy - were just like these children I'm describing. However, their basic needs are being met at Sozo and the difference between those children taken from Mercy to Sozo and the children still at Mercy is radically and indescribably contrasting. The children at Sozo are getting regular meals, clean clothes and shoes to wear, love, play time, a safe place, medical care, education - the result is that they've come back to life. Undoubtedly, the children at Sozo have many issues they're dealing with & will deal with for probably the rest of their lives, but they've been given the one thing they desperately needed - HOPE.
It's so ironic to all of us here that the name of this hell on earth is Mercy. Words like compassion, love, forgiveness, and grace come to mind when you hear the word "mercy" - here it is a complete oxymoron. When we think of this Mercy, our thoughts go to words like oppression, deprivation, injustice, and sacrlige.
One of our teammates said something very powerful - "the most potent thing we can do for Mercy is to pray for them." Pray that these children are somehow rescued. Pray that they hear the true story of Jesus and know the love of Christ. Pray that their basic needs are met. Pray for wisdom and discernment for those trying to minister and help Mercy. Pray for safety of the children. Pray for strong & honest spiritual leadership of people who are interested in the welfare of the children. Pray for the distinct spiritual warfare taking place in that location.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Beginnings of the Kingdom to Come
Day Two on the Ground (May 25) --
At our debriefing after the end of the day, one of our teammates, Bob, described the day as a glimpse into the beginnings of the "kingdom to come" here on Earth. Bob explained that the scriptures tell us of the kingdom that will come when Christ reigns and we derive from our interpretation of the scripture of God's will for us as far as our behavior towards one another. Bob explained that the Word tells us that's how the kingdom come will be. It's even in the Lord's prayer, which was Christ's response when the people asked "how should we pray?" (thy kingdom come, thy will be done). How awesome is it that if you want to be a part of God's kingdom, you don't have to wait until you die! Bob explained that the keys to the kingdom of God are more behavioural and obedience based than simply a rite of passage of going to Heaven. We're all so excited that in this trip already, on the second day on the ground, we've gotten a taste of what is to come in the kingdom to come referenced in the scriptures. On one hand, it's a shame that we had to come this far to experience that, but Praise God that we have experienced it! That may just be a part of God's divine plan!
We want to share with you our experiences from the day and how we've seen first hand the beginnings of the kingdom to come. Our first trip today was to a Ugandan supermarket where we picked up mosquito nets (and some ice-cold sodas - something most of us are really missing from back home!). We then made our trek to Bweya Village to visit the Air Field View Primary Day & Boarding School, ran by Melinda Hayes from Kernersville (a team member from a previous ekissa trip who decided to move to Uganda for a few months to serve as a preschool nanny). This is where most of the team was introduced to the Ugandan "squatter" toilet (and when I say "toilet" I mean hole in the ground!). We visited the classrooms in the school and the children sang a beautiful Ugandan song for our team. Many of the children there are children who were formally at Mercy Home, and we were able to spend time with some of the children sponsored by folks in America, like Rowland, Marvin & Eddie.
We then parked the vans in Bweya Village and set out for an adventure on foot. For several hours and several miles, we walked along the dirt roads in small groups, stopping at people's homes and visiting with them. Many of them invited us into their homes, made of clay brick-type structures without electricity or running water, and just enjoyed talking with them. The Ugandan people are by far the most inviting, approachable, welcoming, and hospitable people many of us have ever met. Even though these people live in a way that most of us cannot imagine or would ever want to imagine living, the people in no way have any sense of entitlement and they truly feel that the few things they do have is a blessing. The culture is such that when you approach their yard (because they are usually sitting out in their yards during the day, washing clothes by hand in a basin without a washboard, taking care of children), they welcome you by literally rolling out a welcome mat for you to sit on and talk with them. In America, we're inconvenienced by people who drop by without calling first or who stay too long when we've got something else to do or somewhere to go. The people were so incredibly thrilled that we had come to visit them; they wanted to show us so many things, like how to cook bananas and a picture of one of women who danced for Queen Elizabeth when she visited their village. One family even gave us jackfruit as a thanksgiving for our visit with them. In Uganda, they take responsibility for each other, including letting the neighbor's children spend all day playing in their yard. It was such a blessing to pray with them to the same amazing and loving God - all the way around the world and in a situation so very different from our own. With all of the obvious differences we have with these people, it's amazing that we also share a common belief in Christ.
We were invited to walk into most of the people's homes and none of the homes had mosquito nets over the beds. It was such a blessing to be able to give the people the mosquito nets that we had all raised money to purchase. Thank you to all of you who donated money for nets - you have no idea what a blessing those were to the people of Bweya Village. Those nets are truly "life" for them. Our goal of visiting with the people of Bweya was to build relationships with them so when the church plant happens, we will feel comfortable with them and likewise. As one of our teammates, Kirsten, said, she feels like while we were there the people of Bweya were able to give us a new perspective on the verse, "Love your neighbor as yourself." They showed us the love of Christ by their actions and in turn we were able to do the same.
Our last jaunt for the day was back to the Entebbe airport to pick up luggage that had come in on a later flight - 9 of our 11 missing bags were there! Most of our checked bags were filled with supplies, so we will look forward to giving those out in the orphanages we visit, the people we meet in the villages, and the medical clinic.
If day one was the orientation to the people, the culture, and the country of Uganda, then day two was the day where we really started to get down to the business of our trip. Day three we plan to spend the day at Mercy Home.
It's amazing how even though we were the ones who came to bless the people of Bweya, we were the ones who also ended up receiving the blessings. Praise the Lord!
At our debriefing after the end of the day, one of our teammates, Bob, described the day as a glimpse into the beginnings of the "kingdom to come" here on Earth. Bob explained that the scriptures tell us of the kingdom that will come when Christ reigns and we derive from our interpretation of the scripture of God's will for us as far as our behavior towards one another. Bob explained that the Word tells us that's how the kingdom come will be. It's even in the Lord's prayer, which was Christ's response when the people asked "how should we pray?" (thy kingdom come, thy will be done). How awesome is it that if you want to be a part of God's kingdom, you don't have to wait until you die! Bob explained that the keys to the kingdom of God are more behavioural and obedience based than simply a rite of passage of going to Heaven. We're all so excited that in this trip already, on the second day on the ground, we've gotten a taste of what is to come in the kingdom to come referenced in the scriptures. On one hand, it's a shame that we had to come this far to experience that, but Praise God that we have experienced it! That may just be a part of God's divine plan!
We want to share with you our experiences from the day and how we've seen first hand the beginnings of the kingdom to come. Our first trip today was to a Ugandan supermarket where we picked up mosquito nets (and some ice-cold sodas - something most of us are really missing from back home!). We then made our trek to Bweya Village to visit the Air Field View Primary Day & Boarding School, ran by Melinda Hayes from Kernersville (a team member from a previous ekissa trip who decided to move to Uganda for a few months to serve as a preschool nanny). This is where most of the team was introduced to the Ugandan "squatter" toilet (and when I say "toilet" I mean hole in the ground!). We visited the classrooms in the school and the children sang a beautiful Ugandan song for our team. Many of the children there are children who were formally at Mercy Home, and we were able to spend time with some of the children sponsored by folks in America, like Rowland, Marvin & Eddie.
We then parked the vans in Bweya Village and set out for an adventure on foot. For several hours and several miles, we walked along the dirt roads in small groups, stopping at people's homes and visiting with them. Many of them invited us into their homes, made of clay brick-type structures without electricity or running water, and just enjoyed talking with them. The Ugandan people are by far the most inviting, approachable, welcoming, and hospitable people many of us have ever met. Even though these people live in a way that most of us cannot imagine or would ever want to imagine living, the people in no way have any sense of entitlement and they truly feel that the few things they do have is a blessing. The culture is such that when you approach their yard (because they are usually sitting out in their yards during the day, washing clothes by hand in a basin without a washboard, taking care of children), they welcome you by literally rolling out a welcome mat for you to sit on and talk with them. In America, we're inconvenienced by people who drop by without calling first or who stay too long when we've got something else to do or somewhere to go. The people were so incredibly thrilled that we had come to visit them; they wanted to show us so many things, like how to cook bananas and a picture of one of women who danced for Queen Elizabeth when she visited their village. One family even gave us jackfruit as a thanksgiving for our visit with them. In Uganda, they take responsibility for each other, including letting the neighbor's children spend all day playing in their yard. It was such a blessing to pray with them to the same amazing and loving God - all the way around the world and in a situation so very different from our own. With all of the obvious differences we have with these people, it's amazing that we also share a common belief in Christ.
We were invited to walk into most of the people's homes and none of the homes had mosquito nets over the beds. It was such a blessing to be able to give the people the mosquito nets that we had all raised money to purchase. Thank you to all of you who donated money for nets - you have no idea what a blessing those were to the people of Bweya Village. Those nets are truly "life" for them. Our goal of visiting with the people of Bweya was to build relationships with them so when the church plant happens, we will feel comfortable with them and likewise. As one of our teammates, Kirsten, said, she feels like while we were there the people of Bweya were able to give us a new perspective on the verse, "Love your neighbor as yourself." They showed us the love of Christ by their actions and in turn we were able to do the same.
Our last jaunt for the day was back to the Entebbe airport to pick up luggage that had come in on a later flight - 9 of our 11 missing bags were there! Most of our checked bags were filled with supplies, so we will look forward to giving those out in the orphanages we visit, the people we meet in the villages, and the medical clinic.
If day one was the orientation to the people, the culture, and the country of Uganda, then day two was the day where we really started to get down to the business of our trip. Day three we plan to spend the day at Mercy Home.
It's amazing how even though we were the ones who came to bless the people of Bweya, we were the ones who also ended up receiving the blessings. Praise the Lord!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
How Can I?
A song written by one of our teammates, Bob, who played the song on his guitar and sang it at the debriefing of our first day.
How can I begin to understand,
What you're doin' with this humble man.
How can I begin to prepare,
For what I'll see, just over there.
I'm ready now, for a change,
My heart knows, it'll never be the same.
How can I share with my little ones,
The things I see, and the things I've done.
How can I, tell those that don't know,
The love and grace You so freely show.
I'm ready now, for my heart to change,
And my heart knows, it'll never be the same.
How can I find words to say,
Maybe just a hug or tear and it'll be okay.
I'm ready now, to move on ahead,
I'm ready now, to do what You said.
I'm ready now, oh-oh
I'm ready now, oh-oh!
(copyrighted 2010 Bob Kennedy)
How can I begin to understand,
What you're doin' with this humble man.
How can I begin to prepare,
For what I'll see, just over there.
I'm ready now, for a change,
My heart knows, it'll never be the same.
How can I share with my little ones,
The things I see, and the things I've done.
How can I, tell those that don't know,
The love and grace You so freely show.
I'm ready now, for my heart to change,
And my heart knows, it'll never be the same.
How can I find words to say,
Maybe just a hug or tear and it'll be okay.
I'm ready now, to move on ahead,
I'm ready now, to do what You said.
I'm ready now, oh-oh
I'm ready now, oh-oh!
(copyrighted 2010 Bob Kennedy)
Mulungu (Beautiful) People
Day One on the Ground in Uganda --
We started out the day with a delicious breakfast from our cook, Florence, and a group devotional. We didn't have electricity most of the day, but really didn't miss it except for wanting to toast our bread at breakfast! ;) The cold showers actually felt great since our fans weren't able to work during the night and most of us were still getting used to the warmer temperatures in Africa! When we arrived in Uganda late Sunday it was dark on our drive from the airport to Gaba. There are no street lights, so we were anxious to get out and see Uganda and the people.
Our in-country facilitators, Patrick, David, and Eddie took us out on a walking "tour" of the surrounding area where we are staying. We first went to Wentz Medical Clinic and then walked down the street where we're staying. We encountered many Ugandans of all ages, and enjoyed shaking their hands and hugging the children, who were calling out "muzungu, muzungu" (what they call white people). The streets are dirt, uneven because of erosion from the rain, and trash everywhere. Chickens roam the streets with the people and many folks are just walking, without any particular agenda. The children often carry yellow plastic containers that remind me of gas cans that we found out is what they carry water in from the clean water sources in the area. To the children, it was like us muzungus were on parade - like the circus had come to town. These children may have never seen muzungus or don't see them very often based on their reactions. We took lots of pictures and the children loved seeing their pictures on the screen on the camera.
The smells are so distinct in Uganda - probably more so than any other place I've seen. I was not as surprised by the sights that I saw (although it is disturbing nonetheless to see what we've seen) because we've all seen pictures and video of Africa. It's the smells that have made the biggest impressions - the smells of dirt, sweat, burning trash (a common practice), fish, coal, exhaust from cars and boda bodas (motorcycles), vegetation, food cooking, etc. It's unlike any place we've ever been and all of our well-traveled teammates have commented on the distinct smells unique to Africa.
"Smitten with charm" is a way one of our teammates have described the people in Uganda, and I couldn't have captured it better. The people here are so warm and welcoming and seem thrilled to talk with us and interact with muzungus. I was afraid that we would be met with some outsider mentality, but instead we were welcomed with open arms by approachable people.
I cannot get over how absolutely BEAUTIFUL the people are. "Oli Mulungi" is how you say "you're beautiful" in Luganda, and we've definitely used that phrase no less than 1000 times when interacting with the people. Their chocolate brown smooth skin, big brown eyes, long eyelashes, beautiful smiles are so striking that you cannot help but want to go up and hug and talk to them.
After our walk in the village of Gaba, we headed to Sozo House where college students from Alabama have started an orphanage for 17 children ranging in age from 3 to 11. Mercy, the youngest of the bunch, is the feistiest one in the bunch and Esau, the 11-year-old, was definitely the "big brother" of the bunch and took care of all of his younger housemates. We served them lunch of rice, beef, and potatoes, and were all amazed by the manners that were exhibited by these children.
In preparation of eating, they were responsible for getting out the tablecloths and silverware and did so without complaint. They sat quietly patiently waiting on their meal without any bickering. As the meals were being served, they waited until everyone had been served and the blessing was said before even touching their plates or silverware. There were no special orders, you could tell the cook wasn't a "short order cook" like so many of us are for our children. Everyone ate the same meal and cleaned their plates without saying things like, "I don't want this" or "I'm not hungry" or "Can I get up now?". Once everyone was finished, plates, cups, and silverware was cleared by the children and their after-lunch treat was a soda in a glass bottle. We all complained that we wished our children could be exposed to this and see how 17 children ate in complete peace without complaining or bickering. I know Kevin and I have been convicted that we may be raising a "brat" by being too lenient with Whit during mealtime.
While at Sozo we were able to love on the children, playing games of soccer with them, letting them wear our sunglasses (which they loved!), letting them use our pens and paper to draw, and talking with them. Sarah was glad to see that Michael, one of the boys in the house who had come there from Mercy Orphanage, was not only alive but 100% healthy. On her last trip, Michael had been deathly ill - in fact if you look through this blog and see a picture of Sarah holding a lethargic little boy whose ribs are showing, that's Michael.
After our visit to Sozo, we headed to Bweya to the Mercy Orphanage. The children weren't there - Franklin Graham's organization, Samaritan's Purse, had come to take them on a field trip to the zoo and the beach. We were able to tour the facilities and assess the needs they have. We are planning to take them firewood in the next day or so because they had food, but no firewood to cook the food with. The dormitories are open-air, and many of the beds did not have mosquito nets. Everything is dirt there - the floors, the grounds - there is no grass there. We saw Success, but his brother, Prosper, was not there that day.
There are so many things we've observed already about Uganda and the Ugandan way of life that is far removed from our reality:
- In America, we constantly see "For Sale" signs - here in Uganda you see "Land NOT for Sale" signs. In Uganda, people don't build houses until they have the money for construction - there are no mortgages. You see several houses or structures that are under construction because people build their homes as they can pay for them, so many times it takes much longer to build. The good news is that once the structure is finished, it's paid for!
- In Uganda, people walk everywhere. Now, you see lots of vehicles and boda bodas, but for the most part, if you can walk, people do. Children walk to and from school - even children as young as 3 who are in nursery school.
- Even though the people don't have much, they are incredibly happy. In America, oftentimes we have everything but still cannot find happiness.
- Ugandans put new meaning to the words "free range" when speaking of animals. Cows, goats, and chickens roam freely throughout the towns and villages.
- There are no school buses for students except in the expensive, private schools.
- Going to school is a privilege - school costs money in Uganda, so not all children are able to go to school. The school year is broken into three terms, each lasting 1-2 months with a 3 month "holiday" in between terms.
- Lake Victoria is HUGE and constantly in view. From most places we've been, Lake Victoria is there. She's beautiful, peaceful, and like the arms that wrap around this part of Uganda.
- Ugandans have a distinct handshake unlike ours in America - when we get back, ask one of us to demonstrate for you. The locals are thrilled when we shake their hands like this and put ourselves into their culture in ways like a simple handshake. Ugandans also love to do a fist bump/pounding knuckles just like we do in America.
On the bus ride back to our house at the end of the day, I asked one of our facilitators, David, what advice he would give to people visiting Uganda, specifically what should we not miss or definitely see while we're here. His response was that Kampala (and other larger cities) don't give an accurate representation of Africa. He would suggest that people go into the villages to see the people - places like Bweya Village is what he described as "real Africa." We all feel so blessed to be given this opportunity to travel across the world to a foreign land to see and experience God in a new way. We're glad God is giving us the experience of the "real" Africa and it's mulungu people!
We started out the day with a delicious breakfast from our cook, Florence, and a group devotional. We didn't have electricity most of the day, but really didn't miss it except for wanting to toast our bread at breakfast! ;) The cold showers actually felt great since our fans weren't able to work during the night and most of us were still getting used to the warmer temperatures in Africa! When we arrived in Uganda late Sunday it was dark on our drive from the airport to Gaba. There are no street lights, so we were anxious to get out and see Uganda and the people.
Our in-country facilitators, Patrick, David, and Eddie took us out on a walking "tour" of the surrounding area where we are staying. We first went to Wentz Medical Clinic and then walked down the street where we're staying. We encountered many Ugandans of all ages, and enjoyed shaking their hands and hugging the children, who were calling out "muzungu, muzungu" (what they call white people). The streets are dirt, uneven because of erosion from the rain, and trash everywhere. Chickens roam the streets with the people and many folks are just walking, without any particular agenda. The children often carry yellow plastic containers that remind me of gas cans that we found out is what they carry water in from the clean water sources in the area. To the children, it was like us muzungus were on parade - like the circus had come to town. These children may have never seen muzungus or don't see them very often based on their reactions. We took lots of pictures and the children loved seeing their pictures on the screen on the camera.
The smells are so distinct in Uganda - probably more so than any other place I've seen. I was not as surprised by the sights that I saw (although it is disturbing nonetheless to see what we've seen) because we've all seen pictures and video of Africa. It's the smells that have made the biggest impressions - the smells of dirt, sweat, burning trash (a common practice), fish, coal, exhaust from cars and boda bodas (motorcycles), vegetation, food cooking, etc. It's unlike any place we've ever been and all of our well-traveled teammates have commented on the distinct smells unique to Africa.
"Smitten with charm" is a way one of our teammates have described the people in Uganda, and I couldn't have captured it better. The people here are so warm and welcoming and seem thrilled to talk with us and interact with muzungus. I was afraid that we would be met with some outsider mentality, but instead we were welcomed with open arms by approachable people.
I cannot get over how absolutely BEAUTIFUL the people are. "Oli Mulungi" is how you say "you're beautiful" in Luganda, and we've definitely used that phrase no less than 1000 times when interacting with the people. Their chocolate brown smooth skin, big brown eyes, long eyelashes, beautiful smiles are so striking that you cannot help but want to go up and hug and talk to them.
After our walk in the village of Gaba, we headed to Sozo House where college students from Alabama have started an orphanage for 17 children ranging in age from 3 to 11. Mercy, the youngest of the bunch, is the feistiest one in the bunch and Esau, the 11-year-old, was definitely the "big brother" of the bunch and took care of all of his younger housemates. We served them lunch of rice, beef, and potatoes, and were all amazed by the manners that were exhibited by these children.
In preparation of eating, they were responsible for getting out the tablecloths and silverware and did so without complaint. They sat quietly patiently waiting on their meal without any bickering. As the meals were being served, they waited until everyone had been served and the blessing was said before even touching their plates or silverware. There were no special orders, you could tell the cook wasn't a "short order cook" like so many of us are for our children. Everyone ate the same meal and cleaned their plates without saying things like, "I don't want this" or "I'm not hungry" or "Can I get up now?". Once everyone was finished, plates, cups, and silverware was cleared by the children and their after-lunch treat was a soda in a glass bottle. We all complained that we wished our children could be exposed to this and see how 17 children ate in complete peace without complaining or bickering. I know Kevin and I have been convicted that we may be raising a "brat" by being too lenient with Whit during mealtime.
While at Sozo we were able to love on the children, playing games of soccer with them, letting them wear our sunglasses (which they loved!), letting them use our pens and paper to draw, and talking with them. Sarah was glad to see that Michael, one of the boys in the house who had come there from Mercy Orphanage, was not only alive but 100% healthy. On her last trip, Michael had been deathly ill - in fact if you look through this blog and see a picture of Sarah holding a lethargic little boy whose ribs are showing, that's Michael.
After our visit to Sozo, we headed to Bweya to the Mercy Orphanage. The children weren't there - Franklin Graham's organization, Samaritan's Purse, had come to take them on a field trip to the zoo and the beach. We were able to tour the facilities and assess the needs they have. We are planning to take them firewood in the next day or so because they had food, but no firewood to cook the food with. The dormitories are open-air, and many of the beds did not have mosquito nets. Everything is dirt there - the floors, the grounds - there is no grass there. We saw Success, but his brother, Prosper, was not there that day.
There are so many things we've observed already about Uganda and the Ugandan way of life that is far removed from our reality:
- In America, we constantly see "For Sale" signs - here in Uganda you see "Land NOT for Sale" signs. In Uganda, people don't build houses until they have the money for construction - there are no mortgages. You see several houses or structures that are under construction because people build their homes as they can pay for them, so many times it takes much longer to build. The good news is that once the structure is finished, it's paid for!
- In Uganda, people walk everywhere. Now, you see lots of vehicles and boda bodas, but for the most part, if you can walk, people do. Children walk to and from school - even children as young as 3 who are in nursery school.
- Even though the people don't have much, they are incredibly happy. In America, oftentimes we have everything but still cannot find happiness.
- Ugandans put new meaning to the words "free range" when speaking of animals. Cows, goats, and chickens roam freely throughout the towns and villages.
- There are no school buses for students except in the expensive, private schools.
- Going to school is a privilege - school costs money in Uganda, so not all children are able to go to school. The school year is broken into three terms, each lasting 1-2 months with a 3 month "holiday" in between terms.
- Lake Victoria is HUGE and constantly in view. From most places we've been, Lake Victoria is there. She's beautiful, peaceful, and like the arms that wrap around this part of Uganda.
- Ugandans have a distinct handshake unlike ours in America - when we get back, ask one of us to demonstrate for you. The locals are thrilled when we shake their hands like this and put ourselves into their culture in ways like a simple handshake. Ugandans also love to do a fist bump/pounding knuckles just like we do in America.
On the bus ride back to our house at the end of the day, I asked one of our facilitators, David, what advice he would give to people visiting Uganda, specifically what should we not miss or definitely see while we're here. His response was that Kampala (and other larger cities) don't give an accurate representation of Africa. He would suggest that people go into the villages to see the people - places like Bweya Village is what he described as "real Africa." We all feel so blessed to be given this opportunity to travel across the world to a foreign land to see and experience God in a new way. We're glad God is giving us the experience of the "real" Africa and it's mulungu people!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Angels & Demons
We knew the trip was off to a great start when we were checked in at the Delta reservation desk by an employee named "Angel". Our first blessing was when we did not have to pay the $25 checked bag fee, saving the team $350 each way. We thanked Angel, who diligently and cheerfully checked us in, weighed our bags, printed our boarding passes, and checked our passports.
We found our gate easily and stopped to eat lunch at the food court before making our final trek back to wait on the first leg of our trip from Charlotte to Detroit. As folks were registering their SkyMiles points, Angel reappeared at the customer service desk and gave us the confidential heads up that our 3:10 flight would likely be delayed. We found out shortly after that our flight was delayed by one hour. We were anxious to “officially” start out trip, but soon found out that our flight was delayed by a second hour. This meant that we likely wouldn’t get to Detroit in time to meet our connecting flight to Amsterdam. If we didn't make it to Amsterdam in time, there was a chance that our trip to Uganda could be delayed several days since there is one flight in and out of Uganda daily.
Sarah quickly joined the long line forming at the Delta counter while Sherry got on the phone with Delta, hoping one of their attempts would prove successful. The rest of us sat, praying that we would be able to catch another flight out of Charlotte in time to get to Detroit for our connection. We got word that we were rebooked onto a USAirways flight that was leaving ASAP. We ran through the airport to the other terminal, but got there only to find out that they didn't actually have 11 seats available on the flight. Sarah, still at the ticket counter tying up loose ends, got stopped by security (we're not sure really why), so literally the entire flight was delayed because of our group trying to book the flight. They wanted to split our team up and book us on separate flights, but Sarah stood her ground to make sure that we all flew together as a group. When they scanned our tickets, we found out that Bob wasn't even in the system, but somehow the USAirways people let him on the flight since he had a paper ticket.The USAirways person went onto the plane (which had already boarded) and asked for volunteers. How awesome was it that the first two volunteers were two men from AFRICA! They didn't know until after they volunteered that the people they gave up their seats for were going to Africa on a mission trip, but once they found out, you could tell in their faces that they were thrilled to have given their seats up for us. We still lacked two people being able to board the plane, so two other women volunteered -- all 11 of us were on the flight! Many of us were placed beside of people that we didn't know or by other teammates that we weren't originally booked to sit beside, which was a great thing since we got to know each other a bit better during that flight.
When we landed in Detroit, we walked out of the gate to realize that we were going to be sprinting through another airport in order to make our next flight to Amsterdam. Diana apparently got up too quickly and fainted at the end of the gate. We quickly made sure she was okay, but didn't want to chance anything so Kevin pushed her in a wheelchair through the airport to our next terminal. We were taken by bus to another terminal in the Detroit airport and were finally boarding our flight to Amsterdam.
We had 8 hours of calm on the overnight flight from Detroit to Amsterdam, with most of us sleeping for much of the flight. We arrived at the Amsterdam airport on Sunday morning and boarded the last flight to Uganda. The KLM flight to Uganda was met with impeccable customer service by the KLM employees. We were constantly being fed great food, and the people were so pleasant. A little before 4pm local time, we crossed the Mediterranean Sea into Africa. We landed in Entebbe late Sunday night and made it through customs to get our Visa. When we went to the baggage claim area, it was soon apparent that only our carry-on bags had made it to Africa. Since we had been rebooked onto a USAirways flight in Charlotte, our bags had been delayed. We found out that it may take several days for our bags to make it to Entebbe.
Patrick, our in-country facilitator, met us at the airport and we all made the 50-minute trek to the home where we were staying in Gaba. Most of us came in and went right to bed, eager to start Monday morning in Africa.
It was apparent throughout the entire journey from Charlotte to Entebbe that there was spiritual warfare taking place. Satan was pulling out all of the stops -- from delays to overbooked flights to physical harm (with Diana fainting and then Bob dropped his guitar on his toe) to trying to fluster us to the point where our hearts were in the wrong places -- but thank God we had "Angels" on our side to battle the demons, not only in the Delta employee named Angel but also in the angels that helped us along the way and protected us during our travels.
We found our gate easily and stopped to eat lunch at the food court before making our final trek back to wait on the first leg of our trip from Charlotte to Detroit. As folks were registering their SkyMiles points, Angel reappeared at the customer service desk and gave us the confidential heads up that our 3:10 flight would likely be delayed. We found out shortly after that our flight was delayed by one hour. We were anxious to “officially” start out trip, but soon found out that our flight was delayed by a second hour. This meant that we likely wouldn’t get to Detroit in time to meet our connecting flight to Amsterdam. If we didn't make it to Amsterdam in time, there was a chance that our trip to Uganda could be delayed several days since there is one flight in and out of Uganda daily.
Sarah quickly joined the long line forming at the Delta counter while Sherry got on the phone with Delta, hoping one of their attempts would prove successful. The rest of us sat, praying that we would be able to catch another flight out of Charlotte in time to get to Detroit for our connection. We got word that we were rebooked onto a USAirways flight that was leaving ASAP. We ran through the airport to the other terminal, but got there only to find out that they didn't actually have 11 seats available on the flight. Sarah, still at the ticket counter tying up loose ends, got stopped by security (we're not sure really why), so literally the entire flight was delayed because of our group trying to book the flight. They wanted to split our team up and book us on separate flights, but Sarah stood her ground to make sure that we all flew together as a group. When they scanned our tickets, we found out that Bob wasn't even in the system, but somehow the USAirways people let him on the flight since he had a paper ticket.The USAirways person went onto the plane (which had already boarded) and asked for volunteers. How awesome was it that the first two volunteers were two men from AFRICA! They didn't know until after they volunteered that the people they gave up their seats for were going to Africa on a mission trip, but once they found out, you could tell in their faces that they were thrilled to have given their seats up for us. We still lacked two people being able to board the plane, so two other women volunteered -- all 11 of us were on the flight! Many of us were placed beside of people that we didn't know or by other teammates that we weren't originally booked to sit beside, which was a great thing since we got to know each other a bit better during that flight.
When we landed in Detroit, we walked out of the gate to realize that we were going to be sprinting through another airport in order to make our next flight to Amsterdam. Diana apparently got up too quickly and fainted at the end of the gate. We quickly made sure she was okay, but didn't want to chance anything so Kevin pushed her in a wheelchair through the airport to our next terminal. We were taken by bus to another terminal in the Detroit airport and were finally boarding our flight to Amsterdam.
We had 8 hours of calm on the overnight flight from Detroit to Amsterdam, with most of us sleeping for much of the flight. We arrived at the Amsterdam airport on Sunday morning and boarded the last flight to Uganda. The KLM flight to Uganda was met with impeccable customer service by the KLM employees. We were constantly being fed great food, and the people were so pleasant. A little before 4pm local time, we crossed the Mediterranean Sea into Africa. We landed in Entebbe late Sunday night and made it through customs to get our Visa. When we went to the baggage claim area, it was soon apparent that only our carry-on bags had made it to Africa. Since we had been rebooked onto a USAirways flight in Charlotte, our bags had been delayed. We found out that it may take several days for our bags to make it to Entebbe.
Patrick, our in-country facilitator, met us at the airport and we all made the 50-minute trek to the home where we were staying in Gaba. Most of us came in and went right to bed, eager to start Monday morning in Africa.
It was apparent throughout the entire journey from Charlotte to Entebbe that there was spiritual warfare taking place. Satan was pulling out all of the stops -- from delays to overbooked flights to physical harm (with Diana fainting and then Bob dropped his guitar on his toe) to trying to fluster us to the point where our hearts were in the wrong places -- but thank God we had "Angels" on our side to battle the demons, not only in the Delta employee named Angel but also in the angels that helped us along the way and protected us during our travels.
Another Win
a poem by one of our teammates that explains parts of our "adventure" from Detroit to Amsterdam...
Excitement continued in Detroit,
We still were running late,
While hurrying to deplane our flight,
Diana fainted at the gate.
We quickly found a wheelchair,
And loaded her aboard,
Sprinting through the airport,
We sent more prayers up to the Lord.
At the international checkpoint,
We threw luggage to and fro.
Bobby’s guitar went a flyin’
And landed squarely on his toe.
Diana in the wheelchair,
Bobby hobbling with care,
We arrived at our departure gate,
With little time to spare.
Now aboard our flight to Amsterdam,
Satan defeated once again,
We seek rest and relaxation,
To prepare for God’s next win!
by Sherry Olivier
Excitement continued in Detroit,
We still were running late,
While hurrying to deplane our flight,
Diana fainted at the gate.
We quickly found a wheelchair,
And loaded her aboard,
Sprinting through the airport,
We sent more prayers up to the Lord.
At the international checkpoint,
We threw luggage to and fro.
Bobby’s guitar went a flyin’
And landed squarely on his toe.
Diana in the wheelchair,
Bobby hobbling with care,
We arrived at our departure gate,
With little time to spare.
Now aboard our flight to Amsterdam,
Satan defeated once again,
We seek rest and relaxation,
To prepare for God’s next win!
by Sherry Olivier
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