Yesterday, we did not have running water. I decided to not take a shower, because my feet always get covered with the red dirt instantly anyways so I thought I could wait. However, I jokingly asked one of my Ugandan friends Collin to pray that we would have running water. I'm not sure he got my sarcasm (well, I really was praying for running water...) because he got really quiet. I asked him what was going on and he said, "I was just thinking about how you Americans always just expect everything to wait for you, like the water." This seriously convicted me. Wow. I felt like crap, because it was so true. I prayed a quiet prayer of repentance and asked for forgiveness, after which I asked Him to not give me running water today. I took my first bucket shower this morning.
Yesterday we also visited Kyambogo secondary school where I talked with a wonderful girl named Lydia. She is quiet, and I know she has much on her mind but she has not opened up fully yet. She has told me that she wants to be born-again, which means she wants to commit her life to Christ, but she cannot yet. She says that she still struggles with lying to people, and that she wants to work on that before she can be born again. I got to see her briefly again today, but I pray that God will show her that as long as she repents of her sins, then she is already born into a new life with Him. This is another cultural difference here in regards to Christianity, there is a lot of focus on being born-again, and many times people are told they are not born-again unless they do certain things and quit other things. I can tell this is going to be something I struggle with here, telling children that once they believe in Jesus and repent of their sins, they are already born-again.
Today was such a good day! Oh man, this morning we visited Katalemwa, which is a hospital for severely disabled children and parents. Our group was assigned to talk and evangelize with the parents. This was a very trying task for me. In Uganda, their idea of evangelism is much different than evangelism in America. They are so focused on making new Christians, that sometimes they forget to make sure the people they are reaching out to understand the weight of their decision. I asked one of the other American volunteers who has been here for a while about this, and she explained that this is the reason why Christianity here is "a mile wide, but an inch deep." This is such a good way of explaining what I have encountered with my visit at Katalemwa. Almost everyone in Uganda says they are a Christian. However, this could mean that they were simply given a Christian name at birth. Many say that they are Christians, but they are not born-again. This is the equivalent to in America when people say they are Christians, but do not practice their faith in their daily lives, they simply go to church on Sunday and that is it. I guess I'm not sure how to handle this cultural difference that I do not agree with, but I think I will try and talk to the interpreter who was with us at Katalemwa and ask if we can change things a little bit next time. I am just praying for the people we met today that their decision will effect their lives and that it was or will be heartfelt and genuine.
We then came back for a quick lunch and went to some secondary schools. One of these times, I must video tape our school visits because they are so impossible to explain in words. We got to speak with the Scripture Union. This is a national club in Africa that is practiced in the schooling systems. It is just a club for Christians to meet for fellowship and worship. This Scripture Union was meeting during their lunch period, instead of doing recess. There were so many of them! We just encouraged them at how cool they are for giving up playing futbol with their friends so that they could worship God. This was quickly responded with a room full of Ugandans screaming: "PRAISE THE LORD!" "AMEN!" They were so much fun to sing with and encourage.
We came back to the house later and rested a bit, and then there was an optional trip to a town called Kyambogo. There is a primary and secondary school there which Empower-A-Child goes to regularly. Many of us simply went to the secondary school to play sports with the kids after school was over. However, five of us (including myself) chose to go to a small village of "squatters" to hang out with the people and encourage them in the Lord. This village consisted of some Acholi families. Acholi is the tribe that occupies the north, mainly the town and district of Gulu, which we had just visited. However they have just recently settled in Kyambogo. This was probably the highlight of my day. We walked into a man's home and were instantly given the best seat in the house, once again their hospitality astounds me. We asked him to tell us a little about himself, we didn't even ask him if he believed in Jesus and he told us his testimony. The Ugandan who had come with me and the other volunteers, Ivan, asked him why he was talking about his testimony. The man told us that we looked like we had been saved so he wanted to talk to us about how he was saved. Two of the volunteers who were with us stayed and talked with him a little bit while Ivan, my friend, and I went into the home next-door. We were instantly swarmed with little kids, and a shy girl caught my eye. I held out my hand and she grasped it firmly and followed me into the house. Something else fun about this country - every one is treated like your brother or sister. People I meet will call me "Sister Emily" and their children will call me "Auntie." I just love it. So we went into their home and asked them to tell us about themselves. They went around the room and told us their name and year in school. They decided they wanted to sing a song for us, so they began singing a song called "God is Good." My friend asked them if they believed the words of that song, or if they just sang it for no reason. They said they believed the words, and we asked them how they knew that God was good. The response we got blew us away. A ten-year-old girl told us that she was kicked out of school one week because her father forgot to pay her school fees. Her father had gone away for a long-period of time, which was why he forgot to pay for her schooling. She was sitting in her home alone, and knew she would be there for a while because she didn't know when her father would get back. She began praying that God would help her so that she could go back to school, and her father walked in the door because he had decided to come home early. She said this was when she knew that God was good. This simply floored us. You could just tell that she honestly and truly knew Jesus as her friend and father, rock and provider. It was beautiful.
Now, let's go back a bit to the shy girl holding my hand. She stayed by me every second I was there. She sat next to me on the bench and was constantly stroking each of my fingers. I held her waist and lifted her to my lap. She leaned her back against my stomach and closed her eyes, all while holding tightly to both of my hands, making sure they were wrapped around her little body. After the other girl shared about how she knew God was good, we walked outside and sat in a circle with the other kids. The rest of them all sang and danced for us, but this little girl only leaned closer into my chest. I would stand up and try to clap my hands to the songs the other children were singing and she would take my hand and pull me down so I could wrap my arm around her waist, never letting go of her. These kids knew English very well, so I tried to speak with her, but she would not say a word nor smile. I finally tilted her sideways and tickled her a little bit, laughing at her, and saw her smile. It was so beautiful. I never wanted to let go of her, I only wanted to stay with her until she decided to speak with me, and leaving her was so hard. She watched me the entire time as we prepared to leave, the sadness that had begun to melt off her face earlier began to mask her beauty once again. While we were driving back, I asked Ivan to take me back there sometime and he said he would. I am praying for these children always, but especially for this little girl, of whom I do not even know her name.
Another amazing thing I saw today at Kyambogo, after the kids finished singing, Ivan told them that if they wanted us to pray for them one-on-one, they could just come and give us some prayer requests. I got to pray for the girl who spoke earlier about how she knew God was good, I believe her name was Stella. She asked me to pray for her family because her father was feeling ill and her mother sometimes does not get enough money to pay for her sister's school fees. I asked her if there was anything she wanted me to pray for her specifically, and she said, "I already told you what I need, I need my family to be happy and rejoicing in God's grace." I smiled and eagerly prayed for the girl who was already so rich in God's joy and love. She later ended up praying for the entire group of kids, and even for us volunteers, and it was the most beautiful and heartfelt prayer I have ever heard. It still moves me to tears thinking about it. I cannot wait to go back and see her as well.
Tomorrow we are going to Sanyu babies home. This is a home for orphaned babies who are 3 years old or younger. From what I've heard, our only responsibility is to hold and love these children. I am so eager for this. I just pray they will grow up to know the love of the God who is already watching over them and caring for them through so many people. I love you all very much!
In His Love-
Emily
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