It is Saturday at 9:30 pm. I just returned from a very long day from visiting districts on the outside of Kampala. Allen and I left around 8 this morning and headed for Kampala. Our first stop was at the Kamwokya project. The children are in secondary school (high school) so it was a bit different. They gave us a warm welcome and then performed skit after song after poem etc. This went on for about 4 hrs. Everything starts late and lasts forever in Uganda. We were then served a dish of rice, Irish potato, bitter spinach, cabbage and watermelon. I spoke with the students on the importance of working hard in school because they are the future of Uganda. We left around 3 and drove to the Karimojong project. I no sooner stepped out of the car when about 6 children came rushing towards me, throwing their arms around my waist. I don't know that I have ever had anyone so happy to see me. We were led into their classroom where they sang and danced for us. They then were given lessons on praising God, keeping themselves clean, and what it means to be good children. Now pay attention. There were 18 children in the program - all of which were street children. No homes. No parents. These are the Karimojong children. They are despised by society. Their people live in makeshift dwellings if in anything at all. They are the poorest you will find. ECM pulled these children from the streets (no need to ask permission - the women thrust the children at you and beg you to take them). These 18 children are boarded at this facility 24 hours a day with the help of generous sponsors. When some of them arrived 2 years ago, they were animalistic. When I met them today, they were absolutely beautiful. I will post pics.
Monday I will be going to visit the Karimojong women to witness first hand the conditions they are living in. I can't even imagine what I will discover. Just trying to sort through everything I have witnessed already has been so difficult. I imagine that I could not possibly ever be the same.
Tomorrow I am going to church with a girl from our village. We will walk up the long dusty road until we reach The Full Gospel church, which I am told lasts for 5 hours.
Good night my loves!
But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 1John 3:17-18
7:00pm
ReplyDeleteStruggled getting this post to publish, so I hope this version makes it on. And I am officially declaring that I am joining Ginger's movement, "blog" is not a term I can become comfortable using:) and officially from this point forward I will reference this as "Terra's Site"! LoL
Anyway, I was at a youth group event last night and was asked to make you aware of some new followers of "Terra's Site". Mike, Michele and Aiden send their hello and love!!:)
Also, Becca has been asking me everyday "What did Terra do today?" We were grocery shopping today and out of nowhere she said " wouldn't it be neat if we turned down this aisle and Terra was standing there?" :) I promised her we would be down to see you once you returned.. I gave her the opportunity to post something tonight but she simply asked that I find out if you were having fun?
In reviewing all these pics, I can undoubtly see the children of Uganda are having fun with your presence there (a simple fact that by no means surprises anyone on this site). You are a very special person, Terra, and now people all around the world know it!
I know that God had many plans for the outcomes of this trip. Amazingly it becomes clearer to me everyday that your sacrifices of traveling thousands of miles away has allowed me to recognize the bond that exist between our families and how much I truly clinge to those relationships! Our God is truly an Awesome God!
Love-
Eddie