He Knows Our Frame
Pslam 103:14-16

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Journal Post of Day 2 in Uganda

Day 2, 7/31- Journal

  Wow! What a first day! We got in late last night and the ride from the airport was most adventurous. Driving in Uganda is a sport and is survival of the fittest. The view from the front of the bus at 12:30 a.m was an eye opener and a great start to "awakening" me to this place. We got in bed at about 2:00 in the morning, and Josh and I got up at 7:00 and walked to the store which was about a mile away.

Our Team
All eyes stopped and stared at the two "Mazungus" walking down the street; an unusual site.We walked with a young man named Happy James there who is a Rwandan who fled his country during the Hutu/Tutsi strife. He has a great smile and disposition, worthy of the "Happy" name. This was definitely a different paradigm, as most places along the road had food for sale, or many other things that you can only imagine.  There was a sheep grazing in an empty lot along the way; never seen that before beside a busy road.  There were small "lean to" hardware stores; seafood stores; seed; fruit, you name it and it was likely to be found there.  People called out left and right for us to buy from them.  It was almost like a scene from Pilgrims Progress when they were walking through Vanity Fair.  We purchased bananas, water and juice to last the team for the day and returned to our house.


Crazy Traffic
We all loaded up and left to go to  Loving Hearts Baby Home. We stopped at several shops along the way to get coffee and lunch.


When  finally got to the home, we met Miriam and the other workers and the orphans they attended to. The babies are three years old and under and were so very precious. There were some wonderful people that I met there that really made an impact on my heart. These people are brothers and sisters in Christ. There was Miriam the directer, Francis and Victor, who were very hard workers and the muscles of the team. There was also Margaret, a beautiful young lady who sang unto the Lord. Burla was another sister with a beautiful smile.

Director Miriam

 

Margaret with Mamma Cassy
 The ladies of the group went in and played with the babies most of the day, while we men got paint from a paint store and painted the outside of the building for most of the day.


Francis, Ernest, Bullen and Hunter
Hunter and Cason worked so hard and painted all the way around the house. They were both impressive in their diligence.


We painted most of the house and will return on Monday to paint the upstairs part. I did have some time to interact with the little ones and they stole my heart from the beginning.

Omega
One in particular was a little girl named Omega. She is a two year old little girl who is chunky, has a sweet smile, and loves dolls. She laughed especially when I would take her doll and kiss her face with it.


They were all precious children, many of which had been abandoned and rescued by a good Samaritan. I wonder why God allows such things to happen but I trust His sovereign plan for each and every human who walks the face of this earth.  He commands us as His children to attend to these orphans; to care for them.  After all, we are all spiritually orphaned and have been adopted into His kingdom to be co-heirs with His Son. 

Lake Victoria viewed from 2nd Floor

   After we left, we went to a food shop and had supper. I had a blessed opportunity to spend some time with a Sudanese brother named Bulan.

Bullen
He lost his father and brothers during the Sudanese war that killed 2.5 million people. Bulan was very young when his grandmother came and got him for a visit. Not long after this, Muslim soldiers came in and gunned down many in the village and then burned it. Bulan's father and brothers died and his mother and sisters escaped. He fled Sudan for fifteen years and didn't see his family for all of that time. When a peace accord was signed in 2005, he returned to Sudan and found his mother. He has since been taking classes at Troy university in Birmingham, Alabama. He truly loves the Lord and I am humbled by his love for the gospel. Richard asked him if he hated those who acted out this violence and he said, " No, I pray for those who are in darkness and do not know what they are doing." Wow! Really puts suffering for Christ and loving your enemies into perspective. I pray God will give me and my family this love for other people.    

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