I am continuously amazed at how beautiful this place is. To say it is breathtaking doesn't quite do it justice. Today we rode up to a village in Mawasaki, which was about two hours outside of Kampala. We were on a mountain side and as far as you could see were little communities nestled into the valleys. Again we were greeted with so much love and affection. Ugandans are so kind and hospitable and in a way that is so genuine.
We were in a smaller community today and so there was a sense of a little less chaos among us all. Our first two mission sites had so many people that there were some moments when we all felt a bit overwhelmed - but in a good way, because we all have the desire to touch each and every person we see. Looking at these children makes you want to hold them, seeing the elder women makes you want to sit down and have them say anything to you because you know it is all wisdom, being around the brothers of the village makes you want to hear the stories you see in their eyes when they welcome you into their homes. I thought to myself today that the people I have seen in each of the villages we have been to will be the first in line when we get to heaven, and that will be alright... Their possessions are so few on this earth, but heavens gates will be bursting open for them.
What I am also in awe at and very thankful for is the bond of our mission team. We have all come together in a way I didn't think possible. I was a little unsure of being across the world with people I didn't know prior to arriving here. One of my best friends, Sarah, was to come with me on this journey, but before we left she found out she is expecting her second child. Of course selfishly I thought, well now who I am going to have to talk to (other than her husband Tripp who is our team leader and who has taken very good care of me by the way), but when people are gathered together in love and in the name of the Lord, we are a family that was created with no regard to differences.
The personalities of everyone are so wonderful! Every few minutes I am laughing on the bus and listening to someone's life story. Every night we have a recap meeting to discuss our day and one of the men of the group, Pastor Richie, told everyone tonight how much he just loved us all. You have no choice but to love people when you see them get sick, ride on a hot musty bus with them every day, and escort them in the jungle to go to the restroom in a dirt hole, but most of all, love is unavoidable when you are around the type of love we have experienced here in Africa.
I had another "first" in my life today....I stood on the equator! We stopped at the equator and took our pictures and did a little shopping. I have adored the palm leaf weaved mats the women sit on here and I bought one today to bring home. They use them in worship, around the house, and I have also seen them used as play mats for their babies. I broke down and bought a hat today as well...the tan I am getting here is starting to get a bit out of control. I also purchased a palm leaf bag that many of the women here use to carry around their goods for the day. I still have African coffee beans, a drum, and a traditional dress on my must buy list before our trip is over. We will be visiting the Nile River on Friday (can you believe that??) and I am told there are plenty of souvenir opportunities there.
I will hopefully be posting some video footage tonight from the Grace Fellowship Girls Orphanage. As you watch it, I ask that you be in prayer for what God is doing in the life of Pastor Nelson here in Uganda. He has started a girls and boys orphanage and several churches here that are a staple in many of the villages. Four Corners Ministries is the only ministry from the United States that supports Pastor Nelson's ministries in this way. While we have done much since we have been here for his ministry and the people, the need is still unthinkably tremendous. I know many of you reading this blog were an integral part of my getting here to Uganda through your funding and prayers. I hope though, through my words and pictures that you see the sincerity of my heart when I speak on behalf of my family here in Uganda, and stress to you that the need far surpasses what we can do here in ten days - perhaps even in ten years.
The sacrifice of giving is not ours - it was Jesus Christ's when he gave his life on the cross. We loose nothing when we give, but gain much. Proverbs 22:9 reads: "A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor." I have been blessed to not have access to the local news at home, CNN, or read the headlines of newspapers over the last week. I have not heard anything about the US economy, bailouts, and how people aren't shopping. I am in a place where the economy is so unstable and almost nonexistent to the point where it is not even a topic of conversation, but a way of life. I am in a place where no one is bailing out the children who walk around sick with disease, with open sores on their feet from having no shoes, and who have nothing to eat. I am in a place where shopping for pleasure is not even a concept - a place where women bow down to you and weep because you have given them a tube of toothpaste and a toothbrush.
No the sacrifice is not ours, but it is the privilege of being able to give that we should be thankful for. So I ask you as my friends and believers that you please log on to www.4cornersministries.org and make a donation to sponsor a Ugandan child or make a general donation to support Pastor Nelson's ministry efforts here. Be sure to note that you would like the money to be directed to Pastor Nelson in the comments field.
I was thinking that I have taken some great pictures since I have been here and wouldn't it be special for people to receive these pictures for Christmas presents and the news that a donation was made on their behalf to support the people here in Uganda? I would be more than happy to coordinate that with anyone who would like to make donations and receive a picture of life here to frame and give to their loved ones.
Please don't close out of this blog and say, "well someone else will give so I don't need to." The need is too great to rely on someone else to stand in the gap for you. Take a minute, look around, turn the water and lights on in your house, open your refrigerator door, pull out anything you want to wear in your closet, take out medicine in your cabinet, flush your toilet, look at the degrees on your wall, the car in your driveway and then think about what you would do if it all went away - or better yet, think about if you never had any of it to begin with. Then maybe for a brief moment you will have a glimpse of what life is like for many here in Uganda.
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