DATELINE: Gulu, Uganda. 9:39 P.M. Gulu time. That’s 1:39 P.M. CST for those of you keeping score at home.
LET THE LITTLE CHILDREN COME
What a day! What an amazing, incredible, beautiful, heartbreaking day!
My day at the Florida Magnificent Hotel began quite early, when – a little after midnight – the power went out…and so did my white noise. With no fan to muffle sound, I heard every footfall, every opening and closing door, every cell phone beep, every voice in our interior courtyard. I did have enough forethought to recognize this as a possibility and so my little handy-dandy camping fan was parked right at the corner of my bed, ready to go at a moment’s notice. But the faint little whirring of a 7″ two-“D”-battery-powered fan was a poor substitute for the giant buzzing of the overhead fan. After several hours, the power returned, and I was able to get a little more sleep before I could hear the stirring of our team members.
The adventures in the bathroom continued, as I discovered when I turned on the shower. The Sophie’s Motel was a rushing waterfall compared to the drip, drip, drip of the showerhead at the Florida Magnificent Hotel. My dreams of enjoying a hot shower quickly dissipated…followed immediately by my dreams of having a shower of any kind. Quickly, I rinsed off as best I could, knowing I’d just experienced far better than anyone we would meet at the camps today.
We began our day with a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, and bananas. The Florida Magnificent Hotel even had hot chocolate – labeled “Drinking Chocolate”! Maybe it IS a magnificent hotel after all. Several of our team members tried the “cocktail juice”, which we later learned was passionfruit juice. It was good – but too sweet for me and had an aftertaste of grapefruit so I stuck with the “Drinking Chocolate”.
Our team enjoying breakfast in the lobby of the Florida Magnificent Hotel.
After breakfast, we gathered in the interior courtyard/dining area for our morning devotional. Trace shared about being sent out in God’s name. One of the things she shared was from a Beth Moore Bible study where Beth said she often wonders if God is risking His reputation by being associated with her. That was a sobering thought! It reminded me of a story I once heard about Alexander the Great. A young boy had been brought before Alexander, with a long list of accusations against him: stealing, mischief, lying, etc. Alexander asked the boy his name and the boy’s reply was “Alexander.” Alexander the Great then said, “Change your conduct…or change your name!” I never want to be in that position with God. I never want to feel like He’s putting His reputation on the line because of *my* actions and behavior. I am a “Christian” – a bearer of Christ and HIS light and HIS good news – and I need to let HIM be what people see when they look at me.
Our hotel came with a conveniently located dining area outside our cluster of rooms.
We gathered here each morning for devo.
Then it was off to the first IDP camp of the day, the one where they make the beads and necklaces. When we arrived, we were greeted with the gleeful shouts of children…and the heartbreak of the life they live.
On our way to the camp. We learned to be very cozy with each other. I’m tucked nicely away in the very back seat near the window. So I can wave at all the children.
The poverty these children live with day in and day out is real. Their lives are a continuous monotony of a struggle to survive. Their distended bellies are a stark reminder of the hunger that consumes them continuously. Their filthy, torn clothes and half-naked bodies demonstrate the depth of their loss. And yet, the van arrives and they greet us with smiles and waves. They line up outside the van hoping to simply catch a glimpse of the “visitors.” They linger among the periphery, wanting desperately to be part of our activity but knowing their place is not among us. They shake our hands, all the while demonstrating respect for us and our status in their village. They smile shyly and giggle at our feeble attempts to communicate. Our visit – though not designed for them – is the highlight of their day.
As Charles parked the van, we made our way to where the VoH children were sitting. There were only a few there – mostly boys, working quietly on their necklaces. I found a place to sit next to Denis, and he immediately showed me his pattern and allowed me to “help” him.
Denis was very patient with me when I would not follow his pattern correctly!
Denis was always in charge, choosing the beads for me while I strung them.
We quickly got into a rhythm and worked without speaking.
No words were necessary. It was simply an honor for me to be part of his world for a little while.
This was the first necklace we completed together.
Denis and I managed to complete a grand total of three necklaces together: two long, multi-colored ones and one double-strand solid-color purple one. When we finished the purple necklace, Denis expertly threaded it through for reinforcement and added the clasp. He then indicated, in his limited English, that he wanted me to wear it. I was so touched by his act of selflessness, his generosity. How I wished I could have kept that necklace. I would have paid any amount of money to wear it the rest of the trip…but I knew it had to be returned. With great sadness, I gave it to Rose at the end of our visit…and prayed Denis would not see me taking it off and giving it back.
As we worked on our necklaces, we were able to see how they make the beads. Using scrapbooking or colorful paper, they cut strips in a specific pattern. Then the paper is rolled to make the unique bead shapes and glued closed. A coating of shellac is added to ensure the seal holds and add a glossy finish.
The children performed a short program for us and we were able to sing two songs for them: “My God is So BIG!” and “King of the Jungle”. They liked the second one a lot! I recognized Nancy from last year, who I sat and sang and strung beads with at this same camp. We had our picture taken together, so now I can bring BOTH pictures when I go back next time.
This picture was taken last November. Nancy is next to me, on my right.
And here we are now. I don’t know if she remembered me, but I certainly remembered her!
I know I’ve spoken a lot about our team, but this visit to the camp just illustrates perfectly the way this team functions together. As soon as we got off the van, Careenna and Connor took off to go play with the kids who greeted us.
Amy soon joined them and had the children playing “Ring Around the Rosy”.
Mindee and Maddie ended up snuggling with babies on their laps.
Trace, Renee, Dave and I mingled with the bead-makers on the mat with Rose and Asunta.
Rob, as always, was the rock star with his video camera.
Jon took a tour of the camp with Jeffrey, getting a behind-the-scenes look at camp life.
It was just amazing to see our team just completely do “our thing” without any prompting – each one using his or her unique gifts to serve and bless these children. I am so honored to be part of this Body of Christ.
We stopped at Diana Gardens for lunch (and ate WAY too much yummy food!) before traveling to the second IDP camp of the day. We didn’t actually go to the camp, but rather to the house where they make the tie-dye fabric. This is a micro-economic project for the teen mothers – those girls who have been raped or taken as concubines or wives by LRA soldiers…or men from the IDP camps. The project is still in its infancy stages, so the girls are still working to perfect their techniques and discover which colors produce the best designs.
We watched them make the dye…
…and saw how they fold, tie, and/or wrap the fabric to make the beautiful designs.
They were busy working, many of them with babies strapped to their backs, so we didn’t get much time to interact with them.
It was still great to see this project in action, which also helps fund VoH!
Then it was off to camp #3. This camp does not have a project to do, but they danced and sang for us. One of the older girls introduced their program and was so poised and articulate. We were all very impressed! After they danced, they sang several songs and then performed a very cute drama: “God is With Me. What?!?” But the message was powerful and you could tell they cherished it.
After their program was finished, they recited Bible verses. That is always a highlight for me. It’s obvious they hide Gods’ word in their hearts and truly treasure it.
When they finished, we sang our two songs for them. They reallly listened and you could tell they were trying to learn the words as we were singing. Then I had the privilege of bringing a Bible story. I shared the story of Jesus raising Lazarus. Rose interpreted for me. I was so nervous but I just prayed that God would speak His word through me. The children sat mesmerized, hanging on the story. At the end, I shared with them the Bible verse, John 11:25a. They learned it – with Rose’s help – in a matter of minutes. We then danced some more – Mindee and I joining in – in celebration.
Where there is dancing, there will be drumming, by big and little boys.
None of us wanted to leave. There were tears in our eyes as we said good-bye. We headed back to the hotel where we split up into a couple groups: those who wanted to play volleyball with Asunta and those who wanted to walk and/or shop. As much as I love volleyball, I was so tired out from the dancing (and jumping!) that I opted to go for a walk. As we were heading to the internet cafe’ I spotted a stall where a woman was selling African handbags. I had wanted one so I didn’t have to lug the big backpack on the bus every time. Trace, Renee’ and I all bought one. Mine is reversible -and only cost $2.50!
This is the stall across the street from our hotel where they were selling the African handbags.
They were making new ones as we shopped!
The internet was still too slow so we came back to the hotel and sat on the front porch reading, people watching, or journaling. It started to rain, and within 15 minutes the van with the volleyball players returned. Their game had been rained out, but they still had a great time watching the other team play and playing soccer with the children that had gathered from the village.
It rained the rest of the night, so we stayed at the hotel. I’ve never seen the streets of Gulu so empty! We sat and talked and “bonded” as a team until dinner. We decided to eat at the hotel rather than Diana Gardens. Dinner was late – around 8 P.M. or so – but it was SO good. I had chicken with rice and a slice of avocado…YUMMY!!
By 9 we were all tired so we turned in for the night. It had been a long day but one filled with lots of moments to remember – moments of God working through us to love the least of these.