sunday best

Here's another story of the street boys that I didn't include on my previous post, but has been on my mind quite a bit recently.

The boys and their new shirts (Marvin's on the right!)

One day we handed out tshirts to the boys. While I admit it was a bit chaotic trying to find a shirt that fit specifically for each boy, the boys' faces and responses to receiving the shirts made the chaos fade. Handing out these shirts made my heart ache. I have a closet full of shirts (some of which I don't even wear) and there I was giving an 8 year-old boy his second or third shirt. Definitely a new perspective. These boys were thrilled about getting shirts. I remember some of the boys exclaiming, "I can wear it to church! And I can bring my new Bible too!"

Michelle putting a new shirt on 4 year-old Kasemu

The next day, we noticed that some of the boys didn't wear the shirts we had given them the day before. Our translator/house mom, Eva, asked them why they weren't wearing their new shirts, they told her that they were saving them so they would have something nice to wear to church. Their Sunday best is a clean tshirt. On other Sundays when they don't receive new shirts, they wear the shirt that is least dirty. My Sunday best? High heels, a nice sweater, straightened hair, and my big fat Bible. They go to church dirty with the same shoes that they wear on the streets. They are so thrilled about having a clean shirt to wear and being able to bring God's Word to church with them. I realized how I had taken even bringing my own Bible to church for granted. I say we all show up to church one day in tshirts and barefoot. God sees and loves what's on the inside anyway. I like their Sunday best better.

stuck on repeat

The street boys lined up for food

I knew I was going to fall in love with the street boys, I just didn't know how much. The second I stepped out of the van and was welcomed by huge smiles, beautiful faces, numerous voices, and little hands grabbing mine, my heart was gone. Moments that I will treasure and reflect on for the rest of my life occurred on this field with these boys. My every day walk with God was dramatically change by the things that I saw and the stories I heard. I had gone to Uganda with a heart for kids and a heart for orphans, but when I actually got there He absolutely broke my heart for them. Every single one of these boys has experienced and continues to live in conditions and circumstances that the majority of us can't even begin to imagine. These boys have been abandoned by their parents, orphaned because of the war or AIDs, or they left home because living on the streets was better than taking the beatings and abuse from their families.They haven't had the childhood that we have had. Yet, they taught me so much and they brought out some of the deepest joys and delights in my heart. While I spent time playing with them, teaching them about Jesus, and giving them what was probably their only meal for the day, I spent more time hugging them, holding their hands, carrying them on my back, letting them lay in my lap, and kissing their heads. God used me to be a vessel of His physical and emotional love to these boys who haven't experienced that kind of love. To see their faces when they would lie in my lap, look up at me, and smile made my heart melt. Three boys, Marvin, Dennis, and Vienay (ages 9, 11, and 8 respectively) latched onto me immediately and never left my side the entire two weeks. On day two, Marvin told me, "you're my mama," so he called me mama the rest of the time we were there. Every day we pulled up to the field, they would come running with big smiles on their faces and would help me out of the van. Every day that we left, those three boys would be the ones walking me back to the van, hugging me around my stomach, looking up at me, and saying, "I miss you already. See you tomorrow!" They made me papaer airplanes and wrote me notes. They wanted me to help them with math problems (the street program helps to educate them in basic stuff). Above all that, they were most content lying in my lap. They just wanted to be held and loved. I dreaded the day we had to leave because it hurt so much to leave them. I have more stories about them further down.

These boys are strong!

Part of what made these boys beautiful was their generosity. They didn't have much, if anything. For some of the boys, their only possessions were a tarp for them to sleep on and the little cardboard box that they carried their tarp in. Yet, what they did have, they would share. When we sat on the ground with them, they would spread their tarps on the ground and made sure I sat on it with them. When I gave them food, they wanted me to eat it with them. The necklaces and bracelets, which they made so they could sell them to have one meal deal, they shoved into my pockets, places around my neck, and fastened around my wrists without wanting anything in exchange for them. When I gave them a Bible, they wanted me to write in it. I have endless stories like these about their generosity. They are beautiful, broken, but so beautiful.

Reading the Bible with the boys

Giving them their Bibles was a precious day. When we announced that we were giving them Bibles that day, their faces lit up like it was their birthday, Christmas, and the 4th of July all combined into one. As I was giving them Bibles I realized that part of the reason they were so excited was because I was giving them something that they could call their own; they can finally say,"this is mine." It broke my heart to think that those Bibles might have been the possession they had. However, think about how cool that is too. Their only possession is God's Word! And it was incredible to see them absolutely treasure God's Word. I remember a small boy coming up to me with his small cardboard box that held his tarp, then he showed me his Bible and said,"look, I'm putting my Bible right here!" and he placed it very gently in his box next to his ragged tarp. It brought tears to me eyes. They boys wanted us to write their names and our names inside their Bibles, so we did. Then all they wanted to do was read their Bibles to us and have us read to them as well. When we left that day, they said that they were going to read their Bibles that night and tell us about it the next day.

Marvin, Vienay, and Dennis teaching me Lugandan

The following stories are about some of the things that completely flipped my world upside down. One day Marvin, Dennis, and Vienay pulled on my arms, sat me down, and told me,"we are going to teach you Lugandan and you are going to teach us English." So that's what we did the entire morning. The delight in my heart made me feel like my heart was going to explode out of my chest. They laughed so hard that I couldn't remember (nor pronounce) half the words they taught me. They laughed so hard when I taught them slang in English because it sounded so funny to them. That's when I felt the Spirit's soft gentle nudge: ah ha. THIS IS IT. I have been on the journey in pursuit of missions and have been praying and searching for three years for the way that I might serve God on the mission field. And teaching English, as I realized that day, was it. Teaching these kids English gives them hope for a job and a future. It's not the AP English I had endured in high school, it was teaching them to know enough English to be able to hold an intelligent conversation so they could have potential in the future. That was it.

Vienay and me

Another day, as I was playing futbol with the boys, I see a little guy trip and completely face-plant on the ground on the opposite side of the field. Little Vienay, who was standing right next to me, sprints across the entire field, picks up his buddy from off the ground, hugs him, and pats him on the head. Michelle and I just stood there in utter shock. I wish we all could show that kind of love and concern for others.


This last story shattered my heart to pieces. On the last day we were there, we had gotten food catered for the street boys, a feast if you will. I swear we could have fed half the city of Kampala. Around 300 boys showed up that day. They lined up in their lines, got their plate of food, and sat in the grass to eat. When Marvin finished eating he came over to me and lay in my lap and stayed there. An announcement was made that there was enough food for the boys to go and get seconds. As 300 or so boys rush forward to get more food, Marvin didn't move. I asked him,"Marvin, don't you want to go get more food?" He replied,"No, I just want to stay here with you." Marvin, a street boy, wanted to have LOVE more than FOOD. Tears rolled down my face as I hugged him. I also realized what an amazing picture it was of the value of my own relationship with my God. When I spend time with God, when I spend those moments lying in His lap, there is NOTHING more important than being there with Him. There is NOTHING else that I value more. Not friends, not sleep, not food, NOTHING. My satisfaction, my life, my contentment rests in God and in God alone.


Leaving that day was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do in my entire life. Marvin had gotten separated from me for a few minutes and he was scrambling around asking everyone,"where's my mama?!" He found me and hugged me around my stomach so tightly. He looked up at me with those big brown eyes and said,"I love you and I'm really going to miss you." Dennis and Vienay didn't leave my side and held on to me as tightly as Marvin. I was crying, they were crying, everybody was crying. Who was going to hug and hold and kiss my boys when we left? When was the next time they were going to feel loved? It broke my heart to leave. As we got in the van and drove away, all the boys chased our van down the road until they couldn't run anymore. I've missed them terribly since.

Marvin and me

The smiles of Marvin, Dennis, and Vienay, their faces, their voices, and the faces of the other boys have been stuck in my head. I constantly wonder where they are, what they're doing, and if they know how much I have missed them and how much I've prayed for them. These memories of them have been stuck on repeat in my head and each time they play, they tear at my heart. I love them, I miss them, and my heart aches to be there playing with them and holding them again, but I have to entrust them into my Father's hands.
 

Vienay and his new Bible

hug at least 3 people around you

This is what the pastor at Watoto Church said for the “meet and greet.” It wasn’t your ordinary “say hi to the person next to you” or “greet your neighbor.” Now that’s showing some brotherly affection. It doesn’t matter if you’re white or black, American or Ugandan; they showed the love towards each other that the body of Christ should. And did I ever mention that I love hugs? 

Inside Watoto Church

Watoto Church is where we went to church on Sunday and has several locations throughout Uganda. And get this, the founders of this church once lived in Virginia Beach! How crazy is that?! The Holy Spirit was MOVIN’ during the services with everyone swaying and clapping and singing. It was all in English too! There was no such thing as a personal bubble, we were all packed in there shoulder-to-shoulder like sardines. Being a part of these services, I couldn’t help but think that a church like this makes so many American churches look dead. Great worship, great teaching, great fellowship. The link to Watoto’s site is HERE. You’ll hear more about Watoto and what it’s doing for God’s kingdom later.

The first Sunday that we were at Watoto, the church was sending the children’s choir to the US for 6 months. They brought all the kids to the front and the whole church prayed for them to send them off. I never really realized before that other countries actually send missionaries to the US, it’s not just the US sending missionaries to other countries. The US needs Jesus just as much as the rest of the world. Anyway, we actually got to meet the children’s choir after the service. Right now, they are actually in Virginia. This is also the same children’s choir that sang in Chris Tomlin’s CD “Hello Love.” Cool huh?

So that was church. The next couple posts will be stories about the street boys and the boys in the home. As I mentioned before, every day that we were with the street boys, we gave them a small meal and we gave them one of the things we had collected and brought over with us. We had already given them Cliff bars, so here was what we gave them the other days:

Monday- Bibles

Tuesday-Toothbrushes and toothpaste

Wednesday- Silly bands

Thursday- Tshirts

Friday- Notes of encouragement

Monday- Flip flops

I probably won't go day by day because honestly I could write a novel. Stay tuned!

MZUNGU!!!

Continuing on with the street boys from last post...

The Friday after we got there, as you know, we spent time with the street boys for the first time.  As I mentioned before, every day that we spent with the street boys, we would give them something. Friday was Cliff bars. This was our first gift to them and they were ecstatic to the point that when they saw that Mallory had a few extra Cliff bars, they completely mobbed her haha. We had also taught them the parable of the Good Samaritan (the 200 Cliff bars were pretty fitting I would say). While handing out these Cliff bars, I couldn't help but wonder if this had been their only meal for days. It tears your heart to pieces. 

Our van rides were...eventful...and we learned this right away. Whenever we would drive by kids, and sometimes even adults would do this, they would jump up and down, smile and wave, dance, run after us, laugh, point, all of the above, while yelling "MZUNGU!!!" Mzungu means "white skinned." It's not derogatory, it's just their term for white people. I'm pretty sure we were the only white people for miles, so we kinda stand out (and reflect the sun too haha). But to see these kids so excited would put huge smiles on our faces. It was touching to see them jump for joy when we waved and smiled back. By the end of the two weeks, we had grown so accustomed to it that I was concerned that we would do this back in the US too. Imagine just waving and smiling to everyone while you drive around in DC...yeaaaahhh, THAT could get ugly haha. So needless to say, van rides were always a favorite part of my day.

New Life boys' home

That afternoon we spent time with the boys in the home. While the majority of the street boys were younger (4-11 years old), the majority of the boys in the home were older (14-18 years old). The boys' home is an orphanage, although I hesitate calling it that. There are about 41 boys and they share rooms, do chores, learn how to take care of themselves, and are able to go to school. There are multiple homes like this throughout Uganda, this one being called New Life Home. These boys had once been on the street, but were then moved into the home by Abaana (I won't explain that process because it takes way too long). The boys in the home treated us the same way the street boys did: they hugged us, held our hands, sat with us, put their arms around us, etc.. Uganda is the most huggable place I have ever been, and you know me and my hugs, so we get along very well :) When we spent time with the boys in the home, we would hang out for half hour or so, talking with them and getting to know them, and then break up into small groups. We each led a small group, each had about 9 boys in it. We would teach them a lesson from the Bible and talk with them about it.  Then after small group we would all hang out some more, play football, or play some other game. I would like to tell you the stories of a few of the boys.

Emmanuel---Emmanuel is 18 years old and was part of my small group for a while. Although, unlike most 18 year olds, Emmanuel’s body is covered in burns and scars. His story can actually be found here.  As said in his story, when he was on the streets, his friend poured gasoline on him and lit him on fire. Soon after he found the Abaana street reach program and they took him into the home and began his road to recovery that has included multiple surgeries (he has a surgery scheduled for Jan 31^st for his hand, please be praying!).  It has been such a blessing to get to know Emmanuel and to hear his godly insight. One day Emmanuel told me: “my friend lit me on fire and I now have lots of pain every day, but I forgive my friend and I love him.” I can only pray to have a heart like that.

Michelle and me singing with Julius

Julius---Julius was one of the first few boys that I spent time with. He also has an incredible voice and can play guitar. He has an out-of-tune guitar, but makes up his own chords so that an out-of-tune guitar sounds beautiful.  His lyrics that he writes are unique and genuine. He wants to do nothing more than glorify God with this talent.  He has already recorded 2 or 3 songs onto a CD, but unfortunately, recording those songs wiped out his life savings. He would like to record an entire album, but lacks the finances to do it.  Michelle and I spent 2 hours with him one night singing and writing with him and God laid it on our hearts to somehow help him to record his CD.  Spending time with Julius was so beautiful.  He has such a compassionate and caring heart and loves to have those heart-to-heart conversations. 

Ronald, me, and Julius

Ronald---Ronald was one of the boys that taught me one of my biggest lessons about forgiveness. His father and stepmother beat him and told him to leave home and never come back. He tried to go back, but every time he did, he would be beaten more. He was on the streets and went to the Abaana street outreach where he waited patiently to get into the Abaana New Life home. After a few years God answered his prayers and placed him in the New Life home. He was telling me about his family and how it was such an awful situation. But then he said: “It says in 1 John that you can’t love God if you don’t love your brother. My parents hate me, but I forgive them and I love them.” Tears were in my eyes as he was telling me this. What an example of the love of God working in hearts in order to forgive even when forgiving seems crazy. 

Fahad and me

Fahad---Fahad is 17 years old with one of the sweetest hearts I have ever known. I spent a lot of time with him and he was one of the boys I grew closest with and was one of the hardest to leave. He wants to be the first professional football (soccer) player out of the Abaana home, but also wants to go into IT when he is done with school. He has an amazing passion for soccer and plays for Jesus. A quote from him on the second day so really brightened my day. He was comparing the skin color of my arm to the skin color of his arm and he said, "ah, if you spend a month in Africa, you'll be black like me."

Now that I've explained what we spent our days doing, the following posts will be story after story after story of God's goodness and faithfulness.

Nkwagala.

love at first sight

Here goes 2 weeks in Uganda...

Typical driving conditions

The minute we stepped off the plane in Uganda, in addition to having the biggest, goofiest grin on my face, I knew something was different. Uganda even SMELLED different. As my teammate and friend, Michelle, pointed out, this was probably how God intended His earth to smell, and then pollution came haha. There's no pollution like there is in the US, so it just smelled like dirt. Man, if you could bottle up smells, I'd want that one. There are also a very limited number of streetlights, so at night you can see EVERYTHING! African night skies are one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. We were picked up by Abaana staff (complete with hugs) and we drove to the staff house we were staying at. The driving came as a bit of a shock. A lot of the roads aren't paved, I may have counted, eh, a stoplight or 2, and oh yeah, there aren't really any driving rules. It's pretty much a free-for-all. You'll have an occasional herd of cows cross the street in front of you too. We were all clinging to our seats that first night of driving.

Melanie and Michelle in our room

The staff house was beautiful and also very safe. I'm pretty sure I'm safer living in the staff house than living in my apartment in Blacksburg. There were always 1 or 2 armed guards around and about a 10 foot wall that went around the whole property with a huge iron gate that had to be opened and closed when we left and came back. For sleeping arrangements, I slept in a room with Michelle, Melanie, Amanda, and our guide/translator/house mom Eva. There were bunkbeds with mosquito netting around them (which I was REALLY thankful for later). It was an adventure to adjust to a different way of living (i.e. brushing your teeth by water bottle). The food was amazing too. I thought I was going to lose weight from not eating much, but the only reason I lost weight was because we were eating REAL food haha. No preservatives, no fatty stuff, just good, real, authentic food.

The morning after we got there we hit the ground running. Here's a typical day's schedule:

The team on our first day out

7AMish-wake up
8AM-breakfast
9AM-left staff house for the street
10AMish to 12PMish- spend time with street boys
12PM to 2PM- back at the house for lunch/naps
 2PM-leave for the boys' home
 3PM to 5PMish- spend time with the boys in the home
5PMish to 7PM-back to the house, showers, down time
7PM-dinner
8PM to 930PMish-debrief, highs/lows, devotion, more showers
10PM-BED! (yes, we went to bed this early, at least I did)
and start it all over again

The field where we spent time w/ the street boys

When we went to see the street boys for the first time (or for that matter, every time we went to see them), the boys immediately surrounded us getting out of the van. Just absolutely showering us with hugs and handshakes and smiles and grabbing your hand or jumping on your back. They brought us down to the field and wanted us to play with them (we had brought some sports equipment with us too) and they started asking us question after question. They were all just so so so beautiful and it stole my heart away. I just looked at them and marveled at what a beautiful people God has made. There were ~200 (give or take) boys each day and I tried my best to remember names haha. I would play soccer with some, throw a ball with another, play with hoola hoops with others...all at the same time, talk about multitasking!!! We all had the biggest grins on our faces. Every day that we spent with the street boys, we would play with them and talk with them for about an hour (Katie and Mallory would do medical), give them a message from the Bible, and then hand out a small meal for them and hand out what we had brought for them (remember the 200 toothbrushes/tshirts/shoes/Bibles/Cliff bars/silly bands?). 3 boys, Marvin, Dennis, and Vienay, latched onto me pretty quickly and they would follow me around everywhere, sneak attacking me every once in a while. By the end of the day they were calling us auntie and uncle (that's what they call the Abaana staff). I felt like I was at home. I didn't feel like foreigner in a foreign land...I was HOME. After we fed them and handed out everything we had to leave, so they would walk us to the van. I remember at one point, I had Marvin on my back, Vienay and Dennis holding my hands, 2 other boys holding my arms, and another boy was on my leg...what an escort haha!

It was with the street boys where my eyes were opened to true poverty. When I say street boys, I mean STREET boys. They don't have a place to live, they might own a pair of shoes, maybe some pants and a shirt, they go for days without food, and they can't go to school because they can't pay for it. They're beat up, they're scarred, they're bruised, and they're orphaned or abandoned. Their parents have died (mostly in the war in Northern Uganda), have abandoned them, or they were beaten so badly that they left. They've been unloved, unhugged, unkissed. These boys have to sleep during the day because if they sleep at night and the police find them, the police will beat them. They HAVE to sleep during the day. And in order to reduce their hunger pains and to help them go to sleep during the day, they sniff oil and gas fumes. 7-, 8-, 9-, 10-year olds are sniffing oil and getting high. NOTHING in my life could have ever prepared me to see and deal with a high 9-year old. They're not even getting high for recreational purposes, they're getting high because they're hungry. Not all of them sniff fumes and get high, but every time we would go spend time with them, there would be a handful of boys that reeked of gas fumes. THAT is poverty. And all they want to do is go to school. They asked me over and over and over again: "take me to school auntie, take me to school!" It ripped my heart out to face the fact that I can't. According to this world, they have nothing. However, these boys are the most joyful people I have ever met. They have Jesus. They know that Jesus is all they need. 2 Corinthians 12:9 "But He said to me: 'my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'" These boys are the epitome of this piece of Scripture. God is enough for them, more than food, more than clothing...God is more than enough.

The street boys after we gave a message

one week later...

So I've been back for almost a week now, and I still don't think I've adjusted back or processed yet. It's kind of frustrating coming back to the US; leaving a country full of poverty yet the most joyful I have ever known and coming back to a country that can be dark and materialistic. I must remember that God is here too and that this a mission field just the same. '

I will be updating this after reading through my journal. I need to be able to piece my thoughts together before I can tell you about how awesome God is, what I learned, what I experienced, and how my life was changed. My thoughts are all over the place right now haha. That's all for now, but I wanted to post something to let you know that Uganda stories are coming and thanks for the patience :)

I miss Africa.

Nkwagala.

i put on my packin' pants

Before packing

Finished product. By the way, we shoved 200 toothbrushes, 200 pairs of shoes, 200 tshirts, 200 pairs of flipflops, and 200 cliff bars into these suitcases.