Uganda!

Today Carissa and I went to a school that a ministry here in Uganda has taken over and we started out the morning doing medical stuff. I was in charge of cleaning out and bandaging up wounds on kids and it felt so good to be there! Then they put me on teaching a few(4) students how to read. They are older kids, but struggle in actually reading. I never thought I could like being or could be good at being a teacher. But it was so fun!

I'm actually surprised that I came home in one piece and with all of(most of) my hair. All the kids love being with, holding the hand of, doing the hair of, and staring at the mzungus (white people). I thought sure one of them might actually manage to pull off one or both of my arms or pulling out all of my hair. But in spite of all the pulling and not-so-smoothness, it is incredible to look into each and every one's almost-black eyes, dark skin, and white smiles. Each one has such a beauty that is hidden when first looked at, but once you get them to smile, I think the whole world brightens up (not that they are ugly at first-glance by any means! They are so beautiful even when they aren't smiling that it makes them that much more beautiful when they do smile). It makes traveling 8,500 miles all the way to come here SO worth it.

I think I understand now more than ever why Jesus said that it is harder for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. As I look at each kid, I see joy in spite of the world they find themselves living in. They have nothing, yet they can still smile and laugh and make my day and have a joy that I can only believe Jesus put there. Why should it be so hard for me and everyone else that has SO much more than them need to do that too? I think it partly has to do with the fact that we don't really need to rely on Jesus that much. I mean we do, but not nearly to the extreme that these people do. And I believe that part of it is that we build up treasures here on earth and we build our faith based upon material things instead of our Jesus.

I had my cross necklace on this morning (as I usually do) and a little boy that I was playing with noticed it. He took it into his hands and began talking endlessly to his friend about something I didn't understand (I hoped it had at least something to do with my necklace because he continued to hold it and point to it). And then I heard one of the few words in Luganda that I've learned in my few days of being here. Yesu. The word for Jesus. Somebody had been teaching this kid and at least he knew that Jesus was related to the cross.. He might understand it completely, or he might not. But I know that he's getting there!

For such a long time I have been praying that God would bless the people here and somehow teach them about Him and show them His love that He has for them. And I prayed that maybe I could be a blessing that could teach them of Jesus' love and hope He offered to them when He died on the cross for them (and for me). And I cannot begin to describe to you the joy that I have in my heart now that I'm here because He has already begun. I know I'm in a small part of Uganda and I've only been here such a short time and I only know a few kids, but I see hope. Hope where I least expected it and love and joy where I wasn't sure there would be. Our God is GOOD and He never forgets His people!

And I hoped I was going to be the one to bless others by being here and share God's love, but I was so wrong. Because I am the one being blessed by being here. I am the one learning His love in ways I never understood before and I am seeing my Jesus in the eyes of these precious children. I don't deserve to be here with these people, and I don't deserve this love and mercy God showers down on me every day. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you who have given financially, who have thought of us and who have prayed for us in all of this! My life is forever changed, and I pray that many others will be changed too! God is SO good!