Our first order of business on Thursday was a tour of Heritage. There has been much growth since we last visited. We definitely got our exercise for the day walking around the facilities. I joked with Tim that he needed a map like you find at the amusement parks showing all the pathways and buildings. It really is a beautiful campus! Lots of trees, flowers, stone walkways… while taking some pictures Angie showed her super strength and broke off a limb of a Plumeria tree. We gave it to Moses to plant in his yard. Oops. The playground is the most magnificent and creative playground any of us have ever seen. We all enjoyed finding our inner child on the playground!
The group then moved to Bukasa. We toured the school and church. The school is named Murchison Bay Naomi Froese Church of God Nursery & Primary School and Siegfred Church of God High School. The mission statement of the school is to empower the child with knowledge and faith for a bright future. It was impossible not to notice the stark difference between the schools at Heritage and Bukasa. Denise pointed out that in our American filter it can be easy to think that the money invested into Heritage means those students have more opportunities. She reminded us (and herself) that this doesn’t mean the children at Bukasa will get less of an education. We saw the students and teachers working so diligently in their classrooms on some higher level curriculum. These differences are something we see regularly while in Uganda and can be difficult to sit with. After the tour we had lunch and then the school welcomed us with a small program. The songs the students shared were delightful! We also had the joy of meeting Grace. I believe it was the trip 6 years ago when some of the group met Grace. She had a severely deformed leg and foot. The church trip donations allowed for us to leave money to pay for a surgery. We didn’t realize at the time, but the best way to correct her issue here was to amputate her leg and create a prosthesis for her. Yesterday we witnessed her singing in the choir, dancing, smiling, and having a great time. We spoke with her and loved on her for a bit after the program. It was so good to see her so happy and living a better life than she would have been able without the surgery.
All of the activities at Bukasa took quite some time, so we ended up heading back to the Stevenson’s just after the program. As we were standing near the cars, a group of kids were playing, trying to push Jesse’s car. They were working so hard to try and move the parked vehicle. Tim was lounging inside the car and put it in reverse (the car is manual) for brief seconds which allowed the kids to believe they were moving the car. They thought they were so tough! Tim was getting a kick out of it! I look forward to the side-by-side photos of the kids pushing and Tim’s smirk from inside the vehicle. A few elite of us had the pleasure of riding home with Jesse in his car. It was neat to hear his perspective on a few things, and as a bonus we got back home about 20 minutes earlier than the other group.
Friday we were back at Bukasa for a luncheon with our sponsor children. Greg wasn’t feeling well so he stayed back. He read an entire book in one day! There were 10 children we were able to meet with and share lunch. Some of the children are sponsored by team members, while others are sponsored by people back at home who sent gifts and letters. A few of the kids were very talkative. Many were quiet, shy, and didn’t say much. We understand that it can be a very overwhelming experience. Some of the children were boarding at the school in Bukasa, but others had to travel to meet us at a strange place with a lot of strange people around. Even so, it was such a great experience to meet and connect with the children we sponsor. Angie came on the trip without any sponsor children yet and somehow ended up with 3 by accident! She planned on sponsoring a child we met on a TAPP visit in Mutungo and then also signed up for a child from the waiting list. While we were visiting, Edrin approached her for help with a little girl who was crying. Apparently someone from a village 3 hours away had brought her in the hopes she would gain sponsorship. When no one had picked her (none of us knew this was going on) she became very sad and began to cry. The girl’s name is Maria Angel and she thought it was so neat that Angie’s name also means Angel. So, as happens to many of us when we are here, she signed up to be her sponsor. Zero to three, just like that! Sue and Michaela visited with a new sponsor child. The child they had sponsored on a previous trip had moved out of the program so they were able to meet their newly assigned sponsor child, Tracy. Sue shared how happy and talkative she was. Caleb was really touched by his visit with Ruth and wished he had even more time. In years past, Ruth has been quiet and would only talk through an interpreter. This time she was still shy, but was holding conversations. She got Caleb a lunch plate and they talked all afternoon. Ruth asked for Sandra by name and had hoped she would be able to see her as well. It is encouraging to see the relationships grow between sponsor and child through multiple visits. It can be hard when we aren’t sure our capability to return on future trips, knowing this could be the last time we see our child. Then I think of how many people never get the opportunity to meet their sponsor child even after supporting them for years even decades. This is a gift we don’t take for granted and will treasure always!
After visiting and lunch, the children began their various journeys home. Five of the group went on TAPP visits and Tim took the other 5 home after some late arrival sponsor visits. The group was able to visit 5 women, all in single parent homes, all HIV positive. Rosie has 4 children, 3 of which are also HIV positive. She has experienced shaming from her neighbors and community. She has recently joined TAPP in the last couple of months. Hopefully she will find supportive community and friends within the program. Betty has 6 children. Fortunately 5 of her children are negative and she is still awaiting the testing results on her newborn. Maurine has 4 children. Two are married with their own kids making her a jja jja as well. She asked for prayer over her oldest child still at home who is starting to rebel and is not wanting to stay in school. Robina has 3 children who are all negative for the virus. Most of these women are paying high rent - double the rent at other TAPP visits in Mutungo and Kasubi - for the same type of rental space that floods terribly with heavy rain. You probably remember all the rain I have mentioned experiencing. It has even rained again since we have been back from safari. These women have jobs of breaking rocks into gravel- very hard work, selling tomatoes, and washing clothes. One woman has been able to find work in someone’s home. Our team members shared how impressive it was that all of these women were working hard to ensure that their children can be enrolled in school.
I hope that through the stories in these blogs and the stories we will undoubtedly share when we return, that many people will grasp the value of these programs. Children of Promise, TAPP, Kupona kids. The Stevenson’s are doing such good work here. Their mission is extremely effective because of the love and dedication they have to Uganda and the Ugandan people. We are all thankful for the opportunity to serve alongside them and contribute in whatever small ways we are able. Please consider sponsoring a child or two. It is a small price to pay each month that gives hope to a child and often a whole family through the opportunity to be educated. Something our US kids have a right to, no matter what their circumstances.
We finished the evening worshipping outside with Phillip, one of the men who works for the Stevenson’s. Phillip is a talented musician. In the past we were fortunate to hear him play the undungo (spelling I have no idea), an instrument native to here. He said it is having some problems, so instead he played some guitar for us. He shared a few songs in Swahili with us and in return we sang some English songs. We pulled out some hymns and some oldy but goody praise songs. We were ending with “Blessed Assurance” Ed’s favorite and then sang one final request of Phillip’s.
The next one or two days, depending on the departure group, will be spent wrapping up. We will have the opportunity to shop for gifts and souvenirs and get packed up. No matter which departure group being referred to, we all have a very long trip ahead of us. Please pray for our travel. I also ask that you pray for us as we assimilate back into our lives at home. Pray that we will be able to share our stories in an honest yet meaningful way. That we will spread the messages God has placed in each of our hearts upon returning. That none of us returns home unchanged.
Uganda Team 2018
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