Loving It Here

We’re safe and sound at our new home in Jinja. Kate and Peter are great and they’re taking very good care of us. Their son, Levi, turns 1 on Wednesday and he’s indescribable adorable. So far, we’ve just been getting settled and brainstorming about how things are going to go for the next 5 weeks. I love it here. Jinja is beautiful and it’s great to be out of the big smelly city of Kampala.

Gulu was quite the experience. Things are much more peaceful than we imagined. There’s been so much progress since the current peace talks have started. (Honestly, Kampala was more dangerous than Gulu.) Only now and then would we see subtle reminders of the fact that the place has been in turmoil for over 20 years. Things like… a huge sign warning you to not touch or step on unknown objects with a picture of a land mine. Or the old, run-down railroad tracks that the war put out of business, or houses that have no doors and you can see grass growing inside. Obviously the IDP camps we visited were big reminders too. A lot of the people are starting to leave the camps now that the war looks like it might be over. (By the way, there’s a chance that a peace treaty might be signed while we’re here, which would be amazing!) But most of the people don’t have anywhere to go. Many of them left their homes many years ago and their land has now been taken by someone else. There’s talk that the land disputes that are erupting may turn into yet another war. So the camps are still populated with thousands of people crowded together in very poor conditions.

One of the most amazing moments so far on this trip occurred in one of the IDP camps. As we were walking through, closely followed by a band of about 60 enthusiastic kids, we were told that there was a sick man in one of the huts and we were asked to come in a pray for him. He was lying there in the dark, skin and bones, his belly bloated and sweating. And our translator informed us that he had heard the gospel many times and he was now ready to accept Christ. We got the honor of being the midwives, in a sense, just to be there beside him during his rebirth into the Kingdom. It was amazing. We prayed for healing as well. He and his wife have five kids.

We also got the chance to visit Lacor (pronounced La-CHO) Hospital in Gulu. There was a man there with really bad ulcers, and lying in the bed next to him was his son, dying of AIDS. They are the son and grandson on a pastor we met in an IDP camp. We prayed for them brought them gifts (as is the custom when you visit someone). I wish we could have stayed longer and just sat with them.

We visited the hut of another woman in Gulu who has AIDS. Her health isn’t too bad right now, but she is all alone. We brought her some food and basic health items. She said she gets cold at night and has no blanket. I wish we could have brought one to her. It’s amazing to me how blessed people are by a visit and a kind gesture like a handshake (which are cooler in Uganda, by the way) and a prayer in an unknown language can be such an incredible blessing to these people. They are so much more relational than we are.

One night in Gulu, and guy named David sat and talked with us. He reminded us about how relational their culture is and how that’s why what we’re doing matters so much. He said it would be easy for people like us to just send money, but what people really want and need, money can’t buy. He told us a story that he said is commonly told in Uganda about a rich man who left his village and frequently sent money whenever someone from his village was facing something difficult. Then, when his own son died, the people of his village pooled a bunch of money together and sent it to him. “Who will help me burry my son?” the man asked. The people replied. “The money will burry your son.” “Who will be here to mourn for my son?” the man asked. “The money will mourn for your son.”

I love this story because it gives me a way to answer the people who ask me, “Wouldn’t it be better to just take all that money for plane tickets and send it over to help the people?” The truth is… giving people money only goes so far. Sure, God can bless it and use it to do many wonderful things… but love is what really changes the world. And sure, you can love by giving money… but you can also avoid loving by giving money. For me and Erin and Caitlin, love compelled us to come here and meet these people face-to-face. To do anything else would be to deny our love for them.

Since the internet is slow here, I’m not sure if I’ll have time to add Sanyu Babies Home to our “ministry links” but here’s the URL: http://www.mikwano.org/sanyubabieshome/4520569480

I think that’s what it is anyway. I don’t have the time to sit here and let to load. I’m hoping that there’s pictures on the site so you can see the kids we have come to know and love. Another one of most amazing moments was when I made Frieda smile. She’s one of the babies at the home. She was new when we got there and she has been neglected and abused. She was very tiny and malnourished and she never smiled or even interacted with people at all. I came and just sat next to her on the floor every morning. Any sharp movements would cause her to recoil, so I would slowly move my hand closer to hers. I’ll never forget the first time she reached out and took my hand. I’ll never forget the first time I saw her smile. Please pray for this little one. I didn’t get to see her the last day we were there because she had to be taken to the hospital for her fever.

Northern Lights Ministries is the one we’ll be working with for the remainder of the trip, so check out their website to see what it’s about.