We arrived at a little hotel for the night. That morning, we all ate breakfast there together, then ventured out for the three hour drive to what would be our new home for the next two weeks.
We pulled into the compound and were welcomed by the beloved guard dog, Monster. Among Liv, Chauntel and Olivia (the super awesome interns) and the Workman kids Shamilah, Gideon, Judah, and Bear. After getting settled in a bit, we began unpacking all the donations and organizing them while waiting for lunch to arrive. After we ate a great lunch of samosas and fruit salad, Tyler and Liv went through a quick orientation with us and then we were left with about an hour of "free time" to which I really wished to take a nap but I couldn't, probably due to the excitement of it all. So a few of us sat and talked until it was time to head to Okoa (the orphanage) for dinner. A couple of us went inside the baby house first, where we met Kelsey, one of the great staff members/missionaries of Okoa, whilst loving on adorable chubby Ugandan babies.
We hung out with all the kids for a couple hours, and ate an amazing meal thanks to chef Basa.
The next morning came early, and we ate breakfast (thanks Chauntel) and did devotions with everyone before heading out to our first service project. There was a single mother of five children, whom lived in a small mud house. We were there to help patch up some of the mud that had washed away due to rain, and clean up the house a little, while some of us washed their laundry for them. I had no idea what to expect. Everyone jumped in right away, each person had a job. I was helping some of the girls with laundry. I was kneeling down in the semi-tall grass, in the direct sunlight, surrounded by different strong aromas, and it was humbling. God immediately tore down every potential prideful or selfish thought that would otherwise enter my mind. Instead, we were all laughing and smiling while ringing out these worn clothing. We even started singing while we were scrubbing down their bed frame. And in those moments is when I realized, this. This, is what it's all about. This, is what we're suppose to be doing. This, is what following Christ looks like. This, is what joy looks like. Serving, not because we're nice people, but because it's what Jesus calls us to do, and what He did do in His time on earth. We are just here to obey and be used as vessels to the Body of Christ. We should take no "credit" for any of it. We're simply doing our job. After doing laundry and cleaning some of their furniture, a few of us went walking around the village to meet people and just talk to them about Jesus. We met several great people, most of whom already claimed to be saved. We invited them to church that upcoming Sunday at Okoa. We asked if there was anything we could pray for, for them. We even got into some good discussions and tried our best to answer good questions, with the help of our great translators. It was a really neat experience, especially since I am terrified at evangelizing because I'm so introverted/shy. Boy was this trip going to wreck that! In the days to come, I was constantly stretched and challenged in several different ways. Learning to get over my fear of talking/sharing the Gospel, getting dirty (from head to toe- literally), being independent without my family or comforts of home in any way, learning the vastly different culture, all while being convicted daily and making self-realizations continually. Through our daily devotions and projects, I was often hit with guilt or "light bulbs" so to speak. Like wow, I definitely need to work on this, or man, I have been so self-focused all this time. Especially working with some of the Okoa kids on the last day of building. We had built two mud kitchens, and this was our second and final day working on a four bedroom mud house for a family that had lost their house previously. The kids were out of school that day, so we took the older ones with us to help finish mudding. They jumped right in with huge smiles, and we got SO much done in just a few hours. Sure, it was an exhausting day, but to see these kids so joyously giving and hard-working. It reminded me I have absolutely no reason to complain. And how to have actual fun while working. They're definitely good at that. And mud fights. Those too.
Another great humbling experience, was our "salon day" we hosted at the community center for the local women. Most of the girls treated hair, while a couple of us gave manicures/pedicures. I spent that morning and afternoon sitting on the floor, painting toe nails and finger nails. They are surprisingly slightly picky! But they were all extremely grateful afterwords. It awesome to be able to pamper most of which were moms, making them feel special and beautiful, knowing how much manual labor is part of their day and how hard they work to care for their families. It was a privilege. We also got to talk to a lot of them at the end of the day, about Christ and how much He loves them. We went around praying for them and whatever their needs might have been at the time. I also got to learn the art of sweeping, the Ugandan way.
Towards the end of our trip, on a Saturday, we were able to hang out at Okoa all day and throw the "birthday month" kids a party. We celebrated all the kids that were born in July, by playing/teaching games, eating cake, and having a big dance/glow stick party! We had brought over a ton of glowsticks and balloons and broke them out that night, hooked up some music to a little speaker, and jammed for hours. They were SO happy. It was a huge hit, and I loved seeing their giant smiles out dancing with their glowsticks waving in the air. I eventually got pulled out to dance too, and I had a blast with them that night. Man do those kids have rhythm! Much more than I do..
On Monday night, we spent our last evening at Okoa, of which ended with several goodbye songs/dances performed by the adorable kids. That day, half the team was sobbing through out the day, just knowing it was our last day in beloved Masaka. It never hit me until that night, when we were sitting on the benches watching them sing for us, and I noticed a couple of them wiping tears from their eyes. Thaaat's when I lost it. I was watching these precious children struggle to get the words out to the songs, whilst sobbing. Just because we were leaving, and they knew it. In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to hold them in my arms and just cry with them. And comfort them with the fact that I adore each and every one of them and will never, ever forget them. That was a late night of tears and hugs, and some exchanging of letters.
Tuesday morning was amongst us, and we spent our last morning together eating breakfast, and having a quick "debriefing" with Tyler and Liv, and the interns. It was good. More goodbyes and hugs were given, and we piled in the van one more time to drive to Entebbe. We stopped at the Equator for lunch, (which was uber cool, we got to eat on drums!) and souvenir shopping. Tyler and Chauntel hung with us for a couple hours at a gorgeous hotel right by the airport, and ate dinner with us before our flight that night. It was bittersweet, the whole day, but I would be lying if I didn't say I was somewhat excited about going home and seeing my family... Though now that I've been back for a few weeks, I am dying to be in Uganda again. The internal pollution of society here is gut wrenching. We are so self-focused here it's sickening. I saw things that I can never unsee, there are events and experiences burned in my mind and I can't forget them. My entire mindset has changed and I can't go back. Nor do I want to. If it was up to me, I'd say everyone should go to a third world country at least once in their lifetime. Observing the hard-working, selfless, grateful, passionate culture is astonishing. This world is not about us. This life is not about us.
IT IS NOT ABOUT US
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. // Matthew 28:19-20
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And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation." // Mark 16:15
