Swimming in Compassion Friday August 15th

 

 

 

 It's Friday and we changed gears today, moving our focus from Kakira building project and our Chayah family to a group of pen-pals we have here in the Jinja area.  Thanks to Compassion International and the great work they do, this group is bigger, healthier, farther along in school, dreaming dreams and getting a whole lot of Jesus from their Compassion staff.  

 

 

 

 

 

We were up and out of the hotel about 7:45 this morning, running into town to pick up 9 kilos of sugar and 9 bars of soap for the families.  With a few minutes to spare before the bank opened Dann ducked into what is likely the only donut shop around and ordered up 2 fresh hot-out-of-the-oven sugared bits of heaven and two cups of coffee.  With some serious carbohydrates coursing through our veins we headed to the bank to exchange some cash and pay the "final" bill for building in Kakira.  

 

 

 

 

 

 We were expecting this bunch of darlings at 10am and had "swimming costumes" to set out and dollar store rafts that were disappointingly about the size of coasters needed to be inflated. We were excited to welcome the group and settled in with a cold bottle of water and waited for the first glimpse of them.  
 

  

10am

10:15am

10:30am

 and 10:45am

and finally 11am at which point Dann headed up to check the confirmation email and ran right into Joseline and Rogers.  Research later showed that we had arranged for 11am all along...

The big boys jumped into the main pool

The younger ones stayed safely in the shallow pool

Joseline had every floatation device as she walked around in waist high water.

 

We really worked this time at talking to each one individually and what was my hair doing in this picture? (Rogers)

Hassan (always very sober), Timothy and Emmanuel resting on the side of the pool

Swim lessons with Patience.

In 2012, Dann had his guitar and Rogers was so interested.  He saved a little money, we sent a little money and he purchased one here.  In one of our letters we sent a print out of a beginning chord chart and he explained his progress in the last 2 years.  He's now playing in church and helping to lead worship.  He is also at 20yrs old, learning to be an electrician.

We received reports from Compassion staff workers about each child, their home situation, their school marks, their health and their emotional development.

Then everybody, including their parent, went through the buffet and had their fill of a variety of foods...add a soda to that and lunch was served.

We are full of questions about them, but we gave them opportunities to ask us a few.

Some soccer for the boys followed lunch while I talked separately to the 3 girls.  We talked about several things, but mostly I reassured them about what God thinks of girls.  Culture rarely values the same things God does and here is no different.  Unless you really know God and understand his character through his word, the world can scream some pretty loud messages at you.  I can't change the culture, but God can address some of the lies it tells these young girls.

Gifts were exchanged, though it is painful to receive what has cost so dearly.  Violet brought me a bracelet.  Another gave this bowl.  Hassan gave the wrapped plaque and Patience wrote a note.

Dann received this great hat from Emmanuel and his mother.

Patience took a while to warm up, but then would hardly let go.

We gathered for a group picture and then prayed for the kids.  There is so much we want for them, so much to plead for, but we are so so grateful that God knows them and wants more than we could even imagine.  We were so humbled.

 

 

They gathered around us then, the parents, kids and Compassion staff and prayed for us and then sang a song about being bound together.  It was just one of those moments when allowing silent tears to fall was extreme self control.  I can't really explain what its like to have your heart so full that it hurts to feel what is really going on.  There's no name for that, do description that does it justice.  Its just a God thing.  A miracle that hearts can be knit together without much language in common to express relationship...a God thing and we are so very humbled and thankful.

Once they left we were exhausted for about 10 minutes in our room, then headed back to town for a few things we'll call a bonus to our construction crew when they finish tomorrow.  Gum boots and back packs will accompany our final day with them and we pray that the house is finished.  We walked about 1/2 mile or so from the Jinja market back to the source cafe, checking in with Amazima and then headed back to the hotel.  

Every day here is tiring-ly long and then over too quickly, our days are ticking away and we have a few things yet to accomplish.  We are believing God for the time to get it done and have plenty of time with our own 19, except that I don't know if "plenty" ever really happens. 

Time to lay our heads down one for another peaceful Ugandan night of rest, tomorrow is a new day and we want to be ready for every single detail we are given!