Ekisa, Canaan and Uganda Fair!

Yesterday was a full day of JOY! We started out at Ekisa - the ministry that was started for special needs children. Going back there takes a person out of a bad mood instantly. The children and staff love each other so well and the happiness among the children transfers to everyone present. We were lucky yesterday. We were able to go with the staff to a resort swimming pool where the children are allowed to swim for a couple of hours. For some children, it is pool therapy. For all the children, it is a fun day that they experience summer fun as all God's children should be allowed to do. We left very tired and yet very energized and realized during devotion that the calling that God has placed in the hearts of those that serve special needs children is very special indeed.

We had lunch and visited the Agricultural Trade show fair. The team has not had very much time for R and R and this was a needed afternoon of fun. Fun that included a camel ride and crafts markets from countries all around Africa. We were all impressed with the agricultural booths and exhibits. Thousands of people were there: school field trips, families, kids, teams, etc. It was a fun afternoon full of laughter and heat that we spent with friends from Amani.

Yesterday evening we headed back to visit our friends from Canaan Children's Home. As we drove up, the children ran to the van. They were so excited and some said "I did not think you were coming back." It made us think before we speak. These children have been told many promises that have not come true. The girls on the team went to the girls' dorm and taught them how to braid headbands out of fabric scraps. They were all so excited and it was a special time of bonding and love. The boys were playing cards with the older kids when we finished and I observed around for a minutes as I sat with two little girls. The children at Canaan love the "things" that we take: the snacks, the crafts, the Bible lessons, the shelves built, etc. But what they really want is time. Time to build relationships with people that are willing to invest time year after year. I observed Sam playing cards and laughing with the older boys, Tripp holding a sleeping boy and laughing with older boys, Trey laughing with Clair, Jordan holding a boy and learning Ugandan, Kate and Meagan braiding headbands with girls that continued to asks, Mary Lynn sitting on a bed with a girl reading the Bible, and all the children smiling. Canaan is a great place to do that since most of the children will be raised there. Today, I am grateful for the places that God has placed on our hearts to visit. My prayer is that we are always willing to invest "time" and to build relationships. My prayer is that we never forget and that God continues to stir compassion in our hearts for the least of these.