A day of rest and fun in Uganda

A day of rest and fun started out in a way that we could not have planned any better. There was a parade downtown Jinja as we left. The parade was celebrating 100 years for a school in town and it was a morning of celebration for the team. With just two weeks of work behind us and just 5 days left after this week-end to finish up work in the orphanages., the team was ready for a day of relaxation and fun. We started out a Kilombera where we learned how a local village makes fabric from a loom. The work they do is so beautiful. We were then on to the beautiful Bujagali Falls, a waterfall near Jinja where Lake Victoria and the Nile River meet. Moses (and I'm not making that name up!) gave us a boat ride on the Nile River and the team got out and took pictures at the source of the Nile. The source has a 90 foot spring under water and bubbles constantly. As we rode around the Nile, the monkeys hopped all along the banks and the trees and entertained us. We took several friends that we have made on the boat ride.

Three team members decided to go bungy jumping on their own and the rest of us watched! We ended our day of fun having dinner with the Amani volunteers. The day of rest came at a needed break in the trip. We have worked hard and fought stomach bugs. We have loved much and learned alot and we are looking forward to our last few days in Uganda. We pray that the good we do will be noticed by God and we are a thankful small team sitting in Jinja excited to see the end of the journey that God has us on.

"People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.
If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.
For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway."
— Mother Teresa

Painting projects finished at Amani

Any time a project is completed, there is a great feeling of accomplishment!

We finished the rooms this week at Amani Baby Cottage, and while we have more projects to do the last few days, the team was able to step back and smile. Not because of our efforts, but because of completing the desires of the staff. They wanted to transform the preschool room into looking like a classroom with a blackboard, change a room to look like a girls bedroom and a room to look like a boys bedroom. The greatest accomplishment, however, is the relationships made during the process, the friends made, and the teamwork achieved. Teamwork among the HEAL team, teamwork with the Amani staff and teamwork with God. Following His plan is always great.

During devotion today as we start out our day of Rest and Fun we leave you with this riddle that 80% of kindergartners guessed and only 17% of Stanford University students guessed:

"What is greater than God, more evil than Satan, the poor have it, the rich need it, and if you eat it you'll die?"

NOTHING!

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.