Till We Meet Again - Perhaps in Heaven

In some way, my second trip to Uganda was less emotional than my first trip.  I still allowed myself to be vulnerable to such an amazing journey, but I feel I approached things more practically.  I wish Uganda was much closer.  I’d love for my wife and kids to meet Jesse and Norah, our two kids in Uganda.  I’d love for our kids to be exposed to the same love I’ve been exposed to.  I’d love for them to see they joy in kid’s faces when they dance and praise.  I’d love for them to see how beautiful Africa is.  I’d love for them to know how blessed they are to have been born in the US and to be able to share their blessings with others

Uganda will forever have a special place in my heart.  I don’t know if I’ll ever go back, but I can always dream of the day.  It is hard to believe I’ve been back home for almost a week already.  Things have been busy at work and I’ve been dealing with some illnesses, so I hadn’t really stopped to meditate on things until now.  There are many thoughts and feelings inside of me, but there is one sentiment that I’d like to continue writing about.  This is something I shared once already, but I am compelled to write about again.

I shared earlier that our Pastor spoke about how the fruit of a Christian life is his/her relationships.  In Romans 12:10 thru 15 Paul urges us to be devoted to one another in love, to rejoice with those who rejoice and to mourn with those who mourn.  I often think of what it would have been like to walk with Jesus, like the disciples did.  What would it be like to know someone whom is completely selfless and would give of himself for you?  Someone whom would rejoice with you and someone whom would mourn with you?  I think I would feel completely safe, free to abandon myself in love for that other person.     

Not only this, but don’t we rather live life rejoicing and mourning with those whom we love rather than being alone?  And why limit the number of people we love when we are surrounded by opportunities to build relationships.

Going to Uganda has opened my eyes in many ways.  I am beginning to understand the importance of being purposeful in building relationships.  It is too easy to go through life without caring for others, but what an empty life that would be. 

I don’t know how I will put any of these thoughts into action, but I pray God will show me the way.  For now, I am content to have experienced the joy of rejoicing with close to 1,000 kids in Uganda and to have met the amazing people that work with them there.  I am also certain that if I don’t get to see them again, I will see them in heaven, for eternity!

Please keep Uganda and it's people in your prayers.

Love,

Jeronimo      

Bbel Academy

Today was our last day working with the kids at the Bbel Academy, a small primary school attended mostly by kids living with someone other than their parents.  Sadly, many of the young parents have been lured to move to the city and have left the kids behind with other relatives. The school is located about an hour drive from Kampala. Steven Muyimbwa, whom has had a relationship with Kailua Community Church (KCC) in various capacities for many years, started this school a few years ago.  KCC contributed funds to the construction of a pole building.

We've been visiting this school every afternoon for the last three days. Steven invited the local kids to participate in our activities. We had about 100 kids in attendance today.

The setting is a big contrast from Neteete, where we spend our mornings at the Gospel of Life Church. Neteete is considered a slum, where the Bbel Academy is very rural and to a great extent it has a picturesque setting. The kids here are absolutely sweet. Whenever our vans arrive, they run to the vans and cheer loudly. When we get out of the vans they rush to give us hugs and grab our hands.

Many of the kids present during our visits are wearing uniforms even though classes haven't started. This is probably because these are the best clothes they have.

For some reason performing our skits (Moses in the Desert) here is a lot of fun. For some reason the kids here laugh with all their hearts at the silliest joke.

We've been tremendously blessed by these kids even though this is the first time KCC has visited this location and therefore we didn't meet the kids until this week.  None of us know if and when we can make another trip to Uganda, but we know that a part of our hearts will remain here, with these loving kids.

Nateete

One of the churches where we are working with the kids is called Gospel of Life. This church is located in Nateete, which is one of the poorest areas surrounding the main city of Kampala.  The church is ran by Pastor Chris and his wife Sylvia. The church is also located within a predominantly Muslim population.

Today we had approximately 350 kids in attendance.  As word spreads through the neighborhoods of the skits, songs, and games, more and more kids show up every day.  Working with these kids is very rewarding. They are so full of life and love.

Prayers

We know there are many friends praying for us in the US and in Uganda. We don't take that lightly. We are very grateful. Trips like this can be dangerous for various reasons. Today we witnessed a horrific traffic accident. A large truck loaded with sand could not stop and crashed onto incoming traffic.  We were shaken up pretty badly.

Please continue to pray for our safety and for our work to be fruitful.

Rejoice and Weep

Yesterday our verse to study was "Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep". Yesterday was also the last day we spent with the children from the orphanage. Just like prior years, we had a big party at the resort where we were staying.  I don't know the count, but we must have had some 200 people, most of them children and most of those in the pool.  I didn't get a good picture showing the large number of kids, but below are a couple of pictures anyway.  It was a lot of fun. It was easy to rejoice.

It was bitter sweet though, because we knew the time was coming to say good bye.   The pool started emptying out and by the time I walked to the parking lot, children were already boarding the buses that would take them back to the orphanage.  There were lots of hugs and a few tears.  Time to weep with those who weep.

                                             

One thing you may know about me is that I lack empathy. It is something that doesn't come naturally to me. I have to work at it.  I didn't know exactly how one could weep with those who weep without truly feeling the emotion.  However, maybe all it takes is a little effort to participate in life.
It would have been easy to extract myself from the roller coaster of emotions that took place yesterday. I could have stayed in my room during the pool party. I could have found a secluded place to read a book, or I could have found some way to not rejoice with the children.  I could also have chosen to stay away during the sad good bye. But that would have meant missing out on life.

I am so glad for every moment I rejoiced with those kids and for every little hand I touched through the windows of the buses as we said good bye, and for every smile and look of love lived in between. It is good to learn that even at this stage in life someone like me without the gift of empathy can experience life, the way it is meant to be. All it takes is willingness to participate, to join in.

Uganda's Beautiful People

I mentioned in the past how friendly Ugandans are.  I wish I could share with you in person of the many experiences that illustrate this.  I can share a few stories though; I love seeing children waving at us as we drive through various streets. I wave back of course, but what you may not expect is that whenever you wave to an adult they will also wave back and many times they do so with a wide smile on their face.

Today after returning from the orphanage and the local church in Jinja, I decided to go to the pool here at the hotel we are staying at. There at the pool I saw Hope, the young lady that serves breakfast at the hotel.  She was in the pool playing with a boy and a girl (her friend's kids). I approached her and said hello. It wasn't long before we were all tossing a frisbee.  Then some other young adult (Kato) joined in. Perhaps this isn't an extraordinary thing, but there is something about the Ugandan culture that is so welcoming.

Two days ago I visited a very small local shop where they sell touristy stuff.  I recognized the lady working there from my last trip here. I helped refresh her memory by reminding her that I gave her a string backpack so she could copy the design. When she remembered me she reached out and gave me a warm hug. I wasn't expecting that reaction at all.

Some other day I gave a mostly melted small candy bar to a little girl that was sitting on a chair, watching after some items for sale. She got up from her chair, reached out for the treat and then bowed to the ground with her hands together to say thank you.  This is the same thing my Ugandan son Jessee did (twice!) when he found out I had decided to sponsor him.

On New Years Eve, a few from our team stayed up late to welcome the new year. They played cards for hours. Later I found out a couple of workers from the hotel had joined in and taught my friends some new card games. I wasn't surprised at all. In fact, it seems we are making new friends everywhere.

Rivers of Life

I love the children at the orphanage (Siita).  After all, our church has had a long standing relationship with Siita.  However, the children at the Rivers of Life church bring so much joy to our work here that I wanted to share about them.

As we arrived for our second day and got out of our vans, the children came to hug us and greet us with their bright smiles.  They clung to our hands as we walked to the room where we would all gather.

When it was time to sing and dance they were eager to participate and once they learned the songs the room was bursting with children's voices and dancing in a manner that I hadn't ever heard or seen before.  When I think of what I witnessed I can't help but to think of the word REJOICING.  The room was so full of life, flowing like a river.  Then it hit me, this is the Rivers of Life church.

What a blessing it is to be able to witness life to the fullest.  I pray that I never forget what true rejoicing is and that I have the courage to live life like these children do, without hesitation and in complete abandonment to love.