African Dancing to Welcome the New Year

The 31st was a full day by any measure. I didn't expect to stay up until midnight but the lodge had prepared some African performances and dances to welcome the new year. As I saw some of the dancers I was drawn to the joy in their faces. There is something uniquely beautiful about people here, big bright smiles.

In fact, I feel I should point out the huge contrast I noticed between our visit to Istanbul and our visit here. Istanbul is beautiful and the food there was exquisite. However, there was something missing there. I couldn't put my finger on it but I believe it is related to the Muslim faith. We hardly saw any children there. What we saw was mostly men everywhere. We certainly saw smiles but something was missing. Someone in our team said there was a lack of joy. Ugandan people on the other hand, seem full of joy.

The New Years' performances were about music and dancing. When I think about it though, I realize, this wasn't a performance. The people there were really sharing their culture and were happy to dance. I was hoping they would open the floor for us "tourists" to join in, when it happened.

(I couldn't take good pictures. This is the best I have.) I know we weren't graceful and we may have made fools of ourselves, but who cares. We had such an awesome time dancing to African music with our new Ugandan friends. Joy is so contagious.

When the new year arrived, we hugged and I knew there was a special bond there. As I felt the embrace of each of our new Ugandan friends I noticed something different. Each one of them was very thin, I could feel their bones. Obviously they live a hard life, a life of scarcity rather than a life of abundance. Yet, they are full of joy. This is something we could learn from Ugandan's.

The new year is here and is hard to imagine a better way to start 2013 than the place where I am at. I miss my beautiful wife and my precious two girls but I know I'll see them soon. Tomorrow (actually in a couple of hours), we'll be departing. Our team is splitting in two. The medical group is heading to Kampala and the rest of the team is heading to Jinja. I am actually sad we have to split, I didn't think I would be. I have grown close to everyone in the team. We've shared so much in such a short time. I'll be praying for the medical team, that God uses them to the full and that they are moved by the experiences God puts in their path.

 If you are reading this blog, please pray for all of us. To anyone reading, may God pour his blessings on you in 2013. May He fill you with joy in every possible way. May your smile be bright and contagious.