Anecdotes from Africa

I truly adore the children of Uganda! The place I see God most here is in each smile of these precious little children of His. Since I cannot hope to write here about everything I have done in the last week, I have decided to limit this particular blog entry to a few stories about adorable kids.

My first week here, Esther, Judith, and Winith stayed at our house. Esther, age four, is big sister to twins Judith and Winith, who both had malaria and upper respiratory infections. The twins were here to receive medicine, and Esther was here because the twins needed her to be a stand-in mom. One of the blessings I have been able to give was to allow Esther to be a kid. She spent much time taking good care of sisters—kids here can be extremely responsible—but, when she played with me, she got to take a much-needed break and act like a child again. We became very close. She cannot speak a word of English, and I only know a few words of Lugandan, but that doesn’t seem to matter to our Awesome God. Esther and her sisters are back at home now, but I still see them frequently.

Serving His Children (SHC) feeds 900 to 1,000 children twice a week here in Masese, Uganda. Both times this week, after Esther came through the line and ate, she came to me and clung to my skirt (grinning widely) while I helped to feed the other children. Yesterday, I went to visit Esther at her house. There, I played with about 10 children, sang songs, did dances, played games, and had a simply fabulous time!

I have done a lot of singing with children here. Songs with motions and silly sounds are great because the kids can follow along even though they don’t understand the words. Four year old Rachel thinks that “Three Purple Peacocks” is about the funniest thing she has ever heard. She runs around holding up three fingers, chanting “Three purkle peekahs,” and bursting into fits of giggles.

SHC also provides medical care to the community. The other day, I went along to take three babies and a seven year-old to a medical clinic. I sat with the seven year-old, Dennis, in the waiting area for about 5 minutes before we both started to get bored. I spent the next hour and a half acting completely ridiculous in order to keep him entertained. (I may have actually had even more fun than he did…) We sang a bunch of songs, did the chicken dance, jumped like a frog, hopped on one foot along a crack in the floor, and gauged how far we could jump by moving a piece of trash farther across the floor. It was amazing to watch him go from being nervous, shy and uncomfortable to having the time of his life. The next week, Dennis came to playtime at our house (we have about 50 kids from the neighborhood play here and do a Bible club three times a week). When he saw me, Dennis yelled “Auntie Elly!”—the only words of English that he knows. He ran over to me, and started doing the chicken dance. Then, he placed two pieces of trash on the floor and jumped over them. He recreated our entire evening together over the next few minutes. The smile has yet to fade from my face…

God is good.

I'm Here!

I've been in Uganda for a day and a half now! The trip over went very smoothly. When my mom and brother dropped me off at the airport, I barely had time to start feeling lonely before one of my best friends from high school called me- she was in the terminal too! God has given me many such reminders that I will never be alone. On my first plane, I met a delightful group from MOST Ministries, who took me out to eat and kept me company during a long layover. I also had a blast talking to 3 adorable kids during our refueling stop in Rome.

Uganda is so beautiful! Masese is right on Lake Victoria, which is gorgeous with the low mountains behind it. I love the trees here, which are very different from those in South Carolina. They are lower and bushier; actually, they do look a fair amount like those in The Lion King.

Masese is a poverty-stricken village. Houses are made from mud, sticks, pieces of wood, metal, or anything else they can find. Trash is everywhere. The paths through the town are rough and made of dirt. But boy are the children gorgeous! When we pulled up to the gate of the house, kids immediately swarmed around the car. They all clamor to hold our hands. They call me "Auntie Elly," and they have some of the most beautiful smiles in the world.

Today, I played with children a LOT. There are 9 children living at the Serving His Children mission house. Most of them are here because they are sick. Giving them medicine is one of the epic adventures we have here. Little Judith, who has malaria and an upper respiratory infection, tends to throw a fit when we attempt to give her medicine.

Also today, I boiled water for us to drink, washed a massive amount of water, and rode into town on the back of a piki piki. A piki piki is a motorcycle (gasps of shock from those who know me well). It was fun! Although tricky because I was wearing a skirt. All the women wear skirts here.
We went into town to go the market and by lots of skirts and underwear for the girls here. The market is huge! You can buy anything there, from mangos to clothes to pig guts, in the words of Renee. It is a little hard because the people there double the price when us because we are white. I am learning to be assertive. I am also learning how to not be a germophobe (more gasps of shock, I know... I would appreciate prayers for my immune system. It seems to be holding up well.)

Thank you so much for your prayers and support!

Lead on!

I leave for Uganda in 4 days! I can hardly believe it! I am so excited that I hardly know what to do with myself. Yes, I'm nervous. Working through logistics like packing, plane tickets, and contacting all the necessary people is stressful, but it will definitely be worth it.

I have essentially no idea what God has in mind for me over the next 2 months; I am eager to find out! The theme for my life recently seems to be leaving my comfort zone as far behind as possible. Over and over again, I have had to take a step of faith and do something that has felt immensely vulnerable. These little (and not so little) steps are what have led to the most rewarding experiences. Even though I have no idea where these next few months will take me, I trust in Isaiah 42:16, "I (God) will lead the blind by ways they have not know, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them."

I have seen God at work already in the preparations for trip. I heard God calling me to Africa when I was at the College Conference at Montreat Conference Center in Montreat, NC. I have rarely heard such a strong call in my life. When I return from Uganda in October, I will head off to North Carolina for my music therapy internship. Originally, my internship was supposed to start in September, but the starting date was delayed. Without that change of plans, this trip would not have been possible.

In May, I put on a concert "for children and their grown-ups" to help raise money for my trip. Not only did God help me to raise money, He also used that concert to make me realize just how much I truly love performing for children. I am now considering performing professionally. This past summer, I began to write kids' songs, which children have loved! I am now working towards a CD. We'll see where God takes this!

I would greatly appreciate your prayers during my trip.Please also check out the Serving His Children (SHC) website at www.servinghischildren.org. (There is a link on the side of this blog.) SHC is a non-profit organization founded by my incredible cousin, Renee Bach. SHC is funded primarily through donations, so please also prayerfully consider giving.

Thank you to everyone for your prayers and support! Thank you especially to everyone who has donated money for my trip, enabling me to take this amazing journey.