Greetings from Africa!

It’s hard to believe it’s been almost a year since God has called me to Africa. My mission technically begins on June 11th, but it saved me hundreds of dollars to fly into Uganda before going to Swaziland, so I will be spending two weeks in Uganda before traveling to Swazi. This was an incredible blessing, granted that I spent a little over a month in Uganda last year and I would be able to visit all the Ugandans on my team, as well as the young boy I sponsor, Bruce.

I never thought I would be given the opportunity to come back to this house or see all the wonderful people who made my experience here last summer so memorable. Graduating, moving, and spending every possible moment at home with family and friends before leaving for a year was a crazy rush, but there would be no other way I would have rather spent it.

I left for Uganda on Thursday morning and got in on Friday evening, the 28 th. Jayan, one of my close Ugandan friends, picked me up from the airport. I had a million feelings flooding my mind as I stepped foot on African ground once again. The ride back to the Empower-A-Child house in Kampala felt strangely proverbial. Walking into the house, I felt as if it was only yesterday that I was here with my team. However, there are new faces, a new bed to sleep in, and new Ugandans on the team. Ministries have been moved around to different days, we go to different primary and secondary schools than those we visited and ministered to last year, and our cook is gone. Food is now catered in every lunch and dinner. It’s the most peculiar feeling to acknowledge the fact that I’m really back here. I left Uganda and returned to America last year with this overwhelming feeling that everyone needs Jesus. My eyes were opened to just how much Americans are hurting, even if it’s in such a different way. I spent a year praying for America, my friends and family, and the Lord revealing the need for His salvation across America. It was a beautiful and bittersweet revelation. Returning here, I’m reconnected with this familiarity of poverty, despair, and brokenness. My heart aches for these people, yet their joy is something that surpasses anything I’m accustomed to.

Ministry itself has been minimal, which definitely isn’t bad, considering I’m trying to spend much alone time with God and preparing as much mentally and spiritually for Swaziland as I can. Saturday, we went to the craft market. It’s one of my favorite places in town. The richness of African culture is mind-blowing. Sunday was filled with church and beautiful Ugandans PASSIONATELY serving our God. There is nothing like a Ugandan church service. Monday was an off day for weekly planning. Tuesday, we broke up into teams of 3 and each went to a different primary school (ages 5-14). Wednesday, we went to Katalemwa Hospital, where there are children with broken and warped limbs like you’ve NEVER seen before, yet they have so much joy. I was blessed to be put on the team with the children today. They’re beautiful. The little kid I hung out with most was named “Johnson,” yet because of his disability, he couldn’t talk well. I had almost no idea what he was saying but what I love about Africa is that you don’t have to understand to communicate true love. We made crosses out of popsicle sticks and for his, I wrote “Jesus loves me.” And when we glued it together, he took my hand, to hold the cross and looks at me and says, “Jesus,” which was the ONLY word I made out the entire 3-4 hours I spent there. It was perfect. He took it back and held it to his heart and couldn’t wipe the biggest smile off his face. This is love and power.

Jayan invited Bruce to the house and completely surprised me. When he saw me, he nearly knocked me over. Reuniting couldn’t have been any more perfect. We talked for a long time and took some pictures. He’s doing REALLY well in school and still wants to be a doctor. And, he couldn’t stop thanking me for sending him to school. I was speechless. How often I have taken my education, such a rich blessing, for granted.

                                         (Bruce and Me)

Thursday (yesterday), we went to an orphanage called “Sanyu Babies’ Home” and a juvenile prison, “Remand Home.” This orphanage takes in about 50 children at a time, ages 0-5, and does a lot of work with the children as far as physical, mental, and emotional growth. We split up into a couple of teams, and I worked with the toddlers. We fed them breakfast (warm milk), and then they all took baths. All I can say is naked children running around drenched in water makes for one hilarious experience. The orphanage can’t afford diapers, so for those children that needed diapers, we tied towels around their waists. Sadly, we didn’t do a very good job, haha, but it worked for the time being. There were two young girls who couldn’t walk. One was receiving treatment, and the other had been so malnourished, that she never gained the strength in her body to sit up on her own or walk, and therefore, these motor skills were never learned. I worked with both of them, especially the latter, for hours, walking across the room, holding onto a bench, and challenging her to use muscles that she rarely uses. A lot of the workers at this orphanage don’t take the time to work one-on-one with these disabled children on a daily basis. The young girl, Esther, couldn’t understand what I was saying, but it was incredible to know she is getting better. She has gained an appropriate amount of weight and there is a very high chance she will be walking again soon.

The Remand Home is one of my favorite projects that Empower-A-Child does. Every time I go, I encounter heartbreaking stories, yet find so much joy in how the Lord has pulled so many of these teenagers out of the pit of darkness and sin. After singing, dancing, and praising our God exuberantly, Jonah, one of the Ugandans, gave a lesson on testimonies. What does the word “testimony” mean to you? What is your testimony? What has God done in your life? We broke up into groups of 4 (there are a TON of teenagers in this place), and so many of them briefly shared their testimonies. Their honesty astounded me. Many of them had never heard of this God or had never been to church. They all considered being in Remand Home a blessing, as our team has taught them who God is. Many confessed their crimes, broken backgrounds, and sin and how God turned their lives around completely. It was more than encouraging. One young man would steal scraps of metal from a shop on a regular basis. He was addicted to drugs and alcohol. He had no friends. One night, a policeman caught him and as sometimes there is absolutely no mercy shown in this country, the policeman began shooting at him. By the grace of God, he somehow got away unharmed. However, he was caught by another authority figure and turned into the Remand Home. As he began coming to our program, which favors a church service aimed at teenagers facing deep challenges, he couldn’t understand why the Lord had spared his life. He continued to explain that over the last few months of being in the juvenile home, His life has turned around. He is an entirely different person and completely free of all addiction and his old ways of stealing. He is ready to embrace the new life God has for him once he gets out. I wish I could express the power in this story as he told it, but it’s hard to reiterate the exact the words he used and emotions he has experienced.

             (An intense game of Red Rover at Remand Home)

Needless to say, I have seen the Lord move mightily and I haven’t even stepped foot in Swaziland yet. When I am in Africa, His love, power, and grace, is so evident in every conversation and experience I have. I have nothing but praises for our Father who has provided abundantly for me. I am thankful and blessed beyond belief. It’s been a good first week across the world. 

“If God is for us, WHO CAN BE AGAINST US?” -Romans 8:31b