Catch It!

 

We recently visited a local school and held a backyard Bible school type event with the students there.  One of the girl’s favorite activities was playing with the bubbles.  From the youngest to the oldest, they loved trying to catch the bubbles in the air.  You can see the joy on their faces.

They would run around in groups as the bubbles floated away, some girls pushing others away to get to the bubble first.

Then, as we left, several of the girls were standing on the foot path blowing bubbles at us as we walked away.

Sharing

A team from Valdosta and Rome, GA walked to a local school, Bufasi, on Friday to hold a backyard Bible school with the students. There were about 300 students present.  The teachers had not been informed by the headmaster that we were coming, but they had no problem stopping class and letting us take over.

The team taught them two songs:  “My God is so big” and “Yes, Lord”.  

Then they broke into groups to rotate between sports, Bible study and crafts. 

 

In Bible study and crafts they heard the Gospel.

 

Their craft was to make a salvation bracelet. But before they were given the materials, the team explained each color and presented the Gospel!

  

 

The neat thing about all this is that most of these students also attend Esangalo on Saturdays. This means that the relationships built at the school can carry over into the Saturday program.  Just another way of showing Christ’s love to the people.

Gotta Play!

      Many of the children here in Uganda are lacking much.  They are lacking food.  They are lacking basic medical care.  They are lacking adequate clothing. They are lacking a good education.  One thing they are not lacking is that childhood spirit.  They are not lacking the love of play.  They are not lacking a creative spirit. 

     Whenever I go to visit different houses and families, I see these laying around on the ground. Some are in better shape than others, but they all have the same qualities.  They are made of balled up plastic bags that have been tied together by either rawhide or string.  

    I see a pick-up game between mud huts – someone’s flip flops or some rocks serving as the goal posts and a bunch of sweaty boys running around, shouting and kicking the ball around.  This is the perfect example of ingenuity and necessity coming together.  The boys love to play soccer and they are not going to let a lack of a ball or goals stop them.  They gotta play!

Thank you for coming back

I have been gone from Uganda for 3 weeks.  I went to the US for a few days and then to Bolivia for 2 weeks.

When I returned, an interesting thing happened to me.  Several people greeted me and this is how the conversation went:

Them:  Hello, Jessica.

Me:  Hello, __________.

Them:  How are you? 

Me:  Fine.  How are you?

Them:  Fine.  How is there? 

Me:  Great.  How is here?

Them:  Great.  Thank you for coming back.

"Thank you for coming back."  That statement was said many times.  "for coming back."  It makes me think of why they say that.  Have they seen so many Americans come and never return that the ones that return are the exception?  Yes.

It makes me think that I don't want to be part of that group, that leaves and never returns.  I want to come back, to keep making a difference here.  Even if one day God calls me somewhere else, I want to always come back here to these people, to continue this relationship.

Pig Roast

We roasted a pig yesterday at the Village of Eden.

I had never seen the process of slaughter, skin, quarter and roast.  It was pretty interesting!  Here are the tamer photos.  I left off the more graphic ones out.

The meat was awesome!  So delicious!  All the kids were excited to be having another celebration!

He knows something is up. . . 

One of the volunteers that helped with the slaughtering kept telling the pig, "It's gonna be okay, Buddy.  It's gonna be okay."  (I was thinking, "really, no so much for you Buddy."

James (green shirt),  helped with things so he took home the skin, hooves and head to feed his family that night.  He was very excited!

Robin and Brenda

Waiting, with their mouths watering.

Ivan.  It was windy, not as cold as you would think looking at this picture!

 So delicious!