All I need is You

Our internet has been out so I haven’t been able to post a blog. A ton has happened since last time I updated.
Last Sunday we went to church at Gaba Community Church. The service was given in English and translated in Luganda. There were even some Luganda songs. Even though I couldn’t understand the words I was excited and praised God for His greatness. It is the coolest experience to come here and see all the differences between American and Ugandan people, culture, financial situations, etc. and yet we praise the same awesome God. To here of God in another language just makes it even more powerful. I am thousands of miles away from home in a completely different country and we are still loving on one God. It truly is a humbling experience and makes me realize just how big our God is and how small I am in comparison.
Monday was a very relaxing day. We spent most of it at the Bridge House where Allen got his hair cut and we had lunch with Patrick and some of his staff (David, Alfred, and Phiona.) Then we took bodabodas to grab a little ice cream and a soda and spent the afternoon talking.
Tuesday was a very exciting day for me. I had my first day at an African school while everyone else went to Sozo. When I arrived they showed me around the school. The grades are baby class, middle class, and top class. Top class is like kindergarten. Then they move into the primary classes that range from P1-P7 (1st-7th grade). I was with P1. Most of the time I was just observing but I was asked to teach the kids songs which was a lot of fun. At break I was served the best hot tea I have ever had and samosas. The only way I know to explain this is a small fried tortilla wrapped around vegetables. They are very good. At lunch I had a little sweet potato and rice with bean sauce and had my first jackfruit experience. Jackfruit is very difficult to explain. It is very large and has sections on the inside that you have to peel out and open to eat. It is very sappy and sweet. I loved it. The class is released at 1 but a few stay after for extended learning. I got to teach the children who stay after. We practiced reading and English. It was a lot of fun.
Around 4 we left to go downtown to meet up with some girls we met who work with watoto here. We ate at a steak house which surprisingly was very good. Then we went to see Robin Hood at the movie theatre. We had a really great time.
Wednesday, I went back to the school. This is an overview of the day. They started with Religious Education and they learned about “Things God made to give us light” (sun, moon, and stars) Then they had to say and spell each word out loud and then copy the board into their books and draw a picture of each thing. After that they sang “twinkle twinkle little star” They have no text books so they spend much longer on each thing. They did English and Literacy next where they have been learning how to talk about weather and then they had Math. There are 2 teachers and 30 students. One teacher is just the math teacher. Each student has 5 books (just notebook paper). They also take a break after every lesson which contributes to the length of time they spend on one thing. In the afternoon I was asked to teach P2 for an hour. We played a learning game, boys vs girls. The first round, I wrote words and they had to read them to me. The second was math. The third round, I wrote a word and they had to read it out loud and show me where it was located in the classroom. The last round I had them read sentences. It was a lot of fun.
That afternoon was our first day at Joel’s school, Rays of Hope, in Kabalagala. We went and helped with their afternoon devotion. Allen played guitar and Carrie and I sung and then Mason gave a message to the kids. They also did some worship with their school choir which was really neat for us to get to take part in. I also found out I would now be teaching at his school. I am so thrilled about it.
Thursday we went to the Watoto baby’s home where Jill and Katrina volunteer. They have about 36 babies there. We got to see their 3 premature babies who are tiny tiny. I have a few pictures. One looks just like Benjamin Button. Then we went and helped feed the 3-5 months and after that we spent the rest of our time with the 6-9 month babies. I made friends with a special needs boy there named Kevin who was about 6 or 7 years old. He was so sweet. The second I walked up to him he clung to me. After we left the baby home we went to Maurine’s home. Maurine is David’s girlfriend. This was one of the neatest things we have gotten to do. The atmosphere was so great. It was a traditional African home. Vincent (Maurine’s brother) showed us around the village and then we went back and ate sugar cane on the front porch while Vincent and Veronica taught my Luganda. Then we were served the best meal I have had since I’ve been here. We had potatoes and rice and stew with chicken on the bone and we even had some pumpkin. It was delicious. I really enjoyed getting to spend an evening with an African family.
Yesterday we returned to Joel’s school around 8 am and participated in the younger children’s devotion. We worshipped with them and then I told the story of Noah. After the devotion Carrie and Catherine went to paint blackboards and I was sent to P3 to teach math. I had so much fun with them. We worked on subtraction and multiplication. After break I moved to P4 to teach an English lesson on good behavior and learning to use polite words. Then I was sent back to P3 for an English lesson on positions of objects. I really really enjoy teaching here. The students are so attentive and eager to learn. Many of the children at Joel’s school are orphaned or very very poor and donations are the only thing sending them to school. Here in Africa if you can’t pay to go to school than you can’t attend. It breaks my heart that so many children here are going without an Education. Which brings me to this…
I want to spill what has been on my mind… God has really been teaching me a lot since I have been here. Especially about having childlike faith and being thankful for the very basic things that I have that I so often take for granted. At Joel’s school the children share a testimony during devotion where they share what God is doing for them and the things they are thankful for. The kids thank God for eyes to see and clothes to wear. They thank Him for school and a mouth to talk. They thank Him for safety through the night and food to eat…these little things that I so often I don’t even recognize. It is all God’s though and it is all God’s to take away in the blink of an eye so why don’t I appreciate these blessings more? Being removed from the American culture of I deserve everything and am entitled to anything I want when I want it really shook my world. I never realized how truly greedy and selfish I have been. People here literally have nothing. No education, no basic necessities and yet they have everything. They have hope and faith and courage and love…the things that truly matter. God is really making me see how blessed I really am. A lot of children here don’t even have family, the one thing that I treasure. No one has ever nurtured them or told them they are wonderful and yet through total dependency on God our Father they are strong. They are happy. God ultimately is all we really need. Everything belongs to God and without Him life would be nothing. I am so happy and blessed to have a Father and Savior who loves me deeply and intimately without limitations. He is really doing a work in my heart and I can’t wait to see the outcome.
Thank you so much for you continuous support and prayers. Without you we would be no where. Please continue to pray for our team and the children. I hope to hear from some of you soon. (pictures will be up as soon as we get this internet situation figured out)
I love you!
Tori