Meeting in the School Yard

 Friday, March 4, 2022

We awoke to the glorious sunrise streaming across Lake Victoria and into our backyard oasis. Bird calls and songs filtered through our consciousness to alert us of a new day. Flowers opened their petals to smile at the world with their colors. God’s creation is spectacular.

Yesterday, we sorted and organized the supplies we brought, and repacked them for their various destinations. Handmade dresses from Brenda and Debbie at Community Helping Hands, school supplies, toiletries and children’s underwear from Aspire offices in Lakewood and Buffalo, soap, shampoo, lotion, crayons, toys, sanitizer and more from our Busti church family, medical supplies from Chautauqua Hospice, tools, kitchen supplies, toys and assundries from Anderson University, and conference materials prepared for Carna and Roy’s training sessions. Wow. Even more that I have not listed, but all treasures received with great pomp and circumstance by the Ugandans. God’s people are so generous.

Suitcases and supplies, backpacks and bodies were loaded into the van and truck, and we were off for our first adventure. Swerving vehicles, bumpy roads, and people flooding the streets around us, we marveled at this new terrain. A stop in Jinja provided opportunity for lunch at a modern restaurant with samosas (beef or chicken pastries), sandwiches and smoothies. Once again we were on the dusty road for our journey to the village of Nawantumbi. God’s world is fascinating.

We were greeted at Nawantumbi Church of God Nursery and Primary School with a program presented by the children. The classroom was a rectangle brick and rough hewn wood structure with a tin roof and red dirt floors. The parents, school leaders and church representatives smiled their welcome (beautiful wide smiles). The children danced and sang, the adults joined in, and all raised the roof with their praise to God. Some expressed need, some honored mothers, and all showed their curiosity of the “vis-tors who had come a long, long way.” God’s love transcends cultural barriers.

While heading to a meeting under the great bark tree in the school yard, I said hello and offered to shake hands with children. Curious about what was happening, Carna joined me and we were soon swarmed by little bodies pressing in to touch the hair on our skin and look into our eyes. Six grew to dozens as we sang songs, mimicked words and tickled each other’s fancy. We never made it to our meeting, but had our own in the middle of the school yard. God’s children are precious.

We were invited to tea in Patrick and Sarah’s home, and found a spread prepared in our honor. Chapati (a rolled pancake with egg inside), sweet bananas, samosas and African tea (boiled milk filtered through tea leaves) all filled us to overflowing. We began the hour ride to our guest house lodging, meal, and team devotions in Kamuli. God’s grace abounds toward us. 

In all these things, we’re grateful for our prayer warriors buoying us back home, asking for God’s grace in uncertainty, strength to overcome jet lag, and boldness in our new surroundings. And He supplies our every need. God is so good.

Ephesians 1:2

Sally