During our morning
devotion they are thoughtful and wise beyond their years in their understanding
of God’s word, His character and how they see Him moving in their own lives and
the lives of the Acholi people. Adam and
Matthew are the first to grab a ball and play with kids when we arrive to a
village. The other day they spent no
less than four hours in the hot sun playing soccer with the small
children. I don’t think they even took a
water break! Today they both got right
in the middle of the kids and sang every VBS song, in Acholi no less and with hand motions to boot! Millie, our youngest team member rallied
several others and before we knew it the group was dancing for the kids showing
them moves like ‘the car wash’, ‘the bird’, ‘the sprinkler’ and eventually the
conga line. The kids loved it and sang
the equivalent to ‘Jesus loves me’ while Michal, Dana, and Muffin busted out
the sprinkler all in the name of Jesus.
Michal and Natalie have
kept us entertained with a game on the bus where those playing are required to
use silly accents. Not once do they
break character and have us all laughing with the seriousness in their
role. Yesterday a little girl, Bella,
found Natalie in less than five minutes of our arrival to her village. I don’t think she left Natalie’s side (or her
hand) the entire day. We had to check
twice to make sure Natalie hadn’t tucked the precious girl away somewhere on
the bus before leaving. There was a
teary goodbye for both but the powerful testimony of love and friendship
without using any words was solidified between these two girls forever.
Our team doctor, Val and
P.A. Mary Grace spent another day under the mango tree with Deborah as their
faithful assistant. Although Deborah is
not in the medical field she quickly jumped in and was vital to Val and Mary
Grace being able to see and treat patients.
It’s not easy to jump out of your comfort zone but Deborah is a great
example of someone who will fill in wherever there’s a need with a smile on her
face. The medical team treated person
and after person and not a one was turned away.
Not once did I see them get up to take a break or even get a quick
snack. They tended to each patient with
tender love and care, never rushing through or dismissing even the smallest
ailment. They were a testimony to
Christ’s desire to hear our every problem and heal our every wound.
Another round of Mercy Bags were distributed by Topher and several other team members while Marlene and Muffin sat with fifteen or so women doing what women do best: sharing, talking, laughing and holding an occasional sleeping baby. Today Topher tried his soccer skills out by playing with the little ones in an ice breaker sort of game. Little did we know the skills he has for the sport (in addition to his endless golfing abilities) and the kids enjoyed watching him head butt the ball around the circle.
By the end of the afternoon Christy had held a little girl on her lap for nearly three hours. I’ve never seen a child so content in the arms of a total stranger. And a stranger with a skin color she has likely never before seen in her life. This Little Squish snuggled, sprawled, and slept in Christy’s arms until it was time to load the bus. Like Natalie the day before, I was certain we’d have to check for a stowaway before leaving. Christy and I (Sarah) were self appointed pre-school leaders for our VBS day. With confidence we began to engage the children in song and dance and were met in return with blank stares and silence. Our ship continued to sink when we desperately grabbed for our photo books thinking this would surely engage the little ones. The ship still sinking even further, one last attempt was made when Christy desperately mentioned the word balloons. Suddenly twenty pairs of eyes lit up, smiles erupted and cheers ran through the crowd. “Balloons! Balloons!” They cried. They day was saved and the rest of Christy’s made-up-on-the-spot game was a complete success.
Madison (The Mann’s granddaughter) is a veteran VOHA member and was extremely helpful in organizing our VBS games and activities today. She knew all the rules to the games these kids have played and even knew a few songs to sing. It was so cool to watch another young person step up to the plate and lead us in a new adventure. She had such confidence and it was evident that she loved playing with the kids as much as she loved teaching us.
Today we visited the village of Patalira. This village is special because VOHA has not put in a well but instead is helping to build a church. When David asked Tony, “Why this village” Tony replied, “Because we love them.” And it is easy to see why. The people were warm and welcoming. The women danced for us with gratitude and the leaders stood to thank David and Dana for what God has done through VOHA. Before leaving, David and Dana were able to walk to the nearby site where men had started to break ground for the new church site. It was an exciting moment for David and Dana as their love for the Acholi people reaches beyond building water wells.
We are thankful to God for yet another day of safety, fun, service and worship. He continues to guide us as we welcome his plan for each and every one of our days here. Again night has fallen but it is a little less cool. The night is still and most of the team has gone to bed. Well, all of the old people anyway. I think I can still hear laughter coming from the garden where the teenagers are enjoying their youth, the summer night and some sort of card game involving skittles and animal crackers. But before they started this game we found them quietly sitting around a table engaged in something. Muffin looked over and asked, “What are you all doing?” Only one looked up, breaking concentration and said, “Oh, we’re just doing our devotional for the evening” and without missing a beat went right back to reading. Muffin and I looked at each other in disbelief. And that’s our group. Being led by the silent and strong presence of the faithful youth.
Here are a few more pics from today:
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