Week 21 + 22

Hello everyone!

It’s been a really good two weeks.

Each day, my Ugandan workmate, Sarah, and I have a morning devotional and prayer time. We then sit outside, drinking tea and talking for a little while. This week has been full of great conversations. We talk about our lives, pasts, hopes, fears, and dreams. We seem to have grown closer this week than ever before. Today we sat and helped some ladies sort and separate wild mushrooms they’d harvested. While we sorted, they told me old stories. I heard about the fields where wild vegetables grow (“God is the farmer,” they say) and people come and take whatever they need, the villages far away where they say it rains blood as a sign of coming war, and stories of an evil President called Amin. Amin was a dictator in the 1970’s. He was a terrible man who would order Indians to vacate their shops, keep Ugandans from building new homes, and throw the lame into the Nile. He was responsible for thousands of deaths, both Africans and those of other nationalities. I saw the film about this man (entitled, “The Last King of Scotland”) and it’s always so interesting to hear stories from people who actually witnessed it, people who lived the history that we view in entertainment now. (Ps. I later got to eat those mushrooms in a soup. It was amazing)

Bible club this week went extremely well! We studied the story of Moses. The scripture to memorize this week was Exodus 14:14.

“Be still. The Lord will fight for you.”

I’m so loving seeing their minds and hearts absorb the Word. My mom always had us memorize Bible verses as I was growing up. Even now, these verses come to my mind at the oddest of times. When you hide His Word in your heart, that’s exactly what it is: hidden. You don’t always know that you remember it. If someone asked me to recite a few Bible verses, I probably would have little to say. But then, in times that are seemingly random,  it makes its appearance at the forefront of your heart. The knowledge of His Word, the unshakable truth that is written on your heart, shows up and it is glorious. I’m loving watching these kids learn- they are laying foundations of a strong faith and they don’t even know it!

I hung out with a six year old missionary friend yesterday. We watched The Wizard of Oz and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, played fashion show and shoe store, and painted with watercolors. It was so great to get to know her better and just have fun. She’s a hilarious and  intelligent little girl, with enough spunk for ten kids. I adore her.

Happy birthday, America! No fireworks this year, but there are amazing stars that I just may glimpse from my hammock after I get home from the community barbecue tonight.

We are implementing a new tutoring plan and new Bible study this week. Please keep us and our kids in your prayers as we start a new and exciting challenge!

Em