Lira

Tuesday July 10

Lira has been amazing. When we arrived the some of us had mixed feelings of being here; torn between missing the children in Seta and being excited about being here. They said, "I dont know how I feel about being here, I'm just not that excited and I would almost rather be in Seta." After we spent a day here they came back and said that now, they we're excited to be here. The Lira kids got a hold of their hearts and were filling them up with joy.

We have been here for just under a week now, the chicken coop is moving along nicely, and we have wired all of the homes with solar lighting. After we went back to the hotel last night, I started to plug things in to recharge, and just after I got my last thing plugged in, the power went out. Joe said, "Isn't this ironic that now we have no lights, but the orphahage that has never had light has their lights on right now?" I am so glad that we have given them the solar panels, because now as unreliable as the power grid is here, they will always be able to turn their lights on.

We have been blessed to worship with the kids. Julie said to me that this is what it sounds like in heaven, and I think she is right. When they worship it is so beautiful. In Matthew 18 it says; "we must become like little children if we are to see the kingdom of heaven" and it is no wonder to me for they sound so beautiful. They move their bodies, clap their hands, gently whisper and shout at the top of their lungs, they stomp their feet and play their drums. One of the girls brought out an instrument that she had made out of can. They can harmonize... They can chant... They do all of these things together and it is beautiful.

This being my first time as the leader I vaguely knew what to expect, I almost feel spoiled to have a team like the one that I have. They are all so even keeled. They don't complain, they don't have many needs, they do what they are told, they desire to do what God wants, and they try their hardest to put the children before themselves. God is spoiling me.

 

July 13

Our time in Lira came to an end. I don't like leaving. Our last night we talked about all the different experiences that we have had, and the stories and moments with the children that we want to share with people when we get home. I wanted them to think about what they will say. It seems when people ask you how the trip was back home, you have one of two answers. It will either be "good", or it will be a 3 hour dumping of information that someone may or may not be ready for. We have heard testimonies from the children that make even the hardest testimonies in America seem weak by comparison. I have never heard of someone in America having their parents executed in front of them and then being abducted by rebels; being forced to carry guns, materials, food, anything that they want or face being shot or tortured. They run from bullets as they try to escape, showing the scars from where the bullets have torn through their legs. Care is rejected by their own people because these little ones still have a grandmother that is alive in their village that can care for them; a woman too old, being forced to labor in the fields, working to try and provide food for her children's children. The children beg and plead for a way out of their nightmare, but how do you say yes to 2 million children? If too many people get on the boat we will all drown. I feel the least I can do is give up my spot on the boat. I say this and then get on a plane to go back home where we are all rich and i am back in the place of comfort and luxury. Meanwhile the old lady is still toiling, and the children's world is still shaken to the ground.

At the same time, there is something that I see in the children that I don't see in the hopeless in the USA. Despite their burden they have joy that is unexplainable; a joy that makes no sense. There is no formula that you can apply, or logical explanation for it. They peek at you with half of their face hidden behind a crumbling building. You can only see one of their eyes as they study you from a safe distance; their curiosity getting the best of them. When you make eye contact, they show you the white of their teeth and a smile that overtakes your heart. With their eyes hidden behind their cheeks and they quickly disappear. They have no sense of entitlement. They humble themselves to us when we should be the ones that are humbling ourselves to them. Their happiness comes only from God. They have faith that can move mountains and a joy that overflows so much it fills me up. That is what being set free from sin by the blood of Jesus does. It is the freedom of forgiveness and truth that allows you to have joy despite such great suffering

We completed the chicken coop, purchased 40 laying hens, 5 roosters, and bags of feed that will allow the chickens to adapt to their new home so that they an go out and free range again. We set them up with a ccken coop that Dr. Peter says will accommodate up to 200 chickens. I don't know that it will ever get that far, but the children are very excited about having and taking care of the chickens. I pray that at some point they will be able to sell chickens and eggs to keep progressing toward a sustainable orphanage. Our solar lights are all in place in the houses. I believe our next step in Lira and in Seta is to adapt the pumps to solar power so that they do not rely on the power for water, and so that we can removIe their power bill.

We had a really, really awesome party for the kids on the 11th with sodas, cookies, sweets, singing, dancing, drama, and speeches. They asked for the leader of the Ukids team to give them a short speech, so I got to deliver on the cuff. I reinforced that they may think we are rich, and we do have money that God has given us, but one thing that we can not buy with that money is Joy. "You children have a joy that so many people in America wish they could have, yet they fail to see the way to experience the real joy that you experience. We always say that we are coming here to do all these things and give you children something that you need. We forget to say that when we come here, you give us something that we need. We are in debt to you, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as you. You are co-heirs with Jesus Christ, and your joy that comes from Him overflows into our cups."

We are now in Merchison Falls National Park at the Red Chili Safari Camp. We had a game drive on the way in, spent the night in huts, and today we have been on a Nile Boat Safari. Our next step is to sleep tonight in tents, visit the top of the falls, and drive back to Kampala where the majority of our team will fly home. The remnant of the team will then be Andrew, Julie, and I.