The Beginning of the End

The end is near.  My time in Uganda is rapidly drawing to a close, and I have to say that it's pretty strange to pack up the last two years of my life.  My clothes and other things not worth bringing back to the land of plenty are walking home with friends.  The "last hoorah"s have been planned.  The goodbyes have started.

This whole thing is bittersweet.  On one side, I am so ready to go home.  To see friends and family I've missed so much.  To get back to "comfortable" life.  To have a conversation and know I've been understood.  But then I think of all the precious people I've come to know and love here.  Women who have become good friends.  Kids who make my heart smile.  Girls who simply radiate Jesus.  Young men who have let Him get a hold of them and who will not be silent.  The simple truth is that most of these ones who are so dear to me, I won't see again this side of heaven.  I am reminded of this fact every time I see them, and they are well aware of it, too.

Which is why I'm so very thankful that this is not the end.  I will see my Ugandan brothers and sisters again, even if I never make it back to Arua.  And when I do see them, it won't be just them; we'll also be face-to-face with Jesus.  As much as I've truly loved worshipping with them here, I can't wait for us all to praise Him when He's physically with us.  Oh, what that day will be like!

And, as I think that though, God reminds me once again: this is only the beginning.

After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.  They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 
And they cried out in a loud voice:

"Salvation belongs to our God, 

who sits on the Throne,

and to the Lamb." 

Revelation 7:9-10

Open House

Jack and Lawrence have started a new story group at a home in the Awindiri community. They were very excited about how the first fewweeks had gone, and asked me to come along, just to see how things were going.

When I got to the home, I was a little surprised that we were meeting on the narrow little porch in front of the house. Usually, people meet in places where they can spread out, preferably in a circle. But this porch is barely three feet wide, so everyone just sat in one long row and looked toward Jack and Lawrence, in the middle.

The other thing that stood out to me was how many kids were around the place. Now, children are one of the few things there's an abundance of in Africa, but there seemed to be more than usual here. I asked the father of the home how many children he had. As it turns out, he and his wife only had five children.   But there were many children in their extended family who had been orphaned or abandoned, and he and his wife saw they needed homes, so they took them in – ten of them!  In all, there were fifteen children in this home. The man and his  wife didn't expect any pats on the back or handouts from the government. They just knew that God said to take care of children, so that's what they did.

There are lots of problems with Africa, and many of them will never be fixed. But, at least in this area, they've got it right. They take care of each other. Their doors are open. We are "all most welcome." I hope I can carry just a bit of that back with me when I leave this place.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:

to look after orphans and widows in their distress

and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

James 1:27