I have been in Uganda for a little over a week now and I feel as though I have been slapped in the face. I have been slapped in the face by the reality of how amazing God and this country is.
I have felt very uncomfortable during my time in Uganda because of how much people have served me and my team. For example:
Every time I walk into my classroom to teach English, the children stand up from their seats to greet me. Every time I finish teaching a subject, they stand up again and say “thank you teacher” and smile at me with gratitude. Every day the children bring me avocados or tomatoes or passion fruit just because they want to bless me. Most of these children are malnourished and may only eat one meal a day which includes a cup of porridge and yet they serve ME food.
Even adults kneel down to greet me. The other day we visited a village and we were three hours late because of the weather and over 100 adults and children waited 3 hours for us to arrive just to hear what we had to share with them. Talk about having a hunger for Christ!
Our ministry host constantly informs people we meet that he feeds us porridge (because that is what the children eat at school) and people are completely blown away. They say, “Wow, white people eating our food!” And when he tells them that we wash our own dishes they are even more amazed and astonished. People are shocked to hear that we actually walk places instead of taking a motorcycle or car. Because we are American missionaries, people automatically give us honor and respect and yet it makes me so uncomfortable.
Every day here I remain in a constant state of awe because of how much people serve us. And they don't just serve us out of obligation, but they actually love serving us. Sometimes when Africans serve me I just want to get up and yell "I AM NOTHING SPECIAL. LET ME SERVE YOU!" Not because I believe I am nothing, but because I am nothing without Christ and I want to serve rather than receive.
Everyone here and shown me so much love and I feel completely unworthy and undeserving. The people of Uganda truly understand the Gospel. They get what it means to be like Jesus. They serve even though they may have nothing. They love even if all they have to offer is a tomato. They actually live out the passage about the sinful woman who poured her expensive perfume on Jesus. They understand what sacrifice means, what servanthood means, and what it means to honor people.
I came on the mission field to bless others and yet the exact opposite has happened. I am more blessed than I ever imagined possible. I came on this journey to love and yet I have been given more love than I can comprehend. My hope is that I can love people the way these people love me. I hope that I continue to learn what it means to be a servant every day of my life and seek to bless others above myself.
