Once again I find myself wondering where the month went and how it ran away so fast. Some days it felt like we’d been in Lukodi forever and yet it still managed to be blown away as quickly as dust in the wind. And like the residue that the dust always seems to leave behind, there is a layer of residue from my time at Lukodi hovering on the shelves of my whirlwind life.
I don’t really even know the words to use to describe my month in Uganda. I have tried to write this blog about three times now haha. Okay here it goes.. I had wanted to make relationships with all of the girls and bead women but it was nearing the end of the week and I felt like that hadn’t happened yet. I had spent a lot of time with the kids, working on my project and with the women as a whole and not individually. I was dissapointed, mostly in myself for not making more of an effort, but my Daddy blessed me more than I deserved and I’m so grateful.
One day earlier that week I visited the bead ladies to take their pictures for my project and I stayed and chatted with them for a while and in turn met Josephine. A few days later I had the opportunity to spend the day with Josephine. I helped her cook and serve the bead women and she told me about her life. She also gave me a letter that she had written for me after meeting me once, how sweet! We got our picture together and the next day she even brought her daughter for me to meet.
Thank you Lord! (The Bead Project article and profiles that I was working on went really well.)
After chapel on our last day,(at which I had spoke), the girls sang a good bye song for us that had some of them and some of us in tears.Our last day was a lot more emotional than I expected. Three and a half weeks is a long time to be in one place and it started to feel like home. I had grown to love everyone there so much.
As good bye were voiced I felt more united with them than ever. Time and memories bound us together. I cudled with Pheobe despite the fact that she stank and her skirt was wet cause she peed and I just put on a new skirt. I didn`t even care. I missed her insanely before I had even left. My tears made an appearance as I hugged the girls and staff good bye and I didn`t want to let them go. One of the bead ladies frantically tracked down a camera so we could get a picture together. Too cute. The hardest was saying good bye to Pheobe and her mom, Carol. Carol kept hugging me and saying “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” I think she meant she was sorry to see me go. The three of us got our pictures together and Carol told me that she was going to write me a letter and send it with the other team who were leaving a day later. True to her word, the other team brought the sweetest letter for me from Carol and Pheobe. I will treasure it forever.
