In my last blog I wrote about the frustration I had been feeling toward the kids in Keyo, Uganda and my desire to love them.
I found love.
About a week ago our team leader, Kyla, sat the team down and we talked about our frustrations and what was going on in our hearts. That night we made a conscious decision to stop complaining and just start loving and interacting. The day after that conversation was incredible. The kids were hanging out with us and we were talking to them as much as possible (“Hi. How are you?”, “I am fine”, “What’s your name”). We didn’t necessarily get our afternoon quiet time but surprisingly when we asked the kids to leave, they did.
I met a boy name Otim. I don’t know what made me want to talk to Otim but I’m so excited I did. Luckily he speaks great English so I have gotten to hear a lot about his life. Both of his parents were killed in the war. The rebels ransacked his village and Otim escaped into the bush. He said he stayed there for two days. Before he could get out of his village though, the rebels shot at him and tried to kill him; as a result he has a huge scar on his forehead and scalp. When he went back to his village everything was destroyed and people were killed. Now he lives with his grandmother and uncle in the IDP camp across from where we are staying. Otim and I made a drawing date one evening where he came to where I’m staying and we sat and drew pictures together. Every night since, he has been back. He brings his friends and we all sit around and hang out; they have gotten to play cards with Sarah and have dance parties with Kyla. It has been incredible to watch him open up, laugh and have fun.
All the griping and complaining I was doing has gone out the window. Our morning and evenings are filled with kids hanging around but they are not throwing rocks anymore; they just wanted our attention! They sit and just watch us and try to teach us words in Luganda, their language. The kids have also become less afraid of us. During the kids program in the morning, the kids are starting to get comfortable enough to hold our hands, some have started investigating what our skin feels like, and I’ve seen more smiles from them in the last few days than I did the first week and a half.
It’s amazing what can happen when you stop complaining and start trying to find joy in every situation.
