If I could sum up what Uganda was for me I would say JOYFUL and HUMBLING. We spent the month with Pastor John Walusimbi, his wife Grace, and their three children partnering with Liberty Outreach Ministries for the month. Pastor John runs a primary school called Liberty Preparatory, in a village, Kyabakuza, just outside of Masaka, Uganda. The school teaches kids practical knowledge relating to growing plants and raising animals for farming. It takes in children whose families cannot afford school, offering payment programs for families, but accepting those families who do not end up paying due to poverty. Some children live at the school as they do not have parents, or the distance they walk to school is too far to return home. Some children do walk 2 hrs to school, many children do not have shoes. Some children will only eat the cup of porridge that they serve at school because their families are too poor to afford food. Not to mention that the area has been suffering a huge drought, therefore causing even further food shortage.
Pastor john (blue shirt) wife Grace, family and staff of Liberty School
Pastor John is a man full of joy, and so was his school. He never shared what his needs were, only when we asked, and he only asked us to stand in prayer with him. The children greeted us on the first day with song and dance, and African drums. And when it was our last day they ended with song and dance. Singing “Bye bye teachers, bye bye. Bye bye teachers, bye bye. Bye bye teachers, bye bye, may God bless you.” And then a line in their language followed by a shaking of their hips.
We taught at the school and helped the teachers out. They are very short staffed. I was assigned to teach Primary 1….this was super hard for me as I AM NOT a natural teacher. There were huge language barriers that made disciplining or trying to figure out why this girl was mad at that girl, very difficult. It definitely challenged me. The hardest day ended with a piece of cardboard being thrown and hitting me in the back of the head. I broke down, that is how much teaching stresses me out. But God is good, and after truly admitting my fears to him, especially that of not being good enough to teach, the rest of the time teaching became much more joyful and fun. Teaching in general became easier, we also did PE, singing and watching movies. I can't say I love teaching, but the time spent with these beautiful children was definitely a blessing.
PE class at the school
Our team taught for 2 weeks. We were able to raise some money for the school which they will use to buy mattresses for 2 girls who stay at the school. These girls were sleeping on bare metal bed frames, and they will also hopefully be able to buy some shoes for some of the children. It is crazy how many kids do not have shoes!
After teaching we went to visit some of the students at their homes, seeing where they live, how they live and praying with the families. Some families were born again, others were not. But they all invited us in and we got to visit with them. Most homes here are very small, maybe 1 or 2 rooms. Many families need prayer for jobs, and basic funds to provide for their families. Some families rely on the crops they are growing, but they are in short supply because of drought. Some families are in homes where they could be told they have to leave at anytime. Everyone was in different situations, but this is where the humbling part of Uganda comes in.
It all started with 2 eggs. The first house we arrived at, we spent time in a tiny room with a woman who was shining with joy. Her daughter attends Liberty School, and stays there during the term as the walk would be very, very long. When we left that house they blessed us with 2 eggs as a gift. Later that day, we went to another house, the home of a couple of the students at Liberty. As we were leaving the family started to bring out gifts…..a huge bag of tomatoes, a big bowl of nuts, 21 eggs, a bag of biscuits, a full stem of green bananas and one of yellow bananas, 2 stalks of sugar cane, and a live chicken. We stood with eyes wide in shock as to what had just happened. A family has blessed Pastor and us for our visit with a huge amount of food, in a time of severe drought! This continued with other families we met. Avacadoes, sugar cane, bananas – and from the poorest families! How humbling that one so freely gives to bless another! Especially in times of drought when these people depend so heavily on what they grow and in their poverty. It was an indescribable experience. It was so humbling.
Unfortunately Pastor John does not have a website, otherwise I would attach a link here. But please, if you feel led to pray for Liberty, please do. Or if you would like his email address I can give you that. He does have a Facebook page. You can search for him on Facebook under John Walusimbi, Kyabakuza, Uganda. They have visions of buying a plot of land so that they can grow their own crops to sustain the school with food and teach the children practically about growing crops. They also have a need for expanding the dormitories, and adding classrooms. They need to fund staff salaries, and need aid with student fees.
At the end of our time in Uganda, during our monthly debriefing session, our entire squad had the opportunity to participate in a Nile River rafting expedition. I have had a fear of the water, which I had to overcome, and after much trepidation, I am so glad I went! I am quite visible in many parts of it, I am wearing a red helmet, darker red life jacket and a green t-shirt. You can view the video at:
www.vimeo.com/73401497
