My team and I have started working with Victory Outreach Ministries in Lira, Uganda. They have many different projects prepared for us: prison and door-to-door ministry, teaching Compassion Kids, painting a school, and a three day youth conference. We spent our first week painting the school, and I have to admit that I am looking forward to the variety that the next few weeks will offer.
Our first day painting was a little odd. We were ready to start our day promptly at nine in the morning but the bus didn’t pick us up until 9:30. Then we sat at the school until 10:30 before the paint arrived. I am not a patient person, so needless to say by this time I am not in the best of moods. And the skin-melting sun is not making things any easier. I just wanted to tune out. I figured I would grab a paint brush, bucket and ipod, then get to work alone. Nope. The supplies came, just not in the quantity we needed. There were 10 of us and yet we were given 6 buckets and 5 brushes. Emily bravely accepted me as a partner. We got to work taking turns as painter and bucket holder.
Our first day painting was a little odd. We were ready to start our day promptly at nine in the morning but the bus didn’t pick us up until 9:30. Then we sat at the school until 10:30 before the paint arrived. I am not a patient person, so needless to say by this time I am not in the best of moods. And the skin-melting sun is not making things any easier. I just wanted to tune out. I figured I would grab a paint brush, bucket and ipod, then get to work alone. Nope. The supplies came, just not in the quantity we needed. There were 10 of us and yet we were given 6 buckets and 5 brushes. Emily bravely accepted me as a partner. We got to work taking turns as painter and bucket holder.
Two wasn’t enough for a crowd, so our “painting director” came to monitor our work. While he watched us paint he explained the components of the building. He told us that many buildings in Uganda are made of just mud and manure, but this building was strong. It was made of mud, manure, and concrete. He was proud because it was a sturdy building in which students could live and study. After his explanation he left, possibly to share these interesting facts with someone else.
Emily and I continued painting. I am not sure if it was the heat or my lack of hand-eye coordination, but my painting was getting a little sloppy. I was so frustrated each time my paint dripped or smeared onto the wrong place. I exclaimed, “This looks like crap! I’m not doing a good job at all.” Emily looked me in the eye and without even cracking a smile said, “Tomina, this building is made out of poop. You are doing just fine.” I laughed.
I was mildly comforted and got back to work. But I still felt as though my efforts weren’t good enough. Was the building going to look any better? Were they going to be glad they asked us to help or were they going to wish they hadn’t bothered? Why were we even there? While I was off in grumpy land, a teacher approached me. He said, “You must really love us.” I was thinking, “Umh…I don’t even know you.” He continued, “You came all the way from the states just to help paint our school. Thank you so much. The students will be so excited to come back to a freshly painted school.” He then walked away leaving me to think about our conversation.
I don’t know him and truthfully, I don’t love him nor did I enjoy painting his school. But, I realized that even though I do not love him, God does. I was cranky because it was hot and we didn’t have enough supplies and I wasn’t sure if I was really do anything worthwhile. But God was showing someone that he loved them. He was using me, as a servant, to tell someone that they were not forgotten. This revelation didn’t make the sun any cooler. It didn’t make supplies magically appear but it did give me a new attitude.
I am here (In Uganda, in Kenya, in China, out in the nations) because God loves you…and the great things is, I know he loves me too.
