Reflection
could be personally defined as something that was beaten to death in my
education degree. Even though I hated
writing reflection after reflection about lesson plans or educational
experiences, I did learn how valuable reflecting truly is. It always seems to be around a holiday that I
look upon what I was up to the year before.
Every birthday, new years, or thanksgiving, I will remember what I did
on that day the following year.
Last year
around this time, I just finished my final teaching practicum and all the
course work for my degree(yes, all those blasted reflections!). Going to Africa was a small idea brewing in
my head. This year I am at God’s Grace
Orphanage, a three bedroom house home to one hundred and twenty children. They fast and pray as they regularly
don't have money for food. They sleep up to 7 kids on a foam mattress
inside the home, and the bathrooms outside do not have a roof or even
curtains on the doors for privacy. Although there are so few
resources and funding to support all these children, the kids at God’s Grace
are something else. We were mobbed by
smiling children fighting to hold our hands, and greeting us as Auntie or Uncle
as we arrived. We taught the children a
Bible lesson in their tiny schoolhouse outside their home before playing games
and singing songs out on the red dirt road.
As we left the orphanage, one of my team members had to stay out of the
bus to keep the children from crowding the bus.
It is really difficult for me to portray how special this place is. The children have such a presence of love and
joy about them as they hugged us and talked with us. Later on in the week, another team visited
God’s Grace to only get to witness a huge truck delivering tons of new
mattresses to the children.
Last year I
spent my days perfecting my resume and cover letters to hand out to school
districts, cleaning my neglected basement suite, hanging out at the Mustard
Seed every weekend, and exploring the local trails around Victoria. This year, I am visiting Akiba, a home for
children with cancer. I spent my day
there washing walls, laughing, dancing and running around with kids. We were informed that a boy we met the
previous visit successfully underwent his operation to remove the large tumor
on his neck. Please keep Emma in your
prayers for a speedy recovery. He is
maybe 9 or 10 years old with a beautiful smile and likes to play soccer.
Two years
ago, I was in Rome along with another million tourists and pilgrims for Holy
Week. I visited the Sistine Chapel, and
witnessed part of the Palm Sunday service at St. Marco’s Basilica. This year, I attended a Revival Night and Praise
Rally in the heart of Kampala at Watoto Central. The Praise Rally alone had 6,000 people
singing, dancing, and worshiping in the church and the parking lot for four
hours straight.
Last year
on Good Friday, I went to a citywide church service at the local hockey arena
where I ran into many people I knew from different churches throughout Victoria. This year on Good Friday, I attended A Night
to Unite which essentially is a multi-congregational church service as well
with thousands and thousands of Ugandans.
We arrived at the large fairgrounds at around 5pm. From 6pm to 10pm, we sang, danced, prayed,
listened to a sermon, and had a massive communion. Oh and did I mention we danced! I think I will have a really hard time not
moving around in the pews during church worship when I get back home. We danced to some African worship songs, and
then at the end we formed a LONG chain as we sang Hillsong’s Running. Callie lost her sandal in the midst of the
chaos and I was sure that if I fell down, I would be trampled to death in this
Christian mosh-pit!
Four years
ago, I woke up early in my dorm to walk down a forest trail in the pouring rain
to attend a sunrise Easter service on the beach by the ocean. Last year, I celebrated Easter at a potluck
at my friend Daphne’s house. This year, I
taught little two to four year olds about Jesus raising from the dead by narrating
a play and singing songs with them. I
ran down the hill by my house with my little neighbor friends and ate matooke, chapati, g-nut sauce, rice, pumpkin, and some type of
meat for Easter lunch. On Easter Monday,
Jess and Danielle planned some activities including egg painting and a hunt
around our compound.
So many
things have happened in just a year and I can see how much I have been shaped
and molded into a better disciple over the last year. I wonder where I will be and what I will be
doing next Easter season.
Happy
Easter everyone! I will leave you with
this Easter song I sang with thousands of Ugandans over this Holy Week --> Hillsong's Man of Sorrows
Peace and
love
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