Breaking Walls and Mending Hearts: Love

Sorry it has taken me so long to get an update. Things have been a little crazy!

This past week was nothing but fun. On Saturday, July 7, we spent the ENTIRE day at the pool (and I didn’t get a sun burn) then went to Alisha’s for dinner and a movie. Sunday we went to church and then a big group of us went to lunch at LingLing’s, a Chinese restaurant. I decided to walk to town that afternoon instead of taking a boda (huge mistake). I thought it was a 30 minute walk but found out that it was closer to an hour and by the time I got there I had blisters on my feet. But it was nice to get out on my own for a while. On Monday we started our 4 day fruit and veggie cleanse. Breakfast wasn’t bad, but by lunch I was starving and caved after trying to stuff down a tomato and cucumber salad. So I didn’t even last 12 hours, oh well. I got my computer back, still broken. I’m hoping Apple can fix it when I get back to the States. That afternoon Emily H. had school with some of the kids to learn all about the letter “T”. They seemed so interested, for about 10 minutes, and then things just got crazy. We went to the pool again with some of the kids on Tuesday morning and then watched Monsters Inc. that afternoon. Wednesday was probably the best day I’ve had at Ekisa. Angelica and I left late morning to go check out the bungee jumping then headed to the pool for some quiet time. After lunch we went back to Ekisa to get Walter, Paul, and Sam for some afternoon swimming. They swam for a while and then we went down the road to watch someone bungee jump. The kids loved it (as did we)! We went back to the pool to swim some more then had a picnic dinner. We took the boys back after dinner and then instead of going to Katie’s for Bible study, we headed back to the pool for our own independent study and worship time. Spending 2 hours in the Word, overlooking the Nile river, and sipping on hot chocolate was the perfect ending to a perfect day. We started Thursday off right with French toast at The Keep (delicious) and I checked the post office to find I had letters from Josh. I somehow held out reading them until we got home that afternoon. After dinner we all gathered in the volunteer room to have group prayer and worship, specifically for the Ekisa kids. Each child had an index card with specific prayer requests and Bible verses. It was amazing to come together and lift the kids and each other up in prayer. After that we made cookies for the mamas, which they LOVED! On Friday we went for a boat ride on the Nile to see “The Source of the Nile”. We were all expecting something magnificent and were extremely disappointed. That night we had dinner at The Keep and stayed for their African Dance Night, AMAZING! Saturday started off horrible. I woke up at 5:30 extremely sick, but praying that I would get better by 10 so I could bungee jump. I didn’t start feeling better until about 5 that evening (no I didn’t bungee jump but I’m going this Saturday) and then we all went to have dinner at the pool. Sunday was bittersweet because it was Whitney’s last full day. We went to church, had a group lunch, napped, miraculously gathered all the kids together for a group picture, and then headed to Skewer’s for Whitney’s last dinner. I was able to Skype with mom and dad that night and was glad they were able to see some of the kids and the Ekisa house.

It’s hard to believe that I’m in my final days here in Uganda. There are no words to describe the roller coaster of emotions I’m feeling right now. The friendships and memories I’ve made here have changed my life forever. Please continue to pray for the children, mama’s, staff, and volunteers. In just the 3 weeks I’ve been here I have seen physical and spiritual growth, personalities shine, and have learned more than I ever thought possible. It truly is amazing what God can do when you surrender and give Him complete control. I pray that through reading this, some of your hearts have been softened and eyes have been opened to see the world and people for what they truly are. Stop digging for things to make you not love someone. Instead, see that they are a child of God, and because God loves us no matter what, He has called us to do the same. Love EVERYONE, not just those who look and think like you. God made us all unique and different for a reason, so don’t shun diversity but EMBRACE it.