"How was Uganda?"
“How was Uganda?” is a question that I often hear since coming back to the States. People have been interested in my experience abroad, but this simple question seems a little too complex to answer. Good? Challenging? Rich? Beautiful? Stretching? Words don’t seem enough to describe my experience, and yet I feel like I could talk forever about it. This summer, I spent two months at Amani. From the kids’ laughter to the Mamas’ love to the red soil which we stand, Amani is truly a place of peace.
Something memorable from my time at Amani was during my last three weeks. I prayed one night, asking God if there was anything specific that He wanted me to do. If He wanted me to do anything big, I said that I would be up for it. And yet just about the opposite happened. God called me to the small, the mundane, the average. When I was at Amani, I wrote in my journal: “loving people is being present with them. It looks like sweet snuggles, pushing kids on the swings, greeting mamas in Luganda, wiping tears, and simply playing in the dirt. I want to love in the most mundane- yet so special, holy even- of ways. Loving here is reminding the kids that God loves them so much. It looks like saying yes when your flesh is saying “no, not a chance”. It looks like giving 100% when you’ve been running around the yard all afternoon. I’m able to love because of a God who loves me relentlessly.” These “ordinary” moments became my favorite. I saw the kids love one another. I saw a boy pick a flower and smell it when he thought no one was watching. I saw a girl kick off her shoe; one of the boys got it for her and placed it back on her foot. I saw beauty and richness in the everyday moments.
The truth is, I would love to be back at Amani right now. I would love to push the kids on the swings, help them put on their shoes, sit with them during meals, and hear their sweet voices sing praises to their Heavenly Father. Don’t get me wrong, every experience has its challenges. I was homesick at points and heartbroken at others. But I wouldn’t trade my experience for anything else. I saw people bring children into homes and care for them well. I saw social workers fight for these children to have families. I saw kids learning and growing in their education. I saw children praying big, mountain-moving prayers. Amani is so special, and the people there are doing so much good. If you’re on the fence about going, just go. God will use your gifts. The Amani family will welcome you in. I’m walking away more confident, faithful, passionate, and challenged, and I could only hope the same for you.
- Auntie Kara