Day 4 entry. 3.20.08: heatbreak.

The ICY organization volunteers to contribute to various different non-profit organizations throughout the week. My first experience in the city of Kampala began at 7:30 am when I woke up to be ready for daily devotions at 8am. On Thursdays, ICY volunteers go to Sanyu Babies Home in the morning. To get there, our group of about 6 that day, made up of American and Ugandan volunteers, walked a ways through muddy paths and up hills to the main street to take a taxi. Here, taxi’s are in the form of 14 passenger vans, which attempt to shove up to 19 people inside. A driver navigates the vehicle and a conductor sits beside the sliding passenger door to collect money, let people in and out, inform the driver of drop offs and looks out to see those who wish to catch a ride. The chaotic traffic patterns make me sometimes feel uncomfortable to watch out the window to where we are going! The taxi vans act more like buses, as we stop to drop people off and pick up people along the route.
We got out of the taxi to begin walking once we were in the core of the city. To my excitement, and slight panic, we were going to take boda bodas for the remainder of the trip to the orphanage. Laura and I mounted on the back of the motor bike taxi and flew in between traffic. At one point, the driver slammed on his brakes, and I could feel the wind of the van tailgating behind us as it suddenly dropped in its speed. I wish that I didn’t catch how close the van was to my left leg out of the corner of my eye!
The Sanyu Babies home is the oldest orphanage in Uganda, established in the late 1920s for children five years old and under. Collin, one of the Ugandan volunteers, took me on a quick tour of the facility. I was amazed by the organization of the orphanage. Carefully labeled towels for each child to prevent spreading illness, mosquito nets over the cribs, and classrooms for children at different age levels illustrate the expertise of the orphanage. Women live on the campus to be full-time care-givers to these little children. As I walked with Collin through the infant crib room, I was astonished at how young some of the babies were, some looking to be only a few weeks old. Collin told me that in rare cases, babies are found dropped down into latrines or dumpsters. Mostly, in the middle of the night a baby will be dropped off at the gate to the Sanyu Babies Home and the sounds of a crying infant will signal the women who work at the home that a new child has arrived.
Walking through the rooms and seeing the faces of the children, I felt such heartache and pain to know that so many children are without parents. Collin led me into a classroom with Amanda, Laura, and Billy, who is a project manager for ICY and Grace, who is a Uganda volunteer. They had already begun helping to dress the babies who ranged between 10 months to about a year and a half. When I sat down in the middle of the floor, three babies immediately came crawling over to see me. Volunteers are not supposed to allow the babies to sit on their laps, however, because they little ones will cry when the volunteers leave them. I never imagined babies being so purposeful in their crawling, but it was evident that they longed to be loved and to be touched by people. One little boy in particular by the name of Elijah came over with a bright smile and began to roll all over the floor and my legs. He liked to throw his head back over my crossed legs and hang his head upside down. He was very interested in my necklace, as well, and kept a tight grasp of my butterfly-cross pendant as he looked around to take in the scenes. His big, beautiful brown eyes continuously passed over my face, then darted to the side to keep an eye on what the other babies were doing. My hear ached to know these babies had no parents to personally care for them. How could anyone reject theses children of GOD that wanted nothing more than to give and receive love? I thanked the LORD that the Sanyu Babies Home existed, and that it cared so deeply for the children within the facility.
After we left Sanyu, we walked down a ways to a tiny street vendor for lunch. The little hut where they serve food was dark and crowded, only fitting about 7 people around the two tables forced to fit inside. I was certain that the nurse from the travel clinic I had visited prior to my travels would have disapproved of the lunch I was about to eat. Since it was so crowded, the woman cooking the meals put down a mat for us to sit on some ways down the narrow ally. While I was nervous and uncertain of what I was eating, I was surprised by how much I liked the food. There are not a lot of spices or salt flavoring in the food here. It is simple and refreshing.
The second project we were to head to in the afternoon was at Remand Juvenile Home. There, ICY helps lead praise and worship to the youth there who are all under the age of 18. A crowd of about 100 gathered to sing glory to GOD in both English and Ugandan. A missionary team from the UK was also there this particular day, and a team member gave a powerful testimony. John told the story of his history with crime and prisons and how he met the LORD in his last 4 year sentence. I believe he really reached many of the kids there and connected with them more intimately than any one of us could. When John was finished with his story, the ICY team members split the crowd into four smaller group of 20-25. Amanda and I were paired together, so that she could translate when I led reflections. Some of the kids there really opened up to us about their struggles. I was humbled by the aspiration one young man had to follow the LORD and live a Christian life, yet struggled with the desire to kill others. He so openly talked about how he would read the WORD and understand its message, but feel torn by his anger and history in violence. While he spoke quietly in Ugandan, I could see the desperation in his eyes. He was terrified of the gang that awaited his release from the prison. My heart wanted to commit more time to helping assure him that he could overcome his fear and temptations with his trust in GOD. John, who was sitting in on our group, demonstrated through a symbolic activity the need to find accountability and support in our brothers and sisters in CHRiST. I was so moved by this young man and the way that John was reaching out to him. We were only at the Remand Home for a little bit, but the power behind such a short visit revealed GOD to me in a new way.
These projects and organizations show the LORD’s love to people who may not have otherwise seen it. I am blessed and honored to be able to be a part of it.