Planting the seeds

Sometimes it feels like I have been here an age (not in a bad way) and others I can’t believe it’s only been a month. Especially after speaking with my parents and seeing that not much has changed up there, it feels like I’ve only been away from home for a few days.


This last week has been quite tiring, with Monday being a day of uncertainties. We went to visit the sick at a local hospital where many poor people go because they offer free examinations. After waiting around for a long time, however, we were turned away by security, which had been heightened due to the disappearance of children from the maternity ward. We are going to try another hospital next/this week and are praying for more success. We got back to some good news, ‘the palace,’ which we have been interested in from the moment we got here, is for sale and although it is a lot of money it is a great starting point for us. We know now that the owner is willing to sell, how much it is and that it is, God willing, achievable. I spent the afternoon drawing up a plan of the building whilst Jon and Jacob ran around having a water fight.

As always, Tuesday and Wednesday where school days in which, on one, I gave one of the teachers an ultimatum, hand over the stick (which he was using on the kids) or I would have to walk out. He didn’t give me the stick but did stop hitting them which was the result had hoped for so didn’t walk out. In that and the journey the next morning God certainly showed us he was with us. Even though the path at the bottom of the hill was flooded (after a night of torrential rain), we left late and the taxi was caught in serious traffic after almost going the wrong way, we made it to school on time. To some that may not seem that impressive but considering we are trying to get the teachers to get to lesson on time, it was important to us that we did. We had another good break through with a teacher who taught the parts of a plant by actually showing them a plant.

 Thursday was a good day; we split up and went with the children from Vine school to visit the widow. Each child was ‘given’ a widow and presented them with a box full of supplies, (sugar, rice, a mat etc) and their own personal gift which they had made. It was good for them to meet people in need and by the end many where saying they wanted to do it again. After, we went further into the city then we have ever been before (dundundundundun) to buy a helmet so we can ride Boda-bodas (yay.) I had to buy a second hand one because my head is too small. Next us four girls headed over to KBC for LTWorriers and Choir. We spoke some more about the Christmas production and I remembered that I had forgotten what I had learned the week before.

We split in a different way on Friday, meaning Anna and I went to Blessed Word. Unfortunately due to the rain storm before the meeting we only had around 15 children, adorable as always though. We got a surprise at devotions when two Mzungus walked in. Kelly, a previous gapper, and her husband where in the country and wanted to catch up with what smile where doing here. It was really nice to chat with people, who where, well, English. We were all very tiered after Kids club and decided to go home for the evening.

 Saturday was cleaning time for me and Anna, whilst the others went shopping, as well as catching up on a few things we had not done in the week. After the others had come back, we got picked up by Brian and taken to his house where we finally met his wife and baby girl. There we had a fellowship meeting, hopefully the first of many to come.

Sunday was a good day, with an American preacher in the morning, making it a lot easier to follow, and a really lovely Skype conversation with my parents. The evening was awesome, consisting of my first ever Boda ride (it lasted about half an hour and was great fun) and watching Thor 2 in a westernized Cinema. It honestly felt like we were in England, especially as we were invited there by Kelly and Jono. It was great to get excited about sci-fi and be able to talk about it with people who don’t stare at me like I’m speaking a foreign language. The other girls had either not seen Thor 1, or The Avengers, or both so I had to summarize the films for them. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to seeing Kampala at night, especially on the back of a Boda.

So now I come to today. We tried a different hospital this morning with much more success, and where able to chat and pray with some of the patients there. It is nice, but sometimes we wish that we are able to do more, to visit more or to help out more in the situations we are faced with. We are trusting in God that he will water the seeds we have planted. I always find it amusing when, in books, they use a concept all the way through to draw parallels on. If you don’t know what I mean (I probably wouldn’t just by that) I’ll give you an example. In Francine Rivers book ‘Sure as the Dawn’ throughout the book this baby is growing up, and in each stage of his development she draws the parallel between it and that of Faith. Such as, for example, when he is trying to walk, she reminds us that we need support at the beginning, to draw ourselves up on to before we can even attempt to walk on our own. Anyway, I went of there. The point I was going to make is that I really pray that the work we are going to do at the farm will parallel to what’s happening in the areas we are working. At the moment acre by acre, both physically and spiritually we are planting seeds. 

(I know this isn't Monday, we had no power most of yesterday)