the Truth series part 2: u g a n d a

Uganda. There is so much I want to write about this country, but there just aren't the words to even adequately describe the beauty, love, and unity that lives in this place. 

One reason I love traveling is getting to see and experience the true beauty and uniqueness of each country. Uganda was no different. 10 months after leaving Ethiopia, I found myself standing in the middle of the Ugandan bush just in awe of these incredible big blue skies that never seemed to end. I quickly fell head over heels in love with the place that left my feet stained brown from the red dirt roads and my heart full. When I close my eyes, I can still remember what it feels like to ride in the bus, windows open and the wind blowing through my hair, and waving to the occasional kid yelling, "Mzungu! Mzungu!" on the side of the road. Even though the word Mzungu means "Stranger" or "Foreigner" and basically meant as a insult to white people, I still miss it and the sound of their sweet voices makes my heart skip a beat.

Uganda is often referred to and known as the "the Pearl of Africa", because of it's great beauty and natural wonders like the Nile River and Lake Victoria. 

But Uganda is also filled with people who often resemble pearls. They each are unique and beautiful in their own special way, but then at the same time full of unity.

I was just about to turn 14 when the plane hit the tarmac in Entebbe for the first time. I remember walking down the tunnel from the plane to the airport terminal and the familiar smell of burning trash and heat, that can only be described as Africa,  hit me like a wall. Some people complained of the overwhelming smell, but my sister and I just grinned at each other, because deep down, we knew this smell meant we were home. Sometimes, you have to look beneath, dig deeper to see the beauty, but it does not mean it is not there. 

Every night I sat in awe of the Ugandan sunsets. I have never seen such jaw-dropping beauty, there are no words to describe them and no picture can do them justice. You truly just have to be there and experience them for yourself to really understand how beautiful they are. 

Between the two trips, I spent a majority of the days in country visiting schools and doing house visits. These were definitely my favorite things to do.  It is so eye-opening and humbling to be able to go and walk the roads and have the opportunity to sit in the homes of these people. Just to see how they do life and though they do not have much they are so welcoming and open. You get to meet so many incredible people and hear their stories. On my first trip, we met a young boy who would walk around 11 miles one way to get to the Saturday morning program that the organization I would travel with put on every week. He would wake up around 4 or 5 in the morning so that he could make it in time. 

Oh yeah, he also completed this walk barefoot, every Saturday. 

In Uganda, it is not unusual for the father of the family to not be in the picture at all or very uninvolved. It is incredibly heartbreaking to think of a generation growing without father figures. Absent fathers put the stress of providing financially, taking care of the home and children and providing food on top of the mother in a world where women have to fight uphill. Often the children in these situations do not go to school because of the fees and/or to go to help provide money for their families.  I have witnessed fathers trying to hold their upset babies, holding them awkwardly and gives helpless looks to the mother. I have seen the longing in the eyes of sweet little kids who just want their dad to love them. It was here in Uganda I learned about the ministry of presence. It is so easy to walk into these situations where all seems helpless and want to do everything in our power to change the physical worlds of poor people. But when we look at the Bible and the life of Jesus, sometimes He performed miracles and transformed people's physical worlds, then there were others where He just spent His time among people, not distracted by a to-do list of what He had to accomplish that day. He was easily interruptable and often times would stop in the middle of what He was doing just to show one person how much they were loved and valued by their Creator. I learned that sometimes mission work isn't doing all these different things, but sometimes it looks like sitting on the playground with two girls and practicing how to spell their spelling words from school that day. Being present often looks like searching for that one quiet kid in the corner that won't make eye contact with you, and you showing them that out of all the 700 kids around you, you choose them. Because is that not what Jesus did for us? When we were alone and felt worthless, did He not pursue so to the point where He got on a cross to show us how much He loved us? 

But even in the midst of a issue of fathers often deserting their families, I have also gotten to watch young men who love Jesus step up to lead by example for the next generation. I saw the beauty in standing up to lead those who look up to you, no matter what the world tells you is normal. Because in the world of these young men, it is normal to not care about kids. But even though it is not the norm, they stand up anyways. They see the value in these kids, they know how much they are Jesus adores them and they want them to experience that great love. 

The truth is, Uganda is beautiful not just because of the natural wonders that come from this country, but because of their hearts to chase Jesus. It truly radiates. They have such a passion for Jesus that is so admirable and is a place in my faith I want to be in one day. I will always remember going out to do house visits for a couple of hours and our translators would beg us, "Oh please can we walk to one more house. I want you to come pray for and talk to my neighbor just down the road."  When I think of Uganda, I will forever think of them as the ones who sing, "Jesus, you are the hope of Africa." 

Their hope in Jesus is what makes them truly beautiful. 

Up Next: the Truth series part 3 : h a i t i