Favorite Things

Rolling and packaging mattresses, wrapping mosquito nets, packing mats and bibles in bags, playing volleyball with young moms and teenage girls, dancing, singing, sharing the gospel, children and adults asking to accept Jesus as their Savior, handing out beds,a nd getting to know two precious girls -- Prossy and Consse...These were my favorite things about today. Oh and seing giant oversized bats.

Today our group did not go to a village. Instead we went to the Health Alert center to distribute beds. Health Alert is one of the many organizations that partners with Sweet Sleep. Health Alert primarily works to serve children and adults who are HIV positive. Sweet Sleep primarily serves any child or adult who is especially vulnerable, so it's a perfect connection.

It was incredible how much joy surrounded us at the center. As usual, though there were people who came today to get a bed who had to leave empty handed (Sweet Sleep and Health Alert has everyone register and interviewed before getting a bed) - at distribution sites we have a specific list of names who beds go to. People who hear about the beds and come without being on the list are able to register and get on a future list for a bed. Two pairs of little hands that left without beds to carry were Prossy and Consse. Consse and her younger sister, Prossy, shared with me after playing catch that they had not received beds. I did my best to explain what they could do to get one and asked them to come back tomorrow. We continued to sit tegether drawing pictures of Jesus and each other as I listened to their life story of losing both parents, not being able to afford school fees or food, and how walking all the way from their vilage to only go home empty handed. As my heart broke for them I couldn't help but be amazed at their perserverence and hope. Consse shared so many trials and ways they had suffered, but she couldn't stop smiling or bringing up Jesus somehow in our conversation. Prossy did nothing but smile, giggle, and draw pictures of Jesus and herself. Both of these little girls reminded me of Lucy, a widow who welcomed us into her home on Monday. She had 2 huts that she built herself and takes care of her son along with other orphans. Lucy had never seen or slept on a mmattress before. Now she had one to share with her son and all the children she takes care of. I remember feeling so sad for all she did not have, but humbled that a woman who seemed to have nothing, found ways to still give to orphans.

Our team came to Uganda to share hope and the love of Jesus with people here in Gulu. But each day, I find myself humbled and stretched as children and adults share much more profound hope and incredibly deep love of Jesus with me.

Katie Kautzmann