Our first two days in Uganda found us working at two children's prisons around Kampala. Bret and I visited one of the two on our first trip in March. You can read about that experience HERE. We arrived at "M" on Wednesday morning our arms full of cartons of juice, biscuits (shortbread cookies), soccer balls, jump ropes, bubbles, 140 blank t-shirts, and a suitcase full of fabric paints and markers. We were ready to paint shirts and PLAY!
As we entered the compound, we were led upstairs to 'sign-in'. I asked the lady in charge HOW MANY children were there that day. The number changes frequently, and we needed to be sure we had enough t-shirts for all... or we would not be able to do them. She told me the number was around 130, but that many of the children were off at school and therefore we would only have about 60 to work with. No problem! We had PLENTY of shirts! Thank you, Lord. She also went on to tell me that they had just done a 'round up' in the city the night before and had brought in 220 children from off the streets.... but, we would not be working with them because they had to be 'processed' (health check, information collected on family, etc.) and would not be up in our area. WOW! Amazing that there could be 220 children wandering the streets with no one concerned for their whereabouts!
I told the team the plan for the morning and we headed outside to start passing out biscuits as the kids lined up for their 'breakfast'. (a bowl of steaming hot porridge - resembling runny cream of wheat) As the kids finished their breakfast they made their way into the large dining hall area and worship and prayer began. Our group stood there - almost in a state of shock as we observed these kids PRAISING and WORSHIPING God.
The feeling and emotion in that room was unbelievable. As they went into a time of prayer - many dropped to their knees. All praying out loud - yet individually to the Lord. Tears fell on the faces of many of our team members. What an incredible thing to witness.
The time came for us to introduce ourselves and share a word of greeting with them. We then taught them a couple songs and enjoyed the time as we continued in worship. The kids were very friendly, open and receptive to us being there. We had formulated a plan to pass the shirts out according to size, and then have the kids sit at tables all around the room. Others in our group were armed with lots of fabric paint and markers. We began showing them how to write, draw and decorate on their shirts.
Such concentration and determination!
They LOVED it!!
They loved being able to have their OWN shirt, put their OWN name on it, and decorate it however they wanted. Many wrote something about loving God on their shirt.
Several minutes into this very chaotic process, I heard my name yelled from some of the team members. I headed over to where they were passing out shirts to find several of them with a look of fear in their eyes. I asked what was wrong. They held up their hands saying, "We are running out of shirts! We don't have enough!" ... WHAT? I could not understand HOW we could be out of shirts - we had counted them several times - 140 shirts! Then I noticed kids continuing to come in through the double doors - and it hit me. As they street kids were being 'processed', they were being released to come into our gathering. I looked around... there were kids EVERYWHERE. All the tables were full and they were now spilling on to the floor - laboring over their shirts.
Right then, four more boys came through the door. I went to the lady in charge and told her. "We can not take any more kids. We are not going to have enough shirts!" She promised that would be all. I looked at the girls on our team and said, "Just start PRAYING!". There was a line of about 10 kids or more, still waiting to receive their shirts. I headed to the middle of the room to help with paints and again heard my name YELLED.... as I turned, this time I saw RED faces of my team members with tears flowing down! (I am crying now as I write this...) They were holding up a huge pile of shirts! "Diana, LOOK at what we just found!?!?!" SOMEHOW.... SOMEWAY.... GOD had multiplied those shirts! I still don't understand the full story. But when they started checking all the pockets and corners of those suitcases, they found a huge pile of shirts in a pocket of the suitcase holding all the paints and markers! Whether or not they had been there all along and the girls had just overlooked them... or whether they had just 'appeared'... we will never know - or need to know. All I do KNOW is that GOD provided in a major way in the dining hall at "M" on that Wednesday morning. God SHOWED UP to remind us that HIS heart is for the orphan... the lonely... the forgotten... the deserted... the broken child. HE has NOT forgotten them - because He LOVES them with an everlasting, unfailing LOVE! And as we told them that day - no matter WHAT they have done, He will always LOVE them and FORGIVE them.
We left a 'mark' on "M" that day... lots of fabric paint and markers on the tables, benches and floor of the dining hall... but the BEST 'mark' of all was the look on their faces and the pride in their eyes as they wore their new shirts.
A sign of HOPE and LOVE!
As the room was being cleaned up I headed outside. My heart overflowed as I watched activity EVERYWHERE! There was a huge group playing 'football' (soccer) with Liz and Rebecca, kids running catching frisbees, and many little ones drawing with chalk or popping bubbles as they floated in the air.
I stood there remembering just three short months ago the 'eerie' quiet of this place.
No activity. Kids just 'existing' with nothing to do.
Now... I saw only JOY and EXCITEMENT.
The JOY that we see on our own children's faces when they experience the fun of just being a kid! I walked across the yard to the wood shop. In March it was locked up and deserted. The equipment, we were told was in need of repair and there was no money to purchase supplies. As I walked through the door... again tears flowed as I watched 5 boys hard at work making furniture, doors and windows. Each one stopped and 'posed' for me to take his picture - beaming with pride over his handiwork.
I praised each of them... wishing Bret was there with me to see the progress. Thank you Lord for giving these boys an outlet. Thank you for allowing them to use the gifts and abilities YOU have given them to do something productive and feel a sense of value and worth!
HOPE.... that is the only word to describe the day!
Everywhere I turned I saw HOPE. These kids desperately NEED someone to CARE. Someone to show them that there is HOPE in Jesus Christ. That their lives can be different. Sixty Feet is doing an amazing job of bringing LIFE, LOVE and HOPE to these remand homes. I am beyond thankful that they have now partnered with Visiting Orphans to allow our teams to come in and be the 'hands and feet of Jesus' to these very lonely kids.
My heart still breaks as I think of them.
Knowing that everyday is NOT like the day we spent at "M" - but praying that many will GO to pour into their lives and give them a new direction and HOPE in Jesus!
