Beyonce, Christmas in January, and TRUST.

 “Dance.” “Cheza.” “Myel.” Those are three words that have the same meaning all in different languages (English, Swahili, and Luo/Acholi respectively). One of my absolute favorite things about Africa is how everybody LOVES to dance! And since I love to dance as well, it becomes a perfect way to communicate and bond with another person that does not speak the same language. It has been a theme for me these past few days!

Snapshots from the past few days:

1) I’ve been visiting the girls’ rescue home A LOT! I have been able to teach them a lot of fun games and fun ways to exercise… what’s the best way to exercise you may ask?!?! DANCING. It’s a perfect scenario- all of the Ugandan girls in the home love to dance and so do I! SO, I had the opportunity to teach them Beyonce’s “Move Your Body” dance! Beyonce created the dance as a fun way to get kids to exercise! I can not even tell you how amazing it was for me to teach them this dance and see them pick up on it so quickly! It was such a fun way for me to bond with the girls. It absolutely was filmed- so be looking for it soon! So since I had taught them an American dance, I asked them to teach me Acholi tribal dances! Let’s just say these girls KNOW HOW TO MOVE! We put away my ipod and they whipped out their drum. They tied a piece of fabric around my waist and explained that all the women during the tribal dances wear them around their hips! THEN they started moving in ways I never have before! Hahaa! But surprisingly, I was able to pick up on some of the movements pretty quickly- thanks to 17 little helpers! But I did make sure that that dance lesson was NOT filmed! It remains in my head as a sweet memory! Hahaa! I can’t wait for you all to see the video of the girls dancing to “Move Your Body”!

Dancing to "Move Your Body!"- Video to come soon :)

2) Some of my favorite memories are the sweet memories that haven’t been filmed… they happen spontaneously when I get home from a long day, and my three sweet little housemates greet me (5 yrs, 2 yrs, 1 yr). Before I can even set down my backpack they say “Myel! Myel! Auntie Em Myel!” So we all spend another hour dancing in the little kitchen.

Stephen and Sarita! Two of my sweet housemates- who LOVE to dance! They bring me such JOY! 

3) On Friday night we were able to go to one of Brittany’s friend’s houses. She hosts a “Mexican Night” every Friday night. It was basically a little hang out of 20 or so other white people my age (basically all the white people in Gulu). We were able to talk about our weeks and all of the different organizations we are involved in. It was much needed!

4) On Saturday we had the girls’ Christmas party! It was pushed back into January so that the volunteers who went home to the states for Christmas were able to be here for it. It was so fun! We played tons of games with the girls and filled stockings for each one of them with a stuffed animal and some sweets. And then they all received a used Barbie doll, pair of shoes, and dress. It was amazing… but it was also really hard. As I saw how each of them clung to their doll they received, and how grateful they were for it, I could not help but think of many of the American girls their age who have tubs full of those same dolls and do not have a fraction of their appreciativeness. It broke my heart a little… and then as they tried on their used shoes/dresses… trading with the other girls if some did not fit properly… a few of the girls felt that they did not look “smart” (their term for “pretty/beautiful”) in their dresses. That was also really hard… the aunties did an amazing job though in that moment addressing the girls’ attitude and stressed how important it was to be thankful… but I wanted more than anything for them to feel pretty! All in all, it was a super fun day of dancing, gifts, and treats (like soda during dinner!). I also was able to teach the girls the song “Jingle Bells.” They had never heard it before!

The girls playing with their new gifts! So excited! 

5) Church this Sunday was so incredible. I cannot express to you in words the joy that seeps out of them as they worship. The room is basically set up with the worship team up front (six or so people just up front singing with one acoustic guitar and one African drum), plastic chairs in the middle, and then a huge open space in the back of the room. There are two to maybe three times the amount of kids than adults! During one of the upbeat, African worship songs- where I did not know exactly what they were saying- but it didn’t matter! Worship comes from the heart, so I made it my own! I am standing there clapping along, and a girl about 12 or so comes up to me, grabs my hand and says, “come and dance!” She then pulls me to the back of the room where there are tons of kids running, dancing, clapping, and singing- ALL FOR THE JOY OF THE LORD. I have such a better picture of Psalm 149:3, “Let them praise His name with dancing…” The joy in that moment was divine. Once again, dance bridged a gap between two girls of different nations- worshipping the SAME God. A time of tithes/offerings then followed worship. A little boy stood up front with a bucket as people came up to the front and dropped some money in. The person praying said something that stuck with me, “we give not because we have much, but because You ask us to.” What amazing obedience to their Lord that is driven by their deep love for their Savior.

Offering at church. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." 

6) Morning devotionals/worship with the Imani women have been amazing! It is so moving to see these women transition from singing into prayer and back into singing- because it is all the same- it is all worship. Usually one of the Zion Staff gives the morning devotional. Brittany came to me this morning and told me that the woman who was supposed to do it (Zion staff worker- Christine), wasn’t going to be there this morning, and asked if I would do it. I happily agreed! But I was a little bit overwhelmed… I love speaking, especially about the Word, but I did not know the women super well yet. So I prayed and asked the Lord to show me what to talk about. He then led me to 2 Corinthians 4:16 and Colossians 3:1 where it calls us to “fix our eyes on eyes on not what is seen, but what is unseen” and to “set our eyes on things above, not on earthly things.” I began to quickly pull a devotional together about having eternal perspective…. But, before we were about to begin, another staff member, Jackie, said, “Christine told me she was not going to be able to make it this morning, so she asked me yesterday to prepare a devotional for this morning.” I then told her that Brittany (unknowingly) had just asked me to prepare something when she remembered Christine couldn’t make it, but to go ahead and please share what she had prepared because I had only a few minutes to get my thoughts together, and I could share later in the week! So we sat down in a circle, spent time worshiping and praying, and then Jackie got out her bible and said, “The word this morning will be coming from Colossians 3:1.” I JUST ABOUT DIED. I couldn’t believe it…. Well I could- our God the Great I AM! She then talked about setting our eyes on heaven and remembering when things get tough to focus on our inheritance in heaven. I had tears in my eyes the whole time. Then at the end, as is custom, Jackie asked if anyone wanted to share anything or if anyone had any prayer requests… one of the women, Christine (not to be confused with Zion Staff worker Christine), then recounted this story (told in Swahili and then translated):

Christine- One of the Imani women

“I would like to share a bit of my testimony. The word Jackie brought this morning really resonated with me. There are times in this life that are very hard. I used to go to bed at night and still be hungry. So I would go out late at night (without my husband knowing) and prostitute myself for up to 5,000 shillings (about $2) to buy food. But every night I would come home and feel so guilty as to how I was treating my body. One morning as I was praying at church I felt the Lord telling me to leave prostitution. In the following days, there was a crusade at the market. I went with my husband. At the crusade, I fell at his feet and told him everything. I was so ashamed. I told him about the prostitution. He then told me to stand up. He told me that he loved me so much and that he forgives me. Ever since then I have never gone back to prostitution and I am now able to minister and talk with women who are still involved in prostitution and share with them the light of Jesus. This life can be hard, but we have Jesus.”

I was blown away by Christine’s story. What an amazing testimony and picture of God’s grace in forgiving us dirty sinners who prostitute our own hearts multiple multiple MULTIPLE times a day.

Thank you Lord Jesus for placing Colossians 3 on both mine and Jackie’s hearts… it’s exactly what the women needed to hear. It’s exactly what I needed to hear. 

ALSO, HUGE PRAISE: In the middle of our worship time this morning, a woman that no one recognized came in the gate and started to worship with us. At the end of the worship/devotional time, one of the staff workers told me that that was one of the women that we had prayed with out in the community last Wednesday! She happened to be walking down the road and heard our singing worship from the road as she passed our compound. Recognizing the name on the sign as the name that we had shared with her before praying for her, she came in and worshipped with us. Before she left she wanted to know the time we started each morning so that she could come back! AHH PRAISE GOD! He is so good! Be praying for our outreach again tomorrow! 

7) I have absolutely LOVED getting to know the girls better at the rescue home! I love seeing more and more of their personalities every day! But the more I get to know them, the harder their stories and histories become. These girls do not merely represent numbers within sex trafficking statistics. These numbers are the faces of sweet girls I love.

Sweet Naomi, who gives the best hugs: Ran away from an abusive home only to find herself trapped within a group of bad children “because they used to force her to have sex with them and when she said she didn’t want to they would beat her.”

Sweet Espe, who has the biggest smile: says that “some boys would come in groups at night and would sleep with me and it would hurt so I would cry and would tell my mom but she would only beat me.”

Sweet Alloyo, who loves to dance: Her dad used to call men over to rape her… she was only seven. 

Sweet Nancy, who is an amazing leader: A young man caught her on her way home from selling tomatoes when she was 13 and raped her. She became pregnant, found Zion Project, and with much love, counseling, and prayer, changed her mind from wanting an abortion to wanting an adoption for her future child.

I could go on, but I absolutely can’t. My heart hurts too much. You can read more of their histories/stories before coming to Zion Project here: 

http://zionproject.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/49131683/Zion%20Project%20Children%20Sponsorship%20Cards.pdf

I don’t tell you these stories to make you feel guilty or overwhelmed with sadness. I tell you these stories so that your heart can begin to break in the way the Lord’s breaks for these sweet daughters of His. I tell you these stories so that you aren’t solely praying for the “number” of those women and children trapped in sex trafficking to decrease (as I used to)- but so that you can pray specifically for “Naomi, Espe, Alloyo, Nancy, Jolly, Dorrine, Charlotte, Mercy, Jackie, Gloria, Alfosina, Charlie, Vero, Anita, Janet, Fatuma, and Lucy” – BY NAME.

Me with a few of the girls! Holding them close!

The good news is that through the Lord’s work at Zion Project- these girls have been rescued from their former lives. They have been introduced to Jesus Christ and have the opportunity to go to school… but there is a long road of healing ahead of them.

In talking with Brittany and Hailey, I confess to being so upset sometimes internally when I go over to the house to play and love on the girls. I see their sweet eyes, booming personalities, and big smiles and get SO UPSET AND ANGRY that they were taken advantage of… and in those moments, I’m reminded that I’m not alone in my heartbreak… “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in Spirit” (Psalm 34:18).

            My God is a God that knows EXACTLY what it feels like to see someone He loves, His own son, beaten, abused, mocked, and killed. He is a God who hates injustice and who is a righteous judge. He is a God who formed each of those girls in their mother’s womb. He is a God who has a plan and a purpose for each of them far greater than I could ever imagine. And though these promises are easy to believe in my head- in those moments, they are very hard to believe in my heart.

As I travel down the dirt roads everyday here, I see a beautiful country and people that I love. But I also see a country and a people that is picking up the pieces from a devastating war that displaced hundreds of thousands, ripped apart families, and left thousands of children and adults traumatized. One of my boda drives the other day randomly affirmed to me, “Yes, Gulu is finally safe now.” Gulu was a very different town a few years ago… it was a warzone.

I feel like every moment of every day, as I become overwhelmed by an abundance of brokenness, I have to learn to whisper to my Lord, while truly believing it in my heart, “I trust You.” Those three words have such a deeper meaning for me now.

In Summary: Stay tuned for the video of the girl’s dancing to Beyonce’s Move Your Body dance.. and MAYBE me doing Acholi tribal dances; Dancing during church is the BEST; I absolutely LOVE it here; and PRAY for the girls at the rescue home and Northern Uganda.

Arms high and heart abandoned,

Em

p.s. Did I mention that it was hot here!? Because IT IS. I am here during Africa’s “dry” season (AKA SUMMER) and I really think it gets hotter everyday! But don’t worry mom, I’m not sunburned at all!

p.p.s. I SERIOUSLY TEARED up when I heard my boys (THE RAVENS) are in the SUPERBOWL! AHHHHHHHH. I AM SO EXCITED. However, the one superbowl that my Boys are in and that my girl (BEYONCE) is doing the halftime show for, I will be flying over Europe during my long trek home! CHEER LOUD FOR ME PLEASEEEEEEE!