Outreach, Sisters, and the Meaning of Beauty

I can’t believe it has been a week since I have last posted! I tried to describe to someone recently how time feels to me… when I think about leaving this Sunday, this month seems like it has FLOWN by… but when I think about the time spent here, it has felt like it has been a year!

Snapshots of the week:

- I had mentioned last week briefly about the women’s outreach last Wednesday, but I’d love to go into more detail. As we went out into the local slums, one of the Imani women took us to this one woman who was really struggling. When we came up to her she was sitting outside of a mud hut that was not hers. She seemed uncomfortable with all of us being there. We soon found out that she rarely “comes out” into the community… rather she stays in the mud hut because she is ashamed of her situation. Her husband had left her some time ago and she was left caring for her children. However, she had no mud hut, no food, no clothes, and no job. A lot of people are lacking here in Uganda, but this was the first time I encountered someone that literally had nothing. Our Imani women then further encouraged her to come out to church, but she explained that she didn’t even want to do that because she didn’t have any “church clothes” to wear. She explained that her and her children just rotated between different people’s mud huts in the community. We then began to pray for her.  We laid hands on her, and all of us began praying at once over her. Our prayers became louder and louder and I truly felt the Spirit’s presence! After we said “Amen,” our Imani women immediately stood up and explained to us that they were going to take her to their huts and give her some of their food… from the little they had. I was moved to tears. This verse was lived out right in front of my eyes, without a second’s hesitation:

"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me...Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me."- Matthew 25: 35-36, 40

It was hard to transition after that that day… how do you move on with the rest of the day? SHE IS STILL THERE. SHE IS STILL STRUGGLING. SHE IS STILL HURTING.

I can go and give her more food and clothes, but that is only a temporary band-aid over the situation… when I leave or when funds run out… SHE IS STILL THERE. SHE IS STILL STRUGGLING. SHE IS STILL HURTING.

All I can do is continue to pray, offer up my heartbreak to the Lord, serve in whatever way I can here and now, and continue to trust Him.

A "step above" the typical/usual one-room mud huts. Living in these types of houses is a HUGE blessing! 

- I was able to briefly visit Invisible Children’s MEND office located right here in Gulu one day during lunch. Invisible Children played a huge part in breaking my heart for what broke the Lord’s heart here in Northern Uganda when I was in middle and high school- when the LRA was still active here. Just this past semester at school, before even knowing that I would be coming to Uganda, I purchased a bag through Invisible Children’s MEND program. This program employs 22 seamstresses. 14 of these 22 seamstresses were formally abducted by the LRA and used as sex slaves. All 22 women were vulnerable and exploited in some way. Now they are employed by Invisible Children and sew bags. Within each bag is a piece of leather stamped with the woman who made the bag’s name, story, and thumbprint. When I first walked in with my bag on my shoulder, all the women squealed with excitement and ran over to check who made it! I was able to meet Evelyn and tell her how much I love the bag and how I bring it every day with me to work when I go to clinicals at the hospital. The pride these women feel about their work was absolutely amazing to witness and it reminded me of Zion's Imani women and their jewelry. What an amazing, unexpected blessing to be able to meet the woman who worked so hard to make my bag and whose life is changed through employment by Invisible Children's MEND!

Evelyn and I with our bag!

- On Saturday, a team of six people from a church in Virginia arrived. They are here serving for one week! It has been super different having a team here, but it has been really amazing and such a blessing! One of the women told me that after observing me greet, hug, and socialize with people at church that she assumed I had been here for WAY longer than I actually have been. That warmed my heart! I feel the exact same way. The church I went to this past Sunday was different than the other 2 Sundays. Because the team was here, we went to the church that the girls go to! It was amazing seeing these girls worship. I know I say that a lot… but considering their traumatic pasts- watching these young girls close their eyes and sing and pray to the Lord with such joy despite their past circumstances is SO moving.

This scripture was alive right in front of my eyes- “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”- Philippians 4:11-12

Why does it seem that whenever something goes wrong, we as American Christians tend to run away briefly and doubt God before we realize, AGAIN, that He really does have it all under control?

Yet these girls, NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, run even harder to Him.

Chills.

We all piled into the truck to go out for outreach!

- On Monday, with some people from the team, we went out to a local medical clinic and surrounding community to do outreach with the girls. Since there were 17 girls, 4 team members, and me, Brittany, and Hailey going- we split into three groups. Brittany, Hailey, and I each led a group with a designated older girl who would act as the translator for us. My group went into the pediatric “Ward” (aka one room with 2 beds) to pray- since pediatrics is my favorite. It was amazing to see Lucy (only 13 yrs old) step up and approach the families and ask if we were able to pray for them. Lucy was able to translate for me as I conversed with the families, and then we all laid hands on the kids and prayed for healing. We all pray out loud at once here in Uganda and then one of the girls is chosen to close in prayer. When we were praying for the last patient, the youngest one in our group, Gloria (only 7), closed us in prayer. It was beautiful. As she prayed in Swahili, I couldn’t help but notice the confidence and fervency with which she prayed. She knew exactly to Whom she was praying to. When we got up to leave, Lucy stayed back and spoke in Swahili to the little boy, our last patient. I asked her what she said, and she told me, “I told him that God loves him and that He is the best doctor- He is the ultimate healer.” That was straight from her heart with no initiation other than the Holy Spirit’s prompting! I was such a proud Auntie!!!! As we were walking out of the clinic, it hit me- we just walked into random patients’ rooms and prayed for them---- that would NEVER happen in America with all of the HIPPA rules/regulations that are in place.

BUT WHY NOT?!

After leaving the clinic we traveled to the same community that we outreached with the Imani women. The girls knew a lot of people within the community- some of them grew up there- so I allowed them to lead my group and choose where they wanted to pray. We “happened” to run into the SAME WOMAN who we prayed for earlier that week with the Imani women- the one who had absolutely nothing. As we came up to her I noticed that the look on her face was completely different- she wasn’t sitting alone by herself- she was sitting next to two other women- and she was smiling! PRAISE GOD. We were able to pray over her again!

Watching the girls get so excited running from hut to hut to pray for those in their community warmed my heart. These girls love to talk to their Savior and give back to their community!

I can't properly explain the power felt when we are out either outreaching with the girls or with the women. I heard it once said by both John Piper and Louie Giglio that "if you feel like God is distant it could be that He's on mission over here and you stayed here"- MEANING that God tells us that His heart and mission is in making disciples from "here to the nations"- I've learned that obeying His call- REALLY obeying His call- and going out across the street and into our communities with the desire to make disciples allows us to experience Him in a very intimate way. 

-So I mention my three little housemates (5 yrs old, 2 yrs old, and 1 yr old) a lot. But this is their mom- Janet. The oldest 2 kids are biologically hers and she is currently caring for the youngest one. I love to sit with her and her kids at night when I get home and laugh and dance. Recently we discovered that we are both 21, which made us feel even more like sisters! But my heart hurts. Here are two 21-year-olds from two completely different worlds living in the same little house. One grew up in America, has no children, and is about to receive her college degree. The other grew up in Uganda during one of the most violent wars in the history of Africa. She has two children- each with different fathers- the first was killed by the LRA rebels and the second she left because he had multiple, multiple wives. She is one of the hardest working women I know… and she is an amazing mother! Though we come from 2 different worlds and speak 2 different languages- we are still two 21-year-old young women who both love the same Jesus. I’m going to miss her so much.

Again… another moment that I don't fully understand and where I have no other choice but to whisper, “I trust You.”

My sister Janet and I! 

-Today I was able to spend some time by myself with the girls talking to them about body image/self worth and seeing themselves as God sees them. There was this song that I played them called “Measure of Beauty.” I printed out the lyrics so that they could read them while they listened. However as soon as the song began, they all started SINGING the words. They had NEVER heard that song before and they didn't know how it went, but that didn't stop them from singing, “Jesus, give me eyes to see the way that You measure beauty.” It was such a sweet, sweet moment that I will NEVER forget.

The girls and I after our talk about the real meaning of beauty! 

Sweet Aloyo and I

This week has been full with sweet moments with the girls. I LOVE THEM ALL SO MUCH. They bring my heart such joy. I care for them so deeply! But it has been so hard recently since they know and I know that I am leaving soon. It’s little moments like this that KILL ME:

Aloyo- “I don’t want you to leave.”

Me- “I don’t want to either.”

Aloyo- “Then why are you?

Sweet Jolly and I

          Or moments like this: Jolly and I are sitting next to each other watching the other girls play Frisbee, she quietly puts her arm around me and says, “Don’t leave Auntie.” 

What do I say?! We just sit there silently for a little bit with our arms around each other communicating without saying anything- we don’t need to- we both know. Our hearts hurt. 

This feels so much like home. These girls feel like family- and they always will be- no matter how far we are. Please be praying for my transition this next week. I can’t even think about it without tearing up. I just want to hug them and never let go! But I have been trusting in the Lord hard these past few days in the fact that I fully believe and know with all my heart that I am here purposefully "for such a time as this" (Esther 4:14)- not longer or shorter.

"Mamas" and their girls

Near the end of the day today the girls dressed us Aunties up in the traditional wear- after they finished, they all exclaimed- “You look like Mamas!”

Most “older” women wear similar things on their heads, and most “older” women are Mamas with children. So we looked “older,” "like mamas." But for Brittany, Hailey, and me it struck deeper than that. We felt like Mamas in that brief moment- and these were our girls.