Hey everyone! We are having an amazing time in Uganda, experiencing God’s power amongst our team and in the lives of so many African people so far on this trip. I just wanted to share a little bit with you today about what specific ministries we are participating in today.
What are we doing today in Uganda?
Well, today is much like yesterday at Hope because we are painting again. Now, rather than painting the bars on top of the wall, today we are painting the inside of the office building on Hope property: this is where CDI performs their office tasks to ensure the work continues to thrive. Allow me to take you on a tour of Hope Children’s Village for just a minute.
Imagine you are walking down a dirt road just outside the main city area of Soroti. A white, brick wall with red, iron bar fencing on top will appear in front of you with the sheet metal tops of buildings just beyond. As you come through the large iron gate you will see a quaint little dirt driveway sidelined by small shrubs and painted bricks. On either side you will notice a grassy field; on the left, near the outer wall the field is populated by brightly painted playground equipment: slides, swings, and a merry-go-round! At the back of the field, painting animals on the wall under a pop-up canopy tent is Pam Gates, a brilliant artist! The animals have each a corresponding character trait to teach and the government of Uganda requires these types of lessons be on the wall and always before the children’s eyes.
If you head to the main building, the only finished structure on the property aside from the pit toilets to your left, you will see people sorting through packets of seeds to distribute in a village. As you enter the first room you will see all manner of supplies and people cutting and sorting craft materials for children’s ministry. Walk down the hall to the tune of echoey voices and the scrapes of brushes against the walls. That’s me and the crew painting the rooms. We lay down three coats of primer with small brushes and rollers, then lay down the paint; three different colors: one for the trim, one for the ceiling, and one for all the remaining surface area.
That’s the gist of the day from inside the walls of the office. Going outside later in the day there will be thirteen young children playing games and being taught about God during the VBS program Abigail Allen, Marisa Yarber, and Rachel Allen put together. It’s just another average day at Hope!
Later in the day we made paper airplanes for the Hope kids and a flurry of multicolored cardstock filled the air as we played catch with them.
Sam, our main contact in Uganda has two young children and his wife’s name is Ruth. Sam and Ruth have been expecting a baby to be born this week and it was born today! The baby is healthy and fine but they won’t tell us what they named it until the team meets tonight.
So happy for them and it’s a tremendous encouragement that keeps us inspired to serve!
Tomorrow promises to be much like today, but we look forward to seeing Vicki!
For more information on Hope Missions International 2016 trip to Uganda, visit us on Facebook! Search the #HMIUganda16 for posts from the team, and follow my personal blog: theanonymousnovelist.com!
–Jared Allen