Guest post from Abbie

Being the ‘newbie’ on this journey my eyes have been opened and my mouth has been shut. I feel as though I can empathize with Mary in many respects when she “cherished these things in her heart.” As I listen and watch all the children and events around me, I consume in order to take in deep the life found here. Everything is bigger here, even bigger than Texas. Just yesterday I attempted to catch a cricket, a menial task in the states- but I failed as I aimlessly swung my hands towards the red dirt. And as the cricket bounced away I believe it laughingly chirped at me.

My life up to this point has seemed so small, this I even knew before coming to Uganda. What caught me off guard was the smallness of my own eyes and heart. Joy and pain of this magnitude doesn’t give you much leeway. You either dive in or run for the hills. And I laugh as I remember; this is exactly how Jesus is to humanity. Accept Him or you deny Him-there is no room for fence sitting here in Uganda or with the Son of God.

Two days ago we traveled to one of the many IDP camps where a host of orphaned children still live meal by meal. Hundreds of faces with not so hidden pain look quickly at us in expectation. A few of these little ones are missing clothing, small portions of cassava root covered in flies and dirty from head to toe. And the thing which strikes me the most (or maybe the least?) are the missing families. No more are the parents to each of these children. And where is the help for the little boy with bowed legs and a broken foot? Just maybe I’m the answer to this prayer.

As the school children began singing for our team-the very small babies, not yet even speaking, held onto us. Never letting go, these infants’ hands gripped our legs, pants and hands. For it might have been weeks, months or even years since they have been held…

While the storm rolled in we quickly began to pack up in order to head home. Here most of the youth must walk for miles in order to go to school and tonight, walked miles simply to greet and sing to us. We began to head towards the van and as you walk away, the little ones holding onto me refused to let go. My heart tore in two, as I had to pry their tiny fingers away from mine. Stoic faces remained as we pulled away. In this moment my world grew bigger.