Uganda: Days 7 & 8

Hi everyone,

The rain just stopped here in Jinja after a 2-hour downpour.  I'm back at the guest house, drinking spicy African tea and enjoying a quiet afternoon.  After more than a week of full days, our team is taking time to rest this afternoon.  We spent the morning at Amani, working on a few tile projects and sharing some great gifts with the kiddos.  Now it's down-time until dinner this evening.

Several of the women's groups and sewing groups at FPC donated dozens of hand-made outfits for the boys and girls at Amani.  Laurel and Beth helped dress each cottage of children in these wonderful new clothes.  A few of the highlights from the 'fashion show' (as we took to calling it) are below.  Many thanks to all of you who sewed and stitched and made wonderful dresses, shirts, and shorts for Amani's kids.

Yesterday, we reached a point in the tile projects when we ran out of some supplies and made a run to town for more materials.  I stayed at Amani while the rest of the team went on the shopping run, and while they were gone, we had a bit of fun.  About a dozen American college student volunteers, a few Ugandan staff members, the orphanage director, and myself took on the task of moving a huge tree we had felled earlier that day.

Now here's where it's good to be reminded of the difference between an African mentality and an American one.  When I saw the felled tree, I thought to myself, "Perfect.  More firewood."  The orphanage director (who helped found Amani ten years ago and serves faithfully to this day) said to us, "Perfect.  A new playground."  We hauled the tree - about the size of a pickup truck - from one side of the yard to the other and placed it in a small grassy area near the children's cottage.  It was a big effort, but as we've seen over and over again on this trip, having a quality team around you makes all the difference.

When the kids woke up from their naps, they immediately jumped all over the huge fallen tree / new playscape.  At one point, so many kids were climbing on it that someone remarked, "Wow - the tree looks like it's alive again."

Finally, I'd like to introduce you to my friend - Big John.  He's 14 months old.  Everyone who has come to Amani before me has found "their guy/gal" from among the babies, and I think John's my guy.

He's very small for his age, and he does have a few conditions that the staff at Amani are working to identify and resolve.  I'm not sure exactly why I'm drawn to him, but for some reason, he's special to me.  More than a few kids at Amani will capture your heart should you decide to come here with us next year, and for me, Big John will always be the first kiddo I felt drawn to when I walked into this special place.

Only a few more days here before we head home!  Crazy.

Thanks for praying for us and supporting us along the way.

Shalom,

Travis