Today was one of those days. When I woke up, I just didn’t want to get out of bed. I couldn’t find the motivation or the energy. I felt so weak. I was thinking about home and how much I missed my family and friends. I haven’t had very many of those days since I came back to Uganda in May, but today I was really feeling homesick. I was fighting the depression and just tried to focus on the great memories of my family. That was working pretty well, but I just didn’t want to get up. I turned on my Ipod and started to listen to the radio, to try to get my mind off things, but then Duane came in the room and told me that I needed to get up as they had a job for me. He told me that I was to go with Mama Sarah and Tom (our Boda-Boda driver) into the Village to start interviewing families to find needy children who will be attending our new school in February.
I knew this was going to be a job that I would be doing, as Sherry and I had talked about it a few days ago, but I didn’t think it was going to be today. I just wasn’t feeling it today. I just wanted to stay in bed all day and dream of home. Duane told me that Sherry asked me to go with Mama Sarah today so I could take pictures as she interviewed the families.
As I dragged myself out of bed, I just kept thinking that I’d rather just crawl back into bed and stay there all day. I really don’t know why I was feeling like this today, but I just felt exhausted and drained. I opened my devotion book and read the September 2nd devotion. It started out saying “LIVING IN DEPENDENCE ON ME is a glorious adventure.”
It went on to say “When you depend on Me continually, your whole perspective changes. You see miracles happening all around, while others see only natural occurrences and coincidences. You begin each day with joyful expectation, watching to see what I will do. You accept weakness as a gift from Me. Knowing that My Power plugs in most readily to consecrated weakness. You keep your plans tentative, knowing that My plans are far superior. You consciously live, move, and have your being in Me, desiring that I live in you. I in you and you in Me. This is the intimate adventure I offer you.”
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 “But He said to me “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Oh yes, I am so weak. But, His grace is sufficient for me! He is strong!
Sarah and I climbed up on Tom’s Boda, leaving GRACEland around 12:00 p.m. We headed toward the village of Luwunga, and we made our first stop just a little-ways down the road from GRACEland. When we arrived, there was an eleven-year-old girl watching her two younger brothers and one younger sister.
She told us her mother had gone into town with her baby sister. She was preparing lunch for the kids on their charcoal stove. Mama Sarah interviewed this young girl and asked her about her schooling and about her siblings’ schooling.
We found out that the two younger brothers started school quite late, so they were chronologically much older than the grade they attended. These were exactly the kind of situations that we were looking for. It looked like these two may be the first candidates for our new school!
We ended up visiting a total of 12 families today. We drove off the main road on a two track trail, far back into the bush, to find the most-needy families that we could find. I have to tell you, I enjoyed every single minute of it! Thank you Jesus!!
What started out to be a rotten day ended up being a glorious adventure! When I prayed this morning, I asked God to give me the strength and motivation to do whatever He had in store for me. I depended on Him and my whole perspective changed. I changed my mind-set to have joyful expectations, and He showed me that His plan was far more superior than my plan (of staying in bed today).
Today was by far one of the most enjoyable days that I have had here in Uganda. I have wanted to visit homes in the villages and to see how the people live day to day. What a great experience it was to meet so many wonderful people. Although we came across some really sad situations, it was still a wonderful day and so much fun. The people here are so sweet and they love to have visitors. It’s always a surprise for them to see a Mzungu drive up on a Boda-Boda, and the kids get a kick out of seeing a white person. It is the first time for many of them to see a Mzungu and the very small children are usually very scared. After a few minutes, however, and after taking their pictures, they warm up to us. They also love to hear the music on my notepad. I try to get them to dance, and they laugh at me, when I try to dance like they do. It always puts a smile on my face. This is my passion! God has given me a heart for children & every time I have an opportunity to be with them, I am full of joy!
I thank God today that my plans were tentative and His plans were SUPERIOR! I thank God that He lives in me! I thank God that I am weak and He is strong, so that I depend on Him for everything.
The beautiful children in the above photos will soon be wearing brand new purple uniforms and enjoying 2 hot meals a day, as they start their first experience of being in school.
On MissionFinder, we have 1,000 ministries offering opportunities like this to serve at home and around the world. Sharon Fairbotham’s mission trip was hosted by Loving One by One Ministries. For more information how you can sponsor these and other children who will be attending school in February at New Creation Centre, GRACEland please visit Loving One by One Ministries.
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