God's blessings from Uganda

Well, I told you to stay tuned for God's blessings from Uganda, so here we go...

I have been struggling to find words for all the emotions and thoughts that I (we) experienced during our brief 36-hour visit from the Ugandan traveling choir.  Scott heard of the choir when he attended the adoption ministry conference in the fall.  You see, the choir is comprised entirely of former orphans from Uganda.  After reading more about their ministry and seeking our church's permission, Scott invited the choir to our town.

Two weeks ago, they came.  These beautiful Africans filed into our building, greeting Scott and the others there with a unison: "Hello.  How are you?" with their lyric Ugandan English accents.  They practiced for the concert, had devotions together, and even warmed up with a charming rendition of "Father Abraham" -- which I was blessed to catch a sneak peek of through a cracked door.  They joined our barbecue dinner (many thanks to my father-in-law and his famous smoker) in double file.  They finished the meal with a "thank you" speech, followed by personal hugs from each child to each host family in attendance.  Grace, Jesus, poured from their words, their attitudes, their beings.

We were blessed then, in a nearly full auditorium, to worship with them in concert.  I thought I would be a bystander, watching a concert; but truly, we worshiped together.  They -- in sharing their stories of hardships, losses, struggles to survive -- touched our hearts, pointed us to our faithful God.

And then they stayed.  But all too briefly.  Each group of two to three kids stayed with their chaperons at host homes.  We were blessed to be hosts.  That Wednesday night, so late, with two over-tired kids finally asleep in temporary beds in our home office, those two Ugandan former-orphans and their "Auntie" gifted us with their presence.  If only Rusty hadn't scared them with his paranoid, deaf barking.  If only our bath/shower drain had not kept snapping shut on them...  Well, it gave me more reason to pray that night and the next morning.  I wanted so badly to be a restful home for them.  I wanted so badly to bless them in the smallest way, as they had blessed me so immensely already.

Finally drawing them out to breakfast by 10:00 Thursday morning, we saw them briefly.  They headed back to their schoolwork for the next two hours, while my children pleaded with me to see more of them.  We had even allowed Adrianna to stay home from school to play with them.  By lunch, they were done with their work.  Oh, happy times, as Adrianna and Doris and Aisha played in the play room together.  I kept popping my head in, not wanting to interrupt, but wanting so badly to see it: this tiny American girl playing with these two Ugandans girls as if they had no difference in the world.

And then I pulled out the beads, and Adrianna had to convince them to come.  But when they got started, there was no diverting their attention.  These girls beaded as if they had been doing so for years.  As I watched their deft hands work the beads skillfully, I posed the question: "You must do this a lot in Uganda?"  "Oh no," Doris responded.  "We've only gotten to do this in America."

At last, we dragged them away from the beads -- but only after they had given each necklace and bracelet they made to Adrianna, Abel, and me.  Oh, the treasure!  And we took them to our nearby viewing spot.  By God's sweet hand, we happened to arrive there at the same time as one of the other host groups.  The Ugandans giggled, reuniting with their dear friends.  We took pictures and headed quickly back to our house for dinner.

Joy of joys, the girls and their auntie joined us for our small group at our house that evening.  What a blessing to catch a little more from them during this time.  I overheard Auntie Sheba talking to our small group leader about the concert: "It's all real.  We don't have to perform because the stories we tell are our stories, and it's all about Jesus."  Those words kept ringing in my ears.  They are still there.  It's all real.  And it's all about Jesus.

The dessert for me was prayer time.  Not only was it endearing to hear Doris's prayer request: "For my future" (and to find out later that she hopes to be a leader in her country as she grows up!), but there was more.  When Auntie Sheba prayed for me, she lifted up my request for God's help and wisdom raising Abel, as I had been struggling with Abel's defiance.  She brought me to tears.  And she asked for God's blessing on us and our family, because we had received and welcomed them.  More tears.

Then all too soon, it was over.  They left the next morning.  And I felt such tightness in my chest.  There was a constricting there like I have not known before.  I am accustomed to goodbyes with my family, who live far away.  But goodbyes with new loved ones, loved ones I didn't know I loved just two days before... Goodbyes with these sweet souls I would probably never see again in this world...  Who would go on to the next house and the next, and maybe not really remember this visit.  These were goodbyes I was not prepared for.  Oh, what beautiful souls.

Talking with another host, I found that my feeling was not unique.  In many ways, it was embarrassing to have these Africans visit.  Our lush, overfilled homes.  Our excess.  Our ingratitude.  All they had was thankfulness, a tremendous depth of joy, fullness, passion.  All they had was dependence on Jesus.  They knew what they came from and where they had been.  They knew their need of a Savior each moment of each day.  No, they were not perfect.  But they come from backgrounds of poverty, abandonment, loss.  And they are grateful.  If anyone in all the world ever had a reason to complain, would not it be these beautiful children??  And yet they are not the ones complaining.  We are.  I am.

And still I deal with it more, and again.  This disease of entitlement, ingratitude that comes creeping back, like a fetter bound, trailing behind me.  Father, forgive me, and continue transforming me.

Comments

Hi guys!!!
Reading this post was very special. I got to see this (I think) choir about 3 or 4 years ago and was more than impressed by their cheerful spirit. I don't want to sound cheese but, I had to hold tears when I read this, I would've loved to share our home with this children. That's quite a blessing you guys got!!
Well sorry back to work, miss you guy!!
AH said…
This was beautiful. Now I have go clean up the tears before I head off to school. :)
Wow!

How AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL!!! Thank you SO much for sharing this! You also have me in tears too!

What a lovely reminder of thankfulness! :)

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