Today was a good and very full day. After devotions at the Gulu Cluster, we used three pickup trucks to visit our sponsored children. The lead truck took the staff, and the other two took us. We headed out around 10:00 am and returned at 7:00 pm. Charlie and Steffi met their sponsored child, Olivia, and Joan visited her sponsored child, Nancy, for the first time. They both found it a very powerful experience. Both of the girls were a little shy, but were also excited with the visit. At Nancy's home, after the gifts had been given to Nancy and her family, about six little children sang a song of welcome to us. It was sung well (Michael, you would love to have them in the children's choir!) and it was the song of welcome that the students at St. Thomas Moore School sing to us shortly after we arrive. It was quite moving and I must admit that it made me tear up.
I loved visiting the children that Beth and I sponsor. Geoffrey is a newly sponsored child and so was my first visit with him and his family. He was dressed in a charcoal gray suit when I arrive. He is a tall 8 year old and was both happy and reserved in our meeting. I received two chickens as a thank you gift from his family. I have often mentioned how generous the families are. Two chickens are a generous gift.
The last sponsored child we visited was Brenda. Beth and I started sponsoring her in 2009 and they were extremely poor with not much hope for the future. But by God's grace, the work of World Vision, and some financial support that we have given them, they are doing much better. It was my 8th visit with them so we have gotten to know one another and there is a kind of comfort level at the visits that I don't have with the children that we have sponsored more recently. Helen, Brenda's mother, is a very hard worker but shared that she has not felt well since August. She contracted malaria and apparently didn't seek medication for quite a long time. In any case, she did go to the medical clinic and is now taking an antibiotic and says that she is feeling better. After giving them their gifts, they gave me a chicken, which means that my chicken take for the day was 3. Another example of generosity.
One of the things that I try to do when I come to Gulu is visit World Vision staff that I have gotten to know and have either left to work with other NGO's or have been reassigned to a different ADP. This evening I invited the three women who worked at the Children of War center and with whom I spent a good deal of time over the course of several years to dinner. I experienced just a tiny slice of what they dealt with daily with formerly abducted soldiers and felt privileged to learn from them. So I was excited to see Dora, Christine, and Concy. I was surprised to learn that both Christine and Concy had given birth this past year: Christine has an 8 month old boy named Emmanuel and Concy has a four month old girl named Princess. It was the first child for both of them and several years ago I had prayed with Christine about her God giving her a child (I had forgotten about it and she reminded me about it). It was great to see them and learn that they are doing well.
Tomorrow we spend the day at St. Thomas Moore School and it sounds as though volleyball is on the menu. We're all looking forward to that visit!
I loved visiting the children that Beth and I sponsor. Geoffrey is a newly sponsored child and so was my first visit with him and his family. He was dressed in a charcoal gray suit when I arrive. He is a tall 8 year old and was both happy and reserved in our meeting. I received two chickens as a thank you gift from his family. I have often mentioned how generous the families are. Two chickens are a generous gift.
The last sponsored child we visited was Brenda. Beth and I started sponsoring her in 2009 and they were extremely poor with not much hope for the future. But by God's grace, the work of World Vision, and some financial support that we have given them, they are doing much better. It was my 8th visit with them so we have gotten to know one another and there is a kind of comfort level at the visits that I don't have with the children that we have sponsored more recently. Helen, Brenda's mother, is a very hard worker but shared that she has not felt well since August. She contracted malaria and apparently didn't seek medication for quite a long time. In any case, she did go to the medical clinic and is now taking an antibiotic and says that she is feeling better. After giving them their gifts, they gave me a chicken, which means that my chicken take for the day was 3. Another example of generosity.
One of the things that I try to do when I come to Gulu is visit World Vision staff that I have gotten to know and have either left to work with other NGO's or have been reassigned to a different ADP. This evening I invited the three women who worked at the Children of War center and with whom I spent a good deal of time over the course of several years to dinner. I experienced just a tiny slice of what they dealt with daily with formerly abducted soldiers and felt privileged to learn from them. So I was excited to see Dora, Christine, and Concy. I was surprised to learn that both Christine and Concy had given birth this past year: Christine has an 8 month old boy named Emmanuel and Concy has a four month old girl named Princess. It was the first child for both of them and several years ago I had prayed with Christine about her God giving her a child (I had forgotten about it and she reminded me about it). It was great to see them and learn that they are doing well.
Tomorrow we spend the day at St. Thomas Moore School and it sounds as though volleyball is on the menu. We're all looking forward to that visit!
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