Blessed

One day this week we all decided to help out at the construction site because they had the daunting task of moving 2 large piles of bricks. The truck that delivered the bricks decided that the path to the actual site wasn’t clear enough and so they dumped the bricks further up on the hill. 10-11 of us made an assembly line and threw bricks to each other. It takes some coordination, but once the line was in sync the bricks moved fairly quickly. The hardest part was keeping pace since the bricks were heavy and depending on where you were standing you may have been receiving them on a slop or throwing them pretty far. We threw them from the original pile to the middle and then had to form our line again from our new middle pile to where the men were actually laying the bricks. At the end of the day it didn’t even look like we had made a dent in the brick pile. My body was so sore the next day. I have a lot of respect for the Duke students whose placement is the construction site, they do this type of physical labor all day everyday. 

Some of the students came to help move bricks

Every Thursday around 11am the school holds fellowship. A group of students lead praise and worship and then a young local pastor gives a short message. This Thursday, Matt (pursuing a Masters of Divinity at Duke) preached and did an excellent job. He talked about the fruits of the spirit and being sure that we are good ground for God to sow into. He learned all of the fruits in Rutoro (the local language) and the kids just loved it. It means a lot to them when foreigners put the effort forth to learn their native tongue.

Volleyball Practice

Jamie, Matt, and I were asked to coach the school’s new volleyball team. This is the first time most of the students have played volleyball and they had a game in a week! I’m not sure how the teachers expected them to be ready. I was impressed by how much the students improved each day from the beginning to the end of practice. I think their physical lifestyle helps to breed athleticism. Soccer (they call it football) is the main sport in Uganda and I’m amazed at how long they can run up and down the field. It’s fun to watch the community together in the evenings and on weekends to play sports. 

Babies caring for babies

My afternoons at Home Again (the orphanage) are still great. The kids love being held. I can’t blame them for wanting attention. I can’t imagine growing up in a house with dozens of other children and only a handful of house mothers responsible for everyone. How often do they get one-on-one attention? How often are they held? This isn’t the fault of the house mothers, it just comes with the territory of a children’s home. I previously mentioned the game a couple of us came up with called “pee or water?” Well I failed the other day. I was peed on twice in one day! That seems like a lot, but I’m sure that’s nothing compared to someone that works there all day. Once again, I have a lot of respect for anyone that volunteers full time there. It’s a joy, but it can be emotionally taxing knowing that you’re helping out, but these kids lives will remain the same when you leave. They probably won’t get half as much attention until new volunteers come. Realistically, most of them won’t be adopted and Home Again will be all they’ve ever known. I sometimes think about how different my life would have been if I was in their shoes. I had the privilege of being born into the American foster care system instead of a Ugandan orphanage and that’s made the world of a difference. Blessed is the only word that comes to mind. Through no deeds of my own I ended up where I am. I am blessed.  

Until Next Time,

*Nicole