What do you get when you combine:
Full bag of peanut butter M & M's eaten,
About 500 bug bites up and down my legs and arms,
Mud in every crevice of my body, clothes, and shoes,
Late night laughter,
One-on-one talk, hand in hand down the street,
Rugby game while eating chicken on a stick and "sim sim",
Visit with local family bearing silly bands, soap, notebooks, and sugar,
and Praise and worship?
I'd say....A Pretty GREAT weekend!
Betty, my running partner, and I went into Kampala to meet up with a few of the girls that have left GSF for boarding school or University. We spent the weekend watching a rugby game, sitting on the bed talking all night while eating the essential girl night snack; Peanut Butter M&M's (in the perfect world it would be Almond M&M's - but as Brian Regan would say "They're both good") watching movies, and laughing. Though it rained - it did not stop the walks we all took from place to place and the opportunity I got to talk to each one of them individually throughout the weekend - to see what the Lord has done in their lives, what they are learning, what their struggles are, and where their heart is. The weekend was full of giggles and jokes as any true girls time should be; but we ended the time with talking about what we were thankful for that day. What a great way to end that weekend - to see where these girls have grown and where they place their focus.
Being thankful for His Power - is what I would say the theme for this weekend was! (next ladies retreat theme idea.....topic verse? Ephesians 1:19 - just throwing it out there!)
Betty took me to visit her family in Kampala before we met up with the girls. She wanted to check up and see how they were doing and keep the relationship up with them as she will be leaving the orphanage in December. We brought some essential gifts: sugar, oil, soap, notebooks, pencils, and of course silly bands to her uncle, 3 cousins, and brother, Gift. I have been praying for Gift every since Betty and I started running so it was great to put a face to his name! Playing pick-a-boo, tickling, hugging, and taking pictures filled my time there as Betty caught up with her Uncle.
This family lives in a two room, mud hut. There is often not enough food. The uncle cannot find work. The Aunt and Uncle are struggling in their relationship because of it all. The family is Muslim. Gift (boy pictured below in orange button up shirt) came to the house covered from head to toe in dirt from working hard. Despite all of this - the kids were still able to find joy, so much thankfulness for the little gifts we were able to bring, so much laughter in my copying the sounds they made.
I think what stands out about this weekend, though, was the conversation Betty and I were able to have after we left the house. After saying our goodbyes and taking a few family pictures, Betty and I walked to the taxi park. On our way to the house Betty shared with me her anxieties with the year to come. Betty is an S4 student (that would be the equivalent of about 10th grade - at the end of this school year all S4 students will be taking a standardized test that will decide the coarse for the rest of their life - their grades on this will determine if they can continue onto the "college" level classes: S5 and S6 or attend a technical school, or just find a job). Since she is also reaching the age of resettlement (the kids have to leave the orphanage at 18), she will be leaving GSF and starting a new life with her family hopefully attending a boarding school to finish off her secondary level classes. There is a lot riding on her right now on top of the normal teen struggles. But, as we left I was just so amazed at what she said:
Betty said that she was so thankful for the Lord's power in her life. Going to the village and visiting her family is a reminder of what her life could have been like. She is so thankful for the Lord's hand in seeing fit to give her the opportunities she has had at GSF. She realizes that the Lord has watched over her so far, so He has got the next year and years to come in His hand!
Wisdom beyond her years!
Hindsight 20/20. I always refer to Joseph when dealing with questions like "What is God doing?", "is God good?", "Where is God?". Though we can look at Josephs life and see the Lord's hand weaved throughout, Joseph did not have that luxury. All Joseph knew was that he was being sold by his brothers, that he was being sent to prison for something he didn't do, oh, and that his Heavenly Father was in control of his life - a Father who is full of mercy, grace, and love. Just like Joseph, we cannot always see what is happening, we can't see what the Lord is doing. "Why did my baby have to die?", "Why did he have to break up with me?", "Why can't I find a job?", "What am I going to do next?".....etc - all those questions are filled with doubt. Doubt in the power of the Lord. We have all faced those questions and faced the point where we had to ask ourselves what we believed about the Lord. We have to ask ourselves: Am I going to believe that He has a great plan and is working "all things for the good" even in the situation I am in at the moment? Or am I going to focus on the hardships I am facing?
Let us look back on our lives and see His hand weaved throughout each step we have taken, how He has worked good out of hardships, how He has used different people and situations to bring us closer to Him and into His will!
So when you combine all that filled our weekend, yes, you get a great wekeend - but most importantly you get thankfulness in His power! A great opportunity to remind both Betty and I of His power in our lives! Since this weekend I have had some opportunities to talk further with her on this and encourage her in keeping her focus on the Lord and not the "waves" before her!
.........."That's what it's all about"
What opportunities has the Lord given you today to invest in the eternity of another? What has the Lord done in your life recently to remind you of His power?