The Joy and the Heartache

It was such a happy time to come back to Smile after our time in Jinja and being able to hug all my little buddies again. The past week has been full of joyous moments, frustrating moments, and heartbreaking moments.

Some of the joyous moments:

·         There was a crusade for three days from 4:00-7:00 put on by a mission team from Australia. I brought a handful of the kids that live at Smile, and they loved the worship and the dramas.  

·         I finally brought out the bubbles this week, and it was one of the best parts of my day! The kids have such a look of joy and wonder when I blow them, and of course they all go crazy trying to pop them.

·         We went to a men’s prison yesterday and gave the message. We talked about the armor of God and being a good soldier for Christ. About 15 men decided they wanted to commit their lives to Christ, which was exciting! Only God knows their hearts, but please be praying for these men as they embark on the incredible journey of faith.

• Laughing with precious Roberto... isn't he adorable?!

·         Coloring with the kids who live at Smile… they LOVED being able to use the markers!

·         Reading Bible stories in the classrooms at Smile and being able to share about God’s love for them.

• When Alupot sees me, he stops, gets this funny little grin and crazy look in his eyes, then runs full force towards me and jumps in my arms. One of the best parts of my day!

Alupot... I just love this boy.

• Habuchi and I have a silly little smile that we share with one another. It brings my heart such joy!

Some of the frustrating moments:

·         The kids can be very violent towards one another, especially if they’re fighting over having a muzungu hold them. One day, I was holding Peter, and Habuchi hit him with a stick. Of course Peter started bawling, and trying to cheer him up, I wrote, “I love you” on his hand with a marker. Terrible idea!!! I soon had 50 kids shoving their hands in my face, wanting me to write on their hand. I tried to form a makeshift line, and I started writing “Jesus loves you” on their hands. Meanwhile, more kids shove their hands in my face, fights are breaking out in front of me, the kids are shoving the ones who are first in line, a kid is crying non-stop right next to me, and kids were braiding my hair into knots. As I’m writing “Jesus loves you” on their hands, I’m shouting “HAPANA!” (which means no in Swahili… one of the most useful words I’ve learned here), and I may have even told a kid to shut up… thankfully they don’t understand English. I think one of the biggest things I’ve learned while at Smile is my own inadequacy and my own sinful nature. I am amazed that Christ chooses to use me despite my own failings and my own petty frustrations. And when I am at the end of my rope, He gently reminds me to lean upon Him, and He will be my strength. When I was about to go crazy, I started singing “Jesus loves me,” which is a song the kids know, and soon they started singing with me and things calmed down.

·         Sometimes, I get very frustrated with the school at Smile. One of the older kids was sad one day, and I asked what was wrong, and he told me their teacher just didn’t show up to class. It’s so frustrating that these kids want to learn, yet they don’t always have that opportunity.

Some of the heartbreaking moments:

·         On Wednesday, one of the boys, O.T. was sobbing. I went over to go comfort him and I saw blood dripping out of his mouth. I thought maybe he had just been hit and bit his tongue, since that has happened before, but I soon found out that his top front two teeth were knocked completely loose. Another boy had pushed O.T. into a wall, causing this to happen. O.T. will go to the dentist, and he will never again have his front two teeth. So sad. And what was almost worse was the way that the boy who did it was punished.



This is O.T. who's soon going to get those front two teeth pulled out :(



·         One of the six-year-old boys was at it again in the fields the other day (and by that, I mean that he was caught having sex with one of the other little girls). He was surrounded by people and shamed for what he had done. The thing is, he doesn’t know any better. This is only what he has seen his mom doing in the past, and to him, it’s completely normal. One of my team members, Dani, had a little talk with him the next day (using a translator), trying to TEACH him the right way of doing things.

·         Sweet little Fate has malaria. I had to hold her as she got a shot in the butt (and probably panicked more than she did!) She has not been to Smile the last couple days, which is not good because she needs to get more injections.

“So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” -1 Corinthians 3:7

Love and miss you all very much!