I am nearing the end of my first week here at New Hope. I cannot believe that in less than seven weeks, I will be returning to North Carolina. Since last time, I have become a math teacher for Primary 6 and 7. The children go to school year round, with one-month breaks in between terms. I have gotten a glimpse of the daily lives of the children, and I honestly do not know how they make it through each day. They get up at four to pray and do chores before their first class at 6:30. Many mornings, the children do not get to eat breakfast before this first class, so they eat whenever the cook comes. To fully describe the concept of Ugandan time would take me more time than you’d probably be willing to take, but basically, they don’t have one. It has been quite frustrating to stick to my teaching schedule, because the other teachers do not stick to one. It is next to impossible to set up a meeting with the staff because they will not be on time. It is no big deal for someone to show up two to three hours late. Dad, this rivals you, haha, just kidding. Though I am nowhere close to fully understanding how this culture functions this way, Amy helped me start to make sense of it. She said that Americans are task-oriented people, whereas Ugandans are relationship-oriented. This means that Americans are more likely to push back time with family and friends, or other work in order to complete a task. I know that I fall victim to this often, but Ugandans are quite the opposite. They will wait until they are finished visiting with others to get to the next task. When put in these terms, I am attempting to view my time here as a Ugandan.
Thankfully, the time that I have gotten to spend with the children in class has been awesome. I have made a pact with P6 to teach them a new chant/cheer each week. We do these cheers when they successfully complete their exercises or have gotten a grasp on a new concept. Even the boys really enjoy it, so of course, this is my favorite part of class. They have no idea what cheerleading is, so I tried to explain that we are people who help bring a team to victory. I equated it to winning a game of Red Rover. J This they understand. P7 is the last grade of primary school, so after this term, they will take the big exam to determine whether of not they can proceed to secondary school. My heart goes out to this class, because they are constantly in class preparing from 6:30 – 6:30. They have a morning break, an hour lunch break, and an afternoon break, but many times they do not get to have all of their breaks. Today is Heroes Day in Uganda, so many of the children did not have a full day of school, except for P7. Every Saturday leading up to their exam, they have a test in all four classes. I understand that they need to be well prepared for their exam, but I am trying to make their learning experience fun and interesting. It is important that all of the children know that you truly care for them, which is why it is so fantastic to have volunteers teach, yet also play and bond with the kids outside of the classroom. All of the children are ‘caned’ or spanked with a narrow strip of stick if they misbehave. When I came to the realization that this was going on, I almost became sick. A lot of the time, it doesn’t seem to me like any of the children are even acting up. Understanding a different culture has been quite difficult at times this week, because automatically I want to function like an American. This morning I was starting to get frustrated with the various odors, along with the heat and living conditions, but as soon as I got to the orphanage this morning, none of my complaints matter when I see the children. They are why I am here.
“But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” ~Isaiah 40:31
This verse is hanging on Uncle Ken’s living room wall, where we eat all of our meals. I noticed it while eating lunch today, and it made me put things into perspective. I know that my strength comes from God every single day. It is easy to fall to my human failings when it comes to harping on the difference between here and home, but I cannot succumb to those negative thoughts when I think about how much God is using and shaping me here. Uncle Peter, which is a good friend of Uncle Ken, came to visit yesterday and is staying until Sunday. After lunch, Amy, Maylott, Jeffrey and I were sitting in the living room, and Uncle Peter asked us why we came to New Hope. We all gave our stories about finding New Hope, but what has stayed with me from this conversation is the unity that the children have brought to all of us. It may be somewhat selfish, but one of my main reasons for experiencing Uganda is to attempt to understand the joy that they possess. As Americans, we are taught to help those less fortunate, and teach them our ways. Now that I am here, I do not want to do that at all. They do not need all of the comforts of an American lifestyle, what they need is to know that they are cared about. The children’s basic needs are being met, and yes this is possible because of generous people who have volunteered their time and money, but this does not bring the joy that the children have. I am so overwhelmingly blessed to be able to experience the fellowship that these children share with each other daily. The older children truly parent the younger ones. They function as their own family, and are closer than any American siblings that I’ve known. It makes me miss my brothers so much. Justin, I wish you could see how the older boys aid the younger ones in sports. You would fit in perfectly the way you are such a great leader. They would love to hear about how you fix up cars and wire speakers. I cannot believe that you are graduating today!! I wish I could see you walk, but please know that I love you, even though I may not show it near enough. Christopher, the children would hang on to your every word. They love to have male volunteers come. I guess it is the void of a male authority figure in their life.
“Shout unto God with a voice of triumph” ~Hillsong
As far as music goes, I am starting to write down lyrics to the songs that I teach the kids. Olivia especially loves music, and she is such a joy to be around. It is absolutely endearing to hear her hum “Waves of mercy, waves of grace” or the chorus of David Crowder’s “Undignified.” I must constantly be thinking of new songs to teach. Today during the morning break, Olivia and I sang “Lean on Me” perhaps thirty times, along with “Do-Re-Mi” and “Waves of mercy” (which for the life of me, I cannot remember the name to that song). I also explained what David Crowder meant when he sang about being ‘undignified.’ I believe that she understood what I was talking about. I think I’m going to introduce the children to Hillsong tomorrow. Apart from my music, I love learning their Lugandan songs. Most are set to games, which are played while holding hands in a circle while one person skips around the inside and chooses another. It’s identical to “Little Sally Walker,” but with much cooler words. I am probably going to butcher this spelling, but phonetically it sounds like this. “Simba ne na ne kelele, ke, kelele kelele een-ya een-ya kelele kelele nya-oos.” It is so much fun to sing! I have a video of it from yesterday. I cannot wait to see how the music program continues to develop in the next few weeks.
“Rid me of myself, I belong to You” ~Hillsong
This has been my greatest struggle this week, getting over myself in order to more fully submit to God’s will, which is why I must tell you about my new Beth Moore Bible study. I love taking her with me places! It is called “Believing God,” and this week, I have focused on “four motivations for a life of believing God.” It has focused on the incomparable power that God gives to those who believe, that we were made for God’s pleasure, and through faith we please God, which is our highest goal, and how important our faith is to God. I need this study to remind me that I cannot focus on my selfish ambitions and myself in general while I’m here. Just now, as I am writing this and singing along to Hillsong, a few of the children came to my window simply to thank me for singing. How precious are they? They astound me, and I cannot wait to show you all pictures and videos of them. One of my girls in P6, Barbara, wrote me a letter this week. She just wanted to let me know that she loved me and that “[my] love has made [her] happy.” Relationships matter so much, and God is absolutely turning my world around in respect to this concept. I cannot wait to get to know these children better, because they are so loving and welcoming. In fact, the town in general is extremely welcoming, every time we walk anywhere, all of the little children crowded alongside the road shout out “muzungu, how are you?” Muzungu is Lugandan for ‘foreigner.’ This culture is very blunt, so they call you out like they see it, literally. It is not a surprise for someone to refer to another as “the fat one” or “the lame one.” They are not insults, merely fact. It has taken a while to get used to, but it actually makes sense somewhat. I am learning so much about American culture, simply in contrast to Ugandan. I cannot wait to update you about life here, please do the same with me! I miss you all immensely!
See you soon! Lots of love! May God bless you greatly!
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