Those Eyes

Nov. 27th-28th, 2007

Today we experienced something that cannot be captured by words, but maybe this picture will help. I'm referring to the eyes of the beautiful African children--eyes filled with excitement, eyes filled with joy, eyes filled with hope. I know we're here to be the "missionaries" on this trip, but I can't think of anything else that could more clearly reflect the beauty of God than the eyes of these children! Needless to say, our team was ministered to in a BIG way over the last two days.

We've been in Kayonza yesterday and today facilitating our OlympActs program. As the title infers, this is a program that combines the theme of the Olympics, with the Acts of the fruit of the Spirit. Someone on the team described our first day as "controlled chaos", and I'd have to say this was a pretty accurate description. The staff at the school provided the "controlled" part, and the rest of us probably contributed to the chaos in some ways (I know at times I felt like I was herding a large group of cats). But regardless of the disarray caused by large group numbers and the language barrier, we had an absolute BLAST and loved the kids in Kayonza! Though we were only expecting 350 kids, we had 500 arrive and they were rarin' to go! Cindi Gerkman and Karen Woolley, co-creators of our OlympActs, did a fabulous job flexing the design of their program to the needs of this large group of boisterous kids. the games were fun, but I think the highlights for most of us were the simple acts of giving out high-fives, hugging as many kids as possible, and seeing the faces of these children light up with joy.

We parked all our gear and had our meals in the Grace Home--and let me just say, this home is beautiful! Both Cindi and Craig sponsor children in the Grace Home, and on the second day they were able to take their children shopping in the village for some new clothes. Though I believe they each only paid around $36, this was enough to buy their child several outfits and new shoes. Craig described this time as one of the best days of his life.

Another part of the last two days has been visiting the homes of our sponsored children in the village. How humbled we were to be graciously welcomed into these homes. Some houses had a full cement structure; others were simply stick walls held together by red African mud. Our eyes were quickly opened to the HUGE importance of child sponsorship, as well as the great need for more sponsors. Sponsorship not only touches a child, it impacts an entire family. If you are interested in sponsoring a child or learning more about the program be sure to visit www.africanewlifeministry.org.

One visit that was particularly special was visiting Denise's sponsored child. As we walked up to the simple home, there was Angelique's grandmother (and primary care giver) sitting on a makeshift stool reading her Bible in the sunshine. Denise had taken the time to sew two beautiful quilts, one of Angelique and one for her grandmother. How I wish you all could have seen the appreciation in the eyes of the grandmother as Denise wrapped up Angelique in this beautiful handmade quilt! I don't think there was a dry eye among us as this woman hugged Denise, speaking a mile a minute about her thanks, appreciation, and praise for her Savior! LM