Uganda 2012 Journal - Part 10

Thursday 12 July 2012

Today we are at Kitoogo - a very rural village about 10km from Nango where we are staying.  A lady Pastor, whose name alas, I couldn't pick up, runs Joy Deliverance Church and school, as well as joining local council groups and running her own shop - she is a remarkable woman!

Kitoogo's amazing (and rather stylish!) Lady Pastor talks to Esther - Fred interprets

The kids here are just as poor as in Bukizibu, and perhaps have even less in terms of resources and facilities.  The church building is the made of thick sticks, overlaid with cow dung to make a strong plaster.  The roof is a simple but effective thatch, which is probably more about keeping the sun off than the elements out.

The children sang and danced for us.  Some of the songs spoke of the amazing African welcome, but still others addressed HIV/AIDS, asking the question: 'who will look after us when our parents have died?'  It's moving stuff, but again with hope and joy, both in the singing and especially in the two wee boy drummers who keep everything grooving along.  The kids also performed a play they had written concerning two girls who don't go to school, one of whom ends up pregnant while out looking for work.  Two 'doctors' then took to the stage to explain about HIV prevention.  Amazing and sad that such young kids are faced with such issues.

The children perform for us

As they brush the dust with their hands, they sing: 'who will take care of us?'

This image breaks our hearts

We played more games with the kids, and they again loved them - their teachers did too, whooping and clapping along.  'Duck, duck, goose' became 'Chicken, chicken, turkey' and the kids really enjoyed this one.  In fact, so keen are they to pick us, that I think the game could be called "Make the white person run!"  Everyone shouts 'muzungu' ('white person') at us as we drive through the villages on the way home - they genuinely seem amazed to see us.

Our games are a hit

Relay races - Ugandan kids are just competitive as British kids!

Chase the muzungu!

Music and dancing bring us all together

Tomorrow we will do a presentation as part of a programme of child advocacy campaigning out in the street in Nango.  In the evening we spent a couple of hours preparing.  I wrote a song, the young people prepared a simple teaching method with placards, and Kathryn and Sarah volunteers to give testimonies.  Sarah is just being transformed - yesterday she came and laid on hands and prayed for a sick lady - something she never would have done back home.  And now she is giving testimony!  Praise the Lord!

Tonight finished with a wonderful, wonderful time of worship and prayer with our Ugandan brothers and sisters - God's presence was very near; everyone sang and prayed spontaneous, heartfelt prayers.  Some knelt and cried.  Esther read the Pentecost story.  This 30 minutes was everything I've ever wanted Y.F. to be. GLORY!