Werabe

Good byes are always hard, even when you know it is only a temporary goodbye. I leave Uganda in a just a few short hours - boy, time has flown by. I am so thankful for the opportunity to come and not only have an experience, but to build and grow in relationships that will last far beyond the last crayon being used, beyond the new shoes wearing out, even beyond the new school being built that will influence generations to come. Life and the people that make up that life are such a gift. People are messy, maintaining and cultivating a relationship is work, but the reward far outweighs the cost. I have learned so much by just observing Paul and Pam. They are skilled at working through misunderstandings, miscommunication, and deception at core levels. They genuinely love people, and they are amazing to watch as they engage the Ugandans through the love and truth of Jesus Christ.

Day before yesterday, on a second trip to Bukeeka, Paul, Pam, Robert, and I were walking up the road and up ahead of us was an old Jaja (grandmother) walking toward us balancing a large pole on her head. She was still a distance off, but she must have seen me pull out my camera to capture a great shot of African culture (and balance). She immediately put one hand on the pole and came at us waving her finger at me and shouting something I couldn’t understand. This was the first time I had ever had someone not want me to take a picture,(well, except for The Bridge, but that is a different story), and I immediately lowered my camera out of respect. I assumed that she did not want her photo taken because she presumably a Muslim. However, Robert interpreted and said that she was demanding money for her photo to be taken. Paul handed her a couple hundred shillings but she remained irate, continuing to scowl and wave her finger. My first inclination was to walk off and let her remain in her own little greedy, grouchy world. But Paul, recognizing that something deeper was going on, gave her a couple more coins, but she was not appeased. Pam encouraged her to be thankful for receiving the money but Jaja stood with a pout. Muttering, she stood still for half a moment as I snapped a shot but she was obviously not pleased. She continued to squawk in her native tongue and at that point Robert realized what she had no understanding of coins. In her mind, coins had never been associated with payment. Robert said that she was asking for money, and money to her was paper. Paul pulled out a paper 1000 shilling and she said “ah hah!” and smiled and instantly posed with a huge grin for her photo along side Paul. All along she thought we were holding out on her, while in fact, it was her own paradigm and that was keeping her from her blessing. By pushing through in this interaction, we had been blessed to finally understand what she was thinking and she had been blessed with a little “pocket change.”

I am sharing this because I realized that I, being a typical American, quite often don’t think I have the time to spend working through issues with difficult people who are not on the same communication wave as I am. But through this small example, I saw my own impatience and lack of skill, mirrored by Paul and Pam’s willingness to pursue root issues and help people come out of bondage. I witnessed such examples over and over. I am so thankful that the Lord revealed and exposed my heart, for I know that my attitude and perceptions have been changed. I am praying that the Lord will teach me to be skilled in my encounters with people. I have plenty of opportunities to practice everyday.

Thank you, Paul and Pam, and Abdu and Betty for welcoming me into your home and for sharing the past three weeks of your life with me and for your friendship. Thank you Uganda for welcoming me wherever I went and for your beautiful smiles - they are forever etched on my heart and I will see you again. Thank you everyone at home for releasing me and even sending me to Africa, and for your prayers while I am here. My life has been blessed and is richer because of all of you.