House of Peace is an orphanage in a very poor village that's over 2 hours away from Kampala - without jam. We went there one time earlier in the trip, but we weren't planning on going back because the trip is really long and it's pretty much committing to an entire day of activity. The place really is peaceful. It's well organized because the orphanage has so much land. Paster Kawooya, who runs the orphanage, is a beautiful man who is planning to do good things for not only the orphans, but the whole village. He has been truly grateful to every little thing that we bring him and he never asks for more that what we bring. He trusts that God will provide for everything that they need, no matter how small it is.
As we left the first time, I told them that we might try to come back with my mom because something told me that this would be a good place for her to go. In addition, there were many of the kids and some of the caregivers who were not around the first time and I was really hoping we could get all of the data we needed for the study to be better. I left Patrick, one of the older boys in charge of that task. I did the same thing at Agape and it usually doesn't work out so well, so my expectations were actually quite low.
When I told my mom the plans for the day and talked about going there, she wasn't so excited because she knew it would be a long day and she wanted to get back to meet this guy, Felix, who she had met while on her detour through Kigali. I was honestly more worried about going to Kayunga and didn't care if I met Felix or not, but it was important to her so I wanted to make sure it happened.
We were trying to decide what to buy for House of Peace the day before and my mom suggested that we just ask Pastor Kawooya what he needed. I was expecting clothes or matresses or lights or something we wouldn't have the budget for. Instead he came back with - Rice, Beans, Posho, Sugar, and Soap! That's such an easy order! Since there are at least 50 people, we tried to buy as much as possible. We ended up with:
50 kg of rice for 165,000 ($80)
57 kg of beans for 150,000 ($70)
75 kg of posho - it's a porridge made of corn used as a staple in many meals for 150,000 ($70)
25 kg of sugar for 70,000 ($30)
20 kg of soap plus 10 huge bar soaps for 150,000 ($70)
We filled the car with all of this stuff and headed out. Since JB was driving there for the first time, we weren't sure if we were going the right way. I kept thinking it was coming soon or would be the next town, but it was always a little further. Luckily, Pastor K called and assured me we were close! When we met him at the petrol station in town, he and Patrick greeted us with huge smiles. They joined us in our full car and we drove to the village. In order to get there, you have to take a pretty good dirt road for 10 minutes or so and then turn off onto the village road for another 15. The last 15 is always a challenge. We have to go through some cornfields and random swampy areas that are barely passable. I am always amazed that we don't get stuck!
When we arrived, the kids were so excited to see that we brought them food. They kept thanking us for bringing it. The greatest thing was the boys who came up and thanked me just for coming back. They said, you told us you would try to come back with your mom and you did. You kept your word and that shows that you LOVE US! AH!!! Since when does my showing up show such a great love? I was just floored by the thought of how important it was for us to follow through. How many times in life do we forget about returning a phone call or a text or skip out on an engagement with people? It means a lot to follow through on plans and when we do, people feel like we care about them. So even when it feels like a burden to keep plans because we are too busy, too tired, or we need to study (that's often my excuse!!), the burden is worth it when it does something for somebody to show you care. I am so glad that we made it back to see them again even though it added to our long list of things to do.
Patrick and the boys followed through on their deal too! They got the heights and weights of all of the kids. Patrick even went to the kids' schools to get the ones that were missing! I was SO IMPRESSED! These boys really keep their word and they work hard to be faithful with the things they are blessed with, no matter how small they are! A few of them also got together to tell me about a boy they treated who had a huge wound that was infected with maggots! Yuck! The boy couldn't even walk and nobody was treating his wound. One of the boys cleared out the maggots, used hydrogen peroxide and some other medicines to treat the wound and keep it clean and wrapped! Now the boy is working on walking again and he is doing really well! These are boys that now want to be doctors (I call them my future doctors). Unfortunately, it is really difficult for them to get to medical school, let alone university. They would have to have really high marks on their secondary exams - which is difficult if you had to miss a lot of school and don't have time or money to buy and read all of the materials. If they don't get high marks, they have to pay for university fees themselves, which is not an option for any of the kids that stay here.....it really depresses me to think that they won't really have a chance, but maybe by the time they are ready I will be able to help them out.
The best thing is that the food we brought was exactly what they needed! When we asked Pastor K yesterday, he had just gotten a call from Patrick saying all the food was gone and the maize they had was not yet dry enough to make into Posho. When they showed me the storeroom it was totally true - there was literally NO FOOD. The only thing in the room were two sacks of the scrap from the last time they ground maize into posho and it is not edible by people - it is used to feed the goats! We truly brought them what they needed at the right time. They had been praying that God would provide and he totally did through our willingness to step out and do something! I am so glad that I have a big God who connects people emotionally, spiritually, and physically in our times of need!
Pastor K also showed us the location that they want to build a school. The land they have is huge because it belonged to Pastor K's family. His parents and about a dozen siblings have all died from HIV/AIDS. He now decided to take in all the orphans of the village and use his family's land to do it. There are even some buildings that are half started because his brother passed away before they were finished. The school would be a huge addition for them because now the kids walk 1-2 hours one way to get to school in town. If there was a school in the village area, the orphanage kids and the other village kids would have a much easier time learning and it would improve their chances for a better future. Pastor K's plans are well thought, he just needs some money and support to get it off the ground. He is patient and is praying for plans to come together. In the meantime he is being obedient in planning and doing his part. They have cleared the land by hand. The boys are starting to make bricks. Patrick told me that they are building the bricks because if they build the bricks and get things ready, when God comes through, they will be ready. It reminds me of David, who was told he would be a great king some day but he didn't know when. He went out and wrote Psalms and prayed and prepared himself for what was to come. I know God has a plan for this village and these kids and they are ready to follow. They do everything in prayer and know that their God loves them and wants to do good things. I am so excited that I have met them and I will continue to pray for them and help out in any way that I am able!! (So if anybody knows somebody with some extra money that wants a school named after them, I clearly have the perfect place. They would even welcome visitors with their own place to stay. You just have to be okay with no electricity and drop toilets for a little while - or you could stay in town, but the village is more fun!)
Pastor K and my mom
With a bunch of the kids after we arrived
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