It was a lazy Monday here amongst the green and red in the sweltering heat. This is the rainy season but we have had no rain, so we sat on the road looking at the crops praying they would survive and water would come for them soon. As we sat, practicing our Luganda a woman walked towards us. She reached out her hand for me to take and invited me to her home, Ezra had to translate for me. We followed her up the narrow red dirt paths with liter strewn here and there and were told the story of her plight. She had a husband who died, and was displaced by the husband’s relatives, who can easily take land away from the widowed woman. She had 13 children, of which only 8 remain, with 15 grandchildren. Two grand daughters and two great grandchildren live with here in a small one-room shack made out of clay. She can barley provide for those who depend on her. All she has is a small plot of land with a pig and goat tied to a stump and a few chickens roaming freely in and out of her shack. She showed me papers from the doctors reporting that she is suffering from appendicitis and pyelonephritis, she can do nothing about the pain caused by these ailments because money needs to be spent on food. A surgery would cost her 800,000 shillings, even in a government funded hospital; there is no hope for her to afford this, so we sat in her dirt patch, held hands and prayed to God. We thanked him for the roof over her head and prayed to be shown a way that we may help her. She thanked me for coming to see her and requested that I visit her in the future.
The next part of our day was a funny African experience. After going around the farm for a short time, I was sat down in the grass, overlooking the farm, with a view of the rolling green hills, under the shade of a massive mango tree. I was given a sugar cane and instructed to chew on it. Ezra and Josephine couldn’t stop laughing at my ineptitude at being able to do such a simple task. My jaw was not strong enough to bite the bark off and get to the sugary pulp inside. They had to help me get started and then continued to laugh at me as I made a mess of myself with the sticky juice spilling all over me. After I got the hang of it I sat and listened to the farmers and my two friends speak in the sing song language of Luganda while I reveled in how blessed my life has been.
I had gone to Jinja to do some shopping to buy some gifts for those I love, with the money I have been blessed enough to make. I found myself unable to spend the money. I could not understand why; since Christmas is coming and I “need” to buy gifts, instead I started getting angry that I was thinking about buying trinkets and became overwhelmed. Today I realized why I was having such a strong aversion to spending that money for those I love with all my heart back in the states; it’s because my heart wants the money I have for gifts to go to the needy. I can feed 51 people for 2 weeks on 1,405,000 Uganda shillings, which is about $420 USD. I can buy de-wormer for 10 children on $1 USD. I hope you all can understand that my extra spending cash will be spent on my village here in Buziika; I love you all so much and want to give you my love as my gift to you this holiday season.
We spend so much money on banquets and weddings, Christmas and birthday presents while children go to bed hungry every night. If a busload of Canaan center children were brought in to one of these lavish events they would stand with eyes wide and mouths agape, dirty and torn clothing, shoes falling apart, some even barefoot, in a trance. This trance would be broken and the children would descend, running into peoples laps, seeking hugs, asking “how are you?” grabbing for food and stuffing their empty bellies. Requesting that you take pictures and videos in slow motion so they may see themselves. Meanwhile we do not think about these children when we throw these lavish events that wind up with food thrown out, or we stuff ourselves sick at Thanksgiving and Christmas. I challenge you to donate money, to whomever you deem needs it, that you would otherwise spend on a crazy, exuberant party; or on birthday and Christmas gifts. I challenge you to show your loved ones you love them through simple gestures rather than expensive, grandiose gestures. Reach out to your neighbors and cook them a meal or offer any help you may be able to give them. Take your children to the soup kitchen and have them feed the destitute. Cherish every moment with your loved ones, forgive and move on. Solve a fight with a hug and be humble enough to say I’m sorry. Find any small way that you may be the change you wish to see in this world!
Spread your blessings and joy!
Gypsy RN
