Hope Lives

On September 2, I left Nashville on a pilgrimage to Uganda and Rwanda. I got to know and play with beautiful children. I spent time with women and men who left their home villages, seeking refuge and work in the south as the 22-year civil war continues in the north. I witnessed the Ugandan people serving one another through youth ministries and creative art projects. For the first time in my life I stepped onto the soil of Africa and was present to God's people there.

I left Africa on September 17, with more smiles than tears. This has surprised many people when they ask about my experience. Incredible journeys birth incredible emotions, right? But tears are fluid and unreliable. Laughter, joy and hope, however, have a way of permanently etching themselves into memories. So I bring tons of smiles from Africa, and I'd like to share them with you.

We walked into the Acholi quarters of Kampala, Uganda, and the people—women and children alike—got on their knees and took my hand in theirs and welcomed me, saying, “Apowya! You are welcomed here.” Our arrival was a celebration, filled with song, dance and tons of bottles of cola. With their nicest table cloth on the table, they fed us fine meals that probably cost more than they could afford. And we ate before anyone else. We were their beloved guests. I learned about radical hospitality in their welcoming.



I remember Abramz who taught a breakdancing class (yes, I danced hip-hop there, and I learned the importance of dancing freely—both physically and metaphorically). Abramz, who was orphaned at age 7 is now an adult who looks at each day as another opportunity to live his dreams and uplift life within community. Despite his poor education and rough childhood, he is wildly successful in his hip-hop career and wildly successful at serving the people of Uganda. I learned about living the life you imagine with him.




Stephen and Jacques-John showed me around their neighborhood. They are two young boys, too poor to go to school. Instead, they work in the rock quarries. A dangerous place where many of the uneducated have to work just to make a penance. I listened as the uneducated Acholi women beadmakers had to rely on educated men to translate their jewelry business deals. They have a better life as beadmakers, but what would they do if there was no one educated enough to communicate for them? Why can't they communicate for themselves? I learned the importance of education in eradicating poverty.


As I walked the streets of Kampala and Kigali, praying with my feet and looking for God's active presence in the world, I felt the Holy Spirit re-creating me. My life merged with the story of Uganda and Rwanda in such a way that it is now written in my soul. The landscape, the faces and the spirit of these places are now my story.


I Hope you take time today to glimpse the divine creations all around you, allowing your story to merge with the story of someone else in a way that encourages, inspires and moves you ever closer to the heart of God's call to us--that we may love God with our whole being and our neighbor as we love ourselves.

To learn more about the people, organizations and projects I learned
from check out the following websites:
www.dorcaschildrenshome.blogspot.com
www.acholibeads.com
www.invisiblechildren.org
www.sistersofrwanda.org
www.myspace.com/breakdanceprojectuganda