Camp week 3 - Lweza

My week started as it usually does, by heading out early to Kampala to speak at Retract Uganda. I had missed last week because I didn’t have a translator and I missed the guys. We continued in our lessons about Moses. Today was when Moses returned and told Pharaoh to let the people go worship and he wouldn’t. He then made them make bricks without providing the straw they needed. So we talked about making bricks, since I was pretty sure most of them had done that. We talked about crying out to God like the Israelites and God would hear. It is so fun watching them understand the stories. After church we headed out to Lweza on the bus with the NLH boys. They were very talkative. I will say the other three Americans were not in a good place as the week started, and so the trip there was not a happy time. Mallory was even feeling sick. Katie is tired and frustrated. Ryan is losing his patience with the boys, and since he likes things quiet and to himself, the weeks are hard for him. While we were on the road I had the chance to just think about who we were actually taking to camp. Sometimes I forget that these are 17 and 18 year old boys. Taking the time to think about that really helped me change my own mood and gave me a lot more patience. When we got to the school Mallory was getting worse. Katie decided that she had Malaria and needed to take her home. So the girls hopped back in the bus and left for the week.
Side note = Mallory is fine after going to the doctor and all. Katie got a chance to relax when not taking care of Mallory and so she is in a much better place as well.
I don’t know if them not being there changed a lot, but it did allow me to take charge and run things a little more like a youth trip, which put me at ease. I’m not going to lie and say that letting others make most of the decisions has been fun or even easy. In fact it has caused me some frustration since they don’t seem comfortable in that role, and it is like sleeping in my own bed too me.
Anyway, a little later I grabbed one of the boys to go with me as I wondered down the paths to see where they went. As we were walking we ran into these two girls, Mariah, and Christine. They told us that the path led to their house and that there were only three families that even lived on that side. We continued walking with them the short distance to the house. When we got there, some of the boys had already wondered over and were sitting and talking to the owner. He got real excited to see me and we began to talk.
Side Note = I am going to write a whole Blog about the experiences with Kasumbe Jeremiah. So I will leave it out of the weekly blog.
When we returned to the school things were pretty quiet and the sun was beginning to set. I had looked forward to coming to Lweza for that reason. It sits upon a hill overlooking a bay from the lake and it is a quiet spot to just let God speak. After dinner we talked a little about the expectations we had and how we were going to handle the girls not being there. Before long we were off to bed.
Day 2
We got up and got everything ready. The boys had gone to their classes and organized the rooms and put the verses on the boards. We were ready! The headmaster had told us they would have around 100 and they knew to be here at 9. So when 9 o’clock came….crickets. We didn’t have a single kid there. Slowly they started to arrive in twos and threes. By 10:30 we actually had to separate them into classes and get started with the day. The children were very excited to be there and were really good at listening. We finished on time and had about 65 when we stopped, while others were still walking up. We stressed for them to be there at 9 the next day so we could have more time. After we let them out, Ryan and I walked them down from the school to the top of the hill. Well, I walked and Ryan chased them around. The time after camp has become a favorite of mine. The kids can come over and just be kids. They will ask questions or just sit beside you and play with the hair on your arm that amazes them. Soon we had to go eat so we sent them on their way. That afternoon we relaxed after sending the boys for water. The well is at the bottom of the hill, and there is no easy way to get it to the school. We formed teams of two and made them responsible for a jerry can. This worked for about two days and then like most youth they got lazy, so it became whoever was willing to do it. Just below on the main road is the secondary school. They sit just above the water front and have a lot of field space. I told the boys we would go play soccer later and, of course, that excited them. I had to leave the game early to go visit Kasumbe Jeremiah. Vincent and I arrived back in time for dinner. That night the stars were so pretty. They are much easier to see here without all the electricity. I changed up the talk for the night and talked about stars and how big and awesome they are. They actually have never been taught about them so that made the lesson even better. We then talked about the fact that God loves us even more than those stars in the sky. Some of the boys came and grabbed me later just to tell me how cool that was. And they wanted to know how I became so smart – people have been asking me that for years :).
Day 3
The kids arrived at their own time again the next day. I asked the teacher why that was because it would be a serious source of frustration for us Americans. He told me that most of the kids were having to travel a long way to get there. In Africa when they say they are traveling a long way, it means they are traveling a long way. By 10:30 we had about 110. The boys were doing a great job leading the kids and Ryan and I walked around from class to class making sure everything was OK. The boys have really learned how to lead for the most part. It has been two and a half months since we first got here and I met them for the first time. I still remember having my first discipleship class at each school. I am not sure what I really expected from these guys. It’s hard to even know what to expect if you took 12 boys aged 17-19 in the US and made them counselors. I do know that there are not many people who expected anything from these boys. Not just for camp, but for life. They constantly thank us for believing in them and giving them the opportunity to do this. We constantly tell them to thank God because he is the one doing it. The day went by pretty fast and without any major hiccups.
After lunch we went over to Kasumbe Jeremiah’s to work. It was the first time the boys had done mission work for someone else. They looked the part of American teenagers on their first trip too. So it wasn’t long before the excitement turned into sitting. However they all wanted to come back the next day and finish the job (again, you will be able to read the whole story when I write the blog for it). When we got back to the school most of the boys took off for some fun at the bottom of the hill. I took the opportunity to just relax and think about what God was doing. I grabbed Katie’s hammock and set it up at the top of the hill overlooking the bay. It might as well have been the rocking chairs on the front porch at Lagoalinda Inn at Lake J. It was quiet and peaceful. The birds were singing and the boys and children could be heard down below playing. Off to my left some villagers were beating their beans. I couldn’t help but wonder how it was that I was lucky enough to be chosen by God to enjoy these things. I thought about the eternal impact this week would have on the boys as they learned about serving others. I also had time to think about how these camps were affecting the kids and the community. I will not ever know that answer, nor do I need too. I simply laid there and swayed back and forth with the breeze and thanked God in faith.
That night we talked about serving others as Christians and how we don’t just use our mouths to do it. I talked about my favorite passages I John 3:16-19. Peter, one of the social workers and uncles at the homes, came over to me later and said, “I love how you are teaching the boys. You are not just telling them. You are showing them and giving them practical ways to apply the Bible.” Now I had not really thought too much about that, but when he said it I became very thankful. I thanked God for thanking me through someone else and for allowing my work to have an impact.
Day 4
We were up most of the night as it poured down rain. I could tell most of them were awake. The humidity in the room kept climbing and so sleeping was not easy. The temperatures began to fall as well. In the morning the rain was still falling and it was rather cool. I was worried we wouldn’t have too many. The kids again came at their own pace and by the time we were ready for chapel, we had around 75. Wednesdays are the days we make an invitation to follow Christ, and it is my day to talk. Figuring out how to present this to each camp is quite challenging. You have to pay attention to the audience, how they have responded during the week, the age, and several other things. This week I took a little extra time in explaining everything. Chapel just seemed to have that feel. Each day we worship, have a skit, one of the Americans talk, one of the Ugandans give their testimony, and then we wrap up. Wednesdays the boys do the Ugandan version of the “Everything” or “Lifehouse” skit. It is quite good and powerful. Today it really set the stage for me. After I finished Bonnie (pronounced bunny) gave his testimony. Although it is in Lugandan I could feel the intensity and the passion in which he spoke and you could see it in the kids too. God prodded me to go even deeper afterwards. When John Paul finished up and asked for those who wanted to follow Christ to pray with Him, the majority of the room was speaking loud and clear. As I have stated before, I believe it is not worth getting caught up over the numbers or who means it and who doesn’t. That stuff is for God to know only. I JUST CELEBRATE THAT HE IS WORKING IN THEIR LIVES REGARDLESS. It was a great day in chapel. After lunch we again went over to work at Jeremiah’s. It was raining most of the time, but that kept the temperatures down. Several of the boys started conversations with him on this day and that made me happy. We finished everything we set out to do and then were on our way. It was great to see the boys smiling as we left and thankful for his appreciation. The boys did their regular routine in the afternoon. I did have the opportunity to carry water from the bottom of the hill that day. I decided to use my head, which they thought was funny. I am here to say I made it all the way with only one stop because I WAS BEING ATTACKED BY African ants. Those jokers hurt. After pulling them out of my toes, I finished up. That night I talked about Jesus washing the Disciples feet and how he came to serve. There were plenty of wows from the boys as these truths sank in. It really is a privilege to get to open the scriptures to them and explain things. We shared our favorite moments as we ate smores and roasted corn around the campfire.
Day 5
The kiddos were a little earlier on the last day. We ended up with close to 90. We had packed the bus before they arrived, which was quite a feat I might add. After we took the final picture and sent the kids on the way, we ate and squeezed ourselves in the bus. As we drove home I thought about how proud I was of the lessons the boys learned that week. I was thankful for the lessons I learned that week. I was happy that the week was soo much like a youth trip. Finally, I was curious to get back and check on Mallory and Katie.