Victory!

On Tuesday at Victory Primary School Bryan told the children and teachers it was my last day there, so before I left the head teacher came up to me and asked me to stop by Friday before I left. She was so lovely and said that she loved the work I'd done with the organization and would just love for the teachers to spend time with me before I left. So, Friday morning I got ready, stopped by Tusky's (The Walmart of Uganda) for some juice, and boarded a Boda-Boda with Amy to go to the school. I stopped and got some pancakes (which is like a deep fried banana bread biscuit) and went to the school!

As I walked down the road I could hear the children outside playing. They get out of class at 10:30 for snack time and play time. To get to the school you walk in between these houses, kind of like a very short alley, and down the hill. Collin was with me, in case I needed a translator, and as soon as we appeared on the top of the hill I heard a not so faint "MZUNGO" with lots of screaming following that. It was so sweet. I am going to miss being screamed at and the excitement for just being Mzungo. There's something sweet and biblical about the way the children view us: no judgement, just love, excitement, joy. It's such an encouragement!

The head teacher set up one of the tiny classrooms for us to meet. She moved the desks into a circle and we all took a seat. I passed around the pancakes and juice and just began to speak with them. It was so hard to hold back tears because of what that school and those children mean to me. I told them my mom was a kindergarten teacher and she works so hard. Their conditions are so much worse than my moms, so I know they work hard! I tried to encourage them to keep working hard for the children, especially since they think they don't get much out of it. And I told them about how my 2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Kerr, made the biggest impact on my life just because she loved me and cared for me. To this day I still think about her and remember how excited I was when I saw her on my first day of second grade in her lime green polka dotted dress. She made me excited to go to school. That's what these teachers are for these children, even if they don't tell them! The head teacher told me that the school had been in their location for 3 years, the teachers all introduced themselves, and they told me some things to pray about it. They started out their school with just over 50 students and this year they have about 160+. They struggle to pay their rent, which is 600,000 Ugandan Shillings every term, so every 3 months. That shocked me, a lot, because I just didn't expect the school could cost that much to just rent the land. I prayed for them, for strength to endure the difficulties teachers face here, for their children to do well and have a desire to learn, and for God just to be in that school! It was so awesome and would never happen in a school in the US. Praise God for his work in those teachers and the school.
When I was done I wanted to take a picture to remember my visit, the school, the teachers, and this place where God broke me down week after week and filled me up with love for each child at this school!

As I was preparing to leave the children stormed around me and grabbed my fingers, racing to find the perfect finger to put a handmade beaded ring on! And all of a sudden it hit me. I was leaving. I am leaving. And I don't know when I'll be back here. I looked around me at all of the children I've grown to love and I lost it.  In my excitement of going home to my family, friends, my doggies, weddings, football, warm, clean showers, washers and dryers, refills.... all of these things I've missed so much, I forgot how a piece of my heart will always remain here in Uganda. I looked ahead of me, behind me, to my sides and just saw beautiful, smiling, happy, joyful faces and I looked down at my finger and there was a beautiful new ring, a gift from my friend Eva. I pulled my glasses over my eyes, hugged child after child as I walked out of the school yard, and praised God for the opportunity to love each and every one of them. Still this very moment I'm crying as I write this. I know the best Father in the world will look after them, but I am sad that I'll miss them all growing up. Who knew children could make such a huge impact on your life. I am thankful to God for being there, for strengthening me when I wanted to fall on the ground and cry. So, yesterday, for the first time I cried. I broke and cried and loved and delighted in the Lord because of his great love for me and his children all over the world.

Thank you! Thank you for being with me on this journey. For sharing in the good moments and the hard moments. For the encouragement I've received day in and day out. Each prayer has been felt and God has really been at work in my heart and life here. I will never be the same. Thank you for the support, financially, prayerfully, spiritually, everything you've given me during my preparation for this trip and while I was here. This blog hasn't given justice to what God has taught me and what I've experienced! I look forward to many more lessons when I get home. This is only the beginning of what God can do when you just trust and surrender everything to him! I can't wait to see you all and talk to you when I get home!