As I complete my third day in Uganda, riding through the streets of Kampala and visiting orphanages, I am reminded of something my brother in law often says when he travels to another part of the world. He tells me, “It is the same, but different”. Kampala is a city just like we have cities in the US with people busily going about their days working, shopping, and going from place to place. But here, it is different. The streets are lined with tiny sheds and tin buildings where merchants attempt to sell their goods. Blankets lie next to the street with fresh fruits and vegetables for sale. Small, shoe-less children play close to the roads where motorcycles and taxi vans race past. Our cities are full of billboards advertising the latest great and wonderful thing we must have. In Kampala, there are advertising billboards as well, but scattered in between, are ones with messages asking men to stop the abuse of women and children and others warning of HIV/Aids. Chickens, goats, turkeys, and cows are either running loose or tied by the sides of the road. There is a consistent smell of diesel fuel and fires burning. The poverty and disease here is astounding. So, the same, but very different.
We are staying in a comfortable lodging house. There are many bed and breakfasts in the States with lovely furnishings and amenities. Our house here is lovely too, maybe not as lavish as what most of us are used to, but it is certainly nice. However, my bed this week has a mosquito net to protect me from the potential of malaria. And, the ladies who care for us also provide laundry service. I watched her bent over a tub outside the kitchen scrubbing clothes with a brush by hand, rinsing them in another bucket, and hanging them on a line to dry. It broke my heart to think how long she would be there bent over that tub just to wash our clothes. So, the same, but very different.
The US is blessed with great schools for our children and homes for our orphans. Our schools have technology, books, and so many resources at their disposal. The US orphanages receive funding to provide nutritional meals and warm beds for their children. Blessed Hope Champions and Africa Greater Life are schools here that also provide a home for children with no parents. These campuses have concrete dorm rooms for the kids and some have beds while others have small thin mats to sleep on. Some beds have mosquito nets; but many do not. Meals consist of porridge or posho (made from maize and flour) or perhaps a potato. Meat just is not available. Toddlers may or may not have diapers. Classrooms are in concrete buildings divided by thin board walls that do not reach the ceiling. Old wooden benches with tables are there for students to place their small, worn paper books. Yet, the students are eager to learn and are very attentive. And, at the end of class, the students stand and thank their teachers for teaching them that day. So, the same but different.
My son, Tyler, is on the trip with me. He is still the young man who is a student on summer break, who is attached to his technology and wants to talk to his girlfriend. No doubt he is a great son and we are quite proud of him. But here, he is a passionate person whose heart breaks for the vulnerable people of this country, who plays with parent-less children, talking to them, hearing their stories, and working with students on their Dreams planning. He is at his best right here in the middle of this sadness. So, the same, but different.
And then there is me. I am the same woman who is David’s wife, Tyler’s mom, Service Manager at Vantiv. But I am also now a person who loves the beautiful children of a country who has seen so much heartache and is so full of need, a person who now knows and has seen people in this world who have virtually nothing. I am a person who is in awe and humbled by these people who have more challenges than I will ever face in a lifetime, but yet have a beautiful hope and faith in God to provide for them. Finally I am a person who believes she should keep these people in her heart forever and continue to support them in whatever way possible. So, the same but very different.
And, I pray that I will remain the different person that I am here in Uganda.
Kim White
stellar.
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