Difficult Reminders
By Mike Warneke
What a privilege and honor to return to Uganda once again
during the 2013 Calendar year. As always that journey to get here has been
long, but Peggy and I managed the travels with only a slight delay in
Amsterdam, which only resulted in a few hours less sleep the first night in
country. I apologize for the randomness of this post, as it is difficult for me
to put all of the thoughts together from such a wonderful day, long days and a
quick week!
Today was a joyous day as we had the opportunity to look in
on two of our partner schools in the Kampala area. Because our visit took place
on a Sunday, the schools were lower in attendance than normal for both students
and staff, and so a few faces we were longing to see were absent from the
crowd. Our morning began with a visit to New Kabaale Busega. We joined them for
a time of worship in their chapel and got help pray over those that would be
sitting for the Secondary Leaving Exams during the upcoming week. The pressure
of these “leaving” exams is a lot for these young boys and girls to endure, as
there future academic careers are weighed so heavily by the results.
Following our time of worship we had the chance to talk with
the kids a bit, and as always it is such a blessing to see old friends. So many
children, whom remember me, asked if I remembered their names as well. And as
usual, I failed on many fronts, but managed to connect with many children that
I have really grown to care for over the years. Ritah was excited to say hello,
and eager to ask about the aunties whom she missed, and Eddy was a joy to see
and spend the day with as well. Rose, the head master gathered the staff and
the students outside and we had a chance to chat about what the work of Fields
of Dreams has meant to them, and some other needs that are still lacking as
well.
It was extremely humbling and gratifying to hear from so
many students and teachers about how our work was impacting them in a positive
way. Teachers shared how much more focused the students have been in class, and
how the DREAMS plans we had conducted in June had lead there students to be
more passionate about their studies, and their futures. But we also spent quite
a bit of time talking about additional needs for the future. Benson, one of the
fine and committed teachers mentioned what a blessing a copy machine would be
to their work as teachers. I am not an educator back in the States, but I am
pretty sure that there are not too many teachers that could excel at their
profession without text books, handouts, or a copy machine to put into the
children’s hands the materials they need. With our new programming that will go
into effect in early 2014 a lot of the needs will be met by what we already
have in development, which was reassuring that we are on the right track with our
efforts.
We wrapped up our session, and said our goodbyes to the
students and staff alike. Before leaving I wanted to check with Eddy’s uncle if
he could join us for the day. It was an honor to be in Eddy’s home again, and
his uncle who cares for him and his 3 younger brothers was gracious as always.
I learned today that his uncle Sandy is only 23 years old, and he is caring for
4 nephews. Jonathan shared a with Peggy and I today, that it is so hard in
Kampala, because when you go to bury a loved one in this country, you not only
walk away with their memories but usually their children as well. The burden is
heavy here, but like Sandy, so many good people are stepping up to the plate to
help those in need.
We moved on from New Kabaale Busega and stopped by Café
Javas for a quick lunch before pushing on to AGL. It was a treat taking Eddy
out to eat, but I was once again humbled at the same time. As Peggy shared the
chicken she was not going to eat I had the opportunity to show Eddy how to
properly cut chicken with a fork and a knife, as he had never had this
opportunity before. This is not to poke fun by any means, but just a reminder
of how much I take for granted, and too what I attribute the tag “normal.” We
had a lovely lunch and got to watch the rains coming down in full force.
We hopped back in the van with Jack and then pushed on to
Africa Greater Life. What a good time we had. We had the joy of seeing how the
new field is coming, with much of the grass planted and growing well. We got to
name the prized goat from the Independence Day Tournament victory, it is Hope
by the way, a name I picked out when put on the spot. We got to help plant a
new Mango tree to be a reminder to the children to show gratitude for their
blessings and to continue to follow their dreams. And we once again got to hear
both the need being met and those that still need our attention by the students
and staff.
Africa Greater Life, was a part of my first trip to Uganda,
and it will always have a special place in my heart because of this. The needs
on this campus always seem a bit greater, the precious children always seem to
be a bit dirtier, and the impetus to provide hope for these kids is always
stronger when I am with them. The needs on this campus are great, and it was obvious
during our discussion that we have much work to accomplish at this school. The
children at our partner schools typically exemplify the passion, joy, and
gratitude of the teachers who serve them, and at AGL our work has not quite won
over all of the teachers at this point. I am excited to meet additional needs,
but we have more work here, simply to encourage, uplift and insight passion
into the staff.
It has been such a wonderful day, seeing many of our efforts
produce fruit, and also the acknowledgement that there is still much work to be
done. We have not done this work alone, and we cannot do it without further
help in the future. Please consider getting involved in our efforts to help
more children in Uganda find hope in tomorrow.
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