Observation to Obedience

By Eric Lindh

A few months ago, Uganda wasn't even on my radar. After only two days here, it's all I can really think about. My first two days here have mostly been about being observant, taking in the smells, sights, sounds, and the incredible people of Uganda. We toured and briefly visited three of FoDU's partner schools in Kampala yesterday, and today, we made the long 7-hour drive from Kampala to Gulu in northern Uganda.

On our first day, I thought that there was a lot to take in, both in seeing some of the challenges facing the children, but also in experiencing their unbounding joy and gratitude. My very first introduction to the children was Sunday morning's church service at New Kabaale Busega Primary School. On our way into church, I had the opportunity to speak with a few of them, and most spoke very quietly and at times were hard to understand. However, when it was time for them to sing, look out! It was like being hit by a wall of sound. They filled the entire chapel with some of the most beautiful and joyful singing I have ever heard. I simply could not help but smile through every minute of it. I later was talking with Rose, the head teacher, about how incredible they were, and she explained to me that the choir I just heard was self-selected. They chose to sing because they wanted to praise God through music and dance for all that they have been blessed with. In day one, I observed a grateful and joyful people.

Today, my observations came mostly from my view looking out the window of our van as we journeyed up north on a "well-traveled" road to Gulu. (Many thanks to Frank, our driver, for getting us through the minefields of potholes safely. New York City cab drivers ain't got nothin on Ugandans who travel this route.) The lush countryside and Nile River Valley were simply breathtaking, but as we got further north into the war-stricken area of Gulu, it became much more difficult to process everything I was seeing. I learned that during the 20 years when Joseph Kony and the LRA were carrying out atrocities in northern Uganda, the east-west direction of the massive Nile River in parts of Uganda served as a natural border that protected the southern half of Uganda from Kony. This meant that as soon as we crossed over the Nile, many of the villages that we were driving past may have been targeted at some point by the LRA. As we drove up the highway, schools were letting out, and we saw hundreds upon hundreds of children walking and playing without any adults alongside the edge of the highway, often times coming dangerously close to the traffic. I could only imagine what many of these children have been through.

I think that these observations in my first two days have set the stage for the rest of my time in Uganda. I have seen and heard stories of what many children have endured, but I have also caught a glimpse of the depth of their joy - a joy that goes beyond happiness. I am thankful that my experience doesn't end with observance, but now moves towards obedience and providing support. It is impossible to come here and just let your experience end at observation. The children here have a way of tugging at your heart and you cannot help but want to learn more and do more. But I'm thankful that FoDU's approach is not to swoop in and fix, but to support and empower. I still have a lot to process and much to learn from the children and people of Uganda, but I am thankful to God for this journey so far and am excited to witness and help support the amazing work that is going on in their partner schools in Gulu this week.