First Day in Soroti

The first morning we woke and had a leisurely morning drinking coffee and visiting. Life in Uganda is not a big rush. I expected with all the people life would be much more rushed.

After breakfast we had orientation. We talked about lots of things, mostly about giving up our rights and letting God use us as he pleases.

We then went for a short walk around their neighborhood. We met Martha and she asked us to sit. We sat on benches in a little school room that wasn't yet complete. As we sat on benches she laid out her mat and sat on that. He son Joshua was very scared of our white faces. It was sad to see his scared little face. Martha also has at least two more children, Lydia and Winnie. I am not sure if she has more or not. She lives in a little mud hut right outside Tim and Angie's gate.

We also visited a girls hostel. Sarah and her husband run it and they house about 85 girls during the school time. The rooms these girls stay in is very tiny and each room houses alot of girls. One of the girls was there and her job was to sort beans. They dry the beans on the sides of the roads here and that of course means there are rocks in the beans so they have to sort through the beans and take the rocks out. Sarah's life is feeding these many girls and sharing the love of Jesus with them! It is so wonderful when Ugandans help eachother.

We then walked and saw a building that I thought was abandoned. only to find out it was a school. We met a teacher who was coming in to teach kids to read during their break. We greeted each one and they told us their names. They are so soft spoken and it is hard to understand them. You want to understand them so you can love them more.

We then walked back to the compound where we were staying. We had about ten kids that were following us and holding our hands. They were just waiting for the opportunity to play inside the gate. They did all come in and they played and played. No fighting! They have no toys so to play with Avalien and Moses toys was a huge treat! At lunch, we have to close the gate and the kids leave. We told them they could return later. They sit at the gate all day long just waiting for a chance to play. After lunch, Avalien opened the gate and all her friends came back in to play. They played dress-up and they were so cute. They all had Avalien's frills on and they went for a walk around the yard and maybe even outside the gate.

We then went for a drive to Josh and Mandy's and Bobby and Rachel's(teammates). Rachel was doing kid's club and teaching them the story of the wise builder. There were so many kids!

As we go through the town of Soroti, I am still in a bit of amazement at all the people. There really are kids everywhere, just roaming the streets or dirt roads. I wonder where all there parents are and if they still have parents!

We then went to Amecet for the first time. Amecet is a place where babies or children come to heal. Most who come don't have a mother anymore. They are usually malnourished or they have aids. They are brought here to get them well fed and then they are placed back into their family. This could be a dad, grandma or uncle. Anyone that will take them in. Alot of these kids or babies die. On the wall in Amecet there are pictures of all the kids that have been there and there is a star on the pictures of the ones who have died. So many have stars! We just spent our time rocking, cuddling and loving these little ones. They need love and they need our prayers. They are the least of these! My arms still ache to hold these little precious children.

We then went to the market, which I already told you I loved. So many different sights, sounds and smells!

There is so much to do in Soroti and not enough time. Everything takes so much time too.

I was more overwhelmed today than I thought I would be. There is so much need. They live with so little and yet they live. They love to hold your hands and they love to be hugged. They really just love to be loved. What greater love can we give them than Christ's love!!