love in small places

Today I was finally able to spend some precious time with the boys at the camp--my first real opportunity to work with them without distractions. The drive from my homestay to the camp was over an hour, but I was there early in the morning and so excited to see them. It was wonderful to see them and shower them with love and attention. As soon as I arrived, the boys set up a chair on one side of the hut and put on an entire presentation for me as a welcome. It was so clear that they had put serious work into their performances and their efforts clearly paid off. I had no idea our group had so many talented dancers! More than that, though, they absolutely beamed when they performed. To have someone interested in what they were doing and to see someone who was genuinely proud of them made a visible difference in the way they danced. It was beautiful.

After the dance I was able to bring out some of the alphabet teaching books I brought from the States. Andrew works with the boys with their English every now and again and my homestay family has been tutoring our oldest boy weekly, but this was really a chance for me to evaluate their progress. The boys English has improved some, but their written skills are still far behind other school children their age. We worked on letters, simple words and sketching corresponding pictures before breaking for lunch.

Unfortunately we never made it past the letter C because one of our boys fell ill in the afternoon. Earlier, when the boys danced, Brian Kimbowa walked in and sat down beside me. I had learned that he fell on glass Thursday evening at the camp, so I decided to take a look at his face to see what damage had been done. His face was deeply cut, both on his right side and under his chin, though a doctor form a local clinic had already bandaged some of the wounds. I was really taken aback by his cuts, but just remained calm and asked him how he was doing. He was visibly still in pain, so after we fed him breakfast Andrew took him back to the doctor for another visit.

Though I'm still unclear of what happened at the doctor and what kind of injection he received, Brian returned to us in a much worse state than he left--weak and vomiting with a high fever and chills. We immediately took him to Andrew's room and the two of us sat with him for the remainder of the afternoon, taking care of him best we could without proper doctors, medecines and resources to assist us.

It's always difficult to manage the American-Ugandan differences, especially when it comes to the health of the kids. Even though I felt we needed a second opinion, Andrew was confident that the doctor Brian saw was capable and sound. In fact, the doctor wants to see Brian every day for the next three days, which gave me some peace of mind that she is truly interested in following his case. Since Andrew is always with the boys and handles their sicknesses constantly, I didn't protest. We're wondering if the fall could be connected to his sickness, and are wondering about a possible infection from the cuts. I felt it was a good idea to put in a call to some contacts at home for a consult.

For now we are waiting and praying and I just hope I will be able to make it back to the camp tomorrow afternoon to evaluate his progress. He is our sweet boy and the thought of him in pain absolutely breaks my heart. As I sat on his bed and rubbed his back I prayed again and again for the healing power of Jesus to sweet in like the wind and carry his illness away, drowning it in the lake. If you will, please join us in prayer that he will be healed miraculously and fully.

Since I'm on the lookout for 'kwagala stories' or 'love stories' this summer, I have to share this. When Brian came back to the camp, Andrew and I took him to lie down. One of the other, older boys, Medi, immediately brought a chair and sat it beside the bed. It was clear that even though he didn't know how to help, he wanted to be by his friend for comfort, for support and for love. The other boys came in and out to check on Brian, but Medi never once left his side. I was so humbled when, after Brian vomited in a basin beside the bed, Medi jumped up to sit beside him even closer while he threw up. When Brian collapsed back on the bed, Medi immediately took the basin outside, washed it, and brought it back clean. I nearly cried from the servant heart that Medi demonstrated--his selfless love for his friend was unmistakenly reflection of Jesus.

As I prayed silently for Jesus to be present with Brian in his sickness and to heal him, I felt Him say--I am already here, just look for me. Look for me in the acts of lovingkindness from one friend to another. I looked and I saw the face of Jesus today, in a young boy growing into a young man and caring for his friend. Love never looked so beautiful.

with love,
Amanda