Days at Rafiki

The days here at Rafiki Home are exhausting yet so awesome. The other short term missionaries have been serving here for 2 or more months and know the kids inside and out. I have been spending time with the kids daily to get to know them as much as possible during my short stay. The children living here are from situations that I can hardly fathom. Most of them are not full orphans – only 2 actually fit that mold. The remaining children are from vulnerable situations - ranging from severe neglect to dying parents to being abandoned. One of the children, Don, entered the home with an entire mouthful of rotten teeth. Upon arrival he had to have all of his teeth extracted L He now wears dentures so that he can eat and speak properly. (They are actually so funny to see when he wears them – a PERFECT smile of straight, white teeth!) Another child, Cocus, was suffering severely from spinal TB. He was found with a huge lump on his spine and very sick. A missionary (my incredibly awesome friend Sherry who runs New Creation Home!) found Cocus during a slum outreach and offered his mother food if she took Cocus to a clinic daily to get medicine. They quickly discovered that his mother had been forging signatures on the clinic log and getting the food dishonestly. If you are on the TB medication for too long, your body will become immune to it. Cocus was reaching the point that if he was not being treated properly for the TB, he would never be cured. After this was discovered, Sherry asked Rafiki if they would take in Cocus so he could get the medicine he desperately needed. Cocus is now free from TB but still has the large lump on his spine.

It’s impossible not to see God’s hand all over this home. The staff that Sara & Joseph have gathered to care for the children are absolutely incredible. I admire each of them for the unique traits that they bring to the leadership of the ministry. Mama Esther is the manager of the home. She is a born leader and an amazing role model for all of the kids, but especially the girls. She is a firm but loving caretaker and the children are naturally drawn to her. Uncle Godfrey is Joseph’s brother – he is quiet but the perfect example of a Man of God. He is very humble and is always listening to worship music (and currently plays “I Can Only Imagine” on repeat and made me learn it on the guitar). Uncle Moses is another brother of Joseph, and so lively. He typically leads the nightly worship time for the children & translates the nightly Bible story for them to Luganda (their language). The children LOVE the way he exaggerates the story & acts it out with props and using the children and missionaries as characters. His spirit is contagious and it is so obvious how he loves the children. Auntie Monica is the cook at Rafiki Home. She does not speak much English but has a sweet demeanor and the kids really respect her. She is another wonderful example of being a servant. Each night the children pray, do worship time, and hear a Bible story before being tucked in. Honestly, I am so inspired by the way that they worship & pray. It is amazing to see little kids coming from tough situations praising God in big ways. I took a video of them on my camera so that I can watch it back in the US. I know that it will be a constant motivation for me.

It makes me laugh that the question I am most frequently asked by friends & family when I am in Uganda is – “So, which kid is your favorite?” As a teacher, my natural response is, “Oh, I don’t have favorites!” BUT… little Esther has really captured my heart. I remember getting a monthly newsletter from Sara a while ago where she introduced Esther and her older sister Brenda to the Rafiki supporters and thinking that Esther looked like a doll. Well, she is even more precious in person. Esther is 4 years old with beautiful dark brown skin and a round face. Her quiet demeanor makes her the sweetie of the group  - she rarely pushes buttons and undoubtedly has a special place in her heart for her older sister, Brenda – who was her sole caretaker before they left their slum to live at Rafiki Home. She is the sweetest little thing – I keep telling the other missionaries that I think she is the most adorable child I have ever seen. (For anyone who knows me well, I say that a lot about children – but I mean it this time!!)  I mean, all of the kids here are resilient, darling, and have wonderful personalities – but sweet Esther makes me smile ALL day. She just has such a good heart. I can’t help but go back to my “teacher mode” and think that she must be a teacher’s DREAM in class. It’s going to be hard to say goodbye to my little girl! (as pictured below! she is wearing purple pants in the group photo, posing next to her big sis Brenda, who is on her left.)

And as for marathon training goes – I have not ran at all since arriving in Uganda. I was told from the start that it would not be smart for me to be running and that the danger of the situation outweighs any positive outcomes. I’m not sure what that means for me in terms of training (obviously I’m WAY behind schedule!) but that is on the agenda of things that I will tackle when I return home. I am actually excited to get back to running, and I’m hoping I can pick up my training schedule so I can at least complete the half marathon in September! I would love if you could pray for that situation and pray that those I will have to contact will be empathetic & understanding to my health & safety concerns that led me to this situation!