So….I’m like really here….WOW?!

03/29/2008

All romantic visions are now gone. The reality has set in on some level, and I am certain that it will continue to settle at higher levels. This doesn’t take away from the “romantic visions” (romantic not in the sense of actual romance), but it does replace them with both beautiful and unpleasant realities. Definitely more on the beautiful side.

Why bother bantering here, let’s just get to it. I just got back to my room from a little quiet scripture time with John, James, Nicolas, John, Samuel, Nelson, Daniel, James, and another whose name is slipping my mind right now. All orphans.

I am very happy for a friend of mine who wrote down some scripture for me to read on my trip. Tonight, it was Psalm 34:7; but go ahead and look at 34:4-10 which is what we read together in the end, but all of Psalm 34 is great. The passages talk about trusting in God and He will take care of your fears.

Well, let me tell you….when I walked into that room of guys all from 12 – 15 years old I was afraid; and we haven’t talked about the circumstances that brought them here, but I am certain those stories will soon come out. I look at my life, my upbringing, and start to think, “What on earth could I possibly tell them?” So, I took those passages to heart, prayed and cried out.

There I was thinking of myself. Clearly this is the right place to be because I haven’t seen support come in that fast before, felt such confirmation, and generally been at ease. So, there will always be a challenge, and it can always be overcome with prayer. Thank you God for answering this one in a way I understood.

Now, as far as the orphanage goes….this place is great. Most of you heard, I did miss my flight from Entebbe to Yei on Thursday. Slight mishap with me, most likely being told not to pay attention to flight times online, and showing up after the plane left. Not a big deal. I was staying with a great family who has been in Entebbe for 4 or 5 years, and in Africa for about 17 years, I think. The couple and their kids made me feel right at home, with the missed flight I even got a horseback riding lesson. Not a bad way to spend $7.00.

Yei International Airport does consist of one dirt runway, a two (very small) rooms as a terminal, once you pick your bags up from the side of the plane, and four holes dug in the ground serving as the toilet. Yes, I did wait until we arrived at the orphanage, but really because the gate to the four holes was locked…and it really was.

The population in Yei, over the last 3 years, has grown from about 40K to 160K with the return of refugees as well as refugees from many of its neighbors. At the same time the UN has moved in and the cost of a tin of coffee has increased from $4 to $12.

All roads are dirt roads, with pot holes large enough to force two lanes of traffic moving in the opposite direction to cris-cross, squeeze by, or somehow share the same space. Unemployment is high, and the usual social issues that follow are all around. More and more businesses are coming in, but it does appear that the money is staying with only a few.

I am loving it here. Thank you everyone for helping make this happen. Pictures will be around soon, and perhaps even with this post, internet is down as I write this. Thank you for your prayers, and please keep me, the orphanage, and especially the orphans in them. Thank you again.