For the last two days, I have once again woken up to a tiny brown hand rubbing my face. "mommy, mommy, mommy its time for wake up". Once again I have remembered how much I truly enjoy a big bowl of rice after a long hot day. Once again I feel, every minute of every day, humbled beyond belief. This morning, Agnes looked at me and said "There it is! It came back!" When I asked her what, she replied "that light that lives in your eyes". Yes. Its back. The light that lives in my eyes and the joy that dances in my heart and the smile that never leaves my face. I feel ALIVE. For those of you who didn't know, I am back in Uganda. Only til the 20th of August this time, but that is long enough to love many.
Somehow, this time i do not feel so far away. I have learned in the last couple months of living at "home" in America and being away from my "home" here just how small this earth really is, just what great a distance love can conquer. God has this whole word just sitting in the palm of His hand. We are literally neighbors. Funding aside, I can be here in just 24 hours. And in 24 hours I can be there. And people are people here and people are people there. They all need food and water and medicine, and mostly Love and Truth and Jesus. And I can do that. I can give people food and water and medicine, and I can give them Love and Truth and Jesus. And I couldn't ever do any of it except with the empowerment and blessings that the Lord has given me.
Many people view Africa as another world, and in being here, it would be easy to think that, it IS different. But really, it is the same. Human beings just hungry for God. Hungry for a purpose, for love, for life. They want to be able to support their children, they want to be able to work, they want to be able to give back, they want to be good, noble people. They want to feel important, and needed, and beautiful. The children want to play, and to eat, and to learn, and to be loved. We are all the same. We do not live in different worlds, but the same one. The same God created us for the same purpose and that was to serve Him and to love and care for His people. It is universal.
So people tell me I am brave. People tell me I am strong. People tell me good job. Well here is the truth of it: I am really not that brave, I am not really that strong, and I am not doing anything spectacular. I am just doing what God called me to do as a follower of Him. Feed His sheep, do unto the least of His people. People tell me they miss me because I am so far away. And here is the truth of it: I'm not. I'm right here, right here on this same Earth as you just doing what I can to make it a little bit better, a little bit more like His kingdom.
To all of you who help make all of this possible, THANK YOU will never be sufficient, but your reward in Heaven is great. And I feel like Heaven may be a lot like Uganda :)
7 comments:
Katie - know that your touch inspires people on both coasts. I know you feel removed emotionally and physically, however, your little ones did exceptionally well at the swim meet yesterday. It's amazing to see what you were able to do with kids who couldn't get across the pool just 6 weeks ago. You should be proud of your achievements on both coasts. As a parent, I am proud to have had you coach two of my children. Keep up the good work and enjoy the rest of your summer. You have important work to do all the way around. We will miss your smiling face. I hope to see you this fall around church. Good Luck, Lisa/Greg and the Mays' girls (especially Charlotte).
Katie!!!! I'm so glad you are back. Praying that God multiplies your time there so you can drink every moment of it up!
I love the way you worded this post. . just beautiful!
Love,
Brandi
PS Can you email me that list still? brandi@kidslake.org
Dear Katie,
I don't even know you, but we used to be youth leaders at Christ Church. I treasure your blogs. I wish we were there. I put the picture of you kissing that child on my desktop just to keep things in perspective here. God is the same everywhere. I think they receive Him more readily than we do b/c there is not so much 'stuff' in the way (materially?) I don't know. But dear God, bless you!!! Please give them lots of kisses from us. It sounds like you are great at that.
love, the scudders
Katie,
Please know that you are being prayed for by the Allen family. We have been greatly inspired and convicted by what you are doing and by how God is using you. May He bless your work and may He be receive the glory!
Praying for you,
Lisa, Jimmy, Kendall, Brooke, Emory, Brandon, Daniel, and Christian Allen
Ah! I can't believe I missed the chance to see you and wish you well again before this trip... know that you are missed and loved stateside, but we'll all be waiting for you when you get back. Enjoy this time with your girls and getting into many, many more adventures and spreading some of that "light" you've got back in your eyes again ;)
love you!
miss you,
auntie amanda.
Katie, I don't know if you will see this on such an old post, but I have gone back and started reading your posts from the beginning. I just had to say, that when you said you thought heaven might be a little like Uganda, it grabbed by heart. I think so too! I have been twice, and am returning for 3 weeks in September to a little orphanage God led me to open in Busiga, outside of Kampala. I can hardly wait - and I can hardly wait till next February, when I will return long-term. Your blog challenges me, encourages me, and blesses me. Keep on spreading your light!
I know this is an old post, but I've been reading through the entire blog and just wanted to say an AMEN to your statements that we are NOT different from our brothers and sisters in Africa. Reminds me of the quote:
"To become neighbors is to bridge the gap between people. As long as there is distance between us, we cannot look into one another's eyes. We forget that they love as we love, care for their children as we care for ours, become sick and die as we do. We forget they are our brothers and sisters." -Henri Nouwen
May we truly believe that and live that. God bless you Katie and THANK YOU for being the hands and the feet of Christ to the least of these in Uganda- our brothers and sisters in that beautiful land.
Post a Comment