Wax Slum Area in Jinja

Our team had the pleasure of visiting the slum area near the Amani Baby Cottage that is called the Wax Village because it is near the Wax Factory. Many of people that live in this area either work at the factory or fish. We passed out candy that the children called "sweeties" and they walked with us around the village to look around and see the fishermen bringing in the fish at the end of the day. We started out as a group of about 15 and ended up with about 70 in our group because of the children that would join us as we passed them! It was so much fun! Momma Maggie (works at Amani) took us around and showed us her neighbors. It was a great experience for the team to see how a vast majority of Africans live. The children were so excited to see "mzungu" which means white person. They started yelling "mzungu" as they saw us approaching and soon the entire village knew we were there. We were welcomed. It was a humbling experience and the team really had to process it all at the end of the day. Or try. We can't really process everything that we take in during a 24 hour period. There will be months of processing. We serve, we look, we pray and we wonder exactly what all God is up to by having us here. There are some on the team that are already asking to return with the July group. This makes me happy because I know that God is at work in stirring up a passion for His people of Africa. Helen was also one of our guides that we have grown close to at Amani. For dinner that night, she took us to a street vendor to purchase breakfast buritos that they call "rolexes". It was delicious and one of our favorite meals. They are made with eggs, cabbage and chabati.

The next day we were able to have crafts with the toddlers at Amani and they were so cute and quite good at using their hands. We made mosaic rainbows out of construction paper with them since we have been creating Noahs Ark in the playroom. I'm posting some pictures for you to see how creative the babies are!

After a morning spent at Amani, we were on Budondo Village. One of the mommas at the cottage lives there and it was an experience that will be always be treasured by everyone on the team. They are welcoming. Spending time with each other is an important part of their day. Each home that we visited in the village was made of mud and sticks in some manner and they brought out their best benches and cloths for us to sit on. Each family wanted us to sit inside their home with them for a few minutes. We took fruits and vegetables and American peanut butter! They were so appreciative of the food but mostly, appreciative of our time. To have so little, they have so much. They know far better than us the most important things in life. The families all live next to each other. They care for God and family and close friends. The outdoor kitchens were shared by several families. They look out for each other. They sit outside and talk to each other. The children would take a lollipop and ask if they could deliver one to each family member. They know the true "front porch" mentality. We have forgotten that in America. Here, we are remembering what matters.