last night i heard it in a song. i found it in the singing- together- outside- in the light of flashlights and stars.
but last night, i didn't want to go. at. all. i didn't want to drive into kampala for the evening and meet new people. i wanted to say home with mike and watch the last few episodes of madmen. i wanted to make milk tea and eat chocolate chips and peanut butter and catch up on our life together. but i kept hearing- what are you doing here? in the back of my mind. i felt compelled. something was being offered- something was before me- go.
so i did. it was a "night of encouragement" for women serving in uganda. and i needed encouragement- clarity- renewal of purpose- missional vision. i needed to be reminded and inspired and made small again. and i was.
we ate. we introduced ourselves briefly- all 50 of us. quickly i was reminded and inspired. i felt very small and young and early in a long process. i tried not to feel jealous and disorganized and lazy. i was beginning, i told myself, and that is okay.
then the woman who organized the event told us about why she is in uganda. she came here and accidentally adopted a child. well she accidentally fell in love with a baby she knew would be hers and began a long process. and it was a long process. almost a year- way from her husband and her babies in the US. in her waiting she was not stagnant. in her waiting she was active. she was listening. her ugandan child was a real orphan- as in - deceased father and mother. her mother had died during her birth. the baby's name was mercy. mercy's muzungu mama decided to honor her baby's birth mother by fighting maternal death in uganda- to help make less orphans. (finally- someone who thinks one solution to the orphan epidemic in east africa is to prevent the loss of mothers!) she named her ngo- "mercy for mamas" and they work to educate women and communities and provide sterile birth kits for pregnant women.
simple. effective. important. life giving. right. needed.
it doesn't need to be everything. it doesn't need to be massive. it needs to help.
in her travels to and from uganda- she listened. she felt God wanted her to reach out to ex-pat missionary women serving in uganda. so she did.
she brought a group from the US of young fun people with good singing voices and a guitar. they will do all the mercy for mama's stuff and host three nights of encouragment in three different towns for groups of women like me- who need to hear the voices of others- who need encouragement and reminding.
then the singing started, and the wind blew and the stars shown and my voice when up and my tears came down. i was standing at the cave. i could here the voice in the song and the company and the communion.
be reminded that this is why you are here.
you are here to serve in your moments- not just your months and years.
these people around you are your village- one village- one world. ucu. luwero. reach out. it doesn't matter. it will come. do what is right and needed and life giving and simple and important. let me deal with effective.
we sang and sang. i could have sung forever. i didn't even know most of the songs but i sang anyway. then we sat with the 5 people next to us and told our stories. i was stilled by those around me- their endurance- their courage- their commitment- their patience with the kite strings in life. and we gave thanks for our sisters here, for uganda, and for our big God who takes small people and helps them do biggish things. and we prayed for each other, reminding each other not to become lost in the mass of possibilities and needs, not to float way or become too entangled in our strings, to listen, that there are seasons.
i left with such joy, new friends, several mama birth kits, and a bag of goodies from home including starbucks via coffee and tootsie rolls (i had forgotten about tootsie rolls). i left renewed and encouraged. and reminded that provision is often found when we use what is in front of us- when we participate in the things given to our days, when we listen to the still small voice that says 'go'- and we do.
but last night, i didn't want to go. at. all. i didn't want to drive into kampala for the evening and meet new people. i wanted to say home with mike and watch the last few episodes of madmen. i wanted to make milk tea and eat chocolate chips and peanut butter and catch up on our life together. but i kept hearing- what are you doing here? in the back of my mind. i felt compelled. something was being offered- something was before me- go.
so i did. it was a "night of encouragement" for women serving in uganda. and i needed encouragement- clarity- renewal of purpose- missional vision. i needed to be reminded and inspired and made small again. and i was.
we ate. we introduced ourselves briefly- all 50 of us. quickly i was reminded and inspired. i felt very small and young and early in a long process. i tried not to feel jealous and disorganized and lazy. i was beginning, i told myself, and that is okay.
then the woman who organized the event told us about why she is in uganda. she came here and accidentally adopted a child. well she accidentally fell in love with a baby she knew would be hers and began a long process. and it was a long process. almost a year- way from her husband and her babies in the US. in her waiting she was not stagnant. in her waiting she was active. she was listening. her ugandan child was a real orphan- as in - deceased father and mother. her mother had died during her birth. the baby's name was mercy. mercy's muzungu mama decided to honor her baby's birth mother by fighting maternal death in uganda- to help make less orphans. (finally- someone who thinks one solution to the orphan epidemic in east africa is to prevent the loss of mothers!) she named her ngo- "mercy for mamas" and they work to educate women and communities and provide sterile birth kits for pregnant women.
simple. effective. important. life giving. right. needed.
it doesn't need to be everything. it doesn't need to be massive. it needs to help.
in her travels to and from uganda- she listened. she felt God wanted her to reach out to ex-pat missionary women serving in uganda. so she did.
she brought a group from the US of young fun people with good singing voices and a guitar. they will do all the mercy for mama's stuff and host three nights of encouragment in three different towns for groups of women like me- who need to hear the voices of others- who need encouragement and reminding.
then the singing started, and the wind blew and the stars shown and my voice when up and my tears came down. i was standing at the cave. i could here the voice in the song and the company and the communion.
be reminded that this is why you are here.
you are here to serve in your moments- not just your months and years.
these people around you are your village- one village- one world. ucu. luwero. reach out. it doesn't matter. it will come. do what is right and needed and life giving and simple and important. let me deal with effective.
we sang and sang. i could have sung forever. i didn't even know most of the songs but i sang anyway. then we sat with the 5 people next to us and told our stories. i was stilled by those around me- their endurance- their courage- their commitment- their patience with the kite strings in life. and we gave thanks for our sisters here, for uganda, and for our big God who takes small people and helps them do biggish things. and we prayed for each other, reminding each other not to become lost in the mass of possibilities and needs, not to float way or become too entangled in our strings, to listen, that there are seasons.
i left with such joy, new friends, several mama birth kits, and a bag of goodies from home including starbucks via coffee and tootsie rolls (i had forgotten about tootsie rolls). i left renewed and encouraged. and reminded that provision is often found when we use what is in front of us- when we participate in the things given to our days, when we listen to the still small voice that says 'go'- and we do.
1 comment:
just so you know, you are inspiring to so many the way she was inspiring to you.
thank you.
xo
e
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