Wednesdays

Last Wednesday was a weird day. It started off beautifully, with a little shopping and a visit to our friends Mark and David’s house. But as the day went on, it was just one of those days where the little things started piling up. We did a ton of walking and were all just hot and ornery and then we got rained on, and then we had forgotten some of the money we needed for the day, so we weren't sure how we were going to get home, and then a bird pooped on us...(pause. ok so uganda has huge birds, and I am NOT fond of birds. these birds are evil. like they swoop down like they are going to pick you up, and I think they are about katie's height so i think they could. so anyway we are walking, already not too happy, and this bird drops a doozy, and it landed in maria's mouth, on mallory’s head, and katie's arm....it actually was kinda funny afterwards, made us giggle really hard, but at the same time....SERIOUSLY?!) then we got to the slum we were working in and so many kids were high in a small room, i felt like i was getting high, they sniff chenga chenga (petroleum) it's nasty, then i lost the button on my pants....it had been strugglin for awhile, and then i spilled hot soup on me and a kid.

So we got to church, and I was not in the best of moods. As we were worshipping, we were singing the song i can only imagine and the line came on "will i stand in your presence or to my knees will i fall, will i sing hallelujah, will i be able to speak at all?" and it really convicted me. very rarely, do i have little to say. i can always talk. sometimes i choose to be quiet. but in many situations, i always have something to say. there is going to be a day, when i am standing before the Lord and i'm not going to be able to speak,  and all day long i have been wasting my speaking on complaining about little things, when i could have been praising Him. Ok so i bird pooped on my head, when was the last time i laughed that hard? my button fell off? at least my pants didn't! I spilled hot soup on a kid...at least there weren't a lot of kids there that day and he got seconds! 

This Wednesday was a weird mixture of emotions - most of them praiseworthy. This morning I woke up and kicked off the Thanksgiving feast with some apple and pumpkin pie making. We finished up our turkey day shopping and then Katie and I headed to the slum to Mark and David’s program. 

I wasn’t at church on Sunday because I had a fever, and today Fred came up to me with  a letter for me telling me that he was praying for me and that he missed me. 

Today, I had the chance to talk to Mark and David and just had the best spirit filled conversation. They get so excited about what we are doing, and always asking how they can be praying for us. 

There was a boy who dressed up today and put on a stethoscope, who we thought was a doctor when we got there, but then found out he was just playing dress up. 

We found these cool things called earth bag houses, check em out :)

http://earthbagbuilding.com/index.htm

Katie walked away from the nurses station today for 2 seconds to get tweezers and came back to find them going at a splinter with a scalpel....ummmmmm. 

Timothy came to church with us tonight and he is so beautiful. This is the street kid that puts money in the offering plate on Sundays. He sings his heart out to every worship song. He has a hankie. He’s excited about church, because he’s excited to dance, he’s excited to sing, but he’s excited to be in God’s refuge more than anything. 

Church is always fun, we got friends. 

Katie: Mallory, what do I do that gets on your nerves the most?

Mallory: When you leave the bathroom door open when i’m on the toilet. 

M: Katie, if you had to pick one moment that is the funniest thing that has happened since you’ve been here, what would it be? 

K: the night we slept on the streets and the boda driver posed on his boda for us for like an hour and a half

K: If you had polyjuice potion tomorrow, and you could be any street child for a day - which street child would it be and why? 

-Katie answered her own question- 

K: Bwanika, because i would want to see if I bossed people around if they’d do what I say and I could wear 80’s acid washed jeans and have a mohawk. 

K: Can you think of a moment where after it happened you thought “I could live here?”

M: I think I feel that every time we are in church. Typically, families sit together in church, but our family takes up four rows, all combined of: street kids, kids who were once on the street but now in homes, and uncles and aunts who work with all the different programs. 

M: If you could take one boy from New Life Homes and give him the chance to talk to any of the street kids, who would they be and why? 

K: Vincent from New Life Homes talking with a boy named Ivan - because Ivan is one of the older boys and he doesn’t really feel like he is ever going to get off the streets, and Vincent because he has one of the most caring spirits and I feel like that would be good for Ivan to see that in a man of God.