NicolesLetters.org

Hi Everyone,

Today was my last day here we leave in the morning for London. The rest of the story is in the word doc. Jim took all the pictures today I will send one as soon as I get them. They were amazing I am sure with the church service we had this morning I can find the perfect one to send. It was sad today leaving the kids. We had a relaxing day to spend with them before we left.

I hope all is well.

Love,

Nicole

Day 9 Uganda

Good Bye Uganda. Today was our last day with the kids. We leave the hotel tomorrow morning at 5:30am. We arrived at church at about 10:00 this morning. Steve, one of our team members who is a pastor in San Diego, did the service today. He did a great job. I think they were really happy with having him speak today. The performance band/dancers are here again tonight. They are a local group of orphans of all ages, from 8 years to 29? I am guessing but there are about 20 people in it and I guess the best comparison I could give would be like a African Luau. They are rockin out there right now. I tell you I will miss the music every night. Not really just this group they are great! Most nights it’s the bar down the street rockin until 3am.

Oh ya! Guess what?! Sara was at church this morning. She was so sweet and so pretty. She was wearing a yellow dress and her new shoes and the black ankle socks I gave her. I was sitting in the front with the rest of the group and the kids have their bible study in their classrooms. We could hear their sweet voices singing in the distance. I was so happy I had to remind myself to focus on the speaking. Pastor Steven and Godwin were up in the front. Pastor Steven was speaking in English and Godwin was translating into Lugandan. I had looked in the back a few times upon arrival because there were some kids in the back of the room but I didn’t see Angel or Sara. I could hear some activity in the room and I saw Godwin point to something in the back and then point in my direction. I hadn’t been able to ask him yet if he had been able to contact his friend to pick her up because they were already speaking when we arrived. It was probably about 30-40 minutes from when we arrived to when this happened. I looked back to the back of the room and spotted her right away. I waved her forward and she came up and sat next to me. I was so happy and loving on her. I couldn’t believe she was there! The service was amazing so full of life, hope, love and dedication! Pastor Steven called our team to the front of the wooden building with dirt floors and a small combination of left over linoleum (sp?) from whatever all pieced together to provide as a small floor covering in the “privilege” section, Pastor Steven, Pastor Gabriel and probably their wives and visitors sit or higher ups. We went to the front and he said that they were going to pray for us. He called ALL the children up to surround us and we prayed. It was a very amazing experience to be in a room with probably 400-500 people in one room praying for us OUTLOUD! I had Sara on one side, Norah in front of me, and Angel to the other side. But really everyone was pressing into each other but they were close to me. And Robina was just in front of and facing Ali and holding my hand. I think I was holding 10 hands at least. Then I felt hands on my back. The prayer lasted about 10-15 minutes. No organized message just everyone speaking out loud some whispering some singing. Can you imagine? We sat back down and I snagged Angel to sit in front with us also. So I had one of them on each side of me. It was really special. We sang and danced a little. Then there was another prayer. Angel got on her knees, on the dirt rocky floor and Sara followed her lead. I sat in the chair in between them and my hands on their backs. I prayed for them but every time I started to pray for their futures and their lives I cried. I had tears rolling down my cheeks and Angel had her hands on my knees and Sara and I were leaning on each other. They are so sweet. A while later they were dancing a little more and for some weird reason we all left for lunch? Some people went to Kampala today I think that is why. We took the Pastors and their wives to lunch today. It was nice, I sat next to Jessica, Pastor Steven’s wife. I was upset to leave the church because I was with my girls. I asked Pastor Steven if Sara could stay until I returned. I even saw Grace again and made sure that Sara stayed until I got back. Lunch was nice but I just wanted to get back to the school to play with the kids. We got back and they were watching a movie. They have one room with a cherished TV and a player that they have locked in the office and bring out only for a short time. The kids get to watch a show on the weekend. Sara and Angel came out when they saw I was back. I can’t remember everything we did today. I read them a book, played jump rope, watched TV and I read English homework with Angel. Sara had to leave around 4. Godwin was leaving to go home and I asked him how Sara would get home. He offered to walk her so we had to say our good-byes. I was a mess. She was okay until I think she understood that I was leaving. She had a few tears but I told her I would come back next year. But it was really me that was worse off.

I asked Godwin finally hours later how Sara arrived here. He said that he got to the school and they knew where she lived. He went to the area of town that she lives in and started asking around for where she lives. Finally made it there and found that she had already left for church. I was so grateful for him having tried to find her for me. I was sure to let him know that. I have a gift for her to take home for Christmas. I will leave it with the staff for Grace to give to her before school closes up shop on Dec 8^th and they all go home for a month or so. Sara will get a bible, Angela a necklace and Robina since she is the oldest will get my earrings that I have worn on this trip. I told all of them all day today that we are a unit and I want them to watch out for each other and for little Norah.

Robina came to me today and said she wanted to pray with Ali and I before we left today. She’s 12. We were so impressed with her sweetness, she always is so I don’t know why I was surprised. She took Ali and I into a classroom and called Angela and Norah in (Sara had gone home already) and she prayed for us. It was precious. The rest of the day was sad because I knew we were leaving. I read with Angel for a while with her English homework book, she reads the sentences out loud and I help her when she can’t pronounce a word. She seems so proud and just wants to continue reading to me. I was very happy. Remember I told her last time that we could read the next day again but that might have been the day of the funeral so things were up in the air a lot. I wanted to make sure I read with her again before I left. I told her to write me letters when we were saying our good-byes. I gave her some goodies again and walked with her to her room for her to put them away. I was crying again! I can’t help it. It’s not that it’s a sad place, it’s just thinking about how much joy they have brought me and I will miss seeing them and both of my girls have had their mothers abandon them so I feel like a little mom to them but I told them that I am the biggest sister, Robina next, Angela next, Sara next and then little baby Norah and they all have to take care of each other and care for the babies. Norah is 7 but looks like she is about 5 or so. Many of the kids look smaller then normal because of poor nutrition probably.

I finally got a little bit of time to ask Angel some questions about herself to day. She has 6 kids in her family and they live in Mukono. Her father supports them and I can’t remember what his job was at this point. Her mother abandoned them, but the youngest baby is 2 so either she left recently or the baby is from another woman. I didn’t want to make her sad so I didn’t probe. I asked Silvia, she was helping with the translation, if Angel had any questions for me. Her first question was is my country like hers, I told her that hers had much more green. More plants and beautiful gardens. The next question was do people wear second hand clothes in the US. I said absolutely! Her third question was do people have to stay back grades in the US if they don’t do well in school. I can’t remember the other one now. But I though her questions were sweet. Silvia also asked me about how Americans feel about Africans. I told her that in many parts of the US in the big cities they are very diverse and people are very accepting. In other parts they aren’t used to any person that looks different from a white person and even other people not necessarily Africans are not accepted. She said she had heard from a friend that went to the US that while he was there he was ashamed to be African. That broke my heart. I told her that there are probably some places in Uganda where they would not want to see a white person. She agreed. I said there are some places like that in the US. I told her that it is sad and that these people I am not friends with.

That’s a wrap. We left the bus pulled away and we yelled our good-byes again through the windows. Some kids were running after the bus but most were going to get their dinner so they were distracted a little. Probably better that way.

Back to London tomorrow, there for one night then three nights in Madrid then home!

Lots of Love,

Nicole