Day #4

5-23-09

The family I stayed with had six children: Esther (16), Mary (12), Gerald, Bridgett (7), Pias, and Johanna (2). Only four of them were Mama Jennifer's biological children and Bridgett and Johanna were orphans whom the family was taking care of.
Seeing a Ugandan family and home up close and personal was an absolutely amazing experience. Though my family appeared to be a little more well off than the surrounding families, their poverty was very evident. It just causes me to ask a lot of questions. I cannot wrap my mind around the fact that some own so much while others (like those in Budumbuli) have so little.
Perhaps even more surprising is the way in which they stretch their resources and get by with the small amount they do possess. I want so badly to live simply like them, without the needless list of items Americans have claimed to be "necessities."
This past year I have been wrestling with what it means to minister to the poor. Does it mean living among them and essentially being one of them, or does it mean giving freely of the resources entrusted to us by God (blessed to be a blessing)? These are not easy questions and I don't expect to find the answers on this trip, but it's just something I will continue to think and pray about.
I do know, however, my heart has grown for those in need- specifically children. I just don't know how I can help them.