Bush Training Continued: Our 1st Village Visit in Lotem, Uganda

I will be posting a few more blogs from our first bush training in Uganda.  The dates they happened will be at the top of each post.  I have tons of stuff I still want to share but for the sake of time I will pull out the most major highlights.  Then I will post some blogs from our recent training we just finished in Zambia.

Abby with some of the village kids

Our First Village VIsit in Lotem, Uganda

Day 1

Written Saturday, February 16, 2013

Today was Day 2 of our trip to the Karamajong village of Labacoy.  Our team was me, Selvin, Abigail and Nalabae (one of our Karamajong nationals going through training with us).  We had a great time!  It’s so neat to come back and hear everyone’s stories as we all spread out yesterday morning from base camp and left to find a village.  Our class yesterday was about Luke 10:1-12 that our supervisor taught as our model to go out to the villages.  We did some practice sessions earlier this week to help us learn more about Karamajong culture-especially practicing our response if we were offered snuff or quetay (a local alcohol).  It was quite a class!

We were all nervous about going out because only 3 of our 17 member team can speak Karamajong fluently.  Our assignment was to follow the Luke 10 model and follow the Holy Spirit’s leading above all.  If we found a person of peace we were to stay, if not we were to go on to the next village. We all prayed very hard as a team that God would keep us sensitive to His Spirit as we went out.  Lord, how big and incredible You are and even when our faith is not big You always prove Yourself faithful!  

Labacoy:  Our Man of Peace

Selvin and I wanted to visit a village near where we had walked a couple of days back.  So we set out Day 1 on our way!  We arrived at the village of Labacoy and immediately were met by 2 elders-one of which was the village’s name Labacoy.  He was very excited to see us and invited us to sit under a shelter made of a straw roof and supported by sticks.  We had been there probably about 45 minutes when they brought out bull rush porridge for us.  (Beforehand I had thought that it probably wouldn’t be a good idea for me to eat food offered to me, being pregnant, but the Holy Spirit totally convicted me when the women brought out the food.  I didn’t want to be disobedient to the Spirit and risk ruining a possible relationship before it could even begin.  Besides, as in the words of my supervisor, what’s the worse thing that could happen?  I could get sick.  But the eternal rewards would be far more lasting and outweigh any temporary discomfort.)  I prayed inwardly for God’s protection over the food and against sickness and disease as our team passed it back and forth and took sips with the other villagers.   Abby loved it-even more so than Selvin and me-eating it up with a huge grin and loud sips.  (Thank You Lord!)  They later brought out boiled maize and sunflower seeds for us to share.

Our first meal at the village:  Bull Rush Porridge

Selvin and Nalabae building a roof

A couple of kids and a few elder women visited us for a little while-inquiring of Nalabae why we were here.  We felt a peace about staying there although it was a bit awkward with the silence many times throughout the day.  After a while women began returning from their work in the fields.  They all greeted us and more children joined us under the little shelter.  We later helped build a sorghum storage hut.  We sang many Karamajong Christian songs with the children to which they smiled and clapped. The women invited me to go to the bore hole with them to get water and so off we went!   After we returned we visited a little while longer and then departed for home, telling the people of Labacoy we would return tomorrow.  

It was so exciting to hear everyone’s stories that first night-almost everyone had been extended hospitality in one way or another.  And in fact most of the Karamajong villagers wanted us to stay the night but they said there was no room (or they were afraid of possible raiders coming in because it’s a big problem with the neighboring district and they didn’t want to be held responsible if white people got hurt).  But I am truly amazed again at the hospitality of Africans.

Day 2

We left for Labacoy in high spirits-praying for direction from the Lord as we set out.  It was much hotter today so we walked a little slower.  There weren’t many people out when we arrived (I was kind of disappointed and unsure of whether this meant we should go or stay but Selvin and I felt peace about waiting and seeing as we prayed.)  After a few minutes some children we recognized from yesterday joined us and sat under the shelter with us (I had seen some of them at the top of the mountain as lookouts who shouted about our arrival when we were still on the way).  A few elder women trickled in and greeted us.  

Pumpkin Greens and Sorghum Porridge

After what seemed like just a few minutes they brought out a plate of food for us to share-pumpkin greens and boiled sorghum, complete with a spoon!  What?!  In the bush of Africa?  So funny! I was so humbled once again by their generosity.  I prayed for God’s protection (how could I refuse?) and we ate.  Abby was elated because she had been asking for greens since breakfast (veggies have been quite scarce for us out here but once again the Lord is so gracious in how He provides over and above our needs!)  I felt pretty comfortable eating until I fished out a half alive fly in the greens (but I prayed even harder and just took smaller bites.)  Strengthen my faith to be huge through this Lord!  Again, we were so humbled by the hospitality of a people so generous with so little-what a beautiful example of sacrificial giving.  I almost wonder if it was a harder thing for us to accept their gifts of food when my pride was telling me they needed it more than I, but to refuse their gift would have been extremely rude.  (This is a concept I would like to look into further and seek God’s guidance.)

Laurel getting her hair braided by the Karamajong women

I asked the ladies to braid my hair like their’s and it was a great bonding experience.  I think once they were able to touch my hair I was more real to them (this was the first time many of them had ever seen a white woman.) and a lot of the fear of me was dispelled.  Although I couldn’t speak their language very well and didn’t know what was going on most of the time, smiles and laughter are universal.  I praise God that He is teaching me through this experience of not knowing the language, creative ways to build relationships any way.  Later on that day the women invited us inside the manyata to show me how to crush sorghum.  Everyone was laughing at me but it was so much fun-I tried my best to complete the tasks they made look so effortless and just laughed along with them. Then we went on top of a huge rock and the ladies showed me how to bust open little watermelons and separate the seeds (all with a rock). The first one I tried to smash burst all over all of us-causing an outburst of laughter.  It was great!  African women here are so strong! One of the most common sights you will see is a woman walking down the road, a baby tied on her back, water jug on her head and a sack of grain in her arms.

Abby having a great time!

We sat under the thatched shelter off and on between our work and sang songs with the Karamajong.  Abby took a nap lying on us.  About an hour into her nap she woke up out of nowhere screaming and crying-I was baffled.  She was thrashing around and nothing I could do would soothe her.  The best way I can describe it was that her behavior was kinda like a fit but started during her sleep.  It really upset me!  I didn’t want to be a bad example for the villagers (one of the worst things you can do to ruin your witness in Africa is to lose your temper) so I picked her up as best as a I could as she flailed around and gave her to Selvin.  I almost lost my composure and started crying in front of everyone.  I could really feel the spiritual warfare-thank You Jesus for Your grace alone that enabled me to keep it together.  After a few minutes she finally calmed down and snapped out of it.

We continued to sit under the shelter and visit with the people of Labacoy.  They then brought us hot sorghum porridge and boiled maize (Abby’s favorite).  And then before we left they gave us a bag of more boiled maize for the road-so sweet!  Lord, I praise You so much for our past 2 days in the village.  To You alone be all the glory and praise!  Use us Lord!