The members were so warm, and I was so excited to be there after being sick as a dog in bed last Sunday. Church is held in a building that I think has been repurposed as a church, but I am not entirely sure. After Sacrament Meeting, there were 2 options for Sunday School. We chose the upstairs option. After Sunday School (great lesson by Susan), we went downstairs to find the Relief Society sisters. Apparently they lock the door into the Sunday School until they are finished, so not knowing about the sneaky other way to get downstairs from the outside, we waited in the stairwell.
The Primary children meet outside, and so wafting into the window were the sweet primary songs. On this occasion though, it was "Once There Was A Snowman," which is kind of ironic seeing as I don't know if any of them have seen snow before?
After making it to Relief Society, I realized that our Sunday School teacher was also in the Relief Society Presidency. The members of this branch care so much about the gospel that they are willing to go to extra lengths to make sure everything functions with their limited resources. We can learn so much from that in places where the gospel is more concentrated. Are we all actively participating in activities, volunteering to help with dinners, or assisting the missionaries by bringing friends to church? I have so much work to do in all of these areas.
These women diligently passed printed versions of the Visiting Teaching message, and once again I felt like I was a part of a sisterhood- just as I would in D.C., or in Provo, or wherever. They talked about sharing what you have for those sisters who are in need. I loved it.
After church 4 people were baptized. Apparently this is a weekly occurrence, which is so very exciting! The gospel is growing in Kampala, and I'm so grateful to be a witness (and hopefully participant) in that. The man who guards the compound next to ours came with us to church is named Joseph. Joseph came with us to church, and even stayed the extra hour for the baptisms. He LOVED his experience, and even agreed to come next week. The whole way home he kept on talking about what was taught, and what he enjoyed the most. I'm really excited, and I think I may try to give him my extra copy of The Book of Mormon.
Tonight we spent time at a children's art show down the street at a boarding school. The art and handicrafts created by the children were absolutely beautiful! The school is heavily involved in scouting, so it was fun to see them in their scouting uniforms like we would see boy or girl scouts in America. Also, the school has a funny way of implementing discipline. Check out the awesome signs hanging all around the compound. Here are some pictures of the night:
After the art show, we went to the Deaf School. This was one of the most amazing places that I've been to. Because disabilities alienate children even worse in Uganda than they do in the United States, these children come to this school as a refuge. When we arrived at the school, children ran up to us. They wanted to hold our hands and to be with us. The love of the Ugandan people, and especially the Ugandan children is so humbling to me. I hope to carry it in my heart forever on.
I could tell that there were a lot of children living at the school. I wish that I would have had the know how to communicate with them more- to know if they loved this place, if they wished that they were somewhere else, if they had friends, and if they felt loved? Anne and I brought some fruit snacks to pass out to the children, and between Jenn and Anne, we also had biscuit cookies and glow sticks for the children. It was so neat to see them using their glow sticks. Because we only had limited amounts, the younger children received the fruit snacks, and the older children received the glow sticks. One boy tried to sneak back into line to get another, but the neon was glowing from inside his pocket! Woops! :) It was an absolutely perfect way to end the evening.
We leave for our safari in the morning, so I'm going to finish packing tonight! Never a day that doesn't come with some sort of adventure in Africa! :)
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