Sunday was super fun! Francis picked us up and brought us to church, Watoto. I haven’t mentioned yet our hot it is. Even though it has rained every day, it is hot. Everyone carries hankies and wipes their brow every 5 minutes. So the inside of the sanctuary was very, very warm. I was worried I was going to pass out. And you can only imagine how great it smelled, everyone all squished together in the pews with the heat and don’t forget, no one wears deodorant or showers or uses toothpaste. But it was awesome! The worship was so fun, everyone sang and danced and loved it. The sermon was difficult to understand because were still getting used to the accent here but the parts I caught were passionate and inspiring. We had asked beforehand if for the midday service we could help out with the kids but between services we stepped outside for a minute of air. A few minutes after we walked outside it started sprinkling, then raining, then pouring, then flooding, then hailing! It was so cool, I totally loved it. In the middle of the storm this gorgeous girl came up and started talking to us. Her name was Natasha and she had just come out of the service too and was waiting for rain to pass. We all ran back inside the church together and then she stayed and helped us with the kids during the next service. After we left she told us she was spending the whole day with us. We were delighted. She took us for good food, told us tons of things about Uganda and Africa and her village and her university. We couldn’t get ahold of our driver so she took us on our first boda-boda ride! (and hopefully our last). We went to the mall and bought an adapter, and tried to buy a modem for the internet (they were closed) and more edibles. She was so helpful, always making sure we weren’t getting hassled and teaching us everything about how to get by in Africa. After the mall we walked back to our hotel and we gave her candy and showed her all our pictures of our life in America and then put on a movie and all climbed onto a bed together. Then at 4 Stuart showed up at our door to bring us to Rabinah. We threw our water bottle and hand sanitizer in the backpack along with some CDs and cards for the girls. Natasha was determined to stay with us so she came along for the ride. At Rabinah’s we hugged all our girls hello and introduced them to Natasha and then taught them go fish and crazy 8s. There was a beautiful little 3 year old girl there with lots of personality and a contagious smile. Rabinah told us she was the baby of one of her girls. So crazy to think of such a perfect little girl coming in such a rough way. Then we listened to some worship CDs and chatted and had afternoon tea. We all danced together outside in the rain at dusk and then the girls each sang occapella while we watched. Rabinah has them practice talents all the time to see where they are strongest and help them gain self-worth. This was the first time we heard one of them mention their past, Prossy, in a song she composed herself where she expressed that even though she has taken drink, and been a prostitute, the Lord has wiped her sins clean and forgiven her as long as she gives her heart to Him.
We called Stuart around 7:30 to come pick us up. We wanted to get back before it got too dark because the slum is a scary place to be out at night and we were exhausted anyway. Stuart didn’t show up in 10pm. All was well though because its those late nights in the dark (the power shut off) when you really get close. Beth told me crazy, insane stories about witch doctors and parents who cut off the head of their babies and bury it in their home in hopes it will bring them wealth (this was there neighbor) and about boda-boda drivers to crash and kill their passengers and are in exchange beaten and killed. She has just recently seen a couple dead, gory bodies in the road after an accident and was feeling really scared by it. Her stories were traumatizing and totally freaked me out but all was redeemed because after she walked away Doreen came next to me and walked me through the most in depth, explicit, passionate bible study I have ever been involved in. It was amazing, from a 13-year old! It was just me and her on a the couch, reading the bible and her notebook from the light of my cell phone, listening to her passion for Jesus and his ability to wipe us clean.
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