In February, 2008, 15 bloggers set off on the first ever Compassion Bloggers trip. In Uganda we fought bats and mosquitos, spotted lions and hippos, played with children ministered to by Compassion, visited an AIDS hospital and blogged the whole thing.
This is one of the images I can’t get out of my head:
It was being pulled through the filthy streets of a slum by a bald headed girl in a pale yellow dress wearing worn red flip flops.
There are lots of sights and sounds from Uganda that will stay with me forever, but for some reason last Tuesday’s home visit seems to be on constant replay in my mind. I can’t think of anything in recent memory that has affected me so profoundly, and every single time I close my eyes to rest or to try to sleep, I see a mental slideshow of that afternoon.
Tonight we realized the “final masterpiece”. Just as Michelangelo chipped away a piece at a time until he finished his sculpture, Compassion unveiled the Leadership Development Program.
A child has the opportunity to start with the Child Survival Program from ages 0–3, the Child Sponsorship Program from ages 3–22, and then the Leadership Development Program (LDP).
the day the fed ex package arrived in my office, i fell in love. a little blue dress. neatly braided hair. and just a bit of a quiet smirk that said, “i may look harmless, but inside, i’m a rockstar.”
Yesterday I met the boy we sponsor through Compassion. All this time we thought his name was Mukanga Dissan, but it turns out that Dissan is actually his first name.
We all met at a well-known Chinese food restaurant (yes, I came to Africa to eat Chinese food), and the Compassion workers brought in the children.
One cool quote I heard one of our leaders state a few times is a really impressive mindset/attitude/vision-type statement. Brian Seay casually mentioned a few times that “Compassion isn't real big on re-inventing the wheel.” They find someone that’s doing something effectively and they partner with them and empower them.
Not be moved because I think they are rock stars and shocked when they go on Compassion trips because they are not like you and I.
“What is your dream for your six children?” I asked her. The interpreter then relayed the question with a bit of explanation.
We all came to this moment drenched in emotion. Tears welled in her eyes. I had spent the previous seventy minutes with this woman and her children in the middle of the unspeakable filth and stench of a slum worse than any I, or any of my seasoned companions, had ever seen.
Anne
Carlos
David
Doug Van
Phil
Randy
Shannon
Sophie
Shaun
Meet Prossy
Trip to Brenda's House
Uganda Blogging Update 8
Uganda Blogging Update 7