The Other Side of the Table

July 6, 2014

I know that I am not a parent, but today I had one of those experiences that gives you a taste of what it must be like. As we are here living life alongside these kids – doing chores with them, helping them get ready for school, doing homework with them, tucking them in to bed at night – you get really attached to them. Well, today, I got to experience some parent conferences at their school, from the opposite side of the table that I am used to sitting on!

Today we had the unique opportunity to attend “Visitation” at Kitende Modern Primary School. This is the school that Rebecca and I are teaching at two days a week this summer, and the school where our Sozo kids attend that are in primary school. Most schools in Uganda you can choose to board at the school if you desire. All children in grades P6 and P7 board at their school because they take national exams those years, and their schoolwork is more rigorous. Most of the other children that board have parents that are working and aren’t home much to take care of them. Visitation days happen in the middle of the term and at the end of the term. It gives parents an opportunity to visit their children who are boarding, and all parents the opportunity to conference with their child’s teacher.

The teachers that we are working with at Kitende invited us to come to visitation because, “You are one of us now!” We did attend visitation after church, but we attended it as “parents” and visited teachers to talk about our Sozo kids. I absolutely loved having the opportunity to hear the teachers (that we have developed relationships with) talk specifically about our kids and their progress at school. Having class sizes of 50-100 kids, I was under the impression that these teachers really didn’t have the opportunity to get to know individual student needs and personalities, especially since the teachers rotate and only teach 1-2 subjects with each class of students. This has been one of the things that I have struggled with the most about education in Uganda because I know how important that teacher/student relationship is in the classroom. However, I was completely blown away today at the things that the teachers had to say about our kids. They completely hit the nail on the head with their personalities, behaviors, and habits and talked about how it affects their performance in the classroom and on exams.

As we traveled from classroom to classroom, the teachers immediately knew which books/exams to pull (which made me feel good that they knew which were Sozo kids) and started sharing with us what they’ve noticed about them. Not only were we able to check in on their progress, we were able to laugh and continue to develop these relationships with the teachers at Kitende. It was so funny to me to be sitting on the other side of the table for a parent conference. I know how stressed and anxious I usually am as a teacher preparing for conferences, because you never know what concerns the parent might have, or how they will take the news you will share with them about their child. Well, sitting on the other side is very similar. I want our Sozo kids to do well in school. I want to see them getting good marks and behaving in class. I want them to take advantage of the opportunity that they have to attend school, especially in a country where that is not necessarily the norm. I gained a whole new perspective today on relationships between parents and teachers, and I know I will have a new appreciation for conferences when the time rolls around for them this fall.

As we left each classroom, the teachers asked us to sign a notebook with our child’s name, parent’s name, contact information, and comments. Although we told each teacher that Aggie, our Sozo Child Development Director, would also be visiting the classrooms, they wanted us to sign as well. They asked, “Will you please give some feedback, good or bad, because most parents don’t understand how to give it?” I had one humorous situation where a particular male teacher, who has been joking with me about coming home with me to the states, asked why I left the “contact information” section blank. After a little banter back and forth, I reminded him that if he needs to contact someone about one of our kids, it needs to be Aggie… NOT me! J

We had a little down time before our driver arrived to pick us up, so Rebecca and I were able to sit down with two of the teachers we have been working with and have a great conversation. We learned all about schools in Uganda… similarities/differences from schools in the states, government v. private, teacher training, class sizes, language barriers, boarding school, textbooks/curriculum, etc. It was exactly the time that Rebecca and I needed to learn some of the things about education that have been swirling around in our heads. I loved every minute of it. In fact, now that I’ve had those conversations and our relationships at Kitende are really building, I don’t want to leave it. But, I have a huge sense of peace about our Sozo kids’ education. It may look very different from what I know education to look like in the states, but it is [right now] the perfect fit for Sozo.

I am so thankful for teachers who are truly living out a life calling loving and educating children. Yes, I realize that is what I do, but I have a much greater appreciation seeing teachers who have the same passions and drive to teach that I do, but are doing it in a situation where they are overcoming so many obstacles, day by day. I have it pretty easy compared to the school situations I’ve seen in so many other places. Seeing such a great need for education all over the world renews my passion for what I am doing. It also has opened my eyes to see so many opportunities to fill gaps and needs. My prayer is that God will continue to show me the steps that He wants me to take to play a small role in His big plan!

Happy Birthday America!

Sozo staff and kids have been around Americans long enough to know that July 4th is somehow a special day. Today they were all making jokes about wearing red, white, and blue and singing the Star-Spangled Banner to us. And telling us, "Happy Birthday America!" One of the Sozo houses even sang happy birthday and wore their USA colors. 

Quite possibly my favorite story of the day is about our hired taxi driver for the summer, Deo. He was driving Laura and Mason to the store today and was stopped by the traffic police at a checkpoint. The policeman asked Laura, "How do you communicate with him (referring to Deo)?" Without hesitation, Deo replied (in his Ugandan accent), "I am American!"

This story is pretty awesome because as Deo was driving for the interns all summer last year, he learned to speak English. Now, Deo is a part of the Sozo extended family. He joins us for devotion and dinner each night, you might find him helping kids with their homework, helping patch a mud hut in the village, or letting the little ones climb into the driver's seat of his van and pretend to "drive to America to see Auntie Suz!"

I thank God for the opportunity to love on everyone that He places in our paths, no matter their role. They can be Sozo children, staff, teachers, people in the village, our waitresses at the restaurants we frequent, shop owners, Safari guides, and our driver. God gives us these opportunities to show the world who He is. I pray I don't miss these opportunities and that I take the time to grow these relationships. 

We celebrated the 4th of July like any Anerican would do... Eating way too much! Laura, Mason, Rebecca, and I were preparing food throughout the day so we could enjoy a celebration at House 4 (intern/missionary house) tonight. Rebecca and I learned how to make chips from scratch. Started with flour, water, salt, and sugar and ended the process with a pot full of chips! Somewhere in there we had quite a bit of Ugandan help... 

We enjoyed a feast of pork, sautéed vegetables, chips and salsa, hummus, fresh fruit, avacado, and a delicious pan of brownies. 

And, of course, the celebration wouldn't have been complete without our favorite "American" friend, Deo!

Happy birthday America!

Hope in the World

July 2, 2014

Wednesday was a Kitende day. We got up and ready and planned our PE for the day. We asked Teacher Amanda if we could please keep the P1 and P2 classes separate to give us a chance to be able to accomplish some of the activities that we had planned. When you have 100 +/- students in a class, it is hard enough to give instructions on a field when they are ready to run and play. It is just impossible if the two classes are together. They agreed. Essentially, I had a few ideas, but just went with whatever came to mind. We did running relays, the Hokey-Pokey, Red Light Green Light, and Head Shoulders Knees and Toes. Of course, when one of the students comes to you and says, “Teacher! Wheelbarrows, wheelbarrows!” we have an impromptu Wheelbarrow Race. Not one minute later, the same student that had asked me to do the wheelbarrows, was laying on the ground. When I asked him why, his response was, “My wheelbarrow was too heavy!” Benange. We survived PE, and the kids were worn out. Mission accomplished.

Right after teaching PE in a skirt outside in the hot Africa sun and working up a good sweat, we “take tea” with the teachers. Teacher Gorret asked us, “Do you have trousers?” She could obviously tell how miserable we were wearing skirts running around. We responded telling her that she did not wear trousers. She laughed and told us, “I am too big to fit in trousers!” (She is at least pregnant.) We promised her to wear more appropriate PE clothes next week. As we were sitting there talking, she then asked, “How can I get an offer for my children to enjoy the benefits of Sozo?” I told her that it is much better for her children to stay with their mother who loves them. She said, “All Africans need help… the school fees, clothes, food… it is expensive. Even the wealthy ones need help.” We reassured her that she is doing a good job providing for her children, she has a good job, and she is the one that God has picked to raise her children.

Earlier in the day when we first arrived, Teacher Gorret informed us that Teacher William (a teacher from Kitende that has been in the hospital) had passed away during the night. All of the teachers were in a very somber mood, and they even told us that they were having a hard time being at school and teaching during the day. Teacher William had been in the hospital for a while. The story that we were told was that he was playing futbol and got kicked really hard in the side of his stomach. He ended up needing surgery and then got some kind of infection/complication from the surgery. He had fluid on his stomach, and the doctors could not figure out how to diagnose/treat him. During our time there, they called a teacher meeting to discuss the situation.

Although it was a very solemn time, this time in the classroom was quite humorous. The teachers of each class (including the baby class – equivalent to 3 year old preschool) left one student in charge to take names of those students who were misbehaving. This would never happen in the states, but it seems reasonable for a quick meeting. Rebecca and I were both in P1, so I feel like our presence helped with the class behavior for a little while. Then after about 20 minutes, we both realized the natives were getting restless. Being teachers, we decided to step in and try some tricks to buy time. We reviewed the lesson that was still on the board… teacher meeting was still going on. We attempted to teach “quiet mouse” to no avail. We tried a game of “teacher says” that worked for all of two minutes. Rebecca reviewed an activity to making a silent “wild rumpus” from the lesson she had taught with the book Where the Wild Things Are. Students started coming up and saying, “I want to go for a short call.” In muzungu, that means, “I need to go to the bathroom.” Let’s just say, I’m glad none of them asked to go for a “long call” or I might have lost it. All of this time, we were fighting 87 P1 students who were laughing at the muzungus who were trying to have some classroom management, and clearly had no idea what to do. When we asked one of the students how to make them quiet, the response, “Get the stick and beat.” I’m not going to lie, we carried the stick around the classroom for a bit, but we could not even do that without laughing. All in all, we had many interesting experiences in the classroom today that I never thought would happen. So, an HOUR after the teachers left the classroom, Teacher Gorret came back to the classroom to relieve us.

With all of these conversations today, my heart was hurting for the pain and burdens that people are trying to carry around. It reminds me of when Jesus told his disciples, “…In this world you will have trouble. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Christ has promised that the Father is with us, and He will carry our burdens. Yes, it is hard to provide for our families, it is hard to continue with the mundane tasks of our job when we have lost a coworker… Life is hard! Although I cannot begin to put myself in others’ shoes to understand the pain of the burdens that they are carrying, but Jesus Christ can. He has walked through life on earth and felt these pains. And He promises to carry these burdens for us. “Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7).

My prayer is that in our time at Kitende, Rebecca and I can show others the hope they can have in Christ. Yes, we are teachers, we love to teach, we want to learn about Ugandan education, we want to love on some children, but most importantly, Rebecca and I are at Kitende to share the love and hope of Christ. He has called us to serve alongside Him this summer, and to share His great name among the nations.

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23

Whispering His Name

Today we headed out to Ngongolo Village to work with Margaret in her school. When we arrived, we were able to meet Margaret’s three children: Enos is 6, Frank is 10, and Grace is 13. Enos and Frank stayed with us at her school today, which was such a blessing to me to see Margaret interact with her own children.

Rebecca and I planned to use our time at the school today to read the story of Noah from The Jesus Storybook Bible [if you are not familiar with this resource, I highly recommend it for children of all ages], sing a song about Noah, and “shade” some pictures to use in retelling the story. Rebecca drew the pictures (very talented) and narrated them so that we could leave them with Margaret to hang in the schoolhouse.

One of the biggest challenges that we face at Margaret’s school is that her students know very little English, so we sometimes have a hard time communicating. Thankfully Margaret was willing to translate as Rebecca read aloud to make sure that they students understood the entire story.

The students were mesmerized. In all of my times in this classroom, I’ve never seen the students so attentive. They love reading books. They love shading pictures. They love singing silly songs. Sometimes it is the little things that get to you. As Frank finished shading his picture, he immediately grabbed The Jesus Storybook Bible and started studying the pictures. Then he started reading it aloud. It took my breath away.

How many times have I seen students sit in a library full of thousands of books and say that they do not like any of them? How many times have I asked students to color a picture and they rush through to get the job done, complaining the whole time? How many times have I seen children who do not want to go to church on Sunday and hear the “same old Bible stories”? How many times have I taken for granted that I can pick up a Bible and read the stories of how Jesus saves and redeems His people time and time again?

Margaret, her children, her students, the Sozo kids… They long to learn about God, the Creator of the Universe. The God that they know is faithful, loving, and sovereign… despite their circumstances. They are grateful for their mud hut of a schoolhouse, with dirty benches and a piece of a broken chalkboard. They strive to do their absolute best at whatever the task is before them. They stay at school for thirty extra minutes because the muzungu teachers are there, and they just want to spend time loving on us! J

Thank you, Jesus, for the reminder today of what it is like to look at You with wonder and amazement at what You have done for us. Thank you for letting me see Frank joyfully read Bible stories of the great and mighty things you have done for Your people, with every story whispering Your great name!

"Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told." Habakkuk 1:5

June Updates

Once again, it has been way too long since I’ve blogged about life in Uganda. As you can imagine, we’ve been pretty busy. Our schedule, just to give you an idea of what a “normal” week looks like for Rebecca and me, is pretty packed.

• Sunday – Church, out to lunch, House 2 tutoring
• Monday – our “off” day
• Tuesday – Ngongolo Village to work with Margaret in her school, House 1 homework
• Wednesday – Kitende Modern Primary School to teach P1 and P2 (we plan for PE and Counseling classes, but are starting to help with other subjects as well), House 2 homework
• Thursday – 4:30 wake up with the kids at House 2, day at House 1 helping with projects around the house and homework
• Friday – Kitende to teach clubs (art/music/drama)
• Saturday – House 1 tutoring, field day at Kitende with all of the Sozo kids, House 3 tutoring

One thing that the Lord continues to remind me is how I must be flexible, because even though we have a schedule to follow, there is never a week that everything goes exactly as planned. Here are a few highlights from the past few weeks:

Village School: The first time that I saw Margaret this summer, Rebecca was actually not with us in the village. She went on safari early in the summer with a friend of hers that came on a team. I was able to meet with her and tell her that we are looking forward to spending Tuesdays with her in her school. One thing that I wanted to make clear is that we don’t want to come in and just “take over” but we want to partner alongside her with the things she already has planned to do with her class.

A little background on Margaret’s school… She does not necessarily have a background with training in education but she saw a need for a school in the village and started one. Last summer she had over 40 students that were preschool-kindergarten age in a small mud hut of a classroom. When it came time to start the new school year back in February, some people from outside the village came through advertising a new school with “quality” education. Unfortunately, most of Margaret’s students from last year started attending the new one. She had a few parents ask her to continue to teach, so she is teaching with 5 students right now. Financially this has been difficult, and does not have the money to pay school fees for her own children right now. It is also very discouraging because the new school is literally across the dirt road from hers, which is a constant reminder of what has been taken from her.

When we work with Margaret, we are only there for a little over an hour with the students and then they go home for lunch, which leaves us with a couple of hours to just build a relationship with her. I’ve enjoyed this time so much, and we’ve had the time to give her encouragement in this time of her life that she is very disheartened by her situation. I’ve loved being able to share scripture and pray with her. The thing that God continues to place on my heart to share with her is that we do not always understand God’s plan and the way that things happen in this world, but “He who calls you is faithful” (1 Thessalonians 5:24). Even when times are hard, “…the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).

Our second week in the village, Margaret asked us if we could get her a Bible. Last week, we had the privilege of taking a Luganda Bible to her, and I wish I could have bottled up the joy that was overflowing from her heart. Margaret said, “Now I have power,” as she held her own Bible for the first time. She immediately turned to Psalm 23 and read it to us in Luganda. Every time she could sneak away, we found her sitting in the corner reading from her new Bible. She asked us to help her mark the scriptures we’ve been sharing with her. Seeing Margaret with this Bible reminded me of how God calls us to treasure His Word. How often I take for granted having the opportunity to open my Bible and read for myself God’s Word. In fact, I have countless Bibles in my home, different versions and formats. Yet, I do not get giddy at the thought of being able to sit down and read them. God, I pray that You will give me the passion that Margaret has for studying Your Word!

Please continue to pray for Margaret and our time with her. Pray that she will be encouraged and trust that God has a sovereign plan for her life, and He will be faithful to her as she pursues her God-sized dream of a village school.

Kitende Modern Primary School: This is the school that our Sozo kids attend who are in primary school (Baby Class through P7). We are at this school two days a week. Rebecca and I were both discouraged at the beginning because we had been given the opportunity to teach PE, Counseling, and Clubs (art/music/drama). These happen to be the ONLY subjects that neither of us teach back home. Ha!! God has such a funny sense of humor.

However, with the schedule, we are able to be at Kitende and sit in on P1 and P2 subjects like math, English, and Luganda. We also happen to be there during the mid-morning break on Wednesday and have the opportunity to “take tea” with the teachers. Picture a break in the teacher’s lounge at school (although that doesn’t happen very often…) with hot tea as sweet as Milo’s and chapatti (fried flatbread that is a cross between a tortilla/pita). We enjoy this time to talk with the teachers about differences in education and cultures. A few fun conversations...

• Comparing the differences between teaching a class of 100 vs. a class of 15.
• Rebecca being given a stick to carry around as she was teaching, after the class was told, “White ones beat harder than black ones.” And the conversation that followed about how you just need to have a stick to intimidate them.
• In Uganda, if you were 27 and single with no children, it would be considered bad. They told us that we can’t be too picky, we can’t all marry a wealthy man. We told them as long as a guy loves Jesus and loves us, we would be satisfied. They said, “We will find you a black one.” And the next time we showed up, one of the single male teachers started a conversation about wanting us to take him to the states to teach with us. Banange! (Luganda for “oh my goodness”)
• A conversation about needing to “reduce” (aka lose weight), and to do that you have to eat only vegetables and drink a lot of water… All while stuffing our faces with chapatti, fried samosas, and on a sugar-high from the tea.
• Being asked about our “Uganda teacher clothes” that we always wear (long skirts and t-shirt). When they discovered that was not our uniform, they asked why we always wore the same kind of clothes…

As we have continued to be at Kitende, the teachers have opened up more and more. Please pray for our relationships with Teachers Gorret, Amanda, Godfred, and Agnes. Pray that we have opportunities to encourage them, learn from them about education in Uganda, and conversations to share our faith with them.

Sozo Homes: The time that we spend in our Sozo houses has to be my favorite. The kids are learning our schedule and when we will be at their house to “do learning” as they say. I love that we are able to be with these kids at their highs and their lows, and show a picture of God’s unending love. Let’s be honest… Sometimes it is hard to love them when they continue to snatch your water bottle, refuse to do homework, or tickle you so hard it hurts. But, God always gives you a reminder of how He has called us to love, even in the hard times. Sometimes it is through an unexpected kiss on the cheek; a child taking you by the hand saying, “Come we go,” and leading you to share their treasured mud pie; or asking you to pray over them before bed.

Please be praying that although we are busy during the day at the schools, that we still have the energy and patience to spend quality time with our Sozo kids. Pray that I never overlook those moments to love and adore these children, and I use every opportunity to reflect the love our Heavenly Father has for us (1 John 3:1). Pray that we can be intentional with the aunties and uncles who work tirelessly to care for the kids and the muzungus (white people) in the homes.

A friend from my small group at Brook Hills, Rachel, came on the team this past week. I was able to switch my off day to travel to Jinja with her team, which ended up giving me a lot of time serving alongside her. I loved getting to see her experience Uganda for the first time, and watching her fall in love with the Sozo kids who have stolen my heart. It was the perfect time in the summer to have a little piece of home come to this side of the world. It was hard putting her on the plane last night, knowing that I will not be able to be back with her for another month. I can’t wait to get back to my small group girls and enjoy their fellowship every week!

Thank you all so much for the encouraging emails and texts that you continue to send. Often times is exactly what I need to refocus on why God has called me to Uganda this summer. Some days it seems like I have been here forever, and some days I feel like I just arrived. I can’t believe that I only have four weeks until I hit the ground in the U.S. Please pray that God will make the most of the time that I have left to serve Him here this summer. Continue to pray for good health and rest (so far, so good!), intentional time building relationships, and boldness to declare the Gospel to the nations!

“My life is in Your hands, my times are in Your hands,

Though nations shake and thunders roll,

I will trust in You completely.

I yearn for more of You, Your grace alive in me,

My life is nailed to hands that bled

In this love my soul is free.”

– Kari Jobe, “Yours Forever”