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| A poker chip worth 1,000 Ugandan shillings at the Amazima canteen |
Teaching Grace
Every weekday morning at 6:45 (except Wednesday, which is laundry day) we have devotions with the girls in Ruth House. Since Amazima is a Christian school, the devotions this first term have focused on explaining what Christians believe. Not everyone in Ruth House has been raised as a Christian, and some who are from Christian families are Christians "culturally" and not necessarily as a matter of personal faith. In explaining Christianity, the point was made up front that we respect all of our house members' beliefs, we do not want anyone to feel pressured to say they believe something they do not, but they must understand that at Amazima Christianity is taught so they will be presented with it on a daily basis. The families of the non-Christian students are all aware that Christianity is taught at Amazima and all have chosen to let their children attend.
Part of the devotions involve teaching the students about God's grace. It is a difficult concept in Ugandan Christian culture because so much emphasis is placed on earning God's blessings as a reward. Those who do not prosper are told they have not contributed enough money to the church or do not have enough faith. We wanted to give the Ruth House girls a concrete experience of grace so we could contrast their experience of grace with the "prosperity gospel" teaching they have heard in their churches.
House parents have been given poker chips to give to students who go out of their way to serve others without expecting any recognition for their service. Yellow poker chips are worth 1,000 Ugandan shillings at the local canteen, enough to buy a soda or snacks. Our transition year students were not familiar with the poker chips because they are too new to the school to have seen chips being handed out and we had not told them anything about the chips. One day at devotions, we decided to introduce the chips. We put all the yellow chips in a bag and went around the circle telling each girl there was a gift for them, they could reach in and take it, or they could not if they did not want to. Each girl took a chip, especially as they saw what the other girls were getting when they reached in. Most of the girls had no idea what the chips were for and were thrilled when they found out they could use them to get food at the Canteen. We explained to the girls the giving of the chips was like God’s grace. It’s there if you want to take it, but you don’t have to. It’s not anything you earn or deserve. God simply holds it out to us. We hope this exercise gives them some concrete examples to remember when we begin in-depth discussions on grace in the next few weeks.
Saying Grace
Early one morning Sandra heard a lot of screaming on the veranda. "What are those girls arguing over?" she said. "They need to stop now." She climbed out of bed, went to the window, looked out, and saw ants. Not creepy-crawly ants, but flying ants. Flying African white ants (which are really termites, but who cares).
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| A single white ant |
African white ants are a delicacy. Denny had been waiting for the day they would show up since he arrived in Uganda. He flew out of bed and ran to the veranda where the girls were knocking the flying insects down with towels to collect for a tasty treat. It took about 20 minutes to collect a large bowl full.
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| Collecting the ants |
Denny took the bowl to the kitchen. They prepared the ants by first washing them, then boiling and frying them. The fried ants are seasoned with salt. Sandra would not try them. Denny does not understand why. He says they have a mild bacon flavor and a gentle crunch. Quite delicious. Yes, Denny did say grace before eating the ants.
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| A bowl of cooked ants |
Receiving Grace
Weeks ago Denny went to Kampala to get his work visa. While waiting at the government offices he left his prescription sunglasses on a table and did not realize he left them until he was on his way back to Jinja. Too late to get them; they're gone. Several weeks later Sandra went to Kampala to get her work visa. On a whim she asked someone at the government agency about Denny's sunglasses. Why yes, they did find them and here they are. The glasses once were lost, but now they're found. Denny was blind, but now he sees.
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| The found sunglasses sitting on Sandra's knee in Kampala |
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