Thoughts From Sandra

Sandra's Journal

We feel like we are in sensory overload every day.  Simple things, like smells. Cooking smells from the lunchroom, yum. That sugar factory next to the school, yuck.  It stinks. The occasional burning of weeds and grasses. Sounds, some familiar like roosters crowing.

Some not so familiar. Language sounds. Ugandans workers (200 of them) visiting in Luganda as they finish work on the campus for the new school year.  One of my favorite sounds was during an early morning while Denny and I were walking around the campus. The workers were just arriving.  A group was listening to a sermon given in Luganda. As we walked on, we could hear shouts of joy as they concluded.  We did not have to understand their words to know the praises to our Lord.

I am learning new sounds, a few phrases in Luganda. Denny is speaking sentences.  The Ugandans are so surprised by the sounds coming out of Denny’s mouth when he speaks to them in Luganda.  Some laugh because they are delighted a Muzungu (Westerner) is attempting their language.  The lunch ladies, who speak very good English, love Denny when he stops by to practice on them.  They teach him new words—kitchen/food words.

Meeting new people, Westerners and Ugandans alike. Katie Davis Majors told us the biggest impact for change in Uganda is our relationship with the people.  Last year, the first for this school, actually caught the attention of the heads of the Uganda national education department.  Students were delighted, not ashamed to go home for break. They were Christ-like in their service, helping parents and community alike.  In the villages, adults are asking, what did you do to my child?

Katie had us all over for dinner when we first arrived.  We got to meet her whole family.  She is in a different home from the one described in her books.  Her girls are very personable, regular teens with colored hair extensions and painted nails.  Katie has a welcoming home. The rooms are open and large for entertaining.  It was a great evening of visiting.

Stan is a landscape architect, who is landscaping the school.  He comes to Amazima two times a year.  This is his mission.  Amazima hires local Ugandans to help him with the labor.  The campus is beautiful.

Lenah is our housekeeper/cook.  Lenah comes to our house two days a week and works for our neighbor (Joe and Robin) three days.  Lenah is probably in her late twenties and very soft spoken.  Lenah washes and cleans our home one day. We have her make things for us the second day.  She has made us banana bread, pumpkin bread, soup, smoothies, chipatas and tortillas.  This is all from scratch.  She and I sit down and decide on recipes and then she tells me how much to get from the market.  We love Lenah!!

Biti is our right arm and house mentor partner.  Denny and I are definitely the left arm!  Biti just graduated from college with a business degree, and has worked in a youth home for 3 years and loved it.  Her best friend is Joe and Robin’s house mentor/partner so she applied to work for Amazima this school year.  Biti was raised in a rural area so she understands the layout of the rural neighborhoods.  Biti was raised Muslim and accepted Christ while in high school.  She said she never felt connected with the Muslim religion and did not understand it.  Her mom and stepfather are practicing Muslims. Her mom has never confronted Biti on her decision to accept Jesus.

Biti helped lead us during our first home visits. We met 8 of our 24 incoming girls and their families.  Everyone was so excited.  All very gracious and proud that we came to their home.  To have Westerners visit your home is a big deal.  We were very honored and humbled to be invited into their homes.  Two of the families were Muslim and as with every home, we ended in prayer in Jesus’ name and glory.

We will have about 6 Muslim girls in our “house”.  These families know that this is a Christian school and that the girls will have Christian religion classes, etc.  Amazima does not require that the girls become Christian in order to attend school. It is certainly our hope that our lives can model Christ in a way that God can use to show our girls who He is and how much He loves them, and that they will come to faith as a result.  I am thankful that Biti will be able to answer their questions.

Stella is a math teacher at the school.  This is her second year. Teaching at Amazima has given her a new perspective of Westerners.  Her original impression was that of a Western traveller, demanding, spoiled, aloof to the society they were visiting. She said you Westerners at Amazima are so kind and caring.  I have heard from a few of the Ugandan workers how they love the melding of the two cultures working together.  When we work together as one for God, we all are the same.  This is truly a blessed ministry.

For the first time in years, I have been journaling. Some random entries reflect the newness of the experience here:

In the village, I heard, for the first time in real life, Muslim prayers on a loud speaker.  Very interesting.  Muslims and Christians working and living side by side.

I used a latrine for the first time in my life, if I don’t count the outhouses, port-a-potties, or corn fields during Ragbrai!  The latrines had no smell and were cleaner, just saying.

At one home we were outside visiting and I saw little birds like our sparrows, gray on their backs and a robin’s egg blue color on their belly.  They were such a bright spot of color.  I haven’t seen them on our campus.  They also had little gray and yellow birds the size of a sparrow.

One of our girls lives with her grandma and grandpa.  To see a grandpa is rare.  They were so full of the Lord, a neat couple.  I looked at their cloth on their coffee table and it was a “story cloth” with picture frames that told the entire story of the Bible. It was just like the story cloth we brought here from America to use to teach our new girls.  We were so surprised.  As best we could understand, the story cloth was given to them a long time ago by some “white people.”

The girls get pregnancy tests before every term.  We lost two girls because they tested positive. We pray for these two girls who passed their exams to enter secondary education, but cannot attend now.

The campus dormitory houses have names.  The girl house names from last year are Esther and Hannah house.  We named our house Ruth. 

Please pray for the 24 girls arriving to Ruth House on Sun One of my favorite sounds was during an early morning while Denny and I were walking around the campus, the workers were just arriving.  A group was listening to a sermon given in Luganda. As we walked on, we could hear shouts of joy as they concluded.  We did not have to understand their words to know the praises to our Lord.day, February 4. Please pray that their families can provide their requirements (school supplies).  They get sent back home if they do not have all their supplies.  We trust God will provide for these families. We pray for the girls’ fears. They must speak and learn in English. We pray that there be no language barriers at the school. Most will be living away from home for the first time. We pray for their adjustment.