Thursday 3 July 2008

Out Of Africa

Time in Uganda is priceless,
Whether it's spending that time with playing football with old friends,or finding yourself in a familiar tiny embrace, singing and dancing or generally making a fool of yourself (see singing and dancing),
Uganda has a way of making every moment a special one.

The children, with there smiling faces, individual and unique personalities, make every day an amazing one.

There is little that can compare to their unbridled joy,

This is what Christ meant when he said we should be like children,
This kids are alive, alive in a way that is indescribable,

The way they observe things, the way the enjoy creation, and the way they humble themselves,

Harriet is a child that has spent her live suffering with HIV and AIDS,
In her short life she has faced more challenges, more heartache then most experience in their entire lives,
She has lost family, she has lost friends, and yet, she smiles.

Harriets story could have jaded her, could have taken her impressionable mind and twisted it,
But Harriet is one of the kindest, happiest and humblest girls I have ever encountered,

She doesn't have the energy to dance and skip and run with the other girls,
But Harriet sits and watches and smiles, her heart is for others, and she is genuinely glad that the others are having fun,

Listening to Harriets story, it is easy to question where God has been all her life,
It is easy to say that God doesn't care, and it's easy to say that our God must be an angry God to allow this little girl to suffer as she has,

But to spend a day with Harriet, is to realize that God is there,
God has cradled this little one, and stolen her away from death time and time again,
And what's more, God has instilled in her a joy that is incomparable,

The relationship that Harriet has with God is deeper than anyone could possibly imagine,
And it's evident in the love that she has for HIm,
The way that she sings and the way that she prays,
The way that she worships and the way that she carries herself,

Where her trying past and long sufferings could have hardened the hearts of many,
Harriet has let it soften hers and it has brought her closer to God,

Spending time with Harriet has taught me these invaluable truths,
And her life speaks more to me than she could ever know;
And it's her story and testament I take with me this time,

"Thank you Lord for this beautiful little girl,
Thank you for the way that you cherish her, the way that you comfort her and the way that you bless others through her life.
Lord I pray that you continue you to keep her close to your heart, and that you continue to use her in the ways that you have.
Thank you Lord for all the children, and I pray that you continue to hold them close,
Give them good health, and grow them in their understanding of you Lord.

Lord, allow us to trust you,
Because trust is all we have, we can never comprehend your plans for this world and our lives Lord,
So help us to live by faith, for I know you only want the best for us.

You are a glorious God,
The One True King, and Father over our lives.
And it's in Your Name I ask all these thing My Father,
Amen"