Live it.

This past Friday night and Saturday Michelle, Brecklyn (another volunteer at Ekisa), Whitney (a new friend who lives in Jinja), and I got the opportunity to get away for a night. There is an island about an hour from where we live. It is located in the middle of the Nile river and the island is called "The Hairy Lemon." We stayed in a room with bunk beds, got three meals, and a day of relaxation all for only $26. It was almost too good to believe. We saw monkeys, snakes, and a giant lizard! The sun is so strong, after re-applying several times in one day, I still managed to burn myself. It was such a nice way to get away from the hustle and bustle of always being with kids and never getting quiet alone time. I was really able to just sit and read my bible and pray without interruptions. That is something that does not come along often here at Ekisa. I was able to redirect my heart and my focus on the Lord. The pain of not being able to see my family for four more months was something I couldn't get off of my mind, but the Lord really calmed my soul.

 Do I even have faith in Him at all if I can't trust Him with my future? If I was having so much trouble with it, I obviously wasn't seeking Him to fulfill me, and put me at peace. At The Hairy Lemon I was able to sit back and reevaluate where my heart was. Was I living here? Or living in the fear of my future? I was definitely living in fear of my future. So, needless to say, I am working on living out my faith in the Lord. Instead of telling myself I am trusting in Him, I really am, and I am living it out.

Almost the whole drive home from the island is through Ugandan villages. As we drove, I began to watch closely at the people on the sides of the road or in their huts along the way. I saw women sweating over open fires, providing food for their families. I saw men drinking away their lives, trying to stop the pain of emptiness. I saw children carrying water jugs twice their size to their homes, with only dirty, unclean water splashing out. My immediate response was this: "So many of these people need clean water." "Life would be so much easier for those women if they had electricity and a better place to cook." "Someone needs to slap those men and tell them that spending the only money they make on alcohol isn't going to fix anything." I was thinking of ways to get them clean water, better pots, good shoes, and so on, and then it hit me. As much as I think these people need all of this stuff, and that their lives would just be easier if they had this and that; what they need is Jesus. I could give them all the clean water in the world and build them kitchens nicer than the ones back home but they will still be searching for something to fulfill them. 

They need Jesus. 

Now, of course you know I am not saying that providing for their needs is stupid. Because God calls us, his children, to provide for the weak, the widowed, and the needy. But with that, comes pointing them towards Jesus. What good does "helping" them do, if they don't get Jesus out of it?

It's just something to ponder. Last time you helped feed the homeless, provided shoes for orphans, or even went on a mission trip, did you tell those you were serving who Jesus is? 

Here are a few pictures from our "Island Getaway":