We decided to take the whole family along with two teachers
from the school up to Aura for some home visits. The eight hour journey was not an easy task
with three little ones. Megan was a
challenge but after a 7 AM departure we arrived safely at our destination. I also realized that one of the battery
holders on our well-worn Prado was shot and needed to be fixed. I set off to Aura
town for some help and was shocked to find out that this very ‘small’ town was
teeming with over two million people. As
nightfall began to approach a new battery holder was welded and installed. Connections were checked but there was not a
new battery terminal anywhere to be found to connect to the post. After several starts it had appeared that
everything was okay. I enjoyed my
conversation with the mechanics in their open air shop at the back of their
house that was no more than 400 square feet.
They were also working on a minivan taxi from Congo which allowed me to
get a greater understanding of that enormous country and problems that they are
facing. During this operation it also
became very clear that being a mechanic in Uganda means being a welder and
machinist. I watched a man building a car part out of a hunk of steal like a
blacksmith.
After I paid a whopping 15 dollars for all the work I was
guaranteed that I would have no more problems for a year although there was
surely no money back guarantee. The kids needed a bedtime snack of yogurt and I
needed to pick up toothbrushes and toothpaste since I forgot my overnight bag
so I swung into the biggest supermarket in town. It was about the size of an average living
room in Canada. I grabbed a few things
but being a flosser was disappointed to find none. Needless to say I was happy to be heading
back to the guest house having the car fixed and a few basics in tow. I jumped in the car and turned the ignition
key to hear only a clicking sound. I had
earlier become aware of the very few cars on the streets. Everyone traveled
almost strictly on foot, motorcycle, or bicycle. As I sat there I realized that
I was in a very different world… not only different from Canada but different
from the central part of Uganda that I call home. I began to feel a little uncomfortable and
needy. But I knew I had to get the vehicle at least back to the guest
house. After popping the hood I spent
several minutes playing with the connections to both batteries and finally the
engine fired up and I was feeling much better.
Once back at the guesthouse I had a late supper and our
contact person promised a reliable mechanic to tune up the car for the home
visits we had planned for the next day. The next morning the vehicle was fixed and
thankfully we are off on our home visits to see eleven of our students. Seth and Jodie joined me, the local pastor
and two teachers from our school. I
totally enjoyed the country side but found myself with a heavy heart as we
moved from hut to hut. Most of the homes
consisted of a few huts with very few possessions or even necessities. But all of them welcomed us with extreme
warmth and hospitality. All of the homes
had one or both of the biological parents absent due to death and often if
there was a remaining parent they were HIV positive. We offered a small food hamper and encouraged
our students and remaining family members to not give up and keep the
faith. My heart was touched as we were
given bananas, peanuts and eggs as a token of the guardian’s appreciation for
helping their child. I found it hard to
take them when I saw how little they had and yet they shared it with us. But I
knew these gifts were ways they could express their hearts and I needed to
receive them graciously and thankfully. My heart hurt as I said goodbye to each
one of my former students knowing that I may not see them again for a very long
time or ever and knowing they have a hard road ahead. One student had lost his dad several years
ago and now his mother was raising the family.
This became more of a challenge just in the past few months as his older
brother was killed in a motor vehicle accident and now they had the addition of
caring for his wife and four little children.
In this culture this boy of only 14 was now heading the home and
responsible for the welfare of all. He
had a small hut and was working hard in the garden to grow a variety of
products to eat and sell. As we were
leaving it was all I could do to keep my composure as they gave us their eggs
for the day. I wanted to give them back
but knew it was a gift that they wanted to give and were very honoured to give
it… I had to accept it. Later that day I was able to pass those eggs on to
another family in another part of the country and I felt the truth in Christ’s
words, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’… in this case I can
honestly say that scripture translated for me into, ‘It feels much better to
give than to receive’!
As we moved on to the remainder of the homes I felt
compelled to get that machine up and running.
After a late supper I phoned our contact person and asked him if we
could investigate the cost of fixing the grinder. He said he would do it but later that night
as I lay in bed I could not sleep as my mind was thinking about the many needs
I had seen in just a few home visits and my many blessings in contrast. I promised that I would do my best to go or
be what God would like me to do even if it meant working in Africa again one
day. I also realized the numerous
blessings my children have by having two parents who are healthy and love them
like crazy. They go to bed each night
not just with a hug and a kiss but often with a snack and their heads land on a
soft pillow with a bed that has a mattress and blanket. We indeed are blessed and I wrestled with why
God would allow such need to pervade a large percentage of the world. I really
struggled with that. Needless to say I knew I had to let go and give all of
these children along with the others at the school and the staff to the
Lord. I realized once again that when
compelled it is important to help those you can but also to realize that one
can’t help everyone all the time.
After leaving Arua we stopped at our house girl’s village as
she is in the process of constructing a house that she will live in and begin a
baking business one day. We were excited
to see the foundation coming and want to help make this a reality for our dear
friend and part of the family. As we
continued our trek back home we had decided to spend a night at a lodge to
break up the distance. It was near that
lodge as we were driving very slowly around a corner that I lost control of the
steering. A rod had snapped in the
steering column and I had zero control.
We glided into a parked position beside the sleepy dirt road. When I got
out to have a look I saw the tie rod was loose on the ground and the end that
connected to the tire had broken right off.
The medal piece had split in half. It was fixed the next day and we were
on our way home. The mechanic made it
clear that we were very fortunate to have it break on that sleepy road while
taking a slow turn. Both Sarah and I
were stunned as we talked about what a serious accident we could have had if
the rod had snapped while we were traveling at 120 kmph on the highway or even
in a town full of people along the road.
Clearly God spared our lives and those of others. It reminded me that
God has been looking after us and we are so thankful for His protection. We
also realize that so many of you pray routinely for our health and safety and
we are completely convinced your prayers have moved mountains. Praise God!
Our farewell party was made a little easier by having some
of our good friends from Abbotsford join us.
Having Mark, Jeremy, Kelly and Jonathan stay at our house for about ten
days was a great experience and privilege for us. Time was spent beating some of the younger
teams at the school in soccer, painting, doing home visits and visiting
children in need outside of our school.
It was good to have a few more people see Africa through our eyes and
fully support us in every way. We were
truly blessed to have these guys in our home. Thanks for coming guys!
We thank God for this amazing chapter in our lives and look
forward to what comes next. We still do
not know what we are doing but continue to have different options popping up. Time will be needed to unwind before we can
make a clear plan in regard to our future.
Until we step on the airplane though, we want to enjoy our remaining
weeks here in Uganda with friends and as a family.
We are very much looking forward to being closer to all of
you and able to join in celebrations, special events, and holidays in the
future. This will be a joy to us!
We’ll zip off an email before leaving Uganda! Thank you very
much for loving our family and encouraging our work here! It has made a
difference!
We will update you on Seth, Jodie, and Megan next month!
Blessings from the Williams five
