Today was our first full day in Buikwe. It was a day of seeing old friends and making new ones. Every time team members come to Uganda they are most excited to see Irene, who has been cooking for CrossRoads team members for over fifteen-years. The last time I was here, in 2011, Irene was here cooking with a her new born daughter Crystal on her hip. Today, Crystal is a Grade 10 student at the secondary school. To see the growth, not only of people and families, but of the Buikwe campus we call home, is nothing short of breathtaking.
I know we are here to serve, and I can only pray that we can in some way, but from the moment you touchdown in Entebbe you are the only being blessed. Continually. All day long. The people with their never ending love for us and brothers and sisters in Christ. Enduring friendships that pickup, right where they left off, fourteen years later. The beauty that surrounds you at every turn is truly life-changing, as many in our body can attest to.
This morning we had the opportunity to visit Kiyindi, a fishing community on the shore of Lake Victoria, where International Needs Uganda has a sister-school to the one we have primarily focused our partnership efforts on for the past 10 years. On the way to the school we stopped in to see a dear friend of our church, Pastor Eli who gave us a quick tour of his church before piling in the van and heading to IN Uganda’s primary health clinic in Kiyindi. At the clinic, staff see over 200 patience a month including mothers in labour, and those suffering from malaria and HIV/AIDS. Due to recent funding cuts from other NGOs their staff has been reduced by half while their case load only increases. Yet the staff serve with a smile in the face of overwhelming challenges.
Just up the road from the health clinic is Kiyindi Primary School. An 8-acre campus educating nearly 1000 children from Kindergarten to Grade 5. Augustine, a teacher who has been teaching at either of the IN schools for 25 years was incredibly proud to give us a tour, including a new two-storey block of classrooms that will be finished by the end of the year.
The team is doing very well. Everyone is coping with the +32 degree temperatures and the itinerary which is always being refined. They are having their hearts broken by the smiles of beautiful children, and their worldview expanded as they walk miles in the shoes of others. My heart is full and I’m so thankful I got on the plane.
Blessings from Buikwe
Chad V.
