My heart is fully living here.

My time here in Uganda has been crazy. It’s been an incredible journey. Africa is exactly how I pictured it in many ways, and yet it is so different. We worked with a preschool and a primary school this last week. Their education consists of a teacher writing on the black board, the children repeating it over and over again, then writing it in their own notebooks. The class I was in, P1, didn’t have enough pencils, so it took an hour to copy notes. The children are all so happy to be there though. Their smiles brighten my day.

I had my first African church service last Sunday. There’s so much clapping and jumping. I can’t understand a lot of what they sing, even when they sing in English. But anyone could tell that the joy of the Lord is in these people. After church, they had a fundraising auction. Two people bought maize (which is different from corn. It’s harder and it doesn’t pop) and gave it to us. None of us like maize all that much, but the people were so generous. We gratefully excepted.

Being here is so rewarding. At the end of the day we drop into out mosquito netted beds and pass out. But between wake up call and bedtime, our day is filled with smiles and laughs, little children tugging on our hands and hearts, and hearing stories of God’s goodness. My heart is fully living here. I can’t wait to share more stories when I get back home, but for now I’ll keep living in the moment in this amazing country with these beautiful people.

With all of my love,
Madelyn Schwarz