Tonight I am numb.
I came to Uganda prepared to see suffering, to celebrate hope, and to provide – in the smallest ways through this blog – an insight for others into that mysterious thing called poverty. What I wanted to avoid – at all costs – was the hopelessness, the eye-numbing pictures of abject suffering that paralyze all who see them, the cliches.
I’m not sure that I will be able to avoid all the things I wanted to avoid and I am not sure I can accomplish all that I set out to do. I am sure that this one post is just a panting gasp of a post – something that it raw and rough and unvarnished and incomplete – and that the rest of my posts this week and next and when I return will be much more complete… more in lines with my hopes. So please stay with me.
First the factual narrative.
This morning offered the first glimpse into Compassion International’s work. We headed into a slum about 45 minutes outside Kampala and into a small church.
The drive from the hotel to the church was a drive through a Universal Studios set of the developing world – roadside micro enterprise ventures, roaming cows and goats and sheep, a crush of humanity walking everywhere in utter disregard for things like cars and trucks and buses, thousands upon thousands of men and women just sitting with nowhere to go, an even smoky haze of burning trash, and piles upon piles of rough hewn building supplies strewn everywhere – think massive and deconstructed Home Depot.
Then the slum – Kivalu. About 40% of those who live there are HIV positive. Numbers are meaningless here.
In some ways I saw it all backwards. I saw the small church first and met a few of the kids that benefit from Compassion’s work and heard their stories and that is a source of hope… of great hope.
Compassion works through local churches, empowering them – frequently without recognition – to care for kids in the community in which it operates. The care is comprehensive – “medical, physical, emotion, spiritual” was how the local pastor described it. It works through child sponsorships that aid both child and family. Such is especially true in a place like Kivalu where AIDS is so prevalent because helping HIV positive parents is a front line in helping kids.
In talking to the kids virtually every one wanted to be either a nurse or a doctor. Why? Because they could help others that way – they could help with the thing they all struggled with most passionately… life.
But the slum. The slum defines everything else..
…and a peek into a single home…
…a 6′ x 6′, lightless, airless, dirt-floored, mud-walled home to five children and a mother….
…and then, walking out, this…
…I watched her and watched her… left right there… alone on her dirty blanket, surrounded by circumstances that aspire to be called squalid…
That is all I have for now.
posted February 12, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Lord, have mercy.
posted February 12, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Thank you for your powerful posts, which bring home to us the reality of real poverty.
posted February 12, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Yes, David, thank you for these posts.
posted February 12, 2008 at 4:09 pm
I came to this blog from a link on the Compassion webpage. I sponser a little girl from Bolivia and I often wonder if my sponsership makes a difference in her life. It is a great thing that you are able to see first hand what Compassion is doing, and I am grateful that you are able to share this with the readers. The photo of the little girl, all alone, brings tears to my eyes. I wish I could hug her! Because of your blogging (and through the others I’ve read) I am almost positive I will be sponsering am African child soon. If possible, could you please compare and contrast the differences in circumstances between sponsered and unsponsered children that you’ve noticed in Uganda? Thank you!
posted February 12, 2008 at 4:11 pm
But what you say speaks volumes! Praying for ya’ll!
posted February 12, 2008 at 4:57 pm
Seeing — SEEING — the inequalities of the world in such a stark way, through the lens of someone we know and trust, makes Communism seem tempting again.
For a millisecond. But for that millisecond, nevertheless.
You and your friends are giving the phrase “doing the Lord’s work” a whole new meaning.
posted February 12, 2008 at 6:04 pm
That’s enough for now. What can we do for these people is the great challenge.
posted February 12, 2008 at 10:09 pm
You are a constant source of inspiration and admiration. Thank you for your poignant posts.
posted February 13, 2008 at 5:48 am
May the Lord keep alive and well all that make a diffrence in other peoples lives. Only a touch of love makes a whole world of difference! You have given more that a touch brother!
posted February 13, 2008 at 7:59 am
You are quite the wordsmith, you are. I know you’d say this trip isn’t about YOU. But, without you and your descriptive ability…I wouldn’t “see” Uganda the way I’m seeing it now.
Still not sure why the phrase, “numbers don’t matter here” hit me like it did. But — wow — that really made me think.
Keep it coming…I’m checkin in often. May God bless your journey and all those with whom you come in contact.
posted February 13, 2008 at 8:26 am
Your heart and eyes are being opened…
Tell us all about it…
We are listening….
posted February 13, 2008 at 8:41 am
David, I feel you are on an immense journey–I send my prayers with you, and thank you for sharing so openly with us…
posted February 14, 2008 at 11:41 am
Most of just dont want to believe that that is real. That people live like that. That we want to live in our little comfortable world. I am one of those. The grabs your heart
Oh WOW!
Thank you
Amy
http://www.amychristopher.blogspot.com
posted February 15, 2008 at 1:54 pm
I have seen this many times but not from this persective. GOD is truely using you as light to us who only know the darkness that surrounds this issue. I would ask you this question, is this condition in some tangent the consequece of the dark side of colonialism raping the resouces of the land? Was their prior culture this way.
posted February 16, 2008 at 7:29 am
This is amazing. I am well aware that this is very real in our world and it makes me feel powerlessand hopeless knowing that what I do is not enough, even if some ppl say it is.
posted February 19, 2008 at 4:52 am
Please dont ever forget we should never entertain doubts here,….And the greatest of this is Love! in Jesus name…Amen.
posted February 19, 2008 at 8:05 am
Our work with missions across the globe has led us to open a discussion group for technical issues faced by missionaries who work with the poor, sick, uneducated, and hopeless but aspire to correct some of those issues. We don’t tell you how to teach the Bible but we do help you learn how to clean water, raise a garden or make a product for sale.
missions_technologies@yahoogroups.com
posted February 20, 2008 at 11:51 am
You truly will be in my prayers today and for the people that are getting and need your help. I know you are doing a good thing.
posted February 21, 2008 at 4:44 am
ORPHANS,WIDOWS,AND THE POOR IN GENERAL HAVE ALWAYS BEEN STEPING STONES OR TO PUT IT MORE CREALY CLIMBING LADDERS FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO FILL THEIR ABSSAY STOMACH.I NO LONGER GIVE A DAME TO OBSERVATION LIKE THE ABOVE ,BECAUSE TO ME IT IS ONLY MOCKERY.I HAVE SEEN IT MANY TIMES,AND IT REALY SUCKS.
posted February 21, 2008 at 6:01 am
This serves as a reminder that we are to be happy with our circumstances and situations and not be complaining about the things we do not have (which most times are not really necessary). We should endeavor to help the less fortunate whom the Lord has placed in our lives. This has served as an eye opener and I will be learning to be content in whatever situation I am in
posted February 21, 2008 at 9:31 am
What is there for us in America or any parts of the globe have to complain about when we live like kings and queens.We have indoor plumming and clean bathing and drinking water and not to mention can eat sleep and drink what we want, when we want I PRAY that we truly give God praise and thanks for all he has done and is doing let us not forget to pray and support missionaries who are spreading the gospel and going into remote places in like AFRICA that we wouldn’t even think of going because we don’t want to miss out on the gifts that God has blessed us with.Prat that the mercy of GOD always abide with us becasue when it’s with drawn we are going to be in for a rude awakening.MUCH PEACE AND SAFETY
posted February 21, 2008 at 9:32 am
What is there for us in America or any parts of the globe have to complain about when we live like kings and queens.We have indoor plumming and clean bathing and drinking water and not to mention can eat sleep and drink what we want, when we want I PRAY that we truly give God praise and thanks for all he has done and is doing let us not forget to pray and support missionaries who are spreading the gospel and going into remote places in like AFRICA that we wouldn’t even think of going because we don’t want to miss out on the gifts that God has blessed us with.Prat that the mercy of GOD always abide with us becasue when it’s with drawn we are going to be in for a rude awakening.MUCH PEACE AND SAFETY
posted February 21, 2008 at 2:27 pm
I weep. I weep for the children and the fact that they know not what it is like to be a child. To have a roof, food, security. I pray that the good you do be multiplied by each life you touch. I have applied to work in an orphange there; and to be honest, I am scared. Scared of meeting myself there and being disgusted with the wanton way I have disregarded the simple things in life. Many thanks for your photos. May God Bless you.