“For you
shall go out in joy
and be
led forth in peace;the mountains and the hills before you
shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”
Isaiah 55:12
Recently someone asked me what it’s like when I go to
Uganda. She was interested in where I
stay, what I eat, how hot it is there.
We had fun laughing about the lukewarm showers and intermittent power. But, what I wish I had told her is what it is
*really* like. The facilities where I
stay are decent enough for any ‘not-too-spoiled’ American. And I know now where to get some pretty good
food. But what is great about Uganda is
the Joy.
I walk the dirt alleyways with my friends, the beadmakers,
visiting their homes. I get to see how
their lives have changed since I was last there. Sometimes they have added a new room to their
home, or built a completely new house. I
get to be the first to see their newest designs with the paper beads. I get to meet their children. I absolutely love it. It is phenomenal. My heart fills with the Joy of the Lord!
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| Hilda's Home - Before & After |
What it’s like when I go to Uganda… I forget all about the
fact that my kitchen needs remodeling. I forget that I have ugly pink tile in my
second bathroom. I forget all about the second-hand
sofa that is an eye sore in my living room.
I realize what is important in this world. I get a reality check… A very serious reality check.
When I walk through Banda, the area where our beadmakers
live, I am utterly and completely filled with Joy. It is the Joy of the Lord. Having been to this area for the first time
in 2008 and having the privilege of going back and seeing how their lives have
changed… it just leaves me in awe. I sit
in their homes and ask about their families.
I hear updates of how their children are moving along in school. I hear about medical concerns, and I pray with
them. THIS is what matters. Loving and serving… Just as Christ loved and
served as He walked this earth. That is
what matters. And that is where we find
His Joy.
So, when I’m in Uganda I feel the Joy that Isaiah describes. It’s the kind of Joy that makes you think any
moment now the mountains will literally break forth with singing and the trees
will begin to applaud! You just feel
like you’re going to explode!
If you haven’t experienced that kind of Joy, I pray that you
will. And you might find it in Uganda,
or you might find it in your own backyard!
To find out more about Aggie's Arts, visit our website www.aggiesarts.org.
