Day 31: Walk to Kopetatum

Hannah left on her way to South Africa this morning after a scary loss of a passport and a wonderful answer to the prayer of finding it. This leaves Rebekah and I on the construction team until a guy named Matthew joins us on Thursday along with the other team coming to do VBS type stuff.

Bob and his family are gone till tomorrow, and since there was not much we could do without him or Bobby he said it would be okay for us to follow Taryn around this morning. Taryn is the MA here that teaches preschool and trains Karamajong men and women to teach. Their program is called KEO (Karamoja Education Outreach), and they go to different villages to teach the kids. They also have an actual building near the clinic where we were digging the ditch that first week. Today, though, we went to Kopetatum, a village that is about a 30 minute walk from the mission.

We got there and set up tarps as mats for the kids to sit on. Then one of the teachers told me and Bekah, "Okay, now we go to mobilize de cheeldren." (I love their accents!) So we followed the teachers into the small villages, called homes, and they called "Potu!" which means "(you all) come."

I followed the feet in front, 

Walking through the sorghum fields. 

Sounds of children in the village
Get nearer and nearer.

To my left is a thorn fence
Separating us from a hut.
To my right, I hear low humming of a girl 

Between sorghum plants.

I follow the bare feet in front
Walking through the village.
Goats in clumps bleat;
Children run on tiny feet,
And they stop and stare.

In that state of eyes so wide,
Isee a look, reflection of what's inside. 

Big, brown eyes, looking at white skin,

 Maybe for the first time. 

But there's something deeper.

I follow the bare feet in front,
Calling to children to come and learn, 

While holding the gaze of the longing child.

A secret is hidden behind those eyes, 

A secret that may not be so secret --
May not be so different from what's seen outside.

I want to know the secret; 

I want to hold those hands.
I want to be the one she goes to
When her world makes no more sense.

Bring me back here
To this beautiful place,
A beautiful land filed with so many needs...
And this face.

I sit surrounded by comfort
When I am at home,
But I want to leave it behind
And follow the bare feet in front.

I want to be a part of them 

And live like they do,
Be able to love them and
Find out the truth
Behind the secret in their eyes.

I took some pictures, which I can attach to Facebook because it still won't let me attach here. The children were precious. The little ones had boogers running down their noses and only had half as many clothes as the older ones. The older ones which were not that much older but still carried babies on their backs with blankets, trying to shush them when they cried. I think the oldest there may have been around 8 or 9, although it's hard to tell age across cultures. (They look older than they are too us and we look younger than we are to them.)

 The teachers sat older and younger kids on different tarps and told Bible stories and read books. The teacher I was with with the younger kids told the story of Abraham and Isaac and how God told him to sacrifice his son. Then another teacher translated an English book into Karamajong about a girl named Lila who tried make rain fall for her village in Kenya that was in drought by telling the sky the saddest stories she knew so it would cry. We didn't get to the end because each teacher had 20 minutes. Another taught them the letters, A through N, and another taught them numbers up to 5. I remember 1 and 3 from that lesson, epi and uni. :P The Karamajong language is nice because the pronunciation is similar to Spanish.

It was about 10:30 when we left the village and around 11 when we got back. Oh excuse me, its starting to rain, have to save the laundry!!

Okay, I'm back now! So I have been here in the room I share with the girls since then having a nice, long quiet time and debating with Rebekah about things like how long people lived in Genesis and when Mt. Everest was formed.

Today's been a much-needed, restful day. I don't think my back could have handled any more hoeing of the rocks. XP Tomorrow, depending on what Bob says, Beckah and I may be able to follow Leah around to the villages.

Prayer requests:
David has been feeling not so good lately. He slept like 12 hours last night after having a 4hour nap. He has been tested for malaria and it came up negative, but he is still sick.

Prayer for the rest of us to remain sane and unsick in light of Ruth coming back from the clinic with diseases on her clothes and not taking until after dinner and then sitting on my bed with said diseases :P no seriously

Hannah, as she travels to South Africa. Thanks that her passport has been found *whew* and for her archaeological dig to go well

I have been leaving lunch early so I can read my Bible. Sometimes I even get to read before bed if I am in bed before 10:30, which sometimes happens. I am very thankful for the extra time I have in quiet. It's hard sometimes when you go on a mission trip to find time with the Reason you went in the first place... Thanks for your prayers!

Until next time,
Keelaire