We made it to Ddembe House!! We were so happy to see Moses and the children again! Moses said he had not told them we were coming, because then they would "not focus on their books." Esther, the house mother, told me, though, that today after he left, several of the children had whispered to her that "Auntie Jennifer was coming!" Our reunion was so sweet and precious, and completely in the dark, so I have no photos!! ;-)
Today while we were in Kampala waiting to meet the lacrosse team (which didn't work out, but we will see them tomorrow, hopefully!), Loyd, our driver, took us to the King's Palace. Uganda is divided into several kingdoms, each with a king. The king is primarily a ceremonial authority. We learned about the history of this kingdom, and also about the darkest part of Ugandan history. In the 1970s, when Edi Amin was a general who helped overthrow the King and eventually take over Uganda, he tortured and killed tens of thousands of Ugandans. Our Ugandan friends have told us stories over the years that are terrifying, haunting, and devastating. The older ones tell us that this country was so great before Amin, and about how it is still recovering. Today, we walked into Amin's former torture chambers at the King's Palace, and it was horrific. Just hours later, we walked through the doors of Ddembe House to a room full of happy, healthy, safe children. Ddembe means "freedom." These children are so blessed to know more than just the freedom of living in a peaceful Uganda. They know the freedom that comes from living in Christ. It shows in everything they do and in who they are. My prayer for all of us today is that we would, as Moses always says, "be free!"
This is precious and always hits home! I was at Ddembe for almost a month in May/June with Ainsley. We were talking tonight, and she sent me your blog link. I love that you added that we would all, as Moses says, "be free". Praying for your trip and time with the kiddos, tell them Caroline says hey!
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