Backlog of posts and thoughts from Gayla

The internet has not been available for us so there may be new posts in the "older posts" sections, so be sure not to miss any new ones.

Its 7 am on Friday morning and I am up before the family. Its mine and Jimmy’s 16th anniversary and we are going to stay in Jinja for the night. We are leaving before lunch and spending the day and night there. I am looking forward to it!! It should be a memorable anniversary. The kids will stay at GSF, and I am already missing them!
I figured now was a great time to write some of the observations I have had while being here. Yesterday morning I woke up around 7 and went to the porch to have some wonderful time with the Lord. It was a beautiful morning here and I was able to see lots of beautiful birds , listen to the sounds of Africa, and even watch a monkey swing from limb to limb. The kids of the orphanage had been up long before I me and were already washing their clothes (by hand) and doing various chores, like sweeping. Here, even the youngest sweeps, and does their own laundry and even cooks. The house moms mostly oversee and the children do most of the work. I was speaking to one little girl who was probably around 6 yesterday and noticed she had arm muscles I could only get after years at the gym. There are women and men in the fields behind our guest house working early before we arise every morning.
They always have a smile on their face. I am not sure exactly what makes the difference between all these happy Ugandans and most Americans. Is it money that corrupts us and makes us discontent? Is it media that steals our joy and disconnects us to the “real” world? Yesterday, there were 3 children that tested positive for Malaria. One of them we have gotten really close to and he was SO sick, it was pitiful. They face such real hardship everyday, but go about each day with a DEEP joy. The kids play together without fighting. I have seen my three fight more than all the orphan children combined!

There was a soccer game yesterday between the GSF kids and the kids that live in Jinja. As I was watching I noticed how many kids didn’t have shoes on and how it wasn’t affecting their game at all! Bob said that most didn’t have shoes until Christ Community brought shoes a couple of weeks ago. That really hit me. You wouldn’t be allowed to play without shoes in the US, with our soft grassy fields, yet in the hard grasses of Uganda, these children were running full speed kicking the ball like anyone sporting new cleats.
I have to shake my head and tell myself, “this is actually real, notice this” because it is so hard to believe there are people who live with nothing and aren’t complaining.
On a funny note, I have to share this story. We have said our kids are really blending in much better than we are and one in particular is already living like a native. I saw Leia yesterday looking in the grass with the other children. When I asked what she was doing she said, “ I’m looking for grasshoppers, we’re gonna eat them.” Notice I put a period at the end of the quote because that is exactly how it was said, like it was just as normal as grabbing some goldfish for a snack. I asked if they were going to be fried and she said that they have to pull their jumping legs off first so they will stay in the pan. I didn’t act surprised because the day before they were eating fried ants. Leia says they were actually good, except for the after taste! They actually love them! It was a treat that they were all sharing at the playground! I continually laugh at how my kids are adjusting. It is truly a blessing to watch them play all day in the “bush” , without a care in the world….except when a new friend comes down with Malaria…..