Sunday

This morning at 8:15 a.m. Julius swung open the massive iron gates and let us out onto the road.  I’ll admit I had a lump in my throat as the three of us walked down the path, hand in hand, on our way to church together for the very first time.  Something about this morning really felt really really right and reminded me that this moment is what it’s all about.  Like the scripture which tells us that God goes after his people like lost sheep, here we are halfway around the globe trying our best to go after a little, vulnerable boy without a family or a real place to call home and attempt, however feebly, to offer him both.  And as we’re walking along, we’re leading this little boy to a building on a hill, a very real and beautiful place that represents his welcome into a family much larger, grander and more secure than we could ever provide.  I realized this morning that that is our only job in this, helping this boy find the family (capital F) to belong to.

And then he asked me to carry him.  One would think that I would have burst into tears at that moment, but within seconds I was sweating like a pig and huffing like the bad wolf while lugging a wriggling 35lb boy up a long and treacherous hill. 

The cathedral is quite stunning and the view from up there is amazing.  The service was in keeping with the Anglican way and was thankfully over in 1 hr 15 mins.  (Most other African churches clock in at around 3 hours per service… um, with a 4 ½ yr old boy in tow?  Um, no thank you?)  The singing was so expressive and beautiful and we knew half the hymns already.  I think we’ll be going back next week as well.  He did pretty good at church though we realized we hadn’t really packed any quiet distractions for him, so we gave him a pen and let him scribble on some scrap paper and himself for the duration.

This was also the first time and he, Molly and I had ventured out by ourselves without but that felt good too.  It’s the three of us now.

The afternoon was a little rough.  There were a few more outbursts (mainly directed at Molly) and a few more talks with Daddy.  Lot’s of kickball to get the energy out and then our tutor Joshua showed up right before dinner.  We ate together but then had another really great English words lesson with him right before bed. 

The last first of today is that Molly and I put him down without the assistance of either of the house workers coming in and settling him down by talking to him in Luganda so he wouldn’t freak as we put him asleep.  And I’m pleased to report that he went down with only the slightest whimper.

Another good day in the books but we are really looking forward to tomorrow when we get to hang out and have a meal with some dear friends from the states who are here currently!

Hope you all have a great night.