Faith in Action

              On Saturday we (the team that was here for a week, the interns, and our Sozo kids and staff) went to Jinja, where the source of the Nile is. It was my second time going there, but it was still breathtakingly beautiful.  We went to Bujagali Falls too which was so awesome. When I see the rapids and hear the raging water I cannot help but marvel at God’s power displayed in creation. As if all of that wasn’t spectacular enough, I had the awesome privilege of witnessing God’s power at work in his children’s lives. While at the falls, we walked to a place where the water was calm and baptized 11 people, 8 of whom were Sozo kids who had received Christ in the past year. What a blessing to see the fruit of the ministry that so many others have been investing in for the past year. Before they were baptized, we gathered all the kids together to explain to them the significance of baptism and that it was a proclamation and celebration of the saving work that God had already done in their lives. The 8 kids who got baptized were the oldest of the Sozo kids, so it was really cool to see them make public their decision to follow Christ in front of all of the younger Sozo kids. What a powerful example to see their older brothers and sisters make such a huge and awesome decision.

                After baptizing the kids, we all went out to lunch because we were several hours away from home. At lunch, one of our boys, Hakeem, asked John for 200 shillings (approximately 8 cents). John said sure, but why do you need it? Hakeem told him that there was a street boy across the road that he saw and he wanted to help him out.  John gave Hakeem 2,000 shillings and watched Hakeem walk up to the boy, put the money in his pocket and give him a hug. When John shared with us what Hakeem had done, I was amazed.  Even though Hakeem did not have the immediate resources to help the street boy, he was not deterred from helping the boy and went as far as to ask others to get involved in order to do what God had placed on his heart to do, even something so small and seemingly insignificant.  I think this example set by Hakeem has huge implications on how we should live our lives and respond to various situations that the Lord presents before us.

                As John was telling me about what Hakeem had done, I watched another street boy sit down at one of our tables and start eating some of the food we had ordered. The boy was starving (literally, despite how we typically use the term) and he quickly devoured the food. We noticed there were 3 more street boys watching from the side, and he told us that they were his friends and they would beat him up when he went back to them because he would have eaten and they would still be hungry. So we called them over and ordered them three plates of food and three waters. A couple of our older Sozo boys came over and started talking to the street boys in Luganda. We found out all of their names and stories and we watched in amazement as Esau (who had just been baptized an hour earlier) conversed with the street boys. He kneeled beside them and talked with them for almost thirty minutes, not hesitating to witness to them and instruct them to stick together on the streets and take care of one another, like brothers. We were yet again encouraged and spurred on in our faiths by Esau, an 11-year old orphan, who has certainly not forgotten the desperate situation that he also came from before coming to Sozo, as he willingly befriended and sought out these street boys. I could not think of a more powerful way in which we could have witnessed Esau demonstrate his faith through his actions. By the end, there were 6 street boys that were being fed, physically and spiritually.

               We were so thankful for the ways in which God blessed us on Saturday by allowing us to be a part of and witness the amazing work that he is doing in the lives of these orphans. While many people here in Uganda overlook and take advantage of the orphans and children, viewing them as nuisances, the Lord’s grace and favor upon these children are undeniable as he is raising them up to be leaders and witnesses for Christ in their nation.  These children are certainly not forgotten, as I know my heavenly father loves them so deeply, and when I look at them I see Jesus.