Sunday In The Village

Today was a great day! This morning started with a great breakfast served by the wonderful women taking care of us, Emmaculate and her niece Jessica. They both take really great care of us. We had omelette's this morning!

Today was going to be special though. Our plan was to head into the village and than split up into two groups and visit two different churches. When we arrived, however, the priest had to be away, so the Catholic Church simply wasn't meeting today. So we all went to the other church. Problem there was that all of our kids were at the care point waiting for us to get there. You see, we were feeding all of the kids today, both sponsored and unsponsored. As far as church went....... we were treated as if we were sent by Jesus Christ himself. I can't fully explain to you how grateful the people here are for everything. It is both humbling and exciting to be a part of this trip.

After church we walked to the care point, but by the time church was over, word got out that we had all went to church and slowly but surely, they started showing up in time to walk us back to the care point. When we arrived, the cooks hired by Hope Chest were busy preparing a big meal for all those kids. A meal that included a freshly slaughtered bull we had purchased the evening before. That was interesting to watch them parade a group of bulls by and let us choose the lucky winner. They say to always bet on the grey and he was the winner, winner...... steaks for dinner!

The opportunity we had today to see all of our kids together today from all three care points was amazing. We were a little tired, but having the opportunity to have all of them in one place was amazing. The boy and girl that I have sponsored were both there along with her little baby who is just over a year old was just incredible. The baby doesn't want to have a lot to do with me yet, but Phoebe and Emmanuel are really coming around. He snuck up on me today! That is a far cry from the day I first met him and had to drag him over to talk to me. It really feels like he is beginning to trust me. By looking at his calloused hands, I can tell he is a very hard worker. He has to be. After all, its his sister, who is 18, her baby, just a baby, and himself, who is maybe 12. Its a lot of responsibility.

Now for the bummer part of the day. Just before we left to head back to where we are staying, a man approached us while wearing a WCC shirt that we had just given him, and with the palms of his hands turned up, asked...... "What about me?" He wanted another shirt. When we pointed out that we had already given him the shirt he had on, he informed us that he was going to give that shirt to his wife. The problem was that he had another shirt hanging out of his front pocket. A pink shirt that we had already given him for his wife. I hate to admit it, but I lost my temper. Not in the sense that I yelled at him, but in that I asked our guide how to tell him not no, but "hell no" (sorry mom). You will be happy to know that I was not given the interpretation, but that we simply left for the day.

As we drove off on our daily one hour and forty-five minute trip back to where we are staying, his words kept sticking with me........ "What about me?" Mind you, this was one guy out of who really knows how many. The bigger problem I have is what we saw on our trip home. Let me explain. The last couple of days we have been tossing t-shirts and soccer balls out to the kids that we have seen on our route. Today, as we drove along that one hour and forty-five minute drive we were met with lines of kids who would come running out to the road at the very sight of our bus. That sounds exciting, but what I noticed was that most of them came running with the palms of their hands up shaking them up and down. Even though I could not physically hear them....... In my mind, they were all screaming....... "What about me?". I have to tell you that it both angered and made me a little sick to my stomach.

When we first visited here a year ago, our kids were very malnourished. They needed and still need our help. I can tell you first hand that what we are doing is making a huge difference in their lives. I believe with all my heart that we are supposed to be here. The message I heard loud and clear today was that feeding them is not enough though. This cycle of "What about me?" has to end. These kids have to be empowered to believe that they can do something. I am more convinced now than ever as to what God is leading me to do here. The next phase is getting it implemented. More on that later, but for now, please ask God to give us wisdom in what we are doing, open our eyes to what he wants us to see, and that we allow God to use us as his light.

This is a beautiful country with beautiful people. They are God's sons and daughters, they are my brothers and sisters.

With Love,

Tom Cox