Fahrid, Sharon, and Rama show their faces at my door every morning and every time I arrive home whether having been gone for the day or for many days. Sometimes we have a simple greeting and I whisper a prayer over them for the day. Many times, though, we’ll sit on the edge of the porch and chat to the extent that the older children understand my English. Today we enjoyed slices of juicy watermelon with at least a million seeds in each bite. Seedless watermelon is, I maintain, the best invention since sliced bread.
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| Unknown Boy Name, Fahrid, Rama, and Sharon |
One boy looked on from a distance and was invited to join us. Once the children and the veranda were sufficiently covered in watermelon juice and seeds – sure to attract every crawling thing – I pulled out the last of Mr. Bubble. As with most children here, these children stared at these bubbles unsure what to do with themselves. They finally figured out that they could pop the bubbles and thus the chaotic chase ensued until I was lightheaded from blowing so many.
The Berenstain Bears and the Forgiving Tree (thanks Krista) was next on the agenda. Samuel watched from the other end of the veranda while the children settled down to hear the story of forgiveness resulting from Brother Bear’s new bicycle getting smunched by a friend. I tried to talk with the children about the concept of forgiveness, but I think the combination of age and language lowered the impact. We’ll keep reviewing the story for just those times when the example might come in handy.
Now the singing began. A few traditional Sunday school songs were well known by the children, but they have their own traditional songs too. It seems as though every child in Uganda is trained to sing on demand. These children were no different. I was relieved to hear their little voices sing out to Jesus. I love my little brood of “welcome home” children.