Bright colorful dresses cover every lady and sharp suits
with short fat ties cover every man. Being clean and well dressed is so
important the people of Uganda and ceremonies tend to bring out their very
best. Look closely, though, and you will see frayed collars and hems, tiny
holes, or missing buttons. On second thought, don’t look too closely. Somehow
my heart is a bit sad when I know these people are bringing out their very best
and that their very best is worn and tattered. In the grand scheme of things,
missing buttons mean very little, but still…
What ceremony would be complete without closing remarks? As
I pondered my personal observations over the past four days, a theme seemed to
come to the forefront…service. The people I tended to notice most were those
who were trying hardest to blend into the background. The men who registered
and tracked participants quietly in the back of the room. The women who set out
and restacked chairs before and after the workshop. They worked so tirelessly
and without a hint of recognition. I admired these people and their ability to
have such humble hearts and doubted my own ability to do the same. These are
the people I recognized with my closing remarks.
Pastor Amos, though, wouldn’t let me return to my seat
without some trick up his sleeve. Several of the participants prepared gifts
for me. There’s something about receiving a gift when people already have so
little…it’s incredibly humbling. One man gave me a pestle and mortar along with
a few wooden utensils handmade from his “assets” (following the teaching about
asset-based development) found on his land. He said he’d never thought of such
a thing as having the potential to earn money for him until participating in
this workshop. Another man gave me seashells from Lake Albert near his home.
Another gave just enough shillings to buy a drink on my long journey home.
Emma Survivor, a woman with whom a beautiful relationship
was born, gave me a traditional dress. Sent into a small room to change, the
dress fit me perfectly. I mean perfectly. How ever did she do that? I came out
dancing and twirling and smiling a broad smile. What a lovely and needed gift.
But the gift that somehow touched me the most…one man handed me a thin plastic
bag with four little carrots the size of my fingers. His very best gift was
four little carrots.
Oh Jesus, thank you for the unsurpassable blessing I receive
when doing that which you have called me.