Day 1
We arrived after smooth, but long, travel and “happened†to be checked in Ugandan Customs by a friend of Maama Robinah’s resulting in breezing through with all of our boxes of blessings and no need to pay any duty. God was with us and we were off to a good start! As soon as we stepped outside the airport, we were greeted by the smiling faces and hugs of the HEED kids and our newest staff member, Trudy, who is our Maama for the full care kids. What joy it was to see their healthy faces and how they had grown. We all loved Trudy at first sight.
We headed over to the school to be with the kids at Alpha and Omega for their last day of term festivities. The school was full of life and celebrations, and we could all see that the school is a good place for the kids. As they introduced us and posed for pictures with their teachers, it was clear that there was supportive and open interaction b/w the kids and their teachers. All across the board, We were given good reports about how hard our kids work in class, their leadership and their effort. All are working their best, and are respected for the leadership role they play in the school. It was very encouraging. Most importantly, it was evident that the headmaster who Maama Robinah hired last year is fostering a Christian environment where the kids are free to be themselves, are growing in their faith, and are being cared for in a loving and encouraging manner.  The kids speak English well now, and can express for themselves that they are happy and thriving at the school and with the current staff who look after them. What a big sigh of relief as we continued the celebrations.
Dora, another important member of our team on the ground, arranged for an artist to come do a craft lesson with the kids, and then we had the pure joy of passing out the new clothes created by Gina Messenger and her fabulous sewing team. The kids were in need of clothes to travel home in the next day, and they had so much fun trying on the beautiful creations. We closed out the day with a meeting with all the staff people and then a performance of appreciation for us by the HEED kids. Their singing and dancing as they sang, “It Takes a Whole Village To Raise A Child†left us smiling, impressed, and wiping the tears from our eyes. This is a group of kids who are getting to meet their potential because of our collective effort- here and the great people surrounding them in Uganda. Happy, tired sleep.
