Blessings

When I began getting ready to leave for this trip, I was told over and over again how much of a blessing I was going to be while I was over here. I do not doubt that what I have done here hasn’t been a blessing of sorts, but to me it’s been the people here and all the ways that the projects have touched people that have been the biggest blessing.

Last Sunday we attended a church service at Masaka Full Gospel Church instead of our regular service at the Power Church. The girls from the TGC were doing an outreach program there, and they lead both the worship and the spoken service. It was really awesome to see how passionate they are about their ministry. The girls shared their testimonies and spoke from their hearts. Some of these girls have been students and have been sponsored since their schooling at the Kibaale Centre. It was awesome to see how they have grown up and become so passionate in what they are doing. The spoke and sang with so much conviction, and it radiated from them throughout the entirety of the service. The singing and words spoken reminded me of what impact blessings can have. Some of these girls would not have the opportunity to be here if it weren’t for the blessings of others. And likewise, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to be blessed by their mission if it weren’t for them being there through other’s blessings. These two projects have made such an impact on all of its students, and these girls were living testimonies of what blessings really can do.

When I came over here and finally got to see what the Kibaale project was all about, I decided that I wanted to sponsor a student that needed sponsorship. So I was set up to sponsor a little girl named Nagawa Jamiah. I was anxious to meet her the last time we were in Kibaale, but because of the unforeseen rainstorm we weren’t able to see her. But today I got the chance finally to meet her. It was really awesome to finally get to meet her and see her involved with her class. Nagawa is in the nursery division of the school, and is five years old. So when we set out to see her, we also got to meet the rest of her class. The kids were practicing their singing and dancing, and we got to enjoy it as an audience. Even though Nagawa didn’t speak much English and couldn’t understand me (they don’t typically learn English until they are older), she was still able to thank me for what I had done for her. When she was told who I was she ran up to me with a huge smile and grabbed my hand, squeezing it hard. It was really awesome to meet her and know that what I was doing was a blessing to her. Without sponsorship she would not be able to go to school to get an education. I also know that by sponsoring her it will teach me about blessing others, and how important it is to ensure that we do everything we can to bless those around us.

I have realized that it’s important to go into a situation like I am in, and not just be prepared to be a blessing, but also prepare to be blessed by those you are blessing. It’s an important part of life to learn how to give and receive blessings.