Why do I love Uganda? (John Sibert, Sr.)

Why do I love Uganda?  Well some of the quick answers are -  I love the chaos of Kampala traffic, the open air butcher in the heat of the day, the morning roster outside my hotel, the motor bike overloaded  with Chickens on their last ride, and the clarity of the stars in the sky at night, while the dog barks in the distance!

But most of all the Children……. What can I say!!  The beauty of their smiles, their laughter, their warmth, and their heart ache. The hunger for touch, their fear, the questions that reside in the core of their hearts – WHY am I alone, WHO loves me, WHERE are my parents, will I survive? When I meditate on these things, and the seemingly insurmountable problems these questions pose, LOVE bubbles up in me, and I realize that at the end of the day there really is no other answer other than LOVE. We Love by being with those who are alone,  We Love by comforting those who are alone, We Love by supporting those in need. We learn to Love by the example given to us by a God who stretched out his arms on a piece of wood and had nails driven through is hands, so that the questions these children ask can be answered.

So I am here to do those things. I am not perfect at Loving by any means. I am not a very good comforter, and I am certainly not good at being with people for that matter (just ask my wife), but as that child’s small hungry hand reaches out for mine, I reach back out in whatever stumbling way I can.

So why do I Love Uganda?  because Uganda helps me to learn to LOVE a bit better, by the small hands reaching for mine.

GOD is LOVE.

A few background facts. I am with the second team which arrived on Sat. afternoon safe and sound. We spent the night in Kampala, and this morning we went to church at Pastor Michael Oakawkol’s church, and then drove to Agape Children’s village where we will be spending the next couple of days.

John Sibert, Sr.