I have a dear friend with a very sweet heart. She and her husband wanted to do something
for the children I work with, so she gave the orphans an unforgettable
Christmas.
They donated money for me to buy each of them a new set of
clothes, shoes, a notebook, a pencil, and a toy. So Sylvia split up the money and set out to
buy the gifts. She went to get the
clothes (we both knew that they would charge more if I came because I’m white)
and I got the pencils, notebooks, and toys.
I got some wrapping paper, wrapped up the toys, and packed them into
bags to deliver the next day. I felt
like Santa Clause.
Before I continue, I want you to know that this never
happens for these kids. When I say never
I mean NEVER. The majority of Ugandan
children don’t get gifts at Christmas.
I wanted to make it really special for them, so I also got
some balloons, soda, lollipops, and cookies.
We decided to do “Christmas” a week before Christmas for various
reasons, so on the 18th I came with all the goods. We went into the teacher’s office, put their
clothes/gifts in piles with their name on top, put out the yummies, and blew up
some balloons. While we were setting up
Sylvia was so excited. She said, “This
never happens! I’ve never seen anything
like this in my life!” We told the kids
that the teacher’s office was off limits for the afternoon, which obviously
sparked their interest. However, not
enough to have any idea what was behind it’s doors. After lunch Sylvia told each of them to bathe
and put on their nicest clothes. Okay,
now they were seriously curious.
We lined them up and told them to close their eyes. We opened the door and while they walked in
we sang “We Wish You A Merry Christmas.”
Oh the joy, oh the excitement, oh the…confusion. It took them a few seconds to realize what
was happening because, like I said, this has never happened. As they opened their gifts and put on their
new clothes, squeals of excitement entered the room. Smiles were not scarce:)
After the madness was over, Godfrey said, “We need to thank
the Lord.” So we did. We sang a worship song and then all prayed
thanking Him for the donors and thanking Him for such an incredible blessing
this Christmas. Even with material
gifts, they remember to keep Christ at the center.
The actual Christmas here was very different from what I am
used to. Christmas morning came and
there was no tree, no presents, but happy hearts. We went to church for a Christmas day service
and stayed all day spending time with people.
We ate a lot of food…they sure know how to eat. Chicken and soda are the main food groups
during Christmas. Hey, I’m not
complaining! In the evening we packed
into the car and headed home. After dinner
we just hung out (my grandma-self did a puzzle with them) and then went to
bed. For the most part, it was like a
regular Sunday. The day after Christmas
in Uganda is Boxing Day, which is the day you give gifts. However, the people I work with are not the
upper class of Uganda, therefore there are little to no gifts given. But don’t get me wrong, lots of love was
passed around. :)
All in all, Christmas here has reminded me that it is really
not about gifts at all. It’s not about
getting “Christmas cheer” or in the “Christmas spirit.” It’s about loving others and loving our great
Lord. This year I noticed that Christmas
was a sad day for God. It was the day He
sacrificed His only Son to come to earth and take on the lowly form of a
human. He also knew that one day soon,
the Son He sent would die a criminal’s death.
Realizing this, it made me all the more humble and grateful to the Lord
for Christmas. His sacrifice is our
joy. Thank you dear Lord.
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