Village Hospitality

Last week I was given the chance to visit Mityana again. It had been at least two months since my last visit, and I was excited to see some old friends. We went to go visit Mpagee (I doubt his name has a written form) and his family. He is the caretaker of the land I surveyed in September. It was good to see his family again only I wish the occasion for going could have been a more happier one. He lost his nine-month old daughter due to preventable illness. Healthcare just is that not readily available in the villages of Uganda. 

This just reminded me of something. There was a building on the master plan that did not get enough water pressure. We had to adjust some pipe sizes and heighten the water tower so that building could get enough water during peak times. That building is a proposed health clinic. The work I do here can sometimes become just math problems I'm solving behind my desk, but I need to realize that the work I do here can save lives. Maybe not in the way the doctor in that clinic would, but we all have different responsibilities in the body of Christ, and they are all important to furthering his kingdom.

I hope that little paragraph encouraged you, but let me tell you more about Mpagee and his family.

After we located some grave sites on the property (for engineering purposes) I got to see Mpagee's mother, who goes by the name "Jjajja" which means Granny. I gave her the portrait I took of her in September, which was such a blessing. She showed it to her entire family and they all got a good laugh when they saw it.

This was probably the first time anyone had seen her face on paper. This particular photo actually won a spot in the annual Engineering Ministries International magazine. I figured it only made sense to give her a copy.

This gave me the idea to take a family photo. There is not much I can do for this grieving family, but I wanted them to have a picture of each other while they are all still here together. I only wish that I could have gotten one sooner, before the tragic loss. John go the whole family to stand together in front of their house.

Quite a beautiful looking family, don't you think? I realize John is not officially a member of this family, but since he sponsors three of the kids for school fees, he might as well be. 

Did you notice Mpagee's wife in the picture? Probably not since she is trying her best to hide. I don't know why but she was very camera shy. Some Africans believe that a camera's steal your soul when you take a picture, but I'm pretty sure that was not her case. 

At any rate, I wanted to get a picture of Mpagee and his wife together. Judging by there current state of living it is not far fetched to think that they had never gotten their picture taken together. When John translated my request for me, she immediately laughed in embarrassment and proceeded to walk away. It took some convincing but after a little while Mpagee got his wife to sit down next to him. The moment I pull out my camera she hides her face in her hands, with a smile. Mpagee looks at her and says something in Luganda, at which she lifts her face for just moment for me to take a picture.

These people live in a level of poverty I can not describe. They had to bury their daughter only a week prior. Life is hard. But they have a hope in them that perseveres through any hardship.

After some good hangout time, we visited the village pastor. His family immediately recognized John and his two sons and led us into their house. We had a good time of catching up, since John knew the family well. We got to pray together in his house, while his kids went out back and picked like 20 fresh avocado's for us. After our goodbyes the family followed us for a bit and their daughter carried the bag of avocado's all the way back to the van.

Side note: There was a colony of weaver birds on the side of the road, which is pretty awesome.

 When we got back to the van, I came to truly understand village hospitality. Jjaja had cooked us food again (no pig nipple this time), and packed our van full with various goods. We placed the avocado's next to the Matoke (non-sweet bananas), Cassava (aka yucca root), and two chickens. All together it must have been 20 pounds. After the delicious meal of matoke and beans we say a last goodbye and head out.
We pass by another village family maybe 15 minutes down the road. John stops the van and parks it in someones "driveway" and we follow a dirt road on foot. At the end we meet an lady who looks to be in her late 20's. At the sight of us she pulls out a wooden bench and places on the red moist soil. John explains how this lady donated a pig to the ministry earlier in the year during a rally to proclaim the gospel. We were visiting her so we could thank her for the generous offering. Guess what her reaction was to us thanking her? She goes into the field with her son, and pulls 5 pounds of beans out of the ground for us. While we help her pods of the stalks her son pulls an additional 5 pounds of Cassava out of the ground.

Honestly, I could not help getting slightly emotional at the sight of this. To think that a village family living in a round mud hut deep in the African jungle with no clean water or health services around for miles, would simply give their livelihood to strangers and expect nothing in return? Such stark contrast from my last summer working a Jimmy Johns, in which throwing away 3 tomato slices would upset the manager. I can't help but think a variety of verses where Christians are called to be generous  and let strangers into our house (Romans 12). It's an example that is hard to follow.

So yeah it was a good day.

Allow me to leave with a picture of a village we drove by a few weeks ago near Gulu. This is where the LRA terrorized Uganda about 10 years ago. We spotted an Invisible Children truck which is something I'd never expected to see in my lifetime. Uganda is beautiful, and so are its people. I hope I was able to share that with you today.

In the dust of his feet,
-Alex