The Last Day

Day 8

We woke up in our guesthouse/retreat center to the now familiar sound of our new friends, the giant pigs, some nearly the size of a small country.

We headed back to spend our last morning with the kids. When we arrived, they were already in the church busily writing letters to their sponsors. It was great to watch these children working together to write, as their teachers, who were with us the entire retreat, walked through the maze of children, encouraging them and helping them write their letters. Some of the children are very young, and their English is not so good, yet. But you could sense it was important to them to do their letters well.

After completing the letters, the children went to breakfast (breakfast happens between 9:00 and 10:00 each morning. While the children were eating we met with their teachers, who in many cases, have these children in their homes and teach them in the schools and lead Bible studies for the children. These teachers were amazing and so dedicated to the children. This was a part of the retreat we weren't expecting.

After breakfast, we gathered up the tie-dyed shirts and met with the children in front of the church. As always, they were waiting there patiently, as we handed out each shirt. You could sense that they really did love the shirts. They put on their shirts and then came back, as a group, for photos. At they time they also received letters from their sponsors. The glow of their faces as they opened their letters was so moving. We had explained that not all the sponsors had been contacted and were unable to get letters to us before we left. I would encourage all sponsors reading this blog to do what they can to get letters to future teams. To hear from their sponsors was very important to them. I believe they understand, even at their young age, just how important your sponsorship is to them.

Along with the CLIDE staff, pastors and teachers, we encircled the children and prayed Gods blessings on them. The kids got into pickups and vans to be taken to the bus or back to their villages. It was a bittersweet time for us, to send these children back to their villages. There was a significant change from the first day, when they seemed somewhat wary of us, but now they were waving happily to us as they returned. They had become our friends at so many levels.

In the afternoon, several of us followed Pastor John (a local evangelist) and one of the young Timothy Children, Esther, to visit several local manyattas. A manyatta is a small cluster of huts surrounded by an impregnable fence structure made up of very gnarly branches with thorns. The doors to the manyattas are so low that anyone, especially someone like myself who is not particularly flexible would have difficulty in entering (the children waited behind me just to watch and laugh). And there are two exterior walls. And getting out wasn't any easier than getting in. The design of the manyatta is obviously to keep out unwanted raiders or warriors and a good defense.

We visited Esther's grandmother, whose husband had recently died. Both of Esther's parents had also passed away and could tell it was not an easy life for her grandmother who took care of Esther and her siblings.

Later that day, Dr Moses took us to the town of Moroto (20 miles north) where CLIDE has its main offices which it currently rents. He also showed us some amazing property that CLIDE had purchased and will be building an office on. We were also able to visit the home of Judith, a CLIDE employee who was so amazing in providing a history and overview of the Karamajong people at our orientation.

In Moroto, I purchased and Ekicholong, a one legged chair that the Karamajong men use that has a seat about 12 inches off the ground. Another challenge in flexibility and balance. Needless to say, I need practice.

This was another amazing day in Karamoja. This truly is an amazing place.

Posted by: Bryan Hoffman