Jajja Jen

Today, we headed off to Humble thinking it would be another brick throwing day, but the kids were out playing when we arrived, so we got to play instead. (By the way, the guy in charge of computers here at the hotel threw me off last night before I could mention that Jil actually mastered the task of catching and throwing two bricks at a time -- 22 pounds total. Before this point, Doug was the only one to be able to do it more than a few times with the locals). Doug's mom and dad came to the school to visit.

The afternoon was dedicated to a farewell celebration that the bishop held for the team. The children sang and did skits for us and presented us with gifts they had made. They are very talented and the school is hoping that by teaching them skills like weaving and bead making, they can make money later in life, if necessary. We will be bringing some of their beadwork back with us.

One of the highlights of the celebration was when the bishop baptized Jen Score with a Ugandan name. He said because of her compassion and love of the children and because she was (these are his words) an elderly female of the team, he was now naming her Jajja, which translates into Grandma. Jen turned a bright red and Pastor Dave was rolling in his seat, he was laughing so hard.

The bishop had a nice dinner buffet brought in for everyone and we all sat around eating with the kids. What a pleasure it was to sit on the grass as dusk fell surrounded by kids with plates full of food and lightning bugs dancing about. Finally, it was time to go. It was so hard to tear ourselves away from these incredible children. Tears fell readily, hugs and kisses were shared, and our hearts were broken. We will miss them all. Our prayers are that every one of these angels has his or her opportunity to shine in this world and that they live up to the promise God has placed in them.