"Naigobya, the land I call my home"

'Oh Uganda, how I love you.' 'Oh Uganda, why do you do this to me?!' These two phrases are often found in my daily vocabulary. Nothing goes the way as planned here in Uganda. The Lord has really tested my patience, in ways I never thought would be. This last month has been trying - but in a good way, if that even makes sense. The people of Naigobya have my heart. The children of St. Paul's primary and the neighboring village have brought such a love to my eyes that I haven't seen before. Every time I set foot in Naigobya I hear little voices calling my name. As I search for the face to the voice I often see those smiling faces through the fields, within classrooms, behind buildings, or even at the highest point of a mango tree. There is something about the way they say my name, never is it pronounced Kendall. It always comes out sounding like, “Kendo!” And I love it. Besides basic greetings it is hard for me to communicate with the children, but one language we have in common is laughter. Laughing is a language with no boundaries. Through their actions I learn so much from these children each and every day I spend with them. They teach me how to work hard and how to willingly do something you really don't want to do. The children here are put to work so much earlier than children in America. They even seem to skip the crawling stage and head right to the walking. It's truly amazing! The greatest thing they have taught me is love. It may sound cliche, but it's true. These children barely know me, they definitely don't understand me, and yet they don't seem to care. Even when I dance like a fool they still love me. It's things like this that remind me of how often the Lord speaks about becoming reborn in Christ - becoming a child of God. Children are more loving than any other creature on earth. They haven't been calloused to the world around them. This is why we need to remind ourselves to live like these children. They are my role models. They've definitely got it goin on! 

Some of the Top Nursery kids playing

Some of the cutie pie Baby Nursery kids playing

Ruth, some of the village kids, and I

My boys enjoying porridge during break

The lovely and crazy P3 class 

Adrian & Baby Mark

My little buddy, Gerald :) 

I have had a couple opportunities to teach some of these children in the classroom. Their bright smiles and big eyes just stare at me, waiting for me to say something funny. They laugh and laugh, but I'm pretty sure it's just because I sound different than them. It's exciting to play on the playground with the children, but it's even more exciting to see them in a classroom setting. After all, the classroom is where the magic happens! Watching a child learn is exhilarating. As a teacher,  when you see the light bulb turn on, it makes all the repeating and redirecting worth it. Although I don't get to spend too much time teaching the children, I am excited to try and help make these light-bulb-moments happen for the teachers of St. Paul's Primary. Children have so much potential, after all they are the future of country. Going to a village school does not always promise you the best education. St. Paul’s Primary is a young school, and they are in the process of being something great. If you give the children a chance, they can really pursue. In order to make it out of the village, into a greater city, they need to know English. Of course, everyone still uses his or her native language even in the city, but most work requires knowing how to read and write English. For the past couple of weeks I have been working with the teachers, teaching them English. I have also been sitting in their classrooms co-teaching and helping come up with new creative ways to teach the somewhat *coughs* boring *coughs* country based curriculum. It's a work in progress. The hardest part for me has been a lack of materials. As most of you know, I didn't come to Uganda to teach teachers. This has been a little bit of a road block because there is a huge lack of materials - no books, internet is slow, and printing is expensive. Not to mention, the children have to write everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, for themselves. In America we have it made because on a break we can go make copies of worksheets for every one of our students. Here, the children literally write out their own worksheets, leave blanks, and then have to go in a fill in the empty spaces. They write all day long - can you say hand cramp? This has made it tricky for me to be creative. Everything I try seems to lead me to a road block. Slowly, but surely I'm finding the means. It has definitely made me appreciate the resources we have in the states. 
Naigobya is a place I could call my home. I feel comfortable there, the people have become like family, and it has a quaint beauty. I am so grateful for the opportunities that have arose for me there. They have tested me and stretched me more than I thought possible, but it's all making me into a stronger person. I'm so thankful for the kind and loving people there. I am also thankful for St. Paul's Primary school. 

My favorite sign at St. Paul's Primary Learning Center. Love God.