Once again I’m haunted by the book of James. Those words penned almost 2000 years ago “look after widows and orphans in their distress” have become like an onion with so many layers. As we peel one layer off, it only reveals other layers which scream out at us not to overlook them.

 

Making sure the children have clothes, food, education and a dry safe house has become a routine here at hippo. These are the easy things, the tangible things that can be seen, assessed and neatly checked off on our little charts which seem to litter the school office. We can see the children getting healthier with every bite of beans and rice. We see their little heads healing from cancreous ring worm and speedier recoveries from malaria with proper early diagnosis and effective treatment. These are all amazing things but what about their precious hearts?

 

Wednesday afternoon has become a fun time with singing and dancing while the children learn memory verses and hear stories from the bible. This again is another layer of “looking after” that has to be peeled back and exposed. But as I looked around I still saw many hollow faces on our children. God only knows the trauma these little ones have under gone and maybe still are undergoing. Our Heavenly Father claims He is the Father to the fatherless and we are His actual hands on the earth to do His will. So following this thought process through means I must become their father for Him.

 

Welcome to “Football Fridays” at school (that’s soccer for those of you who don’t get out much). For the past 6 weeks every Friday I take the day off from building to spend the day playing with the kids. At first we traveled quite far to a neighbouring school that was kind enough to allow us to use their pitch (once again that is the correct term for soccer field, try to keep up). This walk was difficult for the little ones and even for me. I found it a struggle not because I’m getting old but because the oxygen is so thin here being so high above sea level…..really I’m not that old, it’s the air. A very kind neighbour who owned the property (or jungle) just behind our school told us that if we cleared the land we could use it for football. It took us and a lot of very strong Ugandans (which I could take if you’re wondering) 2 weeks to remove palm trees, thorn bushes, brush, weeds and level the ground enough to play. It was quite the transformation.

 

Now when I arrive with my soccer balls (oops I did it too, I mean footballs) every Friday I can hear a buzz of children giggling that Uncle Tim is here. To miss even one Friday would devastate them at this point. This has become the highlight of my week. Playing with children, just one more layer in an onion…… or possibly one of the most meaningful things I’ve ever done?

 

Click on the video to watch future Ugandan Footballers (those who play soccer).