Hope Amidst Sorrow

The past two post were from my first two days here in Uganda, after being here 4 months now, I am beginning to learn more than I had thought possible. Here are a couple thoughts over the past week....

I have been in Africa for almost four months now. I've seen lots of really sad things since I got here, but I have to tell you, one of the worst is visiting the government hospitals. Last week I went to visit one of the Suubi ladies’ sons who had been badly burned over ¼ of his body, he was in so much pain, and the treatment for burns here is next to nothing. However, I wish each one of you could have seen the look in that Mother’s eyes; she had such a peace about her and just this sense of calmness. I was expecting something more like fear and worry but was so amazed! I just love to watch the people here and the way they react. When things happen (good or bad) they just go with it, they know they can’t change the past or look into the future and decide how they want things to end up. I think that we could learn a lot from the people of Uganda. We as a nation like to be in control, and when bad things happen we tend to put the blame on someone else. Sometimes I think that what the people of Africa understand better than us is this; those bad things do happen in life. It’s a matter of being able to move past those things and still keep waking up everyday having hope for the next. These people have nothing, yet they are some of the most joyous people I’ve ever met. They have shown me that God uses our circumstances, no matter where we are to change us. Why is it that when things go wrong in our lives we lose hope and blame God, but the trials that people face every day here are just seen as a way to grow stronger?