You Are Most Welcome

5/15- Tuesday

            Today we went to the Mengo girls home for the first time! All of the girls greeted us by saying, “You are most welcome!” All of the girls are so beautiful! We found out they liked to jump rope, or “skip” as they say, so we jumped with them, except they were AWESOME. The girls also sang and danced for us. They told us they would show us a local dance and all grabbed sweaters and tied them around their waists (which apparently emphasizes the hips) and did a dance that consists of stepping and shaking your hips. They then took the sweaters off and started tying them around our hips! Several of us attempted, including the boys, which mostly just ended in being laughed at, yet again.

            After a few hours at Mengo, we headed over to Bukesa to see our boys. They greeted us at the gate and were so excited we were back! It started to get dark and their electricity was out today, so they lit candles. Several boys told some of our girls, “Tonight you are an Auntie, and you must learn to cook!” (Aunts and Uncles are the people who run the homes, and supper is served around 9pm). The boys took us back to the kitchen, which was a small building behind their house with benches at a fire to cook rice on. I ended up talking to one of the boys, Ibra, but Katie and Haley learned how to cook the Ugandan way!

            Meanwhile, Ibra sat next to me and started telling me all about his life! He told me that he was ten, but he did not know when his birthday was, and that his parents had died. He told me all about his life, and I was touched that he would feel comfortable enough to start sharing without me even asking. He also told me that he wanted to be an engineer and make money to buy land and a house for his aunt and for his future family.

            After a few minutes in the kitchen, the uncles called us back into the main room and suggested since the power was out, we have a fellowship. So we sang, danced, prayed, and shared with each other. It was such a joy! It was also Jarrod’s birthday, so we sang to him then they sang happy birthday in Lugandan. They said usually they pour water on the head of the one with the birthday for a blessing, but they would spare him and just let him blow out a candle. We then ate 9pm dinner with the boys, that they had prepared for us and they shared how we were such a blessing to them, and we in turned shared how they have blessed us more than they can imagine.

            The Bukesa boys live a simple life. But they live a good life, and they are so full of joy! As John commented when I told him I liked his laugh, “Well, I am always happy!”

Here as some African foods and Lugandan words for your enjoyment:

Matoke- mushed up and cooked banana.. or some part of the banana plant.

Posha- boiled cornmeal

G-Nut Paste- Sauce from G-Nuts (whatever that is) has similar taste to peanut butter

Mzungu- white person

Olyotya- How are you?

Jendi- Good (in response to olyotya)