Lessons in Loving

I have never been more humbled by an expression of love than in this moment...

The faces of these children are truly the face of God incarnate.

As we entered this small village in Uganda that houses Raise the Roof Academy we entered as missionaries...coming to show God's love to the people of Uganda.  What many of us never anticipated or truly understood was how much unmerited love we would be shown.

As our bus pulled up to the village we  were met by hundreds of children dancing, screaming, laughing and waving branches to celebrate our arrival.  In the midst of all this excitement they were running to greet us...completely surrounding our buses.

In this moment I was overcome with emotions...awe..joy...tears...unworthiness...and anticipation.  Who were we to be greeted with such honor?  Were we really deserving of so much love and favor when these people did not even know us?  What if we could not meet the expectations they had for our visit?  Would our presence be a disappointment?

While all of these questions raced through my mind...one thing became clear.  These children...this village...they were a walking embodiment of God's loving grace.  Even in the midst of our own insecurity and uncertainty  they welcomed us with grace.  A grace that empowered...a grace that called...a grace that changed us.

All the work and time we had spent preparing was lost in this one moment.  It was no longer about planning, executing or following all the right steps but rather it was about walking hand in hand with these children.  It was about learning to love as they loved...learning to live in a community of joy...learning to offer grace to all people at all times with faith that God is with and in and behind all things!