My last few days in Uganda were filled with tears. So much so that I bet if you collected them, you could make an ocean. In 4 months I had met and loved people so deeply that leaving made my heart feel like it was breaking into a thousand pieces. I said good bye and hugged people as tightly and as long as I could. But truth be told, I didn't really know what was going on. I guess my brain just didn't really understand that this part of my life was over... I guess my heart didn't really understand how it could feel so broken.
When I left Canada in August, I didn't know what God had in store for me. I didn't know how much I would change... How much I would grow. I didn't know that my heart would get bigger. In that beautiful country I learned to love. I mean really, truly love. I learned to see beauty down red dirt roads. I learned to be so thankful for every meal I ate, and- for the first time ever- I learned to really thank God just for being alive. I learned how to take care of babies and how to respect elders- they're blessed to make it to an old age. I learned that this world is much more than just broken and that the only way we can fight against that brokenness is to serve, love and pray. I learned what it meant to have child-like faith. I learned that kids will always make you smile by their innocence. I learned that I'm not called to "fix" Africa, because it is not a continent that needs our fixing. I learned that the less people have, the more they give. I learned that we don't have to preach great messages, we just have to show up and love people with everything we have inside us.
Uganda has given me so much more than just some good memories and cute pictures to take home. Its given me a new way live... It's given me a new heart. A heart full of love for dozens of more people... I guess that's why leaving hurt so much. But this pain in my heart is making me realize how lucky I am, because God blessed me by being able to love and be loved. To have been known and cared for so deeply by so many people is the best thing I could ever ask for.
My time in Uganda is over... For now. But the things I did and seen will stay with me forever. The babies I took care of will always feel like my own children. The past four months have been the most amazing time of my life and I hope to be walking barefoot down red dirt roads again very soon.
❤️❤️