Last night we held a small goodbye party for a few community members.  Since we moved into the CSB gates two years ago we have been too thoroughly swamped with the demands of the school to spend much time outside in the community; teaching, preaching, befriending, visiting.  But from our first year in Uganda, some faithful friends remain.  These include students who have left CSB and are now under our sponsorship elsewhere, an adopted grandmother to our children who gave Naomi one of her favorite gifts EVER – a pet chicken, the old woman who brings us lemons, our house workers and their families, and more.

Folks began to gather at four pm in our beautiful sun-filled yard which had been carefully prepared with thirty backed benches (no small feat to carry though things – but of course David and a few of his staff guys turned it into a competition of strength!) Within a few minutes rain began to fall, though and soon I and three friends were rushing for brooms and wet cloths to hurriedly clean the school auditorium so that we could gather there instead for shelter.

Our “caterers” cooked beef and rice, metooke (mashed boiled banana) and g-nut sauce and sombe and was it ever delicious.  As usual the portions were atrociously large which is ever-so-culturally-appropriate.  I was proud and pleased with the enjoyment these people took in their meal and soda.  And I had to smile when at the end of the meal each person pulled out their black plastic “grocery” style bag and put their family’s leftovers in.  Doggie bags for the next days meal! Though our group felt small and many friends did not reach because of two burials which sadly fell on the same evening, we fed nearly eighty.

Speeches were mercifully brief as representatives of four different kinds of community members spoke: the women’s Biblestudy chairperson for her women, a sponsored student for the alumni, a pastor and a neighbor.  The speeches were simple and not full of extravagant praise but I noticed two things that stood out to me.  One was several comments that the real work of missionaries is preaching the gospel and that the best work we have done here has been in the biblestudy.  It’s an interesting idea that the people themselves prefer evangelism and discipleship to health and educational programs.  And another who said that this is the most disparate group of people to ever be invited to a party; ” has anyone here ever attended such a party as this?’ he asked and they all shook their fingers and wagged their heads ‘no’. The idea was that we had welcomed the unexpected and that blessed my heart.

Amina came in at the end with a tearful speech about Naomi and Quinn which made me too break into tears, safely by this time because darkness was almost upon us.  She spoke of the love our children have for Africans, the joy and spirit with which they embrace friends and neighbors.  She spoke of her amazement at seeing white children who don’t seem to notice color and whose best friends are black.  My heart swelled with thankfulness that all the prayer, talks, monitoring of friendships, welcoming, games, feeding, tears .  . . . All that we have a family have done to help our children live “african” with their friends HAS worked.  And that this has pointed to the incarnational nature of Jesus.  Of course the main point of the speech was to make N and Q smile and smile they did!  They loved hearing their names in the speeches!

We gave out our “snap” (family photo) to all the friends present and David and I concluded with final messages to them.  David spoke from the Psalm; “they that sow in tears shall reap in joy.”  He admitted how hard this journey has been for us and yet his faith that an unknown but large harvest will come from the seeds we have planted.  I spoke on Revelations 21 and the “every tear wiped away, no death, no mourning”.  I told them that I came to live among them as Jesus came to live among us yet I did it imperfectly and brokenly.  I asked forgiveness for all the ways I have hurt them and told them that I wanted to wipe away every tear from their eyes but THERE IS ONLY ONE JESUS.  The room resounded in Amens at this point!  Someone had told me in speeches not to forget them and I said, quoting Isaiah, unless the breastfeeding mother can forget her baby I can’t forget you.  I told them to imagine I had told them that in two months I will be back in Nyahuka and I will come to your home. Would they go to visit another friend?  Would they leave their home dirty and unswept?  No, they all said, they would sweep and cook and then wait for me with their whole heart.  So we will all do for JESUS, I told them.  Watch and wait because he may come before I come.

Friends, food, and the gospel.  That’s what I call an all around good party.