Are you ready to have fun?

“Did you know they didn’t sleep last night?” Teacher Paul told us as we greeted him. “Some of them were so excited they were awake by 3 in the morning and couldn’t get back to sleep!” We all laughed as we entered the amusement park the Show Mercy team had arranged as a treat for the 94 orphans that live at Hope Children’s Home.

Located in Kampala, Didi’s Adventure World Park is much like an amusement park you might see in an old movie. It is not quite Disneyland but to these children it is a happy place!! There is the Pirate Ship ride that swings from one end to another, the Octopus ride that scrambles you around as you go up and down, the Caterpillar ride that is a roller coaster of the small variety, a water slide that empties you out into a small pool, and more. Today Show Mercy hired three small busses to bring all the children to the park for a day of fun.

(Even Mike was having some fun).

As they walked into the park we asked them “Are you ready to have fun?” And of course like any other child in the world they replied a resounding “Yes!” And fun they had, going on rides, walking around, and playing with the Mazungus (white people) who love them. With only one exception everyone had a great time they will not soon forget. Unfortunately, little Eric came down with Malaria. He was at the park and his fever spiked to 104 degrees. After praying for him and asking the Lord to heal him he went with Pastor Prossy to a near by clinic where he received a malaria test and a treatment for his illness. But even little Eric rallied after his treatment and was able to have a little fun. This is Africa. These kids face a hard life, but our God is faithful and today He blessed us all. There is so much poverty, sickness, death, and injustice in this part of the world. Words cannot express all we have seen here. It struck us today though that these are our kids. We may not be able to solve all the worlds problems but we can invest our lives in these 94 orphans and make not only a difference in their lives but also the lives they will touch as they grow up in a harsh country showing others the love they have been shown themselves. One of the older kids is named Peter. We call him “Peter Painter” because he is an artist and loves to paint. He is home for Holiday right now and we found out he has been elected President of his class. He attributes this directly to the love he has been shown by Jesus through Show Mercy. His life before coming to the home was unspeakably tragic and he doesn’t like to think about what his life would have been like if not for the love and care he has received at Hope Children’s Home. We can’t tell you what a privilege it is to have the opportunity to serve the Lord in this way.