Rosemary's day out of the village

It has been a long day and my brain is kind of fuzzy but while the thoughts of the day are  fresh on my mind I thought I would write. 

Imagine you are a nine year old girl who has grown up in a mud brick hut in a village where your main job is to care for your younger siblings due to mom having seizures  and no dad in the picture.  Because of ITFM, mom is getting medical care and the school js close enough for Rosemary and the younger sibling to go to school but still be nearby in case of an emergency.

This morning before leaving for Kampala to do supply shopping and price checking for the school kitchen, Aunt Kimberly had Hannington walk over for permission from the mother to take Rosemary on a field trip.  Once permission was granted, Rosemary was sent home to change from her school clothes to church clothes and she appeared back on our porch in a white little dress...probably size 3T on her 9 year old little body.  Being quiet by nature she looked rather unsure about what we were doing but didn't say anything.  Before we left we introduced her to deoderent and sparkly lotion and had  Nurse Josephine come over to show her how to use the toilet in the apartment so that she would be familiar with the ones in town... very different from a pit latrine.

 

So besides the toilet... here are some other firsts...
@first car ride

@first experience of air conditioning...the sweet child was wrapped in a blanket on the carride and the AC wasn't even really working

@first time out of Busunju

@first time in Kampala

@first time seeing all the traffic and large buildings that come with the city

@first time on an escalator

@first time seeing sculptures of animals and being very timid as she didn't know what it was

@first time in a store with stuffed animals bigger than her and shopping carts that she could push and ride in

@first time seeing shelves of food and all she could do is point to her mouth and say yom...yom

@first time looking at all the items on the store shelves and being able to say in English what she was familiar with

@first time in a restaurant and she ate her chicken and rice like there was no tomorrow
@first time enjoying french fries...ketchup...soda with ice...and ice cream...

This list could go on and on... but there is nothing like seeing the excitement in a child's eyes over the things that we take for granted.  Throughtout the day as I was  holding her hand or as she slept in my arms as we drove back to the village, my heart was filled with the blessing of this sweet child knowing that it is moments like this that I am here for.  Moments that will impact eternity and give these children a hope and a future.  My heart truly yearns to be a wife and a mother but for this moment, the God of the universe has allowed me to assist in mothering one of His precious little ones!