Great Joy in the Village......

"So there was great joy in that city." Acts 8:8 NIV
Talk of great joy, joy that is associated with nothing but God Himself as the true source! That was the feeling this morning on arriving at the village of Mbale! The school devotion has already started and when we came into the sanactuary, the whole room erupted with praise and we were greeted with great joy both from young, old and adults.

Diniz being warmly embraced by the people; behind him is the headmistress

See the expression of awe in the headmistress; he is next to Livingstone from FH

Listening to the devotion from the children, I can confidently say that the Scripture is true that, "Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger." Psalms 8:2, NIV. 

Following the devotion, we were taken outside for a time of welcoming as the children sang beautiful songs and we were also given an African name based on individual personality and career/professions:

Sitting from L - Right, awaiting the naming ceremony:

Uncle Moses, Diniz, Danny, Bolaji, Jules, Katryna and Felix

Here are the African names associated with each person with its meanings:

• Diniz - He was considered as a grandparent having been to the village 3 times. So his previous name - Mulisa meaning leader, strong and handsome man, was kept as is.
• Danny - named Hatondi meaning creative and innovative person
• Bolaji - named Muyiyi meaning an initiator
• Jules - named Mulesi meaning one who cares
• Katryna - named Sangalo meaning happiness
• Felix - named Messo meaning one who is very alert, awake and knowledgeable)

Throughout this experience, the kids swarm around us and were very happy to see us. Here are some pictures showing how team members bonded with these children:

The significance of this gesture from the children reminded us the words of Jesus to his disciples saying, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there." Matthew 19:14-15, NIV

In the next post, I will update you on some of the initiatives in the village that are currently underway. Stay tuned.....