Saying Good-bye is hard to do.....

Well, we are down to our last week here. I will be honest with you, at this point, I feel like I am counting down the days till I leave. Although it is hard to be leaving, for me the hardest good-byes have already been said. About two weeks ago, we left Gulu which is where we spent most of our time and where my heart remains. It is in Gulu that my babies live, it is Gulu where my favourite volunteer remains, and it is in Gulu where I got to know the nannies the best. Gulu is in Northern Uganda. Yes, it is too hot, too dusty, has too many geckos’…but it is where some of the warmest people I have ever met live. These people have been so impacted by the LRA, a form of a terrorist group who did so much harm to the people there but yet, they remain some of the happiest people I know. It was my pleasure to be able to serve along beside them.

Most of the babies that came into the home in Gulu came because their mother had died while giving birth. It was alarming how common it was for this to happen. Saying good-bye to my little girl one of the toddlers that lived at the babies’ home was without a doubt my hardest good-bye. She also is there because her mother died due to complications after the birth of her youngest daughter. My little girl Rose was a handful. To her, everything was a game. She would take things from the other children and when you tried to scold her she would just laugh her mischievous laugh and run away looking forward to the chase; her only disappointment would be if you did not run after her. I do not know yet if she will be going to the children’s village as she does have family that Watoto will try and reunite her with before they choose to take her to the village. If she goes to the village, she will become one of my sponsored children. If she does not go to the village, then, she will forever remain in my prayers. If it were my call, the choice would be clear…she would be coming back to Canada with me but that is not an option. I will however hang up so many pictures of her around the house that I am sure many will think she is one of my own children. I sincerely hope I will come back again and that although this good-bye is one of my hardest, I really do pray it is not the last one I have to say to these dear children. For now, I comfort myself with the thought of how I will be able to eat poutine to my heart’s content upon my return to Canada.

So there, you have it…my final entry for this journey. It’s been an amazing 3 months. I am very excited to be coming home and be able to share the full stories of what our time here has been like. I can’t wait to be able to show off photos and brag like the proud momma I am how many milestones I got to see in these children’s lives. To tell you the time we seen them take the first step, say their first word, get their first tooth, celebrate their first birthday. It has been one of the most remarkable 3 months of my life and time that I will always treasure. My only regret is the fact that I have to say good-bye.   My greatest joy however is that I got to be in their life even if it was for a brief season. We will always look back with fond thoughts of our time here with them. We are so grateful to Watoto for rescuing these precious children of God and allowing us to play a small part in this amazing work they are doing. Poutines everywhere watch out because here I come!!!

Alison