Elijah's village visit

The following story was written by my 11 year old son, Elijah:

Thirty minutes after leaving, I was beginning to regret my decision to visit a sick Jajja in the village with my mom and her bible study group. I think the only thing that kept me going was the vain hope that there was only "seven more minutes" like our guide, Anthony, said. Surely it must be just around the next corner. But sadly, no.

Ten minutes turned into twenty which turned into fourty which finally turned into an hour. As I was stumbling through sugar cane field after sugar cane field, l tried to wrap my head around the fact that many people do this daily. During the third mile while l was mentally writing my will, I realized we had reached our destination. 

The sick Jajja looked, well, sickly. I heard her rasping breath, the intervals growing longer and longer. We sang a few hymns, read Psalm 23, said the Lord's Prayer, prayed for her and her caregivers and left gifts for them. The people from the Bible study brought beans, flour for posho, sugar, sugarcanes, and gifts of money.

As we left, I wondered how much time the Jajja had remaining.

The walk back was more enjoyable. We took a shortcut that led us over a very steep hill and back home much faster. When we got back, I was in awe of how much hardship the Ugandan people go through daily and yet they are still the most happy  people I know. I definitely don't regret going and am thankful for the opportunity to encourage someone in need.