Tuesday with the Jajas (and grandpas)

Tuesday we got to attend one of ROTOM's senior fellowships. These fellowships are really at the heart of what ROTOM does. Twice a month, all the grandmas and grandpas get together in a small church near where they live. I believe there are 27 fellowships around Uganda. In these fellowships, the grandmas and grandpas sing, dance, learn about Jesus, and are given a big (and I mean BIG) nutritious meal.

It was amazing when we first walked in to the little church. The Jajas were all singing to us and dancing. They were so excited to see us. Every one of them wanted to shake our hands or hug us. They tied scarves around our waists and wanted us to shake our hips like they do. It was so much fun! I have never seen that much joy and energy out of a group of elderly women before! Amazing!

Jerry and Susan both shared a message of hope with the group. At the end of the session, one man asked Jesus into his heart. He spoke Swahili, so we had to find someone in the crowd that could interpret for us.

What hit me after we got home was that this story and the message was not translated into Swahili. This man was so moved by the presence of God that he knew he wanted more of it. God is just THAT BIG!

We then served everyone a HUGE plate of food. They were just loving it. It was so funny to see how many of them had brought their own silverware or "Tupperware" type containers to take left-overs in. They knew what to expect. The women were swapping plates, taking what they wanted from their friends, and sharing what they didn't want with others. This reminded me so much of eating dinners with my friends.

After the fellowship, we went outside where there was a schoolyard full of children. The ROTOM staff told us that ROTOM also sponsors many of those children to go to that school. We sang and played with them- it was so much fun.

That evening, ROTOM staff held a BBQ for us. We had a great time with all of them, what a FUN group of people. We played games (including musical chairs), danced, and ate a delicious meal. Tuesday was our last day of ministry for the whole trip and we all agreed that this was just the most wonderful way to end it all. We said good-bye to all the staff of ROTOM and headed back to the hotel to pack up for our Safari!