Better all the time

On Thursday morning we met with the secondary school students. There were 35 who came and crowded onto the benches. There was an opening prayer led by Jennifer, and while it was hard to hear, it was wonderful. Vennie welcomed everyone, and then we made our presentation. I offered only a few opening remarks, and Anne again shared the bear story, including more details this time because everyone understood English (there was no need to wait for a translator to repeat everything). They all smiled and even chuckled at the sight of the bear and listened intently to Anne before Karin took a moment to tell them about herself and share the Canada book with them.

Steve then began the main part of our program. He told them about his own business background (Anne and Karin and I learned new things about Steve!) and launched into his two main questions: What do you like about the centre? What would you change about the centre to make it better? He went around the room and invited each student to respond individually.

That was when the fun really began. First we heard words of gratitude for the people of Trafalgar, Canada and all that we have done for them. They praised God for the good work and commented that one of the best things about the centre is that it “keeps showing signs of development over the years, getting better all the time”. They also noted that it was great to have a place where they can share ideas among themselves, and where they can study without little brothers and sisters around (I bet that sounds familiar to some of our students at home!)

By now Steve had the youth thoroughly engaged, and Karin was very proud of him when he even shushed a few in the corner who were whispering (maybe he’s found a new calling!). Around the room were many excellent suggestions for improvement, like additional furniture and more Ugandan textbooks. They also praised the work of the librarian and tutor and indicated that this was an important part of the Learning Centre for them. Steve finished by giving a short lesson on building trust and delivering on promises: both essential elements to any partnership.

It was the student’s turn to present, and William and Ronald came forward to sing a song, “Who is Jesus?”. Ronald sang an amazing, rhythmic bass line while William sang overtop. We wished we had a video camera to bring the song home. Jennifer sang a very short song after that, and Karin jumped up and told them they were all going to help us sing the song we brought. After telling them about our Andrew D, she gathered a few boys at the front with Steve to sing the bass line (later Karin said that she was so glad she didn’t have to worry about teaching the basses: Steve had it all under control! Andrew would have been so proud). They all learned the chorus and Karin sang the verses. By the time we got to the final chorus, they had even added clapping and table percussion! We all thought of Andrew.

When the song was finished, a student named Andrew asked us to stand for a closing prayer, which he began with the Lord’s prayer. We all said it together and it was beautiful. Vennie distributed the toothbrushes that Steve’s dentist had sent along with us and we thought it was so funny when William, who thanked us on behalf of all the students, said that he would keep his toothbrush on his shelf as a memento of Canada!

We are impressed with the young people of this community. They are bright and articulate, and were courageous enough to speak honestly with us about their ideas today. One young man even said that when he arrived at the centre that morning he was feeling crummy, but after our meeting he was going away feeling happy.

It may be one of the best things about the centre, but it is also true of our trip: it keeps showing signs of development, and is getting better all the time.