Aidchild Part 2: Thanks 2 U

"Come see the fire," he says rather calmly.

"What? Where?!"

"Just there outside the door."

"What?! That's really close, isn't anybody worried, shouldn't we do something?" I anxiously query.

Gracious and calm as ever, Tom smiled and said, "Don't worry, it'll stop in time."

"How?!"

"It just does."

"Aren't you nervous?" I ask.

Then Robert chimes in with a little laugh, "No. I am enjoying."

Whoa. So to recap, the field about 10 feet shy of the property is on fire. I can feel the heat. Taste the smoke. I can even hear the snap crackle pop. But no one is bothered. In fact they are entertained both by the event and my concern. So, since I seemed to be the odd man out, I plunked down on the porch to watch the show. During this season the farmers set their fields on fire to ready them for planting. It's easier than clearing them manually.

But snack time with the kids was calling. So we did what anyone would do. We sat down and had a picnic while the world burned behind us.

We drank sodas, ate candy, played with stickers, and giggled. I felt sticky hands holding my own. I could taste the candy. I heard the sizzling of pop rocks in 10 little mouths.

Somehow, I got so lost in those moments with the kids, that not until lunch was called did I look up and notice that, just as my friends had predicted, the fire had stopped well short of harm's way. While the song's meaning differs, I couldn't get John Mayer's music out of my head:

"My dear, we're slow dancing in a burnin' room."

---

I've spent the last few days at Aidchild's main campus in Masaka. Two words: class act. What an incredible operation. The attention to detail was awesome. If you read the "Gulu Regional" post, you'll recall that the AIDS ward there was like being in the room with death itself. From talking with friends, it seems many other hospitals in just about every city have similar stories. But not there at Aidchild. I had to remind myself that these kids had AIDS, because like their counterparts at the Mpigi site, these little and not so little ones (18 months to 18 years+) were healthy, happy, and loved. Like this guy...

Or this beautiful girl full o' smiles...

Thanks to many of YOU and your general awesome-ness, we were able to bring a BIG load of supplies! Tons of clothes. Medical stuff. Seeds for the garden. School supplies. And of course a healthy dose of toys and candy as well!

Some of it was put to immediate use. Other stuff will be saved for the new school year (they start in February here). Here's the fun part, many of the toys will be saved for Christmas. You made a big dent in their Christmas shopping list!

Simon Peter, who is such a precious soul, runs up to me sporting his new basketball jersey, saying "I'm the Captain! I'm the Captain!" He's beaming. Me too, because I'm proud of all of YOU for sharing your love with these beautiful kids. Thanks so much for being generous and active in your compassion!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry