So, the van was loaded and off we were to Kampala. This would be a trip of many firsts. Inside the van were 4 Barrets, Driver Emmy and his wife Mary, Reuben and his wife Hallen, our leader Emmy and Supermom.
Let me share a bit about Reuben and Hallen and their home.
You see this trip we spent quite a bit of time nearby their home……their church is right next to their home in the area near the crusade. Reuben used to live further away in the village but the Lord called him to move closer to his church, a church Emmy had first started in the late 1990s. Emmy had left in 1997 and Reuben has been in charge there since then. This church was built by hand by all of the church members. No outside help. It stands like a rock in the midst of a very poor rural area. Amazing. They carried some of the church beams nearly 2 miles from the main road. Many people have come to this church and many have been healed of various diseases and illnesses. Word had begun to spread and people began to show up in the middle of the night just to be in this church. Reuben knew he could no longer be several kilometers away. He needed to be right there at all times just in case someone was to show up. How come I don’t have that same attitude? I don’t live next to my clinic. Reuben does. So with the help of church members they built this home out of mud and sticks with iron sheets as a roof. It is a very simple place. You can stand at the front door, have a friend in the hallway, and nearly touch hands to the back door.
The floors were covered with mud as we were there during the rain. No worries it did not dampen the presence of the Lord in this place. On the front left room about 4 feet by 6 feet is a gathering room to welcome guests. Immediately across the hall is the boys’ bedroom. You see Reuben and Hallen have 5 of their own children and they have been called by the Lord to adopt another 5. That is 12 people in this tiny mud house. 4 boys sleep in a tiny mud room in the front.
I am sure they have no other chance but to lie on each other as they all share this tiny space. 6 girls share the back room and it is no bigger. Wow…….like living in a closet.
Immediately I am thinking just like you ………I am so incredibly blessed……….Across from the girls’ room is Reuben and Hallen’s bedroom. Basically a small double mattress taking up the entire room with 2 clotheslines (his and hers) over the bed.
I am always amazed at how incredibly clean both Reuben and Hallen’s clothes are whenever I am with them. There is a tiny window that comes in their bedroom but that is it.
No electricity. No clean water. Flies around. Everything was brown: the floor, the clothes, the walls. They go about several kilometers to collect this dirty water that they use for everything. Outside is the kitchen where Hallen spends most of her time. You see, Reuben is a living example of Luke 3 where John is speaking to the crowd.
10“What should we do then?” the crowd asked. 11John answered, “The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same.”
As a rural pastor people come to Reuben’s house all the time with huge needs. They come for help and guess what, guess who is the one feeding and helping them. You got it, Reuben and Hallen. Oh my……They have so little but find a way to give nearly all of what they have to others less fortunate. Thank you Reuben and Hallen for showing me how to live the Word. Hallen is seen here at her kitchen with such a huge smile. Thank you for showing me what joy in serving others looks like Hallen.
One other thing about this house you need to know. On the front right corner of the house there is a bunch of trees on the right side of the roof.
Why are they there? Well not too long ago a storm came and blew off a good portion of the roof. This scared their youngest son Gideon very much.
To this day every time a storm comes he runs to the neighbors home……..terrified it will happen again. A young patient of mine from Henderson gave me a small car to give to a young boy. Trace if you are reading this, Gideon is the recipient of your generosity. Thank you for sharing with him Trace. He loves it.
We have begun to pray that soon the Lord will provide a new home for Pastor Reuben, Emmy’s #2. It would be a great blessing. A home in Uganda is only about $6000 USD. Somehow, I long for the day to see this family of God in a new brick home near his church. Until then we will keep praying.
Since we can’t provide that we decided to bless them with the Metropole Hotel. You see this would be a day of firsts for Reuben and Hallen as well as Driver Emmy’s wife Mary. Not only would this be the first hotel for them all but it would be their first time away for their children. They have never had a night alone in 16 years for Reuben or 4.5 for Driver Emmy. We soon arrived at the hotel and we could tell by their faces they were living in a dream world. So thankful to the Lord. We put our stuff in our room and sat down for dinner. Their we would hear something more astonishing………neither of these 3 had ever had a hot shower……EVER……….oh my now I couldn’t believe my ears. They had never eaten a meal at a restaurant.
Sitting down and ordering food from a menu was something really foreign. Rice, beans, potatoes, bananas………these were familiar. Everything else, not so much. So we ordered them some corn fritter appetizers and they loved them. Then some chicken and beef entres and they cleaned their plates, each trying the others plates. Nothing spared, nothing wasted. It was an incredible night of blessings. We gathered again that next morning and there were smiles everywhere. We asked Hallen what she was thinking………she couldn’t believe there were places like this that were so clean. She was amazed at her bed and how big it was. Wow……….what a blessing it was for all of us to sit there for breakfast that morning. They have poured their lives in to serving the Lord and this was such a small return but oh so appreciated. As we sat for breakfast……..we asked them if there was anything we could do for them. We knew the ladies would want a new dress or skirt and that is the answer we got. When we asked Reuben, his answer was different. You see, he has a new nickname. What he wanted was “air time” for his cell phone. The whole table erupted in laughter.
From this day forward he is now known as “Air Time.” Later at breakfast Hallen was holding a cup of clean water and said, ”I would like to give thanks to God for this blessing, without Him this would have never been possible.” AMEN , AMEN, AMEN.
I will chronicle our trip to the market on our next post and then also Supermom’s inaugural flight to London.
Blessings and Happy New Year
The Barrets
Grace Community School has embarked on a campaign, called Hearts for Change in early 2010. By collecting small change until Valentines Day, they are trying to raise $5000 for a new school building at Parental Care School in Mbarara Uganda. Anyone is welcome to donate change for this project.
