A Day at A Ugandan Funeral

Today we worked until noon. We are ahead of schedule and everyone is tired, and some are starting to feel the affects of the sun. After lunch a few of us attended a funeral service of a friend of Edgar's who passed away 2 days ago in a car accident. The funeral was held at the families huts. When Edgar came to pick us up he told us that his friends brother had passed away from his injuries last night, and it is customary to bury the youngest first. So we attended a funeral service for a 3 year old named Jared today. When we arrived they stopped the service and moved us up to the front. They asked Steve to share a message, and then they buried the boy in the middle of the family's land. There where few tears and even some laughter. It seems that faith is very strong here. Death is not the end.
After that we went to take a blanket that a team members grandmother knitted to a family. When we arrived Edgar explained that the grandmother who was in her 80's had HIV. All 3 of her daughters had passed away from Aids, and her 5 grandkids that she is know taking care of all have HIV also. To make this situation even worse 2 of the kids have malaria. We were invited into her hut, which only had matts for sleeping on the ground and a clay pot to keep their food cold.
Today I am missing my kids, but am not ready to go yet. I think that I was meant to be here. I feel so at home, and at peace. I don't feel overwhelmed and sad, but very excited and hopeful of what is yet to come. We have the walls up on our medical center and will hopefully have a roof within the next 3 weeks.
So here is my challenge for all you at home. A few things to think about. A cow costs $75.00 and can change the lives of not only a family but a village. Education is needed so badly here. Text books, and other scholastic materials that in our country would be obsolete are invaluable here. Blankets, bibles, and first aid equipment are like gold. Please think about what your part in this could be.
We have made some really good friends, and have opportunities to do amazing things here. The Ugandans we have met here are a blessing from God. I can not say enough about how much they have done for us.
Please pray for a good day tomorrow as we take a well deserved break and fellowship together. Pray for health for our team members, and a good last couple of days.