We all have our perfect plan of how we want things to go in life. Our perfect plan was being at the Embassy on Monday, January 26th. This meant that we could process our paperwork in time to all be on the save flight on Wednesday night. However, we never got the call for a Monday appointment and when we tried to arrange for transport into Kampala on Sunday we found several conflicts that meant we needed to stay at African Village an extra night. This was not entirely a disappointment to us because we truly loved staying there and we were hesitant to say goodbye.
Halfway through Sunday we found out that Monday, January 26th is Liberation Day in Uganda and all offices are closed. No chance at Embassy. We called our driver and told him there was no rush, we would use Monday to say goodbye to our Friends at African Village.
What we didn't know (but should have known) is that God was way ahead of us. We spent the morning with Olivia, one of the wait staff that Cara made friends with during our time here. It was very sweet to watch Cara say goodbye and shower Olivia with gifts only a 5 year old would give, like feathers and flowers she has found throughout our trip.
Afterward, the reception office at the hotel was having difficulty processing our bill so we took the extra time to walk down and say goodbye to Jochim (and the kittens). Jochim had the kindest words for us and wished us a safe journey home.
We met up with Raymond, our driver, but he had a few goodbyes of his own he wanted to make, so we walked back toward the hotel on our own. As we passed the cafe we saw Eva Maria outside on her phone. Eva Maria manages the hotel at African Village and went out of her way to take incredible care of us during our stay. She waved for us to come over and we took the opportunity to say goodbye and thank her for managing a staff that always goes so far above and beyond.
Little did we know that the entire staff was assembled in the cafe. Eva Maria offered us a slice of cake to say goodbye. When we stepped through the door we saw everyone assembled (we think for a staff meeting). Everyone from the chefs at the restaurant to the cleaning staff, reception staff, cafe staff, drivers, tour guides, gardening crew etc was there. For a moment it was a glimpse of what it must be like to walk into heaven and unexpectedly see everyone you love all gathered in one place smiling back at you.
They served us cake and soda and shared their goodbyes with us. Then the entire staff stood and sang "Their is Power in the Name of Jesus" over our family and then everyone prayed in unison for our journey home and the journey of raising our family. Finally, the head of housekeeping said a closing prayer wishing us a swift time at Embassy in Kampala and a safe journey home.
Bill was able to share with the entire staff how much we enjoyed our stay and felt like family during our time at African Village. There was not a person in the room that had not greeted us regularly, knew Isaac's name and story, and gone out of their way to do something special for us during our stay. There were the cleaning ladies who not only cleaned but put fresh roses in our room for Christmas. There was the chef who made us special order food more than once when he didn't have to. The gardeners who couldn't speak English but would still bring Cara fresh cut flowers from their clippings. The drivers who had taken us on many adventures and taken the time to learn about our story as a family. The bakers who made Cara's birthday cake and greeted us happily on our weekly dessert night as a family. The pool staff that brought us chairs and swimmies and cheered as Isaac learned to swim. The restaurant staff who waited patiently as Cara came out of her shell and got to know them over meals. The servers who got to the point where they knew which beverages to bring without asking and how to plate Cara and Isaac's food according to what they each liked best. Even poor Gideon who woke up in the middle of the night to rescue us when our pipe burst in the bathroom (a night I'll never forget!). I could go on and on about the staff and how they loved us. It was so special to be able to tell them all together how much we appreciated each one of them. If we had gone into Kampala on Sunday we would have missed this beautiful moment.
We continue to be blessed with beautiful moments we couldn't have expected. Bill and I joke that we are truly getting the deluxe package. Being in Mukono has meant that we have spent more time with the Ken and Cathy and their family than any other adoptive family so far. It also allowed us to spend extended time at the babies home and get to know everyone there. Our connections at African Village brought us to prayer mountain and it's beautiful view of Jinja.
It's hard to even summarize it all. I hope We love Uganda, it is beautiful, but what makes it spectacular are the relationships we have made during our time here.
Cara with the restaurant staff.
This is our social worker, Lisa, that matched us with Isaac
These are the women that had to clean our room everyday. Such a blessing!
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