"God, you're my refuge. I trust in you and I'm safe!" That's right--he rescues you from hidden traps, shields you from deadly hazards. His huge outstretched arms protect you--under them you are perfectly safe; his arms fend off all harm. Fear nothing...no harm will even graze you. You'll stand untouched, watch it all form a distance, watch the wicked turn into corpses. Yes, because God's your refuge, the High God your very own home, Evil can't get close to you, harm can't get through the door. He ordered angels to guard you wherever you go. If you stumble, they'll catch you; their job is to keep you from falling..."If you'll hold on to me for dear life," says God, "I'll get you out of any trouble. I'll give you the best of care if you'll only get to know and trust me. Call me and I'll answer, be at your side in bad times; I'll rescue you, then throw you a party. I'll give you a long life, give you a long drink of salvation!" -Psalm 91It was 3am Friday morning as my roommate Erika and I sat in a circle on the bedroom floor of the girls who live in the New Creation Family Home with us, reading this scripture.
Just a short moment before we had received the news that our little Sarah had passed away. Left with confusion and shock, we came together to worship the Lord and thank him for Sarah. Erika passed a sweetie out to each of the girls and we all took a toast to Sarah, each sharing something about her.
When you move to a third world country you are aware of the death rate, but never once does it cross your mind that a little girl who you live with will go to meet Jesus. And early Friday morning we were shaken at the reality that we had lost one of our own.
Ten months ago I wrote a blog posting about Sarah, and in this writing I wrote: "Sarah is such a great asset to the NCFH because of how gentle and sweet she is. I could say this for each child, but it would not be the same without her here."
Not ten months ago, not a month ago, not a week ago, and not even five days ago would I have ever imagined we would be living in a world without Sarah in it. It breaks my heart to know she is gone, but I am peace knowing she is up in Heaven with God. And just as I wrote before, this home will not be the same without her here.
I will forever remember Sarah wrapping herself in my arms time and time again. Or sitting outside sewing a basket while she set her dolls up on the windowsill telling me that she was going shopping, asking me what I wanted from the market, and bringing it back to me. I'll never forget her bright smile and gentle spirit.
And even though this is a sad time, I know Sarah would want nothing more than for us to be happy. So let me get to some of these crazy Ugandan traditions.
First off, it's tradition to "sleep down" (sleep on the floor) with family, friends, teachers, pastors, etc. until the day of burial. So for four nights we slept down in the family room with all the children, NCFH staff, and our visitors...with the lights on. Ugandans seem to fear the dark after a death. I personally fear sleep derivation. Erika and I slept no more then fifteen hours in the past four days. I am happy to say we will be sleeping in our beds with the lights off tonight.
Also, on a side note. The first night of sleeping down I had been reading my Bible while everyone else had fallen asleep. I closed my Bible and turned over to fall asleep myself when I saw water flooding the family room floor. I tapped Erika on the shoulder to wake her up and said, "Erika, there is water everywhere!" We spent the next hour mopping up water that had flooded a room, the dining room, and the family room. It was as quite a mess but also brought a good laugh.
We did eat some fantastic food though! It is also tradition to eat a mixture of cassava and beans when someone dies. It will most definitely remain my best meal in Uganda. The days prior to Sarah's funeral were spent with visitors. Sunday night Erika and I began to wonder what we were supposed to wear to a funeral here. We asked Mama Lydia which of course brought all the mamas, aunties, and other teachers into our room. So needless to say, they hooked us up with some traditional African wear. (We wore these for you Sarah!)
Monday morning we woke up at 5am to pray and worship before preparing to depart for Sarah's funeral. Before leaving some of the girls played and sang a song that Auntie Taylor and I had written for them this past summer. It was one of the sweetest moments to see them all together singing that special song we'd written for them.
"Home is where the heart is and our hearts are where you are. These memories will flood our minds no matter where we are. Home, home, you've made this place our home."
First we headed to the church the children attend on a weekly basis to celebrate Sarah's life. Her favourite songs were sang, people spoke about her, and the children of the NCFH read words that people from all over the world had written about Sarah and sang Give Us Clean Hands. It was a special time.
After the service we boarded buses that drove out to Sarah's family's village where the burial would take place. When we arrived there had to have been over 300 people there. Her grave had been dug and she was lying in her coffin. We found our seats, Margret on my lap, and watched as they wrapped Sarah in her bed sheets, her mother wailing, and placed back into her coffin. A few people spoke, as well as Sherry who brought me to tears speaking about how much she loved Sarah and how much Sarah loved Jesus. They then moved Sarah's coffin into her grave and she was buried. We celebrated with lunch and then loaded back into the bus to travel back home.
We ate PB&J for dinner and all slept down on the floor once more.
Although this was a long, drawn out process, I am thankful to have been a part of celebrating Sarah's life. She's always reminded me that there is good in the world. I am blessed to have had the opportunity to get to know her. She was with us for a short time, but she made a difference in the world during her eleven years. Now she is happy and in Heaven with her loving father.
"Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted among the earth." -Psalm 46:10
If you feel called to help support the Loving One By One ministry, please head over to our support page as we raise money to help pay for the cost of Sarah's celebration of life. Even $5 makes a difference! Thank you!
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