There are so many stories to tell from my trip to Uganda that I hardly know where to begin. My weeks since, laid up with Malaria, has been its own rich time. You know the kind, when the world shuts down for awhile and there is time and space for experiences to percolate... it now feels as though I could write a blog each day for a month and maybe even then not be finished the telling.

It is one thing to describe a trip, telling the itinerary, the stops, the places visited, the how of traveling from here to there and back again. But none of this describes the true essence, the depth or the actual story.

I'll start at the near-end of my trip, where I met Elijah. A young man who is the music & choir director at New Victory Primary School in Jinja. We had gathered for three days of Pastor's Conference at the school. And though the school year was out for a two month break, a few of the kids stayed on, living at the school over the holidays.

They were our worship leaders that brought us into the presence of the Lord at the beginning, the middle and the end of each day.

Simply fabulous

Elijah led them. The finest children's choir director I have ever seen, he could go anywhere in the world and command top dollar for his heart and passion and skill in leading kids in celebration and song and dance.

It was simply magic to watch him.

To my chagrin I took no video, and don't even have a picture of his face, simply this one:



And while I simply LOVE his t-shirt (and would love one just like it), this picture does him no justice whatsoever, only a fraction is revealed of this fun, intense, passionate man of God.

Doubling as my interpreter, it was simply a joy and delight to work alongside each other. As I spoke he mimicked perfectly tone and voice modulation, passion and heartfelt words. He knew the secret of drawing forth emotion, of connecting on that common ground of shared feelings and experiences of heart and soul.

A Master at what and who he is, the kids responded in kind:



"The little children will lead them"

They brought forth their own delight and joy and celebration. With skill and much practice added to the beauty of soul and heart.

Elijah brought forth the very best in these kids. He gave them the skills they needed to do well, he mentored and tutored them in the ways of celebration and worship that comes deep from within a person, he nurtured and encouraged...

All of which reminds me of God himself.

God, who is not afraid of celebration, not afraid of dance and strong passion and emotions be them positive or negative.

God who knows sorrow as we know sorrow and knows joy as we know joy, taking us in hand to show us the way to our own honesty's of being human.

While in Uganda I hardly needed any interpretations as I watched and took in what was going on around me day after day. Communication after all, is only about 7% words, the remaining 93% is body language, voice tone, eye contact, gestures... and of course emotions.

Emotions are one of our primary knowing systems. Along with sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell, we mustn't forget emotions.

Emotions connect us across cultures and language barriers and all manner of perceived incongruities.

When we can see with our hearts, and not just our minds, the world opens up. We find common themes running through all of our lives and experiences, we are more alike than we know!

And just like Elijah, comfort with our emotions establishes us as leaders, showing the way, establishing the paths, bringing out the best in those around us.

Communication that connects us heart to heart.