A Ugandan Welcome

Visits to a village in Uganda frequently begin with a celebration.  It might be women dancing, children singing, or drums beating. Whatever the means, you understand the message is that you are welcome!

After many trips to Uganda, I can say that greeting never gets old.  I’ll never stop having butterflies as we turn the corner towards a village where I know they are waiting.  Sometimes there’s an entourage of kids that meet us at the corner and lead us the rest of the way with giggles and shrieks of “Mzungus”! (a term of endearment for people with white skin.) Sometimes you can see people waiting even before you hear them.  Whatever the welcome, it’s exciting, and gracious, and full of love.

Earlier this month, the Connect to Uganda team made our first visit to the village of Orem in northern Uganda.  After 5 ½ hours in the bus, we bumped through the last 30 minutes of dirt roads, potholes, and what can only be described as a cow path.  But then, in the distance, we saw women and children jumping up and down and heard the faint shrieks of excitement that meant we had arrived!  The bus had an encounter with a 4-foot tree stump that meant the end of the ride and we walked the rest of the way to the village, led by dancing mothers with babies on their backs and young girls singing through their smiles.

We were escorted to our seats amid handshakes, hugs, and high fives. And then – a first for me – the branches that the women had waved above their heads the entire walk were draped around our necks.  Sort of like a lei in Hawaii, but not exactly! It was a sweet gift and the team looked at each other, marveling that here we were – in a rural village in northern Uganda, with people we had never met before, with leaves wrapped around our necks! And it was wonderful!

Our Ugandan friends value relationships – more than most anything.  We could learn a lot from them about the gift of hospitality and how to welcome strangers. What a blessing to be on the receiving end of those welcomes.

Julie Stroder

Executive Director

Connect to Uganda