Busy days
This afternoon I read a quote from Coretta S. King (Martin Luther King Junior’s widow):
"Through the process of self-dedication and total commitment, you inspire a lot of people and you can cause change to take place within the lives of people."
It made me think of the conversation I had with Mr. W. this morning. (He had originally been the one to deliver to me the bad news that my paintings were denied by the general manager of the hotel and that I couldn’t do the exhibit there. It took much more determination to see it through and the exhibition is now going forward again as planned.) I was stopping in at his office this morning on my way to check out the exhibition corridor. He was very excited for me.
I told him my frames weren’t ready yet, that there had been a delay. I was a bit worried it wouldn’t be done on time. He said to me, with a twinkle in his eye: "You are going to make it because you have strong convictions in the things you believe in and that comes across to people. They admire that. The leaders of the pack are always passionate at whatever they believe in. You are passionate about what you do, and that’s why I know you are going to make it! You had perseverance even when I told you the paintings weren’t accepted! You embarrassed me by proving to everyone that you could do it!"
He went on to say that he loved the painting sample on my advertising poster and asked how much I was selling it for. I told him the price, thinking he’d choke as he so often does when speaking of money issues. Without blinking he said, "The day of your opening, I am putting a sign on it that says SOLD. I want that one for myself—if the frame is nice!"
So many significant things happened to me today. Earlier a friend handed me a small donation for my work. He’d been promising it to me for a month now and was only able to give it today. I was glad he was finally able to meet with me today after waiting for so long. I also met with K, a linguist friend who had accompanied us on the visit to the Ik tribes, where she spent the entire week with us, learning how we used prayer as an everyday source of communication with the Lord. She had also been just as in awe of the beautiful Ik tribes people as we had been. Since then, she had committed to helping me make this art exhibit a success, and for that, I am grateful. She has many contacts in the country and has been helping me advertise with all the embassies. Her goal is to help the tribes people through this exhibit—to raise awareness of them so that they can have their needs met.
We talked of raising money for a medical expedition to the mountains in the North where they live. They have no hospitals and limited access to the nearest towns. If any person were ill, it would be at least two days walk to the nearest source of medicine. K. was very helpful. She promised to come Sunday night to the hotel to help me set up for the exhibition. She has an artistic mind and would be influential in helping me achieve the best presentation possible with the gallery.
After lunch, I walked to another friend’s office—a bank manager and father of one of my best friends in Kampala. He had sponsored part of my trip to Sri Lanka for Tsunami relief work. When I walked into the office I met his secretary first (who I had never met). She was overjoyed to see me, telling me that her boss had been showing her the pictures of my work in Sri Lanka. While on my trip I’d kept journals of and had regularly emailed them to my friends. I hadn’t heard from him in all this time, so I didn’t know whether he had heard anything about my trip. So I was surprised to find that not only had he been receiving the news, but he had been sharing it with others, including his secretary. I gave her an Activated magazine and she spent the next half-hour poring over it while I met with my friend.
Afterwards I stopped in at the home of another friend who had contributed to the trip: A wealthy Indian woman. She was having tea with friends when I arrived at her home. One of them was from London and very interested in my work. It turned out that she is a good friends of the Family in Nairobi. Whenever the Family dance team tours the UK her family puts them up at their house. It’s a small world. She asked me about life as a volunteer and it was wonderful to be able to express the fulfillment God has given me all these years of doing it.
"It’s true," she said, turning to her friends, "We give so little!" Then turning to me she said, "You must have such beautiful experiences, helping people…us, we give here and there, but never that much."
At the end of tea, she kindly sent her chauffer to drop me home, and I was grateful for that, as I dread riding the public transportation—motorbikes driven by crazed teenagers…. they are the quickest, most convenient way to travel in the traffic and potholed roads of Kampala…but also probably the swiftest way to get to Heaven…
Tonight, Tina was supposed to attend a mission seminar in Nairobi, but she didn’t have enough money for the bus ticket and visa fare. The Lord showed me to give her the donation I recieved today. It was so nice to see her happy, finally packing to go.
I’m not worried about the money; I know its a good investment and that whatever I spend, the Lord has promised to repay 100 times over!
—that does excite me about the prospect of tomorrow!