For Whom the Pig Squeals...

This morning I chose to take Jonah up the hill to church. The supervisor was both surprised and pleased with my choice. She told me that no she one had ever shown an interest in taking Jonah before. In his 1+ year of life had never left the Babies Homes or been to church and she was sure he would love it. Jonah is a cool wee guy. During the week when I set up a number of different music activities, Jonah was so enthusiastic about them that he refused to let go of his instruments. The nannies were forced to put him to bed with them and wait until he was asleep to retrieve them.

During the music sessions, Jonah showed a real interest in percussion and would nod his head and groove along to the beat. When he noticed me watching him play, he would raise his eyebrow, his mouth would turn up at one end in a wise old smile, then he would jerk his head up and give me the 'what's up homie' nod. We shared a lot of these moments during the week, so I wanted him to see all the instruments and see people singing and dancing in praise and worship, at the church - because here in Uganda, they really know how to groove! I am quite certain that Jonah will be on a worship team one day.

He was a little apprehensive about leaving everything he knew, to head up the hill with someone he barely knows, but Jonah went along with it. I made sure I arrived just as the youth service had finished, to minimise the chaos for Jonah and give him a chance to settle in and see all the instruments before church started. I also wanted to enter at a time with less people so that Jonah wouldn't feel conspicuous and have people gawking at him. Jonah was born with no legs. I carried him in a sling as we would any baby, to try and take the focus off that fact.

When the music started, I held Jonah facing forward, so that he could see everyone and so he was as free to move as he could be. Jonah watched everyone very carefully and then decided to join in with the praise and worship. It was a really magical moment to see the little guy nodding his head and moving his body in time to the music. He also held one hand up towards the heavens and pumped it, as we claimed the promises of God through song. Such a special moment for me to share with him. He soon wore himself out though and it was time to make our way back home, so he could rest and be in familiar surroundings again.

My working day was done not long after that, so I had my first hearty meal in a few days (my appetite has been non-existent for the last 3 days which, as you all know, is not like me at all!). We were sitting back relaxing and watching a movie in the apartment when I heard a hideous screaming sound. I ran out onto the balcony in time to see a poor sow being dragged by a rope, tied to her foot, and being hit on all sides by 3 men. :( She was overheating, tired and stressed to the point that she was gasping for breath, head drooping, drool coming out of her mouth and sides heaving. I couldn't bear to see her treated that way so this crazy Mzungu went running down to intervene.

The men let the rope go and sat back laughing to watch me. I had a cut up apple in my hand, which has always been enough to lure any pig I've ever known, but she was in such a distressed state she wasn't interested in eating. Instead she slumped against a wall in the hot sun, tried to dig into mud and hide, still gasping for breath. The men tipped water on her and I stood in such a way as to provide her with shade. They let her have a few minutes before coming back to whip her ears until she felt so tormented she got up. We all herded her over the road and up the bank, where she is now tied in the shade of a tree, enjoying a nice apple.

The nannies, security guards, men and children were all laughing at me. I can only imagine what they were thinking, but rather than beating a hasty retreat, I decided to wallow in my shame and talk with a couple of the nannies - explaining that I used to have a couple of pet pigs and a cow which always succumbed to the lure of an apple. They became a lot more friendly when they heard this and even more when they asked what happened to the animals and heard my reply. They laughed really hard when I casually replied: "oh...we ate them..."

This led to a large comparative discussion about farming practices in our respective countries...to our respective cultures...to our respective lives and families...to matters of the world and the spirit. One of the security guards was not Christian, according to the two nannies I spoke with, who were. He sat on the sideline listening to our conversation, with interest. Even more interest when I showed him photos of my beautiful daughter! Our discussion about different religions and beliefs covered a lot of ground and also gave us the opportunity to share our own beliefs and experiences.

I only ran down to save a pig, but I pray that I was also able to sow a seed or two that will produce a good crop in a future season. At the very least, it has allowed me to share time with two nannies that I will be working with in coming weeks, whom I had previously not had a chance to build a relationship with. All in all, a blessed day.