Verse & Song

Since the children of Uganda learn by repetition, they have memorized a verse for each week I've been here leading them! I'm totally impressed with them and excited for all that they've learned, and hoping they carry this wisdom and the stories with them. Now at random times I'll just say the first (and sometimes second) word of the verse and they complete it.

My first week they learned, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this, to look after orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep from being polluted by the world." James 1:27 It is the motto of Rafiki Africa Ministries, I've got a cute video of them doing the motions along with the verse.

Then we learned, "God saw all that He had made and it was very good" Genesis 1:31. While learning about manners and good behavior we learned The Golden Rule, "do unto others as you would have them do to you", Luke 6:31. We memorized at least 7 of the Ten Commandments when we learned about Moses. When reading Noah we learned "I have set my rainbow in the clouds and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth" Genesis 9:13. We learned "Thy word have I hid in my heart that I will not sin against thee." while learning the B-I-B-L-E song in sign language one week.

One week was a bit complicated and I didn't get much time to work with them, so I taught them the story about Lazarus dying and the shortest verse in the Bible, "Jesus wept" and then also told them where the song I had been singing to them was from "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path", Psalm 119:105. While studying Ruth and Naomi's story I taught them Ruth 2:12, " May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, under whose wings you have come to take refuge." And this week we are learning about Joseph (as in son of Jacob, not Mary and Joseph) so I chose Genesis 45:5, "And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you."

Next week we are going to discuss thanksgiving and memorize Colossians 3:17, then the last week I am here we are going to work on Psalm 23. They are impressive, right?!

In addition to all these verses, they've all taught me some songs and I've taught them a few, including a prayer my family sings at the dinner table occassionaly: God we thank you (2x), Once again (2x), We will ask your blessing (2x), Amen (2x). I want to teach them 'Beloved, let us love one another', from 1 John 4:7-8.

I sing them a song before they go to sleep most nights, I choose soft hymns because nobody sings hymns anymore, it helps them settle down and they're picking them up too!