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| Gloria's Ice Cream Face |
They call me the Ice Cream Man. Not exactly a Super Hero name, but that’s what they call me.
It was the day of our groundbreaking celebration and everyone was excited to go see the land that Dream of a Better World had raised the money for. I was excited to see the land, but he kids were really just excited for ice cream and cake. But ice cream... well, that's really special. And they knew that the path to ice cream included a trip to the land. So the sooner that was over with, the closer they’d be to… ice cream.
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| Sweet Potatoes |
The land is impressive, 4 acres of fertile land with lots of things already planted and growing. We picked sweet potatoes and Jack fruit and walked through field where the maize was just harvested. The foundation for the dormitory has been poured and, as Holly walked over it, she showed each one of them where they would eat and sleep and learn and play. I didn’t think the land would be that BIG and I was very proud to be a part it… like we’d accomplished something big and meaningful. Honestly, it made me want to DO MORE!
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| Giving Thanks |
On the ride home, we stopped at a house to pick up the ice cream. The kids, maybe for the first time since I’d arrived, became still and quiet. This was serious business… ice cream. I jumped at the chance to do more and pulled out my wallet while asking Holly if I could buy the ice cream I had promised the kids. It was 80,000 shillings, which is about $25. I had one of those “WOW” moments when I later learned that that’s about 2 - 3 weeks wages for the average worker in Jinja. And, we spent it on something so… small… so everyday. Can you imagine spending the equivalent of… say… 2 or 3 thousand dollars for ice cream?
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| Thank You All! |
I feel a bit bad when I think about all the “things” that I have. Things like my R/C Ferarri that could possibly feed someone in Africa for a whole month. After that, I promised myself that I will try not to take for granted the small things in life… like ice cream, like swimming in the ocean, new clothes, clean running water, meat for dinner, screens on the windows, or especially, having both a mom and a dad.
- aka, Jack Button
