REM Reflections

Sheer darkness surrounds me. Not a sound can be heard from my bedroom below the earth, in the basement. Knock, Knock, Knock, "Karen". I am awakened from the deepest of REM sleeps by my Mom who is trying to explain that someone from Soroti, Uganda has called at 3:30 in the morning and I am supposed to call him back. I had to call back because this person ran out of shillings just calling to inform me to call him back. Bitterness escapes me first. What, doesn't he understand time differences? Can't we just shut off all the phones in the house until I wake up in a couple of hours? I felt bad that everyone in the house had woken up to the phone ringing except for me.
Mom placed a phone beside my bed and said, "Well, if the phone rings again, you get it." And that sounded like a great plan... except that I couldn't fall back to sleep. My dreams were about licking a salt block and my thoughts were that the phone would ring, so I eventually got up, dug out my telephone book and dialed the number he used to have. Nope, no answer. Try again. Nope. Let's check call display. Oh goody, he has a new number for me to try. By now a half hour has gone by and all I want to do is sleep.
The phone call finally went through to one of my former Sunday school helpers. He asked how Canada and my family were. Then quickly the conversation turned to the Sunday school class. He is overwhelmed with the work that is happening at the church. He told me that the children continue to come in large crowds and he decided to find more helpers and to split the class in two. By now I was getting excited. Yeah, God is good. The children's program is on fire. He wanted me to say some words of encouragement for the kids... so with a quick prayer fired up to heaven, I gave words of blessing that will hopefully brighten the children.
And then my heart begins to break. "Karen, when are you coming back?" I mention that maybe I will be coming to Uganda for a few weeks in October and that I will make sure I come to see the kids at least once. What! "You're not coming back to teach? What do you want me to tell the children?" I couldn't help wondering if all along he thought I was coming back to take over the class again. I think it is absolutely amazing that the class has doubled in size and that God's Word is still being shared with the children week after week. Those children don't need me, they have amazing leaders already. I tried to share my excitement for him to him, but the phone call awkwardly ended. He said, "Well, I don't have much else to say, so have a good day. God bless." And that was it.
I struggled to refind sleep as I pondered what the Lord is doing in Soroti. I miss it dearly, but if I go back, I have this strange feeling that God has different plans for me there. I just need to wait and trust and leave everything into God's hands... and awww, sleep is found.