“Do you want to kill it?” Those were the words I heard during one of my home visits while the son of the house was holding a chicken and a knife. In the states I just cook the chicken that comes wrapped in a package at the market. I have never experiences the process from chicken to package and I must say that has now all changed. These past few weeks I was stretched in so many ways. One which of course was cutting a chicken into pieces to eat with the family I was visiting, another was sitting with women one on one cooking and learning from them. When I am in the states I enjoy cooking food and cleaning, you can call me a “housewife” or whatever, but after these past few days of being a “housewife” in Uganda I realized the value of kitchen utensils. I believe every visit I went on I spent the whole day cleaning and cooking. Even if I wasn’t doing it right I knew I was helping and was bring joy to the women I helped because they laughed an awful lot when I did things an “American” way. The funny thing for me was even if I cooked it like an “American” or they cooked it like a “Ugandan” it all turned out the same.

I didn’t think that would surprise me but it did. That made me realize something I didn’t think of before. I went on home visits and sat with these women everyday expecting them to be so different from women in America but that’s all wrong. These women cook, clean, work (even if just a little), have children (sometimes too many), want the best for their children, they laugh and cry. Why would I think they would be so different? Is it because they are from a different country or because I assumed they would be? It’s not what they necessarily do that’s different but how they go about doing it. It’s their drive for waking up and fighting to get through their day. In the states, is it not true that we wake up and just start our day looking ahead to getting our list checked off? When women wake up here they may have the similar things to get done but their reasons for doing them may be different.

What I found out from visiting these women and getting to cook, clean and share stories was that they are filled with a desire to move forward and strive harder then ever to be a mom, wife and friend to those around them. They know what it is to have lost and therefore value what they have in front of them. I am not saying every women here is that way, but from the ones I have been blessed to visit, it is.

This week I laughed with the ladies as we learned English and Luo together, I sat in silence as they shared their stores from the rebel camps and I grieved as I learned of one of our ladies who lost her baby who just the week before we joked about me delivering. These ladies made me feel like I was back home. The difference was I could see where they drew their strength. It was in prayer and belief that their Savior was walking with them and taking care of their every need.

Written by Kat Willet, a current volunteer in Uganda.