Florence woman takes mission trip to Uganda

Juliette Wilson has returned from a mission trip to Uganda with her desire to see Desire fulfilled.

Desire, 8, is a child Wilson sponsors. She lives in a two-room hut with her grandmother and seven other children. She is HIV positive along with her mother and a couple of her sisters. The grandmother lost five children to AIDS.

The Timmonsville resident made the trip from July 30 to Aug. 16 as a volunteer with the Children of Promise Program that is headquartered in Anderson, Ind. The program is sponsored by the Church of God, also headquartered in Anderson.

The chance to see Desire was separate from Wilson’s responsibilities with Children of Promise.

“I got to hug Desire, hold her hand and went to her home to visit with her grandmother,” Wilson said. “I went shopping and bought necessities for Desire. I left the whole family food. They were the happiest bunch that I saw during my visit.”

Meanwhile, the main purpose of the trip was to track and interview children to place in sponsorship for the Children of Promise. The group visited 11 villages.

“We went to the schools and set up interviews at the schools to select children for the sponsorship program,” Wilson said. “We also were required to give accountability for the children who are already in the program. We met with the children one on one to make sure that the services they are receiving are the services they are supposed to be receiving.”

The group lived in missionary quarters that were “very comfortable.” They visited two sites a day.

“We interviewed the children, asking them a variety of questions,” she said. “Most of the children spoke English, but we always had an interpreter present.

“The last question was ‘Is there something you would like to say to us?’ Those were just precious moments. Many of them asked us if we would have prayer with them. It was just heartwarming.”

Wilson said they were well-received because the sponsorship program is so well known in Uganda.

But she didn’t know what to expect before going over.

“I prepared in my heart and mind to receive whatever was there,” she said. “It was quite different, but even though it was different there is a great need. And a need is a need and a soul is a soul. The compassion that you have here you tend to have there.”

One of the more memorable parts of the mission was a trip to Rutooma. It was only about 70 miles, but it took eight hours to get there because the roads are so bad.

“It was like the entire village was waiting for us,” Wilson said. “They lined both sides of the road and even had a marching band to meet us at the school. It was just awesome.”

So was the night they spent in one of the huts.

“We had a shower under the stars,” Wilson said with a laugh. “They didn’t have Western bathrooms, but it was such an experience for us. It was really a lot of fun.”

They returned to the school the next morning. They watched as the children prepared their food over a fire.

“Their hospitality is unbelievably heartwarming,” she said. “They are so thankful for what they have and what you do for them.”

Wilson plans another trip soon with Children of Promise to either Rwanda or Tanzania. She also sponsors a 14-year-old girl in Rwanda. She has sponsored the girl since she was 6.