Asher was not in preschool when Arielle and I first began teaching at Amani. He was still one of the younger ones and spent the mornings playing with his nannies, blocks, books, etc. When Arielle and I began teaching, we decided to pull Asher up into school since he seemed ready. He was SO PROUD to be going to school each morning. He was a really good listener and was so eager to please us. He especially enjoyed playing color and shape BINGO and delighted in winning a sticker when he won. He loved to put the sticker on his forehead. He always said, “Auntie, you see?” and pointed to his sticker. While many of the children had potty accidents during school, Asher was really good at telling us when he had to go! Asher loved doing crafts and liked when we did a craft with glue. I remember a specific day when Asher smeared glue all over his papers. He liked the texture! Sometimes we would read books to the kids and then ask them questions about the story. I remember reading one story about a puppy and asking the children what they would name a new puppy. Someone said Blue and when we asked Asher, he must have liked that idea because he said “Blue” also.
Asher LOVED to play with people's cameras and thought it was so cool to see himself on the digital screen. He liked to have his picture taken, but would often come up with funny pictures because he insisted on saying “cheeeeeeeeeeese.” When he saw himself on the camera he would point and say his name, “Asherife.” He has one of those little boy kind of deep voices- soft spoken and gentle, but can also be loud and excited.
Like I said, he’s really athletic. He’s thin but has a muscular body. He is a good runner and runs all afternoon, effortlessly. He pushed his friends in the little cars that were donated to Amani and also loved to be pushed by an auntie or uncle. He, like many of the other little boys, called the wagons, “loggins.” He and one of the other little boys, Francis (his very good friend) were really good at running while pushing a tire (much like you would picture African children to do). Asher liked to ride the little “boda-bodas” down the hill with his friends in the yard and was fearless. He would also peddle the trikes so fast in the grass and was excited to master the skill of peddling. In the afternoons he also liked to make “food” out of dirt and grass. He would use a Frisbee as a plate and put all sorts of things he found in the yard on it, and would then come and present it: “Auntie, here is your chapatti.”
He was a good eater. He loved treats, like all of the children. In Uganda, they’re called “sweeties,” and Asher pronounced it “tweeties.” The most common sweetie for him to eat was usually a sucker or a hard candy (those are common in Uganda). He also liked popcorn, or as the children called it, “pon-con.” Most of the older kids' favorite food was beans and chapatti. This wasn’t a super common meal made by mama cook, but the kids seemed to always talk about it. I would ask them what they thought lunch would be that day and they’d say, “Chapatti and beans.” Asher can eat a ton of food. For Christmas, the volunteers all baked special brunch-cake treats and I remember Asher eating a ton of them!
During my second Christmas in Uganda, Arielle and I got to plan a fun afternoon for the toddlers. We went to the big market in Jinja and bought a big piece of plastic. We then covered it in dish soap and put a hose on it. It was a huge slip-n-slide. Asher was one of the last kids on it. Like I said, he doesn’t get tired easily! To get ready for Christmas, Arielle and I had the kids create Christmas cookies for Santa out of construction paper. There is a mama at Amani named Mama Santa, so the kids were soooo confused. They thought we were going to present them to her. We decided to change it to Christmas cookies for Jesus. The kids were much happier with that idea, but then expected Jesus to come pick them up!
Arielle and I also started an Amani Bible study with a really cute children’s Bible we found in Kampala. Asher loved Bible study and just like preschool, he was a great listener. We learned about Adam and Eve, Noah, Moses, Joshua, Joseph, all the classics. During the Joshua lesson, the children got to march around the play house and the walls “plastic blocks” came tumbling down. Like you saw, Asher got to make his own dream coat out of an old market t-shirt and strips of African fabric. He thought he was so smart (in Uganda this means handsome, cute, dressed up, etc.)! He felt really smart in his shoes too; he used to wear velcro shoes with Clifford on them. He loved having a “doughG” on his shoes.
While he is a busy boy, Asher can also be very much a lap kid. He loves attention and is eager for affection. He gives hugs and kisses and likes to hold hands while you’re walking. He would say he wanted to give auntie a “Ug and Kees.” He loved taking trips to town for soda and a “tweetie.” When it wasn’t his turn he would sometimes get sad and try really hard to stay brave. Sometimes, though, he would be so disappointed that he didn’t get to go on an outing that day and he’d cry a little. He was always okay after we would assure him it would be his turn again soon.
He is gentle, sweet and caring. He loved his friends and his mamas and his aunties and uncles. Basically, he was a happy little boy with lots of smiles and was just nothing but sweet. He will THRIVE with his own family’s love. My heart is so full right now, having just thought about my memories of Asher--I miss him! I’m so thankful you have found him and it is truly an answer to my (and many other people who love him!) prayers.Rachel is one of the many people for whom we are so thankful. Can't you just tell how loved these children are? I just got an email from Dee Anne Proctor that said as much: she wrote that Dan found the orphanage to be the "most organized, clean, full of love place he has ever seen when it comes to the care and well being of small children and babies." Danny and I are just so THANKFUL for the love these precious children have been given. And we are so THANKFUL to be able to be a part of what God is doing there. I cannot wait to go and see for myself what the Lord is doing! Soon...very soon!
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