Ants in the bread...

It has been a great week of ministry here in Uganda, and I am so proud of the way our team has come together and shown willingness to be adaptable and flexible in new and different situations.

Our first full day in Kampala we went to the store to pick up bread, cereal, milk, yogurt, fruit and other supplies so that we can fix our own breakfast this week. Halfway through breakfast the following morning, Kennedy and I were in the kitchen preparing more toast. We had already realized the kitchen was easily accessible to many tiny light colored ants, so I wasn't surprised when Kennedy pointed and brushed off an ant from the piece of bread he was preparing. As I picked up the bag for closer inspection however we were shocked to find that there were many ants in the bread that the whole team was already enjoying. Evidently the little guys were small enough to sneak in through the sealed bag overnight.

Not wanting to cause unnecessary alarm over a little extra protein, Kennedy and I laughed and quietly conspired to dispose of and replace the bread with no one noticing. We returned to the table to finish our ants and toast. A few minutes later our plot was foiled as Elena discovered our tiny friends in the bread. We told the team we would plan to get rid of the ant bread and pick up new ant-free bread for the following morning. I had imagined disgust from the team (especially the girls) at the realization that we had all eaten ants for breakfast. So I was pleasantly surprised when the teams communal response was, “well, we don’t want to be wasteful, can’t we just save it for tomorrow.”

I know this is an odd story to pick out and share as I reflect on a week of ministry. But it captures our team members’ willingness to be adaptable and try new things as they have all been stretched in their own ways over the last week. I am praying for more “ants in the bread” moments that will require us to choose to be adaptable, get outside our comfort zone, and maybe even get a little dirty or gross as we serve in many different situations.

-Lance