10,000 SMILES

Early one morning in September, shortly after my arrival in Uganda, Pastor Patrick Walusimbi looked up from his morning prayers and asked me to join him at 6:30 Monday morning to greet students arriving at Maranatha Primary School in Mizigo village, Mityana.

He told me that he had been praying to God for the past few mornings about exactly what help God had in mind to give him when he sent a 69-year-old stranger from half-way around the world to live in his home and teach in his schools for three months. 

Patrick has always personally greeted the students arriving at the school five mornings a week, believing strongly that a smile and a friendly greeting can make an important difference in the daily lives of both the orphans and the village children who attend Maranatha Schools.

However, this fall he was also trying to plant a new piece of land with corn, an important project in his efforts to continue to help his schools become as self-supporting as possible, and he needed to be in the fields very early every day.

God surely must have a sense of humor if he picked me to help Patrick with this problem.  Even my family and friends, who love and appreciate me, most likely would not consider shy, introverted (if not “socially challenged”) Marilyn, who often avoids eye contact and frequently speaks too softly to be heard, and who definitely is not a vivacious social butterfly, to be the best candidate for this job. 

Malcolm Gladwell suggests in Outliers that it takes about 10,000 or so hours of practice to develop expertise.  Although since September 17, 2012, I have greeted about 300 to 500 Maranatha students every school day, including shaking hands, sustained eye contact, and personal greetings, and have waved to, smiled at, and spoken to countless adult and student passers-by from Mizigo village, I still have a long way to go.  

But I have received far more than 10,000 smiles in return already . . . a beautiful way to start each new day.