Day 3

June 12, 2012

So today's another day in Uganda!

This morning we got up early, ate nreakfast, and got to the AIDS clinic by 8 am.

We sang with them all and after that LaDelle shared some encouragement through a translator.

One lady raised her hand when he asked if anyone wanted to accept Jesus as their Savior!

How exciting!

They prayed for/with her and she was so happy.

Praise the Lord!

From there we went with Prossy to the hospital wards to go around to pray for people and sing.

That was such a blessing for so many people!

There were so many sick and in pain, and they were so blessed to

have someone take the time to come visit them.

We then came back for lunch and Andrew, Madison, Allison, and I headed back over for another wonderful afternoon at Sanyu.

I got to help diaper and dress them when they awoke from their naps and took baths.

How sweet.

I cannot describe how precious it was to dress about ten naked black babies.

I will remember it forever. Even the feel of their soft skin.

I got to dress Catherine and after that I just held her all day.

(I would love to share pictures of her, but am not allowed to post them at this time.)

How sweet baby Cathy is!

She is so happy all the time and just loves to smile.

After we left Sanyu at about 5 pm we hurried back

to the Guesthouse for the Celebrating Hearts dinner.

It is a dinner our team from the US holds every year for the nurses at Mengo Hospital.

They all enjoy it so much!

It is a time for them to come and relax and just enjoy being with friends.

That was a lot of fun. And the Ugandans entertained us about the entire time!

They sang, danced, acted out a skit, and read poems.

 

Some things that I am so blessed by these people is their hearts to genuinely

want to worship and praise their Creator.

It sometimes makes me feel ashamed.

Is Jesus ALL I have and care about?

Would I do absolutely anything for Him?

Of course all of us would say yes...

But really?

Jesus really IS ALL they have.

They don't really have all those other little distractions we do to distract them from hard life.

The other night after we played some music one of the ladies got up

and said how she and everyone else was blessesd by us being there.

How us coming helped reignite their fire and passion. WOW.

No! It was SO the other way around!

I really do feel so unworthy to be here and around all these people.

I feel so selfish and spoiled.

Such a blessing this is.

To me.

 

Day 2

 -June 11, 2012-

We had to be over at Mengo Chapel by 8 AM for morning worship.
Then after the service we practiced music for a few hours before lunch.
Everyone else (The non-musicians) spread out to do various thngs.
Dad, JD, Corey, and Dicky started the floors in the children's ward today. 
Mr. Brent and all the medical people with us had a lecture with the nurses.

We then headed back up the hill to lunch.

The food has been very good!

It has, for the most part, been pretty much the same for every meal,

but there is a little variety in some things.

We always have rice, some type of meat (chicken, fish or goat),
Mutooke (a very starchy mashed dish made from very green bananas),
a coleslaw type of thing,potatoes (usually fried in chunks),
ebijonjaro (ground nut/peanut sauce).

And we always have a lot of fruit. Usually pineapple and watermelon.
And they always have sodas in glass bottles.

(a Ugandan grasshopper)

(a common site.. a snack-shack)

Some of the guys then started working on refinishing the Childrens ward's floors.
Madison, Allison, Corey, and I then headed down to Sanyu Babies Home for the first time.


Wow. What an amazing experience.
We got there and all the children were still having their nap times.
So we helped hang and sort laundry, organize a school room, etc.
When they woke up we went to a pavilion outside to meet them.

Most of the time I stayed on the mat holding babies and little kids
and trying to comfort the ones who were sad.
All the children were so precious and it was extremely hard to leave for the afternoon.

One little girl was brought in by the police today.
She was tiny, but they didn't know exactly how old she was.
She appeared to be around 1 year, but was guessed to be about 2
because of the amount of teeth she had.
She was completly malnurished... just about skin and bones.
And had little to no physical strength at all.
She would respond to no one.
Not by touch or speach.
Neither did she express anything. She didn't even cry.

Her name was Beatrice.

(more about Beatrice is saved for a future post.)


After we left the Home for that afternoon,
we had another worship time at the hospital chapel.
That was so much fun!
Lots of dancing, laughing, clapping, and traditional African praise to the Lord!

{And there you have day two... in Uganda, Africa}

Praise the Lord!

Day 1

-June 10, 2012-

We got into Namirembe Guesthouse late Saturday night. After getting settled in, we all hit the sack.

After 20+ hours of traveling, it had been a long day.

Sunday morning we ate breakfast and headed over to Watoto church in downtown Kampala.

What an amazing experience.

To stand with brothers and sisters and worship our Creator as one family.

To see Jesus in these people's faces.

Did I ever imagine that there might be others halfway around the globe 

worshiping the same Father as well?

And we sang our hearts out.

The service was "Miracle Missions Sunday".

It was a special day to give to the Lord.

Malachi 3:10-1:

"Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house. 

and thereby put Me to the test, says the LORD of hosts,

if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that i will not destroy the fruits of your soil, 

and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the LORD of hosts.

Then all the nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the LORD of hosts."

God gives us tests in life to see if we are ready for the next "level".

God must be first in our lives if we want to enjoy a blessed life in Him.

There is a test to leave the ordinary level and enter the advanced.

John 12:1-8. Give it all. 

1 Chronicles 29:10-18

Blessed is the Lord!

And I was blessed to watch. They gave. 

The rich and wealthy gave. The poor and needy gave.

I saw old men and woman offer.

I saw little children offer all they had.

And they were happy.

Because who would be better to give everything to then to Jesus?

Jesus, we're living for Your name
We'll never be ashamed of you
Oh Oh Oh.... 

Take, Take, Take it all!
Take, Take Take it all!

After the service we headed back to the Guesthouse for lunch.

We then got to tour around the hospital and in the evening had a worship service at the chapel.

You need Helper. He is the Holy Spirit.
Luke 11:11- When you ask, you will receive.

He is a comforter.
God is willing to give you the Holy Spirit to help you.
He is the helper and comforter.
You cannot do without Him.

The Holy Spirit is the Teacher.
John 14:26
He will teach you all things.
He is there to help you- you just have to call upon Him.

You need the Holy Spirit.
You cannot operate on your own.

 
 And soon there after ended our very first day in beautiful Uganda, Africa.

And we all gave thanks for that day.
Because we saw that God had made it.
And indeed - it was very good.

And a heart was captured.

This morning as I sit here on the porch I find it hard to keep my thoughts from wandering.
Half my heart is far away and I miss the place it's at. 

I wonder what baby C is doing now at the babies home? how is Dear B at the hospital?
Does she miss us? What's Charity up to? 

And how did Reverend Prossy's rounds go today?
So many questions. There's a pulling on my heart.
I miss that place I have only been to once.

And could I have even imagined that day when we flew into Entebbe
that it would be so hard to leave? 

 Even the red dirt roads I miss. Driving down them, hair flying in the wind,
waving as hard as we can to the village children as we pass.
I do miss being called Mzungu.

I do miss having a black hand grasp mine and not want to ever let go.

All these things I miss, and I do find it hard to not keep looking back.

The only hope we can all find is in Christ. Because He holds the light. 

He IS the Light. And I trust Him. He holds the key to my future anyhow.

Jesus knows how hard it is. 

Maybe one day I won't have to say goodbye....

And how should I start?

The trip to altogether amazing, awesome, wonderful, God-filled, and memorable.

I just can't get over it.

(and pray I never do)

So thankful that I got to go, and already can hardly wait to go back.

We did so much. It might take some time to write all the memories.

I will try to write what we did every day and share plenty of pictures.

Thank you for all your prayers.

I have been so so blessed!

God is good-all the time

All the time-God is good

and that is His nature, WOW.

Depraved Indifference

God is a good Father! I am looking forward to all He will do in me in Uganda!