Forgot to add:

Embrace Uganda's big "Save A Child" fundraiser is coming up on November 29th at Angus Barn. We are hoping to raise enough money to complete the new clinic and provide scholarships for the children in the scholarship program. If you are interested in donating or being a part of the event, check out the EU website. www.embraceuganda.org

I hate/am truly terrified of public speaking and have never been good at presentations. I’ve been told on numerous occasions I talk way to fast, mumble, etc. in everyday life and it only gets worse when I am put in front of a group of people staring at me. I hate being the center of attention and I don’t like all eyes on me. But I have something that God has really laid on my heart and something I have become really passionate about that I WANT and NEED to share with everyone I come in contact with. So while my heart races like it’s about to beat out of my chest, I start sweating profusely, and my words tend to become a jumbled mess, not to mention I will most likely start ugly crying at least once over the course of my spiel … I’m working on overcoming my fear so I can share my experience in Uganda and the stories of the children who have stolen my heart!

I also have this problem with taking compliments. I think a lot of people have this problem … it’s not just me. Last week my best friend Hannah and I did a presentation about our trips to Uganda for Dr. Tippett’s class at Meredith College and it was the first time we’d really received the kind of feedback we did. Immediately afterward Dr. Tippett and Lina were grinning ear to ear obviously excited about what we had shared and told us how inspirational and great it was. To which I simply replies … Thank you, at least I made it through! This was also the first time my mom had heard me do a presentation … of course she hears me talk about it nonstop and has listened to me showing my pictures to tons of people but this was different. She told me how proud she was and how inspiring the presentation was. She left out the part about how terrible I am at public speakingJ. Then we got an email from someone who was in the class that day which just made me cry when I read it. She thanked us for encouraging, inspiring, and motivating her and her classmates to do more for their community and in the world and how much she appreciated us extending God’s love and compassion through our stories and pictures. After I read that I texted Hannah and said first of all go read the email and second … That’s what this is all about. For me, if I can spread God’s love and compassion by sharing the stories of the children I’ve met in Uganda and the experiences that have changed my life … that means more to me than anything else I’ve done in my life.

I don’t get to share my stories as much as I’d like because honestly it scares me but … hearing things like that from people is so encouraging and so motivating for me. I’ve also had the opportunity to share Uganda with some of my new friends here at school. I had one friend text me and say … I know you didn’t invite me but I really want to go to Uganda … uhmm YES PLEASE … let’s go! Then one of Hannah and I’s best friends is ready to go on a trip with us, which will hopefully happen soon. I’ve also had friends tell me how much they love what we’re doing but how can they help us here … in the US. The more we inspire people and share with them God’s love, which for me is through talking about my trips … that’s what it is all about!

Please pray for Katie. I met Katie this summer while I was in Kaihura … she is staying at Home Again while she is receiving treatment and medical attention for her cancer.

Earlier this year Katie came to the clinic in Kaihura to see about an infection and swelling under one of her eyes, tests were done confirming that Katie had some sort of cancer which was causing the swelling. She was going to need to go to Mulago Hospital in Kampala to receive treatment … the staff at Bringing Hope to the Family agreed to assist her family in any way possible to help with the medical bills.

Several months later (this summer) Bringing Hope discovered that Katie had not been receiving any medical care for the cancer and the swelling on her face had doubled in size. She began staying at Home Again a week or two after we got there. She wasn’t going to school so I got to spend a lot of time with her during the day when I was over there. She was always one of the first to give me a hug when I walked in the door in the mornings. She was always right beside me smiling and wanting to hold my hand. She is so sweet and willing to help with the younger children. I’ll NEVER forget the day Chris came to take a picture of her … he was posting a blog to raise funds for her treatment. The kids here love to look at pictures of themselves so of course Chris showed her; after she saw it she came and sat back down next to me and continued coloring with tears in her eyes.

I’m asking you all to please be praying for this sweet sweet little girl … her name is Katie and she is 9 years old. I’ve been told Katie isn’t doing well right now. She is also currently dealing with Tuberculosis and the chicken pox. She is HIV + and her poor little body can’t fight off anything else. Obviously she is also too weak to receive cancer treatment as well. They are taking care of her as best they can at the clinic in Kaihura … they don’t feel that she can make the 4 hour journey to Kampala (imagine the previous blogs about transportation/bumpy roads I’ve posted).  Pray with me!

ALL of the kids at Home Again will ALWAYS hold a special place in my heart. I know I’ve said it a million times but it is the honest truth … since I first went to Uganda last summer … not a day goes by that I don’t think about those kids and wonder how they are and what they are doing.

I became especially close to about 15 of the children who are either not in school yet or only go to school for half a day. Each morning after breakfast I would walk over to Home Again and hang out with the kids until lunch time then go back again in the afternoon until dinner time. Sometimes I would bring books or crayons and coloring pages, other times we would spend time outside playing on the jungle gym, sometimes we would sit inside and sing songs, chase each other up and down the hallway, we always found a way to have fun.

I spent quite a bit of time just trying to get to know each individual child. I learned a lot of their stories, where they came from, and found out how they came to Bringing Hope to the Family.

I’m going to try to continue posting blogs now that I’m home so yall can meet some of the kids I got to spend my summer with.

Though we often think of these children as orphans … I know in my heart they are looked after and loved by their Father in Heaven who will always want them and will never fail them. There are no orphans of God. It is by God’s grace that these children were brought to Home Again to be taken care of. And I have seen God’s unfailing love for each and every one of these kids. Their needs are always met even when it seems impossible. They also have incredibly strong and loving women looking after them here on Earth … Mama Eva, Mama Jackie, and Mama Foster.  

If you haven’t heard the song Orphans of God … go to youtube … and listen.

This is Kabahumuza Donnas. She is one of the sweetest little cuddle bugs in the house but so strong willed and determined when she wants something. I could spend all day long holding her. She always does this thing where she sucks one thumb and holds one ear. And when she does it while she is smiling or laughing I die inside because she is absolutely adorable!

Donnas’s father is unknown and her mother is mentally ill. Donnas was removed from the care of her mother after she was rescued by a bystander as her mother tried to drown her in a nearby river.

She always gets the giggles when you give her a kiss and she is always mischievous with a guilty grin on her face.  One day in church she made me play a silly game with her and I got sucked in. She was sitting on my lap and would continually drop her flips flops off her feet each and every time I put them back on with that little grin on her face. I finally got tired of leaning over every 3 minutes to pick up her shoes and gave her my money for my offering to keep her entertained. It was time to put the offering in the basket so I carried her up there and told her to drop it in the basket. She refused ... so I helped her put it in the basket, she looked me in the eye and began howling! We had to play the flip flop game again ...

I spent about 15 minutes picking crayon out of her teeth after this. If she wasnt eating the crayons she was eating the paper.

Reading books and playing with shoes.  

Donnas with Mama Eva

I miss her sweet little face giggling while I gave her kisses each morning. Oh, what I would give to give her a big hug right now or swing on the swing set with her in my lap!

Since the beginning of the summer I’ve frequently had these “I can’t believe I’m really in Africa” pinch me moments. While I’ve been here in Kaihura my main role has been working down at Home Again, the orphanage. Almost every morning as I walk down the hill I am greeted by children running to the door shouting and waving at me … it makes my heart smile each and every time. The other day I was having a hard day, all the kids were screaming and crying, spitting and hitting and I was stressed out to say the least. I decided it was time to go outside … I didn’t care if it was muddy. As I was sitting on the swing, swinging with Bridget in my lap, I was looking around and I couldn’t help but feel so blessed and so happy to be right there … scream crying children and all. I had one of those moments where I couldn’t stop smiling and thanking God for giving me this opportunity. I was brought back really quick as one of the children on the monkey bars spit and missed the kid he was aiming for and it hit me instead. I laughed … is that bad?

These moments also come all the time while I’m walking to and from the trading center, or Home Again, or the clinic. For some reason as I’m walking I always find myself talking to God, wondering how I got so lucky to be wind up in this little village in Uganda surrounded by the most amazing people I’ve ever met. They are so warm and so welcoming and love me just the way I am.

I know one of my favorite memories from this trip with be my talks with Faith. Almost every night after dinner and a shower I head over to her room or sometimes she’ll come over to my room and lay on an empty bed and we just sit and talk. I love it!! We talk about anything and everything. How I ended up here, why I came back, what my church at home is like, how the day was, stories about the children, how are my family and friends (especially Hannah … Faith misses you … you need to learn to answer your phone … I know you’re working but COME ONNN!! Hahah). I’ll miss this for sure. Faith is so easy to talk to and so funny but she doesn’t even notice it and I always leave feeling a little bit wiser.

“Were in Africa” … For the 4^th of July we were invited to a party in Fort Portal. There is an American family that has been living there for 15 years. We went with the Sasser’s, the American family living here in Kaihura who have been so great to us!! We met several other Americans, some also living in Uganda, some summer interns, etc. It was a lot of fun and great to hear what everyone was doing here in Uganda. On the way there, Karin (from CA who doesn’t listen to country music) made a statement about how she never would have thought she would be on the way to a 4^th of July celebration, listening to country music, in Uganda.

This past weekend I went to Kampala with the Sasser’s to drop Karin off at the airport (and to go shopping and stay at a hotel with a real shower … ulterior motive … not important!) After driving all morning, shopping all afternoon for fabric and batting for the craft shop, and searching for the perfect gifts at the craft market we made our way to Fang Fang Chinese Restaurant. We sat on the little rooftop terrace, told the waiter to have the table of men behind the bushes to stop staring at us and ate some of the best Chinese food I’ve had. Then what did we do … went to the movie theatre and watched Transformers 3 … front row! “Am I really in Uganda?”

HA, yes I am. I may have taken 2 hot showers in less than 12 hours just because I could but I was certainly still in Uganda. I feel like I truly completed the full African experience by riding the Kalita bus home from Kampala. Chris boda-ed with me to the bus park … made sure I got a ticket and got on the correct bus and told me to make sure I told the person checking tickets that I needed to get off in Kaihura. I got on the bus and waited … and waited. An hour later, no joke, my shirt soaking with sweat we were finally off. I was in the backseat with 7 other people and as we approach Kyenjojo, 3.5 hours later the lady next to me decides it would be a good time to start throwing up. Thankfully into a bag. I gave her my water, she drank some and then tried to give it back … I politely refused.

I have a little less than 2 weeks left here. I don’t know where the summer went but it FLEW by … I am not and don’t think I ever will be ready to come home. I mean really, this morning I woke up and opened the curtains to find a cow staring at me. We made eye contact … it was as if he was saying good morning before he went on his way grazing!

I don’t know how I got so lucky to be blessed with this opportunity but I am forever grateful to everyone who has been praying for all of us back at home. I have learned so much this summer and can only continue to wait and see what God surprises me with next. His timing and plans for my life are nothing less than perfect!!

Some of you may remember me coming home last summer talking about a girl named Joyce that I formed a special bond with during the two weeks that I was here. Last year when the team came she had only been living at Dorcas for a few weeks. She didn’t speak any English and she clearly felt out of place and uncomfortable with her new environment. For some reason she and I had an instant friendship and I spent a lot of time with her, sort of looking out for her and even teaching her a few things. She was not attending school and had not been to school previously. I taught her to write her name, in the beginning it was similar to a preschooler trying to write their name. It was written backwards and the letters were a mirror image … eventually she got pretty good at it and just the other day I saw her write her name on a paper. (I like to think I had at least a little bit to do with that!)

I can’t even describe how happy I was to see her when I came back to Kaihura a couple weeks ago. There is a picture of her and me hugging and crying right before I left last year. I remember telling her I would be back to see her. The look on her face when I walked up to Home Again and she realized it was me was absolutely priceless. We were both smiling from ear to ear; I just grabbed her and hugged her as tight as I could. We were both crying … again.

I heard part of her story last year but have been able to hear the full story and am able to understand things a bit better. I would like to share it with you so you can all get to know Joyce and love her as much as I do!

Kanyana Joyce was born in 1999. She is 12 years old and has been living in Kaihura a little over a year. As much as the staff have tried and based off of various and often inconsistent stories from Joyce herself, efforts to identify her parents and where she was previously living in Uganda have been unsuccessful. Apparently she is originally from Rwanda … often times you can tell where a person originates by facial features and bone structure. It is believed that Joyce’s mother passed away leaving her to stay with her father and grandmother. Her father decided to leave and left Joyce under the care of her grandmother for about 2 years. The grandmother began mistreating her and Joyce decided to go in search of her father. The Kyenjojo police found her wandering and brought her to the Kaihura police station where she stayed for a couple days before leaving. She was found again and brought to Bringing Hope by the Kaihura Police. She was placed at Dorcas where she lived until Easter time.

When I found Joyce at Home Again this year when I arrived I wondered why she was no longer living up at Dorcas. I thought maybe she had finally been moved so she would be around more children her age. One afternoon I went to the office where all the files on the children are kept … I was trying to learn the stories and backgrounds of some of the children I have been working with. I found the answer to why Joyce had been moved. She walked down to the town centre one day and was defiled by a rogue man staying at the trading center. After this incident it was clear that Joyce needed to be living in an environment where she would be given more supervision and guidance.

She is now attending school. She is in P2 … the oldest in her class but at least she is in school. Her English has improved since last year and I can actually talk to her a little bit without total confusion. I just got back from spending a couple hours with her. I was swinging with her and some of the other children after school. And one day this week I am going to go shopping to get her some new shoes and socks for school and a few new clothes and personal items she never received when she came here last year.

(Wish I could post the 2 pictures I'm talking about but will have to do it later. Can't upload pictures onto this computer. My computer is broken ... hence the lack of blog posts!!)

Sorry I haven’t been keeping up on the blogging lately. Been busy and trying to spend as much time with the kids as possible. We will be leaving Agape Children’s Village on Monday and heading off to Kaihura, the village I stayed in last summer. I am very excited and very eager to see the kids there again!!

Quick run down of what we’ve been up to the past few days …

Today (Friday) we walked to the Centre at 8:15, missed the taxi, waited an hour for the next one, packed like sardines in the taxi … literally at one point there was a man sitting in Josh’s lap, long legged Cooper was shoved in the back between sneezing/coughing children, I had one butt cheek on one seat and one on another seat which weren’t the same height, sideways hugging the man next to me. It was awkward! We kept stopping and would all pile out to let someone get off at their stop then pile back in and add a few more people. Picture this: 14 passenger UGANDAN van … key word here UGANDAN … not as spacious as an American van … 18 people and 5 chickens in a box.

Regardless, we arrived safely and began craft shopping. On Friday’s in Kampala they have a craft market … similar to the flea market at home I guess. All the vendors come out and set up tents and lay their stuff out. It’s really sort of neat because a lot of them are usually sitting at their tent actually making the crafts right there for you to see. It started raining so we took a break, waited out the rain at Lillian’s fiancé’s photography studio. Went out to another craft market, bought some more things then we met up with the Kinton’s for lunch. They are an American couple who have been to Uganda several times. Donnas runs an adoption agency called Amazing Grace, and has helped several couples in the US adopt children from Uganda. It was nice to meet with them … they have been on a trip with Embrace Uganda previously and are familiar with the villages where we work.

Traffic in Kampala is no joke! It is simply dead stopped at certain times of the day and as we were leaving to come back … it was that time of day! It’s fun to watch the street vendors walk up and down between the cars and the boda boda’s weaving in and out trying to sell all kinds of stuff. Usually they try and sell sunglasses, movies, maps of Uganda, little toy bicycles made out of wire, etc. We watched one lady negotiate over a bag of green peas for like 5 minutes while the man tried to convince her they were the best ones … she finally gave in and bought them. Another man tried to sell Cooper some sunglasses … he pretended to be blind and the man tried to convince him he needed the sunglasses anyway. Meanwhile, the 5 chickens mentioned previously are in their now breaking box in the back of the car. They start flying around, I start freaking out … it was fun!!! As I type this I swear I can still smell those chickens, the stench is stuck in my nose!

As soon as we got back to Agape, several kids came running out of the house next door telling us dinner is ready for us in House 1 and we need to go there immediately. We didn’t even know they were preparing dinner for us … we went as quickly as we could and had an amazing dinner. This past week we’ve been eating in each of the houses. The house Mama’s have been so good to us and have been feeding us the best food. We’ve had fried chicken, fried potatoes, rice, matooke, beans, chicken, posho, pork, chapatti, rolex (chapatti with eggs inside J) I’m sure I’m missing tons of stuff but I swear every time we finish eating they are already trying to feed us again.

Let’s see what else … we’ve been painting the inside of the church, Josh and Jason have been climbing trees picking “Jambula” ... I’ve no idea how to spell it but that’s what it sounds like. They look like a cross between olives and grapes and taste disgusting. But, everyone here LOVES them. I’ve tried them a couple times … must be an acquired taste!! We’ve also been picking mangos (or mongoes if your Ugandan) There is a boy here in House 4 named Julius who gives me a mango he picked every single night after dinner. I’m gonna miss that!! We’re going to have to find the mango trees in Kaihura!! I’ve been painting nails with all the kids … although I was just informed last night that they aren’t allowed to have their fingernails painted at school. I’m just hoping they plead that the muzungu made them do it so they don’t get caned!!! And we had a movie night the other night. Mark and Vicki have a projector so we hooked up the computer and showed the kids Happy Feet. We made popcorn and kids were sitting all over on the floor watching … it was a lot of fun and they seemed like they enjoyed it! Been playing lots of Uno, and helping one of the older girls Joyce string beads at night for some purses she is making.

We’ve just been busy loving the kids here and having fun with them, playing around, laughing, talking, teaching each other, and getting to know each other better. I am so blessed to have been given the opportunity to come to Agape and can’t believe we’ve already been in Uganda for a month. It’s like we’ve become part of these kids’ families and I don’t know how to say goodbye. I don’t want to leave!!

I hope you will all be praying for us and for the village as we leave. I think leaving is always hard for everyone, I know we don’t want to go, we’re going to miss these kids and Mama’s so much. And I know the kids aren’t ready for us to leave. We’ve had so much fun together and I know it makes them so happy and gives them hope when we’re here.

 It’s also malaria season … several of the kids have been sick with malaria. Bless their little hearts, they look so miserable. In fact, one little girl, Rita has had it twice since we’ve been here. She came and sat with me at church last Sunday just sweating and shivering with a fever, she slept through the whole service. Please pray for health and protection for all these children!

Sorry this was so long … again!

LOVE YOUUUUUU!

Painting the church ... with branches!

Playing Uno

Joyce preparing matooke

Julius

Josh chopping firewood

Picking mangos

Another one of those days where I just feel so blessed and happy to be here in Uganda with kids running all over the place and doing things the hard, yet simple way.

Woke up this morning … a little late … and had Jackie help me wash my clothes. I had been putting it off for a while so I had a whole lot to wash and knew it was going to take forever. Plus, I’m terrible at washing clothes by hand. I had to hire help and she was so gracious and willing to help me. We started with 2 basins and ended with 6!! They don’t like to waste water, so when the rinsing basin becomes too soapy you fill another basin, when that one becomes too soapy you pour it in the one before it and so on. And between all my clothes and hers we had a number of basins and a lot of wringing and rinsing, wringing and hanging. I have blisters … enough said!

About ¾ of the way through I was summoned to house 8. Christina came and told me I was needed immediately. I couldn’t even finish my rinsing duties. What for? FOOD. I was hungry though so I wasn’t about to pass it up … Ugandan tea and chapatti. Two of my favorite things J Then of course an impromptu “sermon” from “Pastah Coopa” with “Deacon Josh” reading the scripture … hahaha. I was impressed … look out; Cooper may be a preacher by the time we return to the States with Josh his praying wingman.

After my afternoon tea and chapatti, I finished helping with the washing and headed down to play some Uno with some kids. I forgot how much I loved this game … we played for like 2 hours. Ended up just being me, Josh, Jason, and Sam around the table getting pretty competitive. Can’t forget the home made potato chips from Mama Grace!! So good … I will be asking her to make some more of those!

We walked to Mama Grace and Eva’s new house … only about a 5 minute walk from Agape. This is where she stays during the holidays when the kids who do have living relatives leave to visit with them. We hung out for a little bit … I played ball with Gideon … Mama Grace’s grandson and we watched the end of Ice Age on TV. Please just picture a room full of adults laying on the floor laughing. Only in Uganda.

I promised Jackie I would let her look through my nail polish and paint her toes. So when we got back I brought it out. Immediately there were about 10 kids painting their nails. Boys and girls!! I swear tomorrow the principal at the school is probably going to come looking for me. I obviously brought all the nail polish to share but, my idea was to have a girls night … movie, popcorn, paint nails. That’s not quite how it turned out but everyone had fun anyhow!

Finished off the night with dinner at House 8 … delicious rice and beans. Sometimes that’s all you need! And they make it taste so good!! And a good couple rounds of Uno with my Uno buddies in House 2.

I’m going to bed tonight feeling so blessed to be here and so satisfied. I really appreciate days like today. I can’t explain it … but I love not being in the US, living my normal rush about everywhere sort of lifestyle. It’s so nice to take it easy and just enjoy the company around you and having fun all day long.

You know what else I love. The way in which people here praise God ALL DAY LONG and you can tell they really mean it. I am still in awe when I go to one of the houses for praise and worship with them before dinnertime. Even the youngest kids are sitting there with their eyes closed looking up to heaven PRAISING God for all he has done for them, is doing for them, and they trust will continue doing for them. There are three kids in particular that literally made me cry one night. Rita, Richard, and Gloria … they are all between 4-8 years old I think. They were singing a song about the Lord being their everything, providing for their every need and they were singing their hearts out … they were giving it absolutely ALL they had. I picture them in my head every time I pray and thank God for the things he has given me and blessed me with each and every day.

On Monday Mama Vickie and I went to Teacher Lawrence’s P2 Class and taught a story from the Bible. We taught from Luke 9:10-17 about the feeding of the five thousand. There were a few things Lawrence wanted us to focus on … in particular blessing and thanking God for the food you have before you, also the importance of sharing with one another, and trusting that God will provide for us even when we think it is impossible. 

The children who live in the houses here at Agape Children’s Village have House Mama’s who cook their meals for them and always make sure they are being fed, thanks to the help and support of those supporting ACV. But, the other children at the school who don’t stay here don’t always know when or where their next meal may come from. Because of this, there have been problems when lunch time comes around; there is always pushing and shoving and kids getting hurt to be the first in line.

We started out by having all the kids sit in a circle, which I’ve learned is an almost impossible task when there is a “muzungu” in the room J Haha. But it was a success and I began reading the verses from the Bible as Teacher Lawrence translated then Mama Vickie read and showed them an illustrated version of the story.

We brought bread and sardines to practice what we read. We cut pieces of bread into 5 “loaves” and cut two sardines into pieces and passed them around. Each child took one piece of each and there was even extra to spare.

At the end I was able to give out some crosses that a friend of my grandmother’s gave me. Her name is Mary Kelly and she makes these crosses and gives them to people going on mission trips to give out to those they meet and interact with. I thought this was a great time to give these crosses out so hopefully these kids will be able to look at the cross and remember the story from the Bible and hopefully share it with their friends and family who will be wondering where they received the cross.

                Short, sweet, and to the point!! Haha … figured I’d spare yall the extensive reading that my blogs tend to turn into. The three amigos are having an AMAZING time here at ACV being with the kids. I just got back from teaching the kids how to play Uno and go fish. It was a good night.

LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU ALL!! (Cravens, Crowders, and Webbs... if yall are reading this I've been thinking about you!! Wish yall could meet all the kids here and play with us)

I love days like today! We have been staying in Agape Children’s Village since Monday and it has been exactly what my heart needed. I have been waiting since the day I returned home from Africa last summer for this. The children shouting “muzungu” and all running to hug you and fighting to hold your hand, the praise and worship in the evening and the dance parties on porches at night, the non stop laughter. (for instance: as I type this Cooper is in the shower singing at the top of his lungs!!)

Today was the perfect day. I walked up to the school this morning … I’ve been wanting to go sit in and watch the “baby class” (age3-6 … God Bless Teacher Josephine!!) just to see how a typical day goes here. When I got up there, they were just getting ready to go for an hour break. 30 minutes to go play outside and 30 minutes to eat lunch … if you brought your cup for porridge that is! I asked her if I could come back at 11 when they would resume lessons. She asked me if I was ready to teach and lead part of the class … I probably looked at her like she was crazy but told her I would be back. I quickly ran back down to the house and asked Mama Vickie if she would come back up with me and help. She agreed and we taught the children to play duck duck goose, sang some fun songs (hokey pokey, telephone to Jesus, head shoulders knees and toes, Father Abraham, bubble gum song, Jesus loves me, etc). It was so fun to see the excitement on their faces and to hear them laughing and having a good time. It was also nice to take a burden off of Teacher Josephine; she is sick with malaria and was clearly not feeling well enough to teach all those children.

Next I headed down to Mama Grace’s House, House 2 to hang out with some of the children. I brought some coloring pages and crayons with me (Thank you Hannah, they love the pictures and they actually DO know the Disney characters!!) At first it was just Paul, Gideon, and me. Paul is 5 years old and Gideon maybe 2. We colored for a while and I even taught Paul how to write his name. Mama Grace was so proud!! Eventually there were about 10 children gathered around the table coloring their hearts out. And they were all so excited to show me the finished product!!

By this point, I was beat. And it was only 2:30 … YIKES! So I went to go hang out with the boys. Jason and Sonny were playing speed, a card game … with 1000 Shillings on the line! And Josh had his iPod out playing his favorite Bob Marley. I LOVE hearing the Ugandans singing along to American songs … so funny! Then we sat and shelled beans for about 2 hours. Or as a Ugandan might say … removing their jacket. It was actually really fun and oddly relaxing and we’ve been invited to come eat as a reward for our work Haha! Once again, they are always trying to feed us.

We also walked down and found a mango tree and knocked some fresh mangos off the tree to eat. And by some I mean a whole basket full and by we, I mean one of the little boys came with us, climbed the tree until he disappeared and shook the mangos off the tree! And we did ask permission from the owner of the tree first. Not even Trader Joes can beat mangos straight off the mango tree.

Then for dinner Cooper made baked spaghetti, by headlamp, because the power went out. All the kids stood outside the kitchen window talking to him while he cooked. It was so sweet.

I love days where you have so much fun doing the simplest things. I’ve laughed more today than I have in a long time.  I wish everyone could experience a day in Uganda and learn to appreciate the simple things in life. It’s the small things that make my day every day that I’m here. I love you all and I miss you all so much but I sure wish everyone could come see me here instead of me coming back home!!

Duck Duck Goose, Mama Vickie in the middle

Paul with his pictures!

Coloring in House 2

Josh, Sonny, and Cooper

Taking the beans out of their jackets. Haha

Look at all those beans!!

Finished Product

Before I left for Uganda I had a whole bunch of friendship bracelets given to me from various people to give out to children.

Back in December my friend Hannah and I decided we wanted to do something for Christmas for all the children we met in Kaihura last year on our trip to Uganda. So with our Leader’s Club kids at the YMCA we came up with the idea to send handwritten letters and friendship bracelets to them for Christmas. It was something small but meaningful. Our leader’s club kids wrote some of the sweetest letters of hope and encouragement to the children in Uganda and we all worked to make close to 100 bracelets to include in the letters.

One of my friends Nicole, also an advisor in Leader’s Club, posted a blog on her website about what we were doing. Who knew it would spark such interest among those that follow her blog. She had several people reach out to her from across the world asking if they could contribute and also make bracelets to send to the kids.

This is where the idea began. I wanted to have something that I could give to children I met while I am here. I obviously can’t afford to give them all money or food but thought it would be great to give them something that someone took time to make by hand to show how much we care about and love each and every one of them.

This past Tuesday while we were visiting New Hope Christian Academy in Apach I had the perfect opportunity to give out friendship bracelets. We were visiting the kids at their school and we had them get in a big circle and we (Lillian, Jason, Josh, and I) tied a bracelet on the wrist of each child. It made my day seeing some of their faces light up and I hope it made theirs too!

*Special thanks to EVERYONE who contributed bracelets … everyone from Nicole’s blog, the kids in Mr. D’s middle school classes, etc!*

So it’s been almost 2 weeks since I left for Uganda. It seems like it has flown by already! I figured I’d try to update yall on what we have been up to since we’ve been here.

We’ve been staying at Pastor Michael’s house since we got here. They have been the best hosts I could ever ask for … always so willing to answer any questions and helping us settle into life in Uganda. I keep on joking I feel like all we do is eat. And eat a lot, I can’t ever finish all my food and they keep telling me to eat more. But let’s be honest … you’ve got to ease into a diet of rice and beans!

All last week we were preparing to take the scholarship students back to school. We met with them at Agape Children’s Village and got their lists of school requirements and talked to them about the scholarship program and how they were adjusting in their schools. Lillian (Pastor Michael’s daughter, my roommate, and also the Scholarship Coordinator) went out and bought all the necessary school materials and we put them all in bags with the student’s names on them. We had a little assembly line going in the living room at the Okwakol’s house! Each of them received deodorant, toothbrush/toothpaste, a tub of Vaseline, toilet paper, 3 bars of bathing soap, several bars of washing soap, pens, pencils, paper, notebooks, shoe polish, socks, etc. They also each took a jerry can, some toilet paper, and a broom to be used at the school.

On Sunday we woke up early, finished up some last minute school supply packing and loaded all the bags into the van, loaded our suitcases into the van and headed to church. About halfway through church we had to leave to head to Agape to pick everyone up and take them to school. When we got there all the students began running to the bus with their belongings, their mattresses, etc. We had a quick lunch and in true Uganda fashion left about 4 hours later in a bus packed to absolute maximum capacity with just enough room for everyone to sit.

We drove for I don’t know how long and dropped some of the kids at Bishops where they go to school then continued driving down the bumpy bumpy dirt road until we reached Rena College where the rest of the students were being dropped off. It was pitch dark at this point so we unloaded the bus and helped everyone take their stuff to the dormitories. I don’t know what I was expecting but what I saw sure wasn’t it. It was a huge building split into two different sides. I think one for the older student’s one for the younger students. Each side was filled with three bunk-bunk beds. It just wasn’t homey or comfortable looking at all.

Saying goodbye was harder than I thought it would be. I hadn’t spent much time in Agape Children’s Village. Just the few days we went throughout the week preparing to take the kids to school. But as soon as you meet these kids and began talking to them and learning about them an automatic connection is there and you fall in love with them. So I definitely had tears in my eyes when we were leaving.

After we left the school we drove back to a hotel in Iganda where we (Lilly, Josh, Jason, and I) stayed the night. What an entertaining night! We got there about 10ish that night and had to each get single rooms so we could all be on the same floor. Jason was joking that it was like we were each staying in our own prison cells. We went down had some dinner and just hung out and talked for a while before heading to bed. The next morning (Monday) Pastor Michael, Mama Cossy, Hannington, Mama Florence, and her two daughters met us and we travelled around a little bit. We drove and dropped off various things in different places.

On Tuesday we drove to a village called Apach to visit New Hope Christian Academy. This is a new school that Pastor Michael is helping to start up. It is still in the very early stages, about 115 students meeting in 3 little mud hut classrooms. A brick school building is in the process of being built but is currently at a standstill because more funding is needed to complete the project. When we got there the kids were in their classrooms listening to their teachers. Of course once we arrived attention was lost and a bell was rung and some came out to see what we were doing. After a quick “tour”  of the school and meeting those that were in charge we got a chance to hang out with the children. We handed out friendship bracelets and took pictures of the kids. They absolutely love seeing pictures of themselves. We also provided lunch and water for the kids. On a normal day the children bring lunch from home and those that don’t have any food don’t eat.  

After our visit we sped off to catch the last ferry before it left. Just envision … being in a hurry, bumpy, pot-holey, one lane for cars going both ways, swampy, dirt roads right after a HUGE downpour. Praise God we made it just as the ferry was getting ready to leave. Props to Hannington our driver who navigates those dirt roads like a champion! We did almost leave Josh though … he was in the bathroom as the ferry was pulling away … he had to run but he made it J No worries Mama Keravouri I made sure everyone was aware he wasn’t on that ferry! So we crossed the Nile River on a ferry … not the kind of ferry I’m used to but it did the job just fine and we drove back to the Okwakol’s house … Oh only about 4 more hours away! I have to say though … as crazy as the drivers are here and as rough a ride it can be on Ugandan roads I thoroughly enjoyed travelling and getting to see parts of Uganda I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to see.

I can’t begin to tell you how blessed I am to be travelling with the guys I am with and to be staying with the Okwakols! They keep me laughing all day every day and I am so grateful to be back in Uganda!

Now were just working on getting all the scholarship students stories typed up (I just finished a couple hours ago) and getting all their school records and information put into binders for each child. And I just finished doing my laundry … which is just as hard as I remember it. Except this time I had a washing machine to do the washing part. I just had to wring, rinse, wring again and hang. And now it’s about to rain … WONDERFUL!

Love Love Love you all and can’t thank you enough for all the prayers!! Next week we are headed to actually stay at Agape Children’s Village for a couple weeks. I’m very excited … I’ve had a chance to meet some of the kids while visiting and can’t wait to spend more time with them getting to know them and loving on them!

LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU J

I know this is long but if you want you can read more about what we’ve been doing and see more pictures on the Embrace Uganda blog. Some things should be posted there as well … www.embraceuganda.org

Some pictures so far:  

                                                  Josh and Isaac - Professional Bug Zappers

                                                     The girls love doing my hair :)

                                                                 Ready for school!

                                                         Our bus ride entertainment

Lilly making fresh mango Juice! 

Storytime with Uncle Coopa hahaha!

Packing school supply bags

Open Hands

I was introduced to this song by my friend Emily who I met on last year’s trip to Africa and have I been obsessed with it ever since. So much so that it became the name of my blog. If you’ve never heard it you should stop reading this and go listen to it on YouTube immediately! A lot of things have changed in my life this past year and my eyes have really opened to what it means to “live with open hands” and let God take complete control of my life.

Just wanted to throw this out there … little explanation on the meaning of my blog.

We (Jason, Josh, and myself) leave tomorrow morning for Uganda. I’m so excited and nervous at the same time. I can’t wait to be back in Uganda serving and loving on those kids! So excited to see the things that are going to happen this summer. Please pray for us. Love you all J

Matt Papa - "Open Hands"

To give unselfishly
To love the least of these
Jesus I'm learning how to live with open hands
All these treasures that I own
Will never satisfy my soul
Jesus I lay them at Your throne with open hands

And I lift my hands open wide
Let the whole world see
How You love, how You died, how You set me free
Free at last, I surrender all I am with open hands, with open hands

To finally let go of my plans
These earthly kingdoms built of sand
Jesus at Your cross I stand with open hands

And I lift my hands open wide
Let the whole world see
How You love, how You died, how You set me free
Free at last, I surrender all I am with open hands, with open hands

You took the nails, You bore the crown
You hung your head, Your love poured out
You took my place, You paid the price
So Jesus now I will give my life

As I lift my hands open wide
Let the whole world see
How You love, how You died, how You set me free
Free at last, I surrender all I am with open hands...
Jesus I lift my hands open wide
Let the whole world see
How You love, how You died, how You set me free
Free at last, I surrender all I am with open hands, with open hands
With open hands, with open hands, with open hands

Since I’m leaving for my trip in only 9 days I wanted to get a blog started that I can hopefully use to update yall with while I’m away. I want to share a little bit with everyone who is supporting me and praying for me and for this trip about why going back to Africa means so so so much to me. I’ve never been much of a writer; it is certainly not my forte! It’s also extremely difficult for me to put into words and explain how much this trip changed me and how much it means to me but it is something I have become very passionate about and I want to be able to share my experiences and my stories … so bear with me!

I had the opportunity to travel to Uganda last June (2010). I was part of a team through an organization called Embrace Uganda based out of Wake Forest, NC.

Ever since high school I always said one day I would go to Africa and work with orphaned children. Most people I told thought I lost my mind and would ask me why there of all places, why not somewhere safer and with less disease. I didn’t care. I was going to Africa whether everyone liked it or not. So fast forward to my senior year at Meredith College. I was sitting in Dr. Tippett’s CORE 404 class listening to a presentation about a group of people who travelled to Uganda and stayed at an orphanage. I was literally in tears in the back of the class as they talked about their trip and told the stories of the children they met. This was my chance, this was God laying it out in front of me … for a few weeks prior I had been looking into African mission trips but hadn’t found quite the right one. I immediately went home and as soon as my dad got home from work I asked him what he thought about me going to Africa. Parents on board: CHECK! Next step: Convince my best friend Hannah to come with me. Easy, don’t tell her any of the details about the length of the airplane ride, spiders, latrines, etc. of course she would say yes J

The two weeks that I spent in Uganda (even if you think 2 weeks sounds short) have made such an impact on my life and have changed me in so many ways. We worked and stayed right alongside the orphans in a village called Kaihura. Many mission trips allow volunteers to come in during the day, visit with the children, carry out tasks, and then leave for the night. During my time in Uganda I really got to experience the day to day lives of these children by being with them every single second of every single day, going through daily routines with them instead of just observing from a distance. It was so incredible to see these beautiful children and how happy they are, the faith they have, and the openness of their hearts, regardless of their personal circumstances. They have been left orphaned because one or both of their parents have died from AIDS or other illnesses, were abandoned and left to fend for themselves, or were so badly abused they may not have survived without coming to the orphanage. Each of the children I met has a story, most that break my heart and bring me to tears; however, despite what these children have gone through already in their young lives they are still the most loving and giving people I have ever met in my life.

One of the most rewarding parts of my trip was being able to just love on these children and put a smile on their beautiful faces. Something I really came away with was that regardless of any communication barrier, fear of a different race, or any other circumstances that may hold a person back; everyone deserves to be loved and cared for and to feel a sense of worth. This is something I was able to provide for these children. It was the small gestures that meant the most to them. Something as simple as asking a child’s name and remembering it when you greeted them meant the world to them. They just want somebody to know their name, get to know them, and love them. Simply hugging or holding a child and telling them that they are loved could make their day. That is something we take for granted, these children don’t have somebody to tell them “I love you” every day or to hold them when they are upset and need a shoulder to cry on or are feeling sick.

We don’t need to speak each other’s language, have the same color skin, or share the same values or opinions to understand the feelings being shared here. It doesn’t matter a person’s background or current situation; they still deserve the same love and respect as the next person.

From the first day we arrived at the orphanage, and we trekked the mile uphill to the Dorcas Vocational School where we would be living with the girls for the next two weeks, there was one girl in particular named Joyce who I immediately felt a connection with (one of my favorite sayings from the 2 weeks but so true “It’s a God thing”). She was one of the 10 girls in the room Hannah and I were staying in. She didn’t speak any English but wanted so badly to communicate with us and be near us all the time. It must have been on our 2^nd night there during praise and worship, Joyce began feeling really sick. She was just lying in her bed moaning and trying to throw up. Everyone kept telling us she was fine and they just sort of ignored her. But I couldn’t just sit there and listen to this poor little girl moan anymore … I got up and was rubbing her back, trying to comfort her and let her know I was there. We got her some medicine for her stomach but she continued to be in pain all night. The next night during praise and worship she took me by the hand and we walked outside … she hugged me and we both broke down crying. We sat down and cried together for nearly 15 minutes. We were each praying but of course we couldn’t understand each other’s words, regardless, it was clearly a special moment we shared with each other. I asked her if we could find Pastor Patrick after praise and worship was over so he could translate for us and I could hear her story. When we went back inside Pastor Patrick happened to be talking to the group … he asked if there was anyone who felt to come forward and share their testimony. Joyce hesitated but eventually got up and began sharing her story (Again, it was a God thing!) I found out that night how Joyce had come to live at the orphanage. Her mother passed away and her father left her one day to fend for herself and did not return. After travelling hours by foot in search of her father, Joyce wound up on a bus and was brought to the orphanage. She is only 11 years old.

Like I said, each of the children I met has a story and all they want is for someone to love them and know who they are. I began building relationships with so many of these kids, not just Joyce, and I think about each and every one of them every day. I absolutely cannot wait until I get to see their faces again and hug them and love them.

Those children absolutely stole a piece of my heart in the short time I got to spend with them. And in so many ways they taught me so much more than I could ever hope to teach them. I know my time in Uganda was 100% orchestrated by God. The people I met, both Africans and my American team members (specifically the “London Crew” … you know who you are!) led me to renew my faith in God and really taught me what it means to love the Lord with all my heart. I cannot wait to be back in Uganda spending time with these kids and showing them the love that not only I have for them but the love of their Father in Heaven!

Thank you Thank you Thank you to ALL of you that are helping support me this summer. Again, hopefully I will be able to use this blog to keep yall updated on things happening in Uganda while I’m away. If not check out the Embrace Uganda website (www.embraceuganda.org) and things may get posted there!

LOVE