I don't know what it is but there's something about Uganda that captures my heart and makes it harder and harder to leave each time I come. This past month has been incredible. From the 1st 2 week team to "Team Diva" for the last 2 weeks. Lots of new friendships have been made and a lot of life changing experiences have been shared. 

Maybe it's the change of pace that I love/hate so much. When you're in Africa you're on African time. No matter what anyone tells you. The answer is always I don't know/it will change. There is no reason to rush about. And chances are you'll run into some challenges but God always provides and gives us some laughs along the way. If your bus breaks down in the middle of the night, people on the side of the road WILL invite you to stay at their house. If your van gets sent to Gulu, hours away, you can always jump on the public transportation bus and make it to your destination in record time. You might "kiss" a few bumpers and other taxis along the way but the free roller coaster ride that comes along with riding in the back row of the bus is without a doubt worth the pain experienced by your spine/tailbone. Team Diva certainly took our crowns  off for that ride :-)

It's also the late night, never ending card games and conversations through out the day (inevitably while waiting for one thing or another ... Don't come to Uganda without a little bit of patience) that bring you closer to one another and form that bond that can't be broken.

It's sitting on the steps in front of HomeAgain talking with Mama Eva and Mama Jackie while shelling g-nuts. Asking questions and learning stories about the children I've begun to fall in love with. I like hearing how each child came to the home. For one I think it's important to know where they came from but it also goes a long long way in helping  understand each child, why they act the way they do and how I can interact with them to make them feel safe/loved. 

Also talking with the mamas and seeing what needs and concerns they have that need to be met. Often times we (Americans/teams) come in and start picking things apart trying to fix things the way we think it ought to be done. When in reality it helps to listen and pay attention to the things we can help with that will be beneficial in the long run. Not just a temporary "fix".

I always love the way a child's face lights up when they see you walking to the home to play. Then the running and jumping hug you get from the little boy you've seen grow up for the past 3 years. I think the only other people that get that excited to see me are my parents if I've been away long enough and our dog Gracie every time I walk through the door ;-)

It's also the baby snuggles and "buttery biscuits" after bath time in a basin on the front veranda. And holding children until they fall asleep in the afternoon. 

To end our trip team Diva decided we wanted to do something special for our friend who we all look forward to seeing each year. He drives our bus/van/car everywhere we go and watches out for us like we are his children while we're there. He is one of my favorite people to sit and talk with because all our little American ways tickle him to pieces. He laughs at us as we try to wash clothes then takes over and does it for us. He can answer pretty much any question you have about Uganda and we talk about our families and our lives. One afternoon I was showing him pictures of my family and he mentioned he hardly has any pictures of his family and no pictures of his son at school. This broke my heart. We were able to leave him a camera and he absolutely loved it. After Hannah and Emma left we sat in the car showing him how to use it. He talked about how excited he was to show his son and be able to take pictures of his family to show us. Then the morning me and Laura left he stopped before leaving us at the airport and pulled his camera out of his pocket to take our picture. He was so proud and I just melted and tried not to cry.

It's the little things!! 

I am so blessed that I was able to spend the month in Uganda. God certainly orchestrated some amazing things and put together 2 teams I'm so grateful to have been part of. I'll be posting more blogs about what we've been up to when I get home. 

Waiting for our Clean Water Climb team here in Tanzania now. We start our climb on Wednesday morning. Gonna smash that mountain!! 

www.cleanwaterclimb.net/meet-the-climbers-2013

(Still raising money if you're interested)

Read blogs over on Embrace Uganda website to see what we've been up to. When we get better access to computer/internet I'll try and post some too!! http://www.embraceuganda.org/blog/

"Now that I have seen, I am responsible. Faith without deeds is dead."

Clean Water Climb

Well here goes:

I’ve gotten pretty much every reaction I could possibly imagine when telling people my summer plans but as per usual I’ve ignored the majority of them and decided to go for it anyways … God knows what He’s doing in my life whether I understand it at the moment or not JThank goodness my parents have learned to (eventually) go along with it when I tell them I have yet another crazy plan and my friends are always supportive and encouraging.

I’m joining a team of people (including my sister) climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. It’s called the Clean Water Climb (http://www.cleanwaterclimb.net) and we’re raising money to repair water wells and restore access to clean water for schools and villages in Malawi.

Before I explain why I really feel called to take part in this climb – YES I am still planning on travelling to Uganda with the Embrace Uganda team. I CAN’T WAIT to go back and see everyone there. The climb is taking place after that.

The climb is sponsored by Child Legacy International (http://childlegacy.org) – an organization that serves in several countries in Africa trying to break the cycle of poverty while sharing the Gospel. One of their projects is working to bring clean water to Malawians … Each of us climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro are trying to raise awareness and funds and educate people about the importance of clean water.

It sometimes seems hard to wrap our heads around the fact that there are people around the world suffering from the effects of contaminated water. It’s something we truly truly take for granted without even realizing it. I remember coming home after my 1^st trip to Uganda and the day to day things I personally take for granted really began to stick out and make me think about how blessed I am to live the life I do.

Think about everything you use water for in a day … washing your face, brushing your teeth, showering, water to fill the coffee maker in the morning, doing dishes, washing your hands, flushing the toilet, cooking, drinking, doing laundry, washing the car (aka dad washing my car J ), watering plants, etc, etc, I could keep going. Now imagine being required to walk miles and MILES back and forth carrying jerry cans (I can tell you from experience those suckers are HEAVY) to the closest water source … and chances are it might be contaminated.

FACT: The amount of water used to flush an average American toilet once, is more water than an average person in a developing country uses in an entire day.

One of the biggest reasons I want to take on climbing Kilimanjaro is to hopefully grab people’s attention and get them to stop for a second and understand the enormity of the need for clean water. My intention is to raise awareness, educate and bring people’s attention to something as simple as saving lives by ensuring access to clean water.

Access to clean water not only saves lives by preventing serious water borne illnesses contracted from using/drinking contaminated water, but providing schools and villages with these clean water wells also drastically improves children’s chances of getting an education. Faith Kunihira (director of Bringing Hope to the Family – in Uganda – at one of the orphanages I spent part of my summer) once told me and I’ll always remember it … an education is one of the most important things we can provide for children or orphans in developing countries. It isn’t uncommon for children (particularly girls) not to be allowed to go to school because they have to spend the day walking to and from the nearest water source to collect water for their family. Or they may go to school but are often too exhausted to focus because they’ve been up early before school carrying water.

FACT: 25,000 people die every day due to water borne illnesses.

FACT: There is an increase in school attendance when water is available only a 15 minute walk away rather than more than a half hour away.

In the past I’ve had people ask me WHY I go to Africa or why I’m raising money to “go on vacation” to Africa. To answer the first part of that … the only reason I can tell you is because I’ve felt called to serve in Africa. It’s as simple as that. If someone told me after visiting Uganda for only 2 weeks that I’d come home with a changed heart and forever feel connected there; I wouldn’t have believed it. But there is something that keeps calling me back … the only answer I have for that is God’s plan for my life. As far as going on vacation …think what you’d like. In a sense I guess it is kind of like visiting my extended family. I’ve never felt more welcome and comfortable in a place as I’ve been made to feel when I’m in Africa. I’ve been lucky enough to build some incredible friendships with people there and am really attached to the children I’ve come to know and love.

I am asking EVERYONE to share and educate people about the need for clean water in developing countries. I also ask that if you feel like donating to raise the funds needed to repair wells in Malawi that you would consider donating on mine and Laura’s (my sister) Clean Water Climb donation page.

Go to http://www​.cleanwate​rclimb.net​/meet-the-​climbers-2​013/and click on our names. Our goal is to raise $8000. It costs $1000 to repair 1 well which provides closer proximity to clean water for 500+ people. Wells are repaired and water is purified, villagers are also taught about health and hygiene related to collecting and using water and more importantly we get to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the surrounding villagers at each well repair site.

LOVE yall and hope you’ll continue supporting my wild wild endeavors hahaha. Please be praying for this team as we begin working to raise the money needed to repair these wells and pray that God guides each of us to use the gifts and blessings He has given us to serve Him and the lives of those we encounter both preparing for this trip and on this trip.

Becca

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday Was a Day I Won't Soon Forget

Earlier this year I was put in contact with a couple of adoptive mama’s who were adopting kids from Home Again orphanage where a piece of my heart is currently residing J  I’ve had a really neat opportunity to share stories about their new son’s and daughter’s and share all the pictures I’ve taken from my trips there the last couple of years.

After spending the summer in Uganda in 2011 I became quite attached to the younger children that were living at Home Again at the time. I would spend the mornings playing with them while the older children were at school. Like many of you have heard me say before … literally not a DAY goes by I don’t think about and pray for these kids. So imagine my surprise when I slowly began to find out not only 1 but over half of those 15 kids have been blessed with a forever family. A forever family to love them unconditionally … something which these children probably don’t yet comprehend because of the things they have endured in their young lives. A forever family to provide for them and allow them to grow to their full potential and realize their dreams and have the opportunity to go after them.

Yesterday I finally had the chance to meet one of the Mama’s that I’ve been in touch with through Facebook. Jody FINALLY got to bring her daughter Paige home after a long and seemingly endless journey. After several trips to Uganda and a lot of heartache, Paige is home with her forever family.

I had to fight back tears in the middle of the airport because I was so blown away at the work God has already done in this sweet little 4 year old girl’s life. In July 2011 Paige couldn’t walk on her own, she was in one of those baby walkers, but just didn’t have strength to stand up without support. When I went back in March 2012 she was walking short distances, dragging one leg, and tiring quickly. Yesterday at the airport she was walking on her own, she looked so much more grown up already, and she looked beautiful! Jody said she was even running, able to feed herself with a spoon, and was much more vocally expressive and using some familiar words. THIS is a HUGE transformation. God is moving mountains in Paige’s life … I absolutely cannot wait to see what is in store for this precious girl!!

It is incredible to me what the love and care of a family can do in a child’s life. I know the Mama’s at the orphanage love these kids like their own and I know it is hard for them to see these children go. But watching the transformation and progress these kids make when they have their own families, their own mom and dad, to nurture them and provide for them the life they deserve is absolutely amazing.

(July 2011)

(July 2011)

(September 23, 2012 - Can't believe how amazing she looks!)

(September 23, 2012 - Meeting Grandma for the 1st time)

 

 

 

LOOK AT GOD

A friend of mine Jason Cooper (the same one I traveled to Uganda with) has posted this saying a couple of times lately and it has stuck with me … “LOOK AT GOD! God is able to do just what he said he would do … don’t give up on God, because he won’t give up on you. He’s able!”  And the verse, Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Which happens to be written on a notecard posted next to my desk that I put there earlier this summer.

It has stuck with me and sort of sums up one of the hardest, most emotional, most stressful semesters I’ve ever had. In short, I bombed my first test and essentially spent my summer studying myself out of that hole, praying I would pass in the end (sounds ridiculous, but in nursing school it’s possible even that one test will make or break it). The week before my final I figured out I needed to make at least a 76 to pass the class. I knew this wasn’t impossible, I hadn’t made below an 82 on a test except that awful first one. But I still spent ALL semester questioning and doubting myself. Am I smart enough? Am I good enough? Why did I actually think I could do this? After every test I called my mom or dad crying. And sent so many angry or frustrated texts to my close friends. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from being in school for so long it’s that I’m an anxious test taker and as soon as I feel like something hasn’t gone as well as I’d hoped I psych myself out and make it even harder for myself to succeed.

But really it’s not about me and what I can or can’t accomplish. It’s about having faith and trusting that my God is able but needs me to give it all to Him so He can GUIDE me and walk WITH me through even the not so easy and frustrating moments. I feel like this is one of the many ways God is teaching me to quit doubting and if I would always look first to Him and trust in him then I would have no need to be anxious or angry or feel like I should just give up.  It’s not about me; it’s what God is trying to do through me; and I need to stop getting in the way of that because I know God won't give up on me. 

I also have to say, God has placed SUCH amazing people in my life. People like Jason Cooper, who without knowing it are encouraging me. And my clinical group at school that I get to be with on the floor at the hospital. They are an amazing group of women who again, probably without knowing it help encourage me and give me confidence. My clinical instructor this summer was also an amazing woman with such a calming presence, which was exactly what I needed. She also happens to be headed to Kenya on a medical mission team the end of this month J

LOOK AT GOD … HE WON’T GIVE UP ON YOU … HE IS ABLE!

On Wednesday I start the next semester of nursing school. Prayers for my sanity … hahaha, only sort of kidding!!

And for days when I just want to be anywhere but where I am (particularly in Uganda loving on the children who are always on my heart) I also have this posted on a notecard on my desk … from a Jesus Calling book:

“Someday you will dance light-footed on the high peaks; but for now, your walk is often plodding and heavy. All I require of you is to take the next step, clinging to My hand for strength and direction. Though the path is difficult and the scenery dull at the moment, there are sparkling surprises just around the bend. Stay on the path I have selected for you.”

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!*