The Journey Begins

It was June 4, 2012 when my plane landed in Entebbe, Uganda. After spending a couple days travelling and touring London, I was finally there. It was surreal... my dream was coming true. On the drive back to Kampala, where I would be staying for the next couple of weeks, the images of small huts, dirt roads, and thousands of bananas filled my mind. That day we went to a school and did our first program. As soon as we entered the pieced together gate of wood and metal scraps, over a hundred children surrounded me in a giant bear hug. To be loved and accepted immediately, there's nothing like it. Their smiling faces will forever be in my memory. We sang worship songs, acted out the good Samaritan, and played games until it was time to leave. The next day, it was off to the village of Zirobwe, Uganda for camping. As my luggage had been lost, it was going to be interesting... Somehow, though it didn't seem to matter if I had very little. God was already teaching me how much I rely on "stuff" and that was a needed lesson. How could I complain about not having enough when I'm living with people who actually have nothing. The irony was convicting. It's amazing what we actually "need" to live. After setting up camp, we went to do a program for the village kids. That's when I met Charles... The cutest little boy I have ever met. If it was legal, I would quit everything and adopt him. Unfortunately, in Uganda, you have to be married to adopt a little boy. I do not like this law... The other minor problem would be that he already has a mother... However, I will definitely visit him again someday and when he is old enough, sponsor him. I didn't know that I could love someone as much as I love him. I mean, I love my family, but I love Charles like a son. When he started calling me "mommy", my heart broke. It starts to get overwhelming when I see all their faces and stories. We did feeding programs and told Bible stories. The poorest in America are still rich compared to these people. They never have enough to eat,  they are all sick, they don't have enough money, and only some are able to go to school. Without an education, they see no hope for a better future. Sadly, many of the fathers do not take care of their families and the mothers are overwhelmed with taking care of children and trying to work in the fields. Please pray for more sponsors so that these kids will be able to go to school and then when they have families, they will be responsible to take care of them. These people need to know that there is hope, and without God and education, that's impossible to have. We went to a couple of high schools to talk to the kids about staying in school and the importance of working hard. It amazed me at how interested and respectful they were. It struck me how different in America. Some of these kids walk for over an hour to school to get there early to pray and then they stay for nearly 12 hours. They clean the school as well and have up to 20 subjects. Some of these high schoolers would give up eating lunch to come pray and worship with us. It made me compare it to many US youth groups where you have to provide entertainment, food, and fun for people to show up. Why is that? I talked to kids in Uganda who are wiser than anyone I have ever met here. They truly know the meaning of being hungry and thirsty for God. They know what it means to rely on God and trust his provision. They know how to forgive, love, and study the word of God in a way I have never seen before. Their stories are filled with abuse, sickness, and death yet they strive to follow God. There are no "lukewarm" Christians, they are on fire for the truth. I still can't get over how no matter what struggles they have been through, the pure joy God has given them is unmistakable. I didn't witness any complaining, arguing, or disrespect. Instead of fighting over food, they make sure everyone gets some. How many times do I complain about inconveniences or how something doesn't go as planned? How impatient can I be when something takes too long? How spoiled and selfish am I that I can't stop and think about how blessed I am? The people who actually have something to complain about are the ones who have more joy than I do. Why is that? One of the biggest needs that we noticed, was how to take care of wounds. No one knew what hydrogen peroxide, neosporin, or advil was. They don't have a way to take care of minor cuts, so they eventually turn into nasty infections that can be deadly. They don't have the supplies, or money to get what they need to take care of them. Without shoes, these minor cuts are open to dirty water and bugs that eat away at them. The amazing thing is that once we cleaned these, they healed very quickly. I am going to start some kind of campaign where people can donate first aid kits and supplies to ship over there. This would help them out a lot and cut back on many sicknesses that are caused by infections. It brought me to tears to see kids with bugs eating away at their skin when in America we have an overabundance of cleaning supplies. How can we get them what they need? That is one thing I will be working on if anyone has any ideas. When we returned to Kampala for a few days, running water and electricity felt like luxury. Never again will I take those for granted. We went to craft markets, rode "boda bodas" or motorcycles for taxis, and I had my 18th birthday:) Getting sung to by my kids is something I'll never forget. I got to spend a lot of time with our "gate kids" or the kids that live right outside of our house in Kampala. They are so special to me and I love them so much. One of them, named Onesmus, made me a necklace and now I wear it every day. He is only 12 years old, but strives to follow God in a way that's rare. He takes care of the younger kids, reads the Bible, and works so hard in school. He had a Luganda Bible, but I got him an English one and he was so excited. Another little boy at the gate, Charles has one of the saddest stories I have heard. A few years ago, he and his brother were kidnapped with a friend by a gang. These gangs are common and follow weird occult beliefs. He watched as his brother and friend were sacrificed and then escaped before they could kill him. Shortly after, his father died as well. His mother now has to work and take care of the family. She cannot afford school for Charles and thankfully God has provided a sponsor for him this week. He loves the Lord and wants those who took his brother's life to be forgiven by God. There are many children with similar tragic things and they all need sponsors. If you can help, go to empowerachild.org and change a life. That weekend, I got to meet Daverein, my sponsored son! It was so exciting to play with him and get him gifts. He is so precious and it was a lot of fun starting a relationship with him and his family. Then it was time to return to the village (this time with luggage! yay) Our first day, Erin (one of the other volunteers) and I were at camp when a boy came over with his baby sister. I had seen him before and always wondered where he lived. His sister looked deathly sick and we immediately decided she needed to see a doctor. As I was talking to her brother Jofas, I noticed wounds all over his legs. At this point, we got a translator and tried to figure out their story. We cleaned all the wounds and found out that some of them were from his father beating him. Uncle (one of our leaders) said that he would help us figure out what was going on and how to help them the next day. That night (since their father was not there to give permission), we had to take them back to their hut. It was empty. They had nothing. Syrus, the 10 year old was laying out old socks and t shirts to sleep on over the dirt. They had a paraffin light which is extremely dangerous and were there all alone. As we were leaving, promising to help in the morning, Erin and I had our first meltdown. How could anyone abuse these kids and leave a 10 year old to take care of them? We were heartbroken and determined to save them no matter what. That next morning, the father was still no where to be found. Uncle found their story from the neighbors and it goes like this. Not long ago, their mother passed away. Shortly after that, their father remarried to a woman who had two other children. She however ran away because he was so abusive and hostile to her. Since then, he has 4 other wives and never returns to take care of these children. That leaves Syrus the 10 year old to take care of Jofas (7), Roni (6), and Egrime (2) all alone. They have no food, no medicine, and do not go to school. Kelsey, Erin, Kristin, and I gave them our breakfasts and then took Egrime (we call her Lidia)  to the doctor. The doctor meaning a local nurse in a very small village. She was sick with malaria, the measles, and the flu. Getting her medicine saved her life. We then fed her, bathed her, got her clothes, and layed her down for a nap. The next day we started the process of sending them to boarding school. I thank God that everything fell into place. Within a couple of days, Erin, Kelsey, and my grandparents decided to sponsor them. By next week, they will all be in a safe place for the first time. That weekend, we also got food for a few families to last a couple weeks. Their gratefulness was so rewarding! I'll never forget the hugs and smiles. On Saturday, Kristin and I went white water rafting and bungee jumping. It was so very fun! We decided to make it a yearly tradition. The next day, it was time to leave. My heart hurt physically. It was the saddest thing I've had to do. How could I leave my babies? Those kids who call me mommy? How do you walk away? I know that someday I will go back, but not knowing when or how is devastating. I know God will take me back one day, but until then He loves them even more than I. Life here however will be changing for me. What do I live for? What differences is God using me to make? Am I the hands and feet of Christ? Do I sacrifice everything for HIS glory? I don't think you can see something like the children of Uganda and not change. These stories are just a few, but I hope you can see their smiles and needs through them. Please pray for them and help in any way you can. They need love. Let's be HIS hands, HIS feet.