Let the Waters Rise by Mikeschair

Home

I have been home since Wednesday of last week. I have mixed emotions about being home. I love being with my family and friends but at the same time I really miss being in Uganda with those precious children. Being home for a week I feel like I've had a great time with my family and now am ready to go back. But I have to go to school and live here for awhile before I can go back.

I realize that I never posted anything about the Safari that I went on a few weeks before I left. The safari was a 4 day thing. Each night we camped out in different places. My favorite night was the night we camped out on the Delta. When we pulled up to our camp site there were about 10 giraffes surrounding us! The next morning we got up early to do a game drive and saw a lion like 100 yards away from our camp site. Everything about the safari was so much fun! Here are a few pictures..

Weekend Adventure

Yesterday we went to one of the Mama’s Kwanjula ceremony. This is like an introduction ceremony back home except completely different. We left the baby cottage around 11:30 this morning and drove in a Coaster for about two and a half hours to a village. The ceremony was supposed to begin at 1 pm but we are not on American time here so 1 pm really means 5:30 pm. We didn’t arrive until about 3. When we arrived we were sent down the road a little bit to greet all of the women taking part in the ceremony. All the men were back where the ceremony was taking place. We ate lunch with the women and mingled for a little while and then we all headed back to get ready for the Kwanjula. The way these things work is that the family of the husband comes to the village of the wife’s father. They all sit in a special place under a tent, and then the family is introduced. Sometimes they make it funny and go around and ask the people why they are there and other silly things. They introduce the brothers first and they greet their guests and tell them how happy they are that they are there. Next the sisters are introduced then the aunties and the uncles. After that they introduce the grandfathers and grandmothers. And last they introduce the father and the mother(s). All together there are about 30 people introduced. After all of this takes place the groom’s family presents the bride with gifts. And to close everything up they serve a big meal. This lasted about 3 hours.
On the way the landscape was breathtaking! We went through a lot of villages but we also traveled wide open fields. They were unbelievable to look at. Everything was so beautiful. On the way back I was thinking I wouldn’t be able to see any of this anymore because it would have been so dark. But I was wrong. I got into the Coaster and we started our journey back home and the first thing I noticed were the stars shining so brightly through the blackened night sky. In every direction, for as far as you could see, you saw billions of bright shining stars that lit up the wide open fields we came through on our way in. Then I look to my right at the fields and see hundreds of fireflies lighting the way, I look to my left and see the very same thing. I wish you guys could have been there to see this view! There is nothing that can capture its true beauty but your own eyes. When I looked up at the stars and found different constellations I thought about how you can see the very same stars in the very same patterns back home in Nashville. It is so hard to understand how you can see the exact same thing in Africa and in Tennessee. The only way to explain it is the One who created it. Looking up at the stars and seeing their beauty and vastness I don’t understand how people can say that there is no creator. If there was no creator then how is it possible that you see the same stars from opposite sides of the world? If there was no creator then how can there be land as far as I can see in any direction filled with fireflies dancing in the moonlight? All these things had to be created to exist. This world is so beautiful there is no way it just happened by chance. It had to be created. And I know the One who created it!

A Few Pictures

Jonah fell asleep on the boda

Susan!

Beautiful Eve

Dinner time with the toddlers.

Baby Helen

Waiting for dinner

My Heart in Song

You lived among the least of these
The weary and the weak
And it would be a tragedy for me to turn away.
All my needs you have supplied.
When I was dead you gave me life.
How could I not give it away so freely?
And I'll follow you into the homes that are broken.
Follow you into the world.
Meet the needs for the poor and the needy God.
Follow you into the World.
Use my hands, use my feet
To make your kingdom come
Through the corners of the earth
Until your work is done'Cause Faith without works is dead
And on the cross your blood was she'd
So how could I not give it away so freely?
And I'll follow you into the homes that are broken.
Follow you into the world.
Meet the needs for the poor and the needy God.
Follow you into the World.
I give all myself.
I give all myselfI give all myself... to you.
And I give all myself.
Yes, I give all myself.
And I give all myself... to you.
And I'll follow you into the homes that are broken
Follow you into the world.
Meet the needs for the poor and the needy God.
Follow you into the World.
~Follow You by Leeland

Sufferings

There is a reason for struggles and suffering. They are not put in our lives just to make our life miserable (believe it or not). God places them in our life so that we can grow and learn from them. One thing that Christians forget most of the time (or try not to remember) is that Christ tells us that we are to share in his sufferings. For the longest time I thought that it meant that we were had to suffer a painful death to share in His sufferings. But that’s not true at all. The way one person suffers or struggles is completely different than the way someone else will suffer or struggle. It doesn’t mean that our suffering is going to be extremely painful but it does mean that our suffering is going to be difficult. Difficult for you may be different than what is difficult for me. And a struggle today may not even be considered a struggle tomorrow. But the point is that we are put through these situations so that we can grow and in our growth bringing glory to God.
These past few weeks I have been going through some things that are a struggle for me and one day I feel as if I can’t handle it anymore and the next day it doesn’t even faze me. This is something I was not even considering would be difficult for me here. But in being here during this situation has helped me so much. If I was going through this back home it would be so easy for me to avoid and just not deal with it, but being in Africa it has forced me to come face to face with this struggle. But good has come out of my struggle. The power of prayer has become more relevant to me. I have always known that God answers prayers but never really focused on how much that is true. Each time I pray about this situation I can literally see it getting better and much easier to deal with.

My Life in Africa

Ok, I know, I’m horrible at updating my blog! Sorry!! There has been lots going on around here but it is just hard to put it all into words. Let me just give you a picture of what a typical day for me looks like:
I am working with baby A which is the newborns to about 9 months.
~I wake up (depending on the amount of sleep I get) between 6:30 and 7:30. And eat breakfast which consists of eggs toast and fruit. Then I have a little time to myself where I can do my devotion.
~I go to work with the babies at about 8.Baby A is split into two rooms, one for the older babies and one for the younger. I will walk down into the older room and say hello to everyone and make them laugh and play with them for a little bit. Then I go into the younger room and get whoever is awake out of their cribs and change them and then play and dance and sing with them.
~They get fed every 3-4 hours depending on their age so I will start feeding about 9.
~After they are fed I keep them up for a little bit and make them laugh and keep them entertained until they are tired enough to sleep until their next meal.
~They get fed again about noon and then they go down for another nap and I get a break.
~My break is from 1-4. Usually we will eat lunch together and then head into town or take a nap or read during this time.
~From 4-6 we do outings or projects.
~Outings consist of each of the volunteers here taking a kid and going into town for a soda or a sweetie or going for a walk. Projects are things like scrubbing the cribs or cleaning the rooms, or organizing things.
~Then from 6 till about 7:30 we feed the kids and bathe them and brush their teeth and put them to bed.
~On Saturdays we are basically free to do whatever we want. Usually we will go into town. Sundays we each take a kid to church and then go out for lunch.
So a typical day is a lot of work but it is not too bad. Some days I have had to go to Kampala to take a kid to the doctor which is about a 2 hour drive so that takes up most of the day and then when I get back I am exhausted.
I have seen God in so many different ways here it is amazing! I love being here and meeting all new people and hanging out with the other volunteers. They have become such great friends of mine and we all get along so well! Right now the thought of leaving this place someday soon is heartbreaking. I don’t even want to think about it. As much as I miss my family (especially my sister) I am so in love with everything here it’s going to be hard to have to leave it all. But for now I am thankful for everyday that I have here!
Thank you for all of your prayers! Please continue to pray for the Keck’s, Mayernick’s, Oatsvall’s, Doyle’s, and Hannah’s as they are all in the process of adopting.

First Week

WARNING—this is going to be a hard one to read.

I have now been in Africa for a full week. During this week I think I have experienced every single emotion you can possibly think of. The day I get here I get stuck at a hotel in Entebbe because of the riots going on in Kampala. Some of the staff here at Amani got stuck in the middle of the riot and described it basically as a living hell. The next day I get up bright and early and head to Amani. I get to see two beautiful families meet their children for the first time! What a sweet picture. Then I got to go over to Katie Davis’s house for praise and worship. Oh how wonderful it is to see young children praising our Father! Then it’s off to work. I’ve been working with the youngest children here and they have all stolen my heart. It is so much work trying to keep 10 babies happy and fed but I love doing it! It does get stressful at times when you don’t have enough hands to calm everyone that is crying but once you get them laughing it is all worth it! Then I get the news about Josie Love. My heart just crumbles into pieces for her and her family. All of this is just within 3 or 4 days of me arriving at Amani. Wow! That’s a lot to take in. But guess what. That’s not all. This is where the hard stuff comes in. The day I find out about Josie is also the day that sweet Walter came home from the hospital. He had been in Kampala for a few days and was getting tests done on the tumor he had in his mouth. They found out that it was so much worse than they had expected. They sent him home from the hospital saying there is nothing we can do because treatment for this cancer doesn’t work well and since we have caught it so late it won’t work at all. They brought him back here so that he could be loved on and cared for. His little personality was so cute! This is the journal I wrote about him just a few hours ago.

This two year old boy is one of the most beautiful kids I have ever seen! But he has a horrible and ugly disease that is taking over his tiny little body. Cancer. Many would take one glance at him and turn away. But when I look at him I see the face of my sweet Savior. I will not turn my head and pretend as if I never saw him. I have welcomed him and shown him as much love as I can. This sweet boy has such a strong personality. He is very independent, strong willed, and a spunky little fella. He knows what he wants. Tonight I sit by his bed and try to comfort him as he struggles so hard to breathe. This cancer has come so close to blocking his throat. He is no longer able to swallow the medicine that will keep the pain away. He goes long seconds without taking a breath and then struggles to catch it again. As I have been sitting here for over an hour I grieve the pain he is going through and what a struggle it is for him. But there is hope! For when he takes that final breath here on earth, he is taking his very first breath in heaven with our Father. He will no longer endure the pain of his earthy body but be given a body that will run and not grow weary, that is able to soar on wings like eagles and fly, and that gets to sit with the One who created him! How amazing does that sound?! He will be relieved of everything here on earth and made new again. He gets to sit at the thrown of God and praise Him for what he has done for him. Although I have only known sweet Walter for a few days, I have learned a lot from him. He has taught me to be thankful for what I do have and the health that I have and how to serve the least of these. But most of all he has taught me what true struggle is. Many times I find myself thinking I am struggling when I can’t find this or that or when I am late for an appointment or a whole bunch of other meaningless things. But as I sit here and watch this boy who is so young struggling to breathe because something is blocking his throat I realize that all the things I complain about are so worthless and pointless to be worrying about. This morning at 1:15am I watched as Walter gasped for air and his tiny heart slowly stopped beating. As sad as it is to us, Walter is so much happier now than he ever was here. He is in the arms of our Lord and Savior!!! Thank you Jesus for bringing me here for such a time as this!

"A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so that everyone would have life, and have it in its fullest."~John 10:10

The Lord your God wins victory after victory and is always with you. He celebrates and sings because of you, and he will refresh your life with his love.” ~Zephaniah 3:17

Pictures from four wheeling

Just thought you all might like to see what four wheeling does to your skin...haha and we had bandannas around our nose and mouth and goggles on..

I'M FINALLY HERE!

This post I wrote on the plane to Amsterdam:

God truely is an amazing God! The entire week before I left for my trip I was nervous anxious scared afraid and worried about being gone for three months, and not knowing what to expect. I was reading crazy love earlier this week and it started talking about giving all your emotions to God. Every night before I went to bed I would pray this "Lord I am giving you all my fears anxieties worries and nerves please take them from me" You see if I was the one who was truely in charge of my life I would have to take these emotions and carry their burden all alone. If I was the one in control I don't think I would have the strength to pull myself together and get on a plane and be apart from my family for three months. But I have good news! I am not in control!!! God has complete control over everything in my life! And because of that I am able to let go of all my mixed emotions and go do gods work loving on his presouse and beautiful children! He is in control! Praise Jesus I'm not controling my life!
"lord I'm giving you my life. Turning over full control to your magestic hands! Your plans far surpass any plans that I would make!
Thank you for being in control!"


This is my second day in Africa and first morning to wake up at Amani. When I landed in Amsterdam I met up with the other families traveling. The first news that I get was that there is rioting in Kampala(where we are going). That was all we knew. We couldn't get a hold of anyone here and had little information on the riots. Just before we got on the plane we were finally able to get in touch with someone at Amani. They said that it was ok to travel through Kampala at night because the riots had stopped. When we landed in Entebbe we found out differently. We ended up staying in a hotel that anyone in America would consider dirty but was a very upscale hotel for Africa. We left the hotel at 5am to head to Jinja. God is watching over us and protecting us. He kept us safe traveling here and will continue to keep us safe.
My first days here have been crazy but have been so wonderful. I was able to go spend time at Katie's house yesterday and love on her girls. Now I am off to church and then maybe some four wheeling. Thank you for all your prayers and support!

Headed Out!!

I am getting ready to leave and picked up my Jesus Calling for the morning and the words were perfect! It was reasuring me that God is with me wherever I go!! This verse is perfect:

"I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you." Genesis 28:12

Thank you for all your prayers as I am traveling!!!

Getting Ready!

My emotions are all over the place. I am so excited about this journey that I am about to travel but at the same time I am a little nervous. I know I should not worry because God is walking on this journey with me and He is leading the way, but even though I tell myself that I still get nervous. I have never been away from my family for this long in my life so I don’t know what that will be like. I don’t know if I am going to want to come home after a few weeks or if I will love it so much that I want to stay longer. There are so many things unknown to me and unfamiliar that it gets a little overwhelming sometimes. But isn’t that what faith is about? Faith is not comfortable and familiar but hard at times and uncertain. The point of having faith is to trust Him in uncomfortable and unfamiliar places. You have to be willing to give up everything and trust that He will provide and that He will take care of you and that He is right next to you holding your hand when you get scared and comforting you when you grieve. You have to let go of yourself and let God take over. You have to let Him be in control, because if you are in control everything will fall apart. Even though you cannot see Him face to face on earth you have to trust that He is there. (You can see Him in everything around you. Take some time and walk outside and look around and everything you see is proof of Him.) If everything was easy all the time, who would need faith? You would live life with no worries, no fears, and nobody to trust. While all of that sounds like a good life, you would also have nobody to truly love you.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” ~Hebrews 11:6

“Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” ~1Corinthians 4:2

"Therefore i tell you, do not worry about your likfe, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not your life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" Matthew 6:25-27

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." ~Matthew 2:34

BIG NEWS!!

I've got my travel dates!!! I'm going to Uganda September 10th!!!!! I'm beyond excited right now! I will be traveling with two families who are going to get their children from Amani Baby Cottage. I will be there for 3 months!

Please pray with me for my travel and my stay. GOD IS SO GOOD!!!!

No Excuses

At the age of 9, Okello Ronald was abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army and forced to become a soldier. He watched the rebels murder his father and lost his arm in battle.

This photograph is by Stephen Shames. In 2000 he went to Uganda to begin documenting AIDS orphans in Uganda and came across this boy in the process. He visited his home and on the wall in his room is written "no excuses".

After all this boy has been through, all he has witnessed, and all he has been forced to do, he lives by the motto "no excuses". So many people would give up after going through such horrific experiences, but not this boy. He will do whatever it takes to make it.

This photo reminds me that once we have seen we cannot pretend that we don't know. We cannot just sit around and do nothing for the least of these. Get up, get moving, be active, DO SOMETHING! NO EXCUSES!!


To see the video of this boy click on this link:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/06/28/weekinreview/shames-slideshow/index.html

My prayer for the orphans

"I pray that out of His glorious riches He may stregthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that supasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." ~Ephesians 3:16-19


This was the verse that went with my devotional this morning and immediatly i thought of all those kids who have no idea what love is. I want them to know love so that they may have an idea of what God's love is like.

Drum Roll Please....

I got my email from Amani today!!! So excited to let you all know that I have been accepted!!! Yipppeee!! As of now my plans are hopefully to travel in September! As in one month from now!!!! Do you realize how soon that is?? Ahhhh I am beyond excited!!! I will keep ya’ll posted as the details get worked out!

Please be praying for my family, my spirit, and that all the details get worked out soon. Thanks for all your prayers!!


If you want to help me out with my trip funds please go to shopoatsvallvillage.blogspot.com and purchace one of the new 147 million orphan shirts and put my name in the paypal subject. If my name is in the subject then part of the proceeds will go towards my trip. Thanks!!

Anxious

I have been in contact with Amani and they have told me that I should hear from them this week or maybe next with their decision. I am so anxious to hear back from them it’s hard to concentrate sometimes. I find myself daydreaming about being in Africa and all the sweet faces around me. Every night this week I have had a dream about being in Africa surrounded by these sweet children and every time I wake up either crying or extremely sad that I am not there right now.

Please pray with me while I wait to hear back from Amani. Please pray that God will give me the patience I need to make it through these next few days and that I don’t get too anxious.

Hope to be updating you soon on when I can go to Africa!

Sorry about the delay

Ok so I just want to apologize to ya’ll because I am such a terrible blogger! I’m really sorry that I don’t post very often. This summer I have been working 40 hours a week and there just isn’t that much time to sit down and have some time to myself these days.

Update on Africa:
I have submitted an application to work at Amani Baby Cottage in Uganda! I have not heard back from them yet and am waiting for their response so I will know when I can go and volunteer. I have requested to stay for about 3 months. I am very excited about going!

I don’t know if ya’ll know who Gwen Oatsvall is or not, but let me just tell you she is an AMAZING woman of God and has such a huge heart for the orphans. She is such an encourager to me on my journey and I am so thankful that she is in my life. In the midst of being a mother to 5 and an administrator at Amazima Ministries, she is willing to help me raise money that I will need when I go to Uganda. She has a t-shirt coming out in August. If you order a shirt from her through pay-pal and write my name in the order, she is willing to donate some of her proceeds to me! How amazing is that! I look up to Gwen so much and love being around her. She is living a life following the Lord’s path and not her own path! I love her to death! Thanks Gwen for all you do for me!

Life Update:
Lately I have been in one of those slumps where it seems really hard to keep my faith going strong. I know that it’s not always going to be an easy journey because it wouldn’t be faith if everything was easy all the time. But God is so good and I can feel Him working in me.

“Keep walking with Me along the path I have chosen for you. Your desire to live close to Me is a delight to My heart. I could instantly grant you the spiritual riches you desire, but that is not My way for you. Together we will forge a pathway up the high mountain. The journey is arduous at times, and you are week. Someday you will dance lightfooted 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. It is truly the path of life.”

So the other morning when I just couldn’t feel God around I opened up my Jesus Calling book and this was the entry for that day. Coincidence? I think not. This was the first day that I had opened this book in about a month and God knew exactly why I decided to open it that day. He knew that this is what I needed to hear from Him. How much clearer can He get?

Now I am doing better with my faith than I was a few weeks ago. I have realized (not for the first time) that God is in control of everything, that God knows exactly what I need, that God’s timing for things is so much better than I could have even imagined, and that God is the one I need to put full trust in. He will take care of everything when the timing is right. He is not going to let you get too far into a slump that you can’t get out. He will wake you up one morning and lead you to His word and basically scream at you what you need to hear so that you don’t miss the message He is trying to tell you.

“If the Lord delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him in His right hand.” –Psalm 37:23-24

“You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” –Psalm 16:11

Next Step

On Sunday I graduated! I have decided that I'm not going to school next fall but instead I'm going to work so that I can go back to Africa. I am hoping to go back with a friend when she gets her son from Africa. I will be working at my dad's office this summer but not sure yet where I will work in the fall. I would love to nanny so if ya'll know of anyone needing a nanny let me know.

Back in America

Its hard to be back. I know that this is not where I am supposed to be so its difficult. Yes I have missed my family and my friends but I dont feel like God is calling me to be here. I spoke to middle school chapel the other day and that went so well. These are some of my thoughts...

Going to Africa I didn’t really have any expectations. That might seem weird because many times before you go on a missions trip you plan out everything that you think will happen. I know that my first mission trip I went on was totally selfish and my expectations were to be blessed from the people there more than I blessed them. So when the Lord told me that He had a plan for me to go to Africa, He also told me this is not about me, it is all about Him and sharing His love. So I didn’t go with any expectations. I went following the Lord and letting Him guide my steps. All I really wanted to do was love these kids as best I could so that they might be able to get a glimpse of what God’s love is like. So while I was there, I hugged and kissed every child I could. I played with the kids even when I was exhausted and didn’t really feel like playing with them. My favorite part of the whole trip was being able to feed the Karamjongs. On Tuesday and Thursday we went down into the village and gathered all of the kids. There were probably about 300-400 kids. We gathered them all at the top of the hill where the school was and would play with them for awhile and then we all came together for a Bible story and worship. After that they would line up and we would feed them rice and bean. They were some of the smallest kids I have ever seen and they were all coming back for 3 or 4 platefuls. To give you an idea, I couldn’t even eat one plateful. But I guess if you are not sure when your next meal will be then you would want to eat as much as you can. Through this, God has really spoken to me about being grateful. It really disgusts me how spoiled my life is with a nice house, nice car, nice private school to go to, and my many other nice belongings. I take them all for granted and many times I am not greateful. In America all of these things seem normal. But reality is that all of these things make us selfish and take our focus away from God, the one who gave all of this to us in the first place. It’s so sad to think about how we take for granted the amount of food we have. I mean even the poorest of poor in America will get at least one meal, if not more, every day. I know that I waste food all the time. It’s heart-breaking because there are so many children in the world that are dying because they don’t get fed and here I am, full so I throw my food away. The Karamjongs were lucky if they got one meal a week before Katie showed up.
The other thing that God really spoke to me about was living in comfort. There are so many people in America who are very comfortable with their lives. They don’t stop and think about how in other parts of the world there are starving people who live on the streets or in little mud huts. The people in America don’t want to feel the guilt of having so much so they just don’t think about it. I have found myself getting too comfortable at home. God has not called us to live a life of comfort though. He has called us to share His love and His word. For some people that might mean sharing in America, but not for me. I would much rather live by faith somewhere where I don’t know where my next meal is coming from than live a life in comfort knowing there will always be food on the table. I think that God wants us to live by faith. Galations 2:20 says, “The life I live in the body I live by faith in the son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” By always having what you want, how can you fully live by faith? I find myself getting too comfortable to live fully by faith. I think that to live by faith you have to trust that God will provide for your needs. In America, I feel like I don’t have to rely on Him because I always have what I want. In Uganda, I feel like I rely and trust God more because I am out of my comfort zone. I think that God has called me to live out of my comfort zone and live fully by faith.

“At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done. We will be judged by 'I was hungry and you gave me to eat, I was naked and you clothed me, I was homeless and you took me in.' Hungry not only for bread - but hungry for love. Naked not only for clothing - but naked for human dignity and respect. Homeless not only for want of a room of bricks - but homeless because of rejection.”- Mother Teresa

Another little girl who followed me around all day yesterday. :)

Aunt Jennifer and Jane! Jane loves to have her picture taken! :)

Yesterday we went to feed the Karamajongs again. I dont know how to describe the way it makes me feel. It breaks my heart so much!! I think that there are many people who dont know what it is like to see this going on and they cant really understand it until they see it first hand. I have always had something in me that knew this was going on in the world but it was almost like i didnt want to fully wrap my mind around it because it is so heart breaking. Seeing this first hand forced me to go there. I think God is really working at my heart. He sent me here to teach me that it is good let your heart and mind go there because for these people they have to live it everyday. Part of me wishes that I didnt have all the things that I have in America because i find myself getting comfortable. I dont think that God has called us to be comfortable! He has called us to live a life for HIM! By being comfortable at home i am not living my life for Him, i am living for my own selfishness. But more on that later. Today we are taking the girls swimming! They are sooo excited about it!

Pictures from yesterday

this is on the way home from the village.

all the karamajongs

my new best friend! so sweet!

Karamajong Day

Today was so exhausting both physically and emotionally! We went to feed the Karamajongs. Katie, Aunt Jennifer, and I went down into the village to round up all of the kids. They all know Katie so when they saw her they came running and followed us around the village until we got all of the kids. They are all so precious! All they wanted was to hold our hands and eat the food we prepared for them. I think the biggest thing that I got out of today was how much I take advantage of things and how I am so spoiled it almost disgusts me. This meal was probably the only meal that these kids will get for days. It’s sad to think about how in America even the poorest of poor eat everyday usually more than once. These kids would come back for 3 or 4 plates and they are all so tiny! I can hardly eat one plate. I fell in love with one little girl! She is so sweet and just wanted to be loved on. She followed me everywhere I went (when I wasn’t holding her, which most of the time I was). She is the cutest thing!


i couldnt get the pictures to load so hopefully they will be up tomorrow!

thought yall might like to see a picture... i will post more tomorrow when i have more time but my computer is going to die and it wont charge right now so tomorrow after we feed the karamajongs (not sure how to spell it) i will update yall.

Uganda

hey everyone! i got to uganda last night around midnight. we were greated by 5 huge hugs and smiles by the 5 oldest girls. i love it here! its not really what i was expecting but i love it! although the food might take awhile to get used to. :) today all of the kids came over to auntie katies house for playtime worship bible study and food. the worship was amazing! having all those kids come over is a lot of work! but it was good work. after all of the kids left we went into town with katie and got dinner for her family. sorry im kinda scattered but its late and aunt jennifer is cracking me up trying to kill all of the knats in our room. haha

Love

So tonight I was sitting in my bed spending time with the Lord. I asked Him to show me to a place that would interest me or spark something inside of me. He led me to Titus. I have never read Titus before but I started reading at chapter 3. It talks about how we are to be obedient and be ready to do what is good. It goes on and talks about how we used to be foolish and disobedient. But God saved us with His love and kindness that He poured out through Jesus Christ. This got me thinking about how we love because God first loved us. Let me give you a mental picture of this-- the little orphans in Africa (and anywhere else) dont understand what love is. Many of them have come from broken homes where their father left them and the mother had to spend all of her time working and couldnt take care of a child, or both of the parents died from AIDS. These children have never been held or hugged on. They have never been told I love you. They have never been told you are beautiful. They have never been tucked in at night and kissed on the head. They have never cuddled on the couch with their daddy. They have never been able to run to their mom when they get scared and have her hold them and tell them its going to be alright. They dont know love until someone takes them in and hugs on them and kisses them and tells them how much they love them. Until then they are not able to love because they dont know what it means to love. Because of the example set before them they are able to love. This is what I think of reading through Titus. Because of God's example of what love is we are able to love.

On another note-- I LEAVE FOR AFRICA ON THURSDAY!!!!!! I am beyond excited!! I cant wait to see how the Lord uses me. I will follow Him wherever He leads....this week it is Africa and I cannot wait!! Please pray. Thanks!

I'M GOING!!!!

I don't even know how to express my feelings! I'm not really sure how I even got this far but...



I got my plane tickets today!!! I'm beyond excited! I will be leaving April 16th and returning April 27th! My aunt Jennifer is traveling with me! I can't wait to see what God has planned for me to learn and how He is going to grow me!



God is so good! He is the only way I am able to travel to Uganda! He has blessed me in so many ways. Without Him, none of this is possible!



Thank you so much Jesus for allowing me to travel to Uganda with my aunt!



Please continue to pray for my travel and Katie and her beautiful children. Also pray for Gwen and this sweet family I know (the Kecks) who are both adopting from Uganda and are waiting to meet their children.

Everything by Lifehouse

BROKEN

My heart breaks for these kids! And to know that there are millions more just like them kills me!! Please pray for all the orphaned and abandoned.

Update on things...

It has been a very long time since I have posted. If you have read my earlier posts you may remember my talking about going to Africa. Well, my original plan had been that I would go to Uganda during my spring break and help Katie Davis, this amazing twenty-year-old that God put in my life. I’m not really sure how this happened, other than it being God’s plan, but a big group got together and planned their trip to help Katie during spring break, not knowing my plans. Things got overwhelming and now I am not going during spring break. When I was first told the news, my heart shattered into a million pieces. Immediately I started getting frustrated with God and for a few weeks, I was asking Him, “Why are you doing this to me? You know this is where my heart is! Why would you take this from me? I thought this was Your plan!” Well, it has taken a lot of conversations with God, but I am at the point where I have been broken and realized maybe this was all my plans. I know that God has a time for me to go and has a perfect plan for my future. Right now I am praying that His timing will be shown to me. I have ideas of when I can go – the week after spring break or sometime in May – but I am trusting and waiting for God’s PERFECT timing.
I feel like my relationship with God has gotten closer and stronger. I have realized that my life has no meaning without Him and that He is in control. If I were in complete control of my life there is no telling where I would be. God has shown me that He is the only one who knows what my future holds. I have learned that thanking Him continuously strengthens the relationship we have. I thank Him daily for the plan He has for my life and the plan He has for my trip to Africa. I also thank Him for His answers to my prayers even if they don’t turn out to be the answers I was looking for. In doing this I have felt our relationship grow. I know that He is working for my good and that He will never lead me the wrong way.
Please be praying with me that I will trust God with my trip to Africa and that He will show me His perfect plan. Also be praying for me to find out if I need to have a travel companion and if so who that might be. Another thing to be praying about is for Katie and her children.