A Place in Uganda

There is a place, here in Uganda, where a father comes to visit his twin daughters. A young father, a single father, who's love for his children is apparent in the way his smile beams and his phone snaps photos.  When he comes, he spends hours just looking at these baby girls, holding them, one at a time. Joy.

There is a place, here in Uganda, where a little boy learns to walk as his leg heals from an infected ulcer that compromised his ability to move freely.  He gains strength through physical therapy provided to him by Ugandan professionals who are kind and relentlessly patient.  His laugh is contagious.

There is a place, here in Uganda, where a 4-month-old little girl smiles, for what I assume is the first time, as her body slowly progresses from 5 pounds to 6 pounds.  Her face gains back its baby fat that it so rightfully deserves, and the mamas smother her with extra love and attention.  Healing.

There is a place, here in Uganda, where a little boy is pulled away from the group and is told he has a family who is waiting for him.  A family who is ecstatic to have him join their circle.  He hears messages of love and future plans read to him. He looks at their faces on glossy paper and smiles. Hope.

There is a place, here in Uganda, that took in a little boy who is particularly precious to us, and provided him with intensive care for much longer than anyone had signed themselves up to provide.  And yet, it was done with self-sacrifice, love, and compassion.  Complete selflessness.

There is a place, here in Uganda, where a child is reunited with his biological family which was at one time lost to him.  They are joined together again and given encouragement.  He is restored to the ones who gave him life. Redemption.

There is a place, here in Uganda, where joy and love are abundant and children's laughter and talking (and sometimes screaming) fill the echoing building.  Here, life is joyful and difficult and rewarding and challenging,

 but always full.

This place, this place here in Uganda, is home to over 50 children who are fearfully and wonderfully made.  They all have different stories, different heartaches, different dreams and futures.  But as of now, they are all under one roof, living life together.

And this roof is about to change locations.  Amani Baby Cottage is building a new home for their babies.  This is an expensive process, but a worthwhile one.  As of now, the building that they are living in is rented.

This new home will be owned.

It will be their own.

And nobody will be able to ask them to leave it.

If you were looking for a worthwhile place to give, and even if you weren't, I would encourage you to pray about donating to Amani.  I have been working here for almost five months now and have been blessed beyond words to be a part of what they are doing here in Uganda.

Won't you be a part of it too?

to help build a home,

click HERE

The Same Direction

I’ve never been faced with so many decisions in my life. Do we continue living and working in Uganda or do we move back to America? If we stay here which job should I take? If we move home what job should I take? Should I just get a job or should I go back to school? Should we adopt? When should we start the paperwork? Should I grab some chapatti for breakfast or just have Ramen noodles?

Although these might be the biggest decisions I’ve ever had to make, (especially the breakfast dilemma) it isn’t the first time I’ve felt this way. I often get so caught up in making the right decision that I lose perspective. I try so hard to figure out which way God wants me to go that I forget that the direction is always the same: I need to always be moving closer to God, regardless of where that takes me physically.

Jesus never said “follow me here or follow me there”, He just said “follow me”. I don’t know why that’s so hard to do. I’ve had numerous conversations with friends, pastors, etc. but I never have found a satisfactory answer. The only thing I ever get out of these conversations is that I’m reminded to just follow Jesus.

So Jackie and I certainly have some very important decisions ahead of us and we would appreciate your prayers. But more than that, we want to continue to follow Jesus and worry less and less about where that will lead us in this life.

Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”  John 21:22

Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”  Matthew 8:19-22

Still Thankful :)

Thankful.

Thankful to the God who turned this boy

into this boy

Thankful for the healing of a leg and the beginning of walking.

Thankful for old friends

 

And new ones. 

(please pray for the new one, baby F)

 

 

 Thankful for the faces I get to see everyday

 For hard work

 

And relaxation

 Thankful for music

 And therapy swings.

Thankful for Uganda and everything we have learned here!

Missing all of you and praying these photos find you safe and well :)

Recently we were contacted by a group from Jamestown College.  They wanted to do something to help the people of Uganda.  It was decided on that one of the easiest way to prevent much illness here is through the use of mosquito nets.

Our friend Charles used to sleep without a net.  He lives right on Lake Victoria and he complained that he had malaria almost constantly.  About six years ago, he began to use a net and has not contracted malaria since then.  Not once.  That is how big of a difference some mesh can make!  Thank you to everyone from Jamestown College that helped with this project!

Chris and I hopped on the boda, wandered our way through the market, and bought as many mosquito nets as we could afford with the donated money.  We of course then tied the big heap of them onto the boda and swerved our way through the traffic out to Masese.  The more things we pack onto that boda the stranger it becomes to me how we won't be able to do that in the states.

 "What?  We can't carry a five year old, a backpack, a dresser, and 5 grocery bags on our motorcycle? Why ever not?"

Masese will always hold a special place in our hearts, especially the good friends we met there. 

Charles.  

Our wise friend who we spent much time traveling deep into the village with, eating chapati and asking people for directions.  He knows around 10 languages, the complete history of Uganda, all about malnutrition, and the secret of finding anybody on the planet.  Bring out a camera and he is the first to start clowning around.  I have deep respect for him and have sought counsel on what to do about situations from him on several occasions.  I believe he is one of the reasons God called us to Uganda...so he could teach us a lesson or two.  This is the man who received the mosquito nets so he could pass them out to his church as the church saw fit.

 Night.

Night has taught me about strength, kindness, and about thinking before you speak.  

She is one of my closest friends from Uganda and sends me encouraging text messages throughout the week.  

We spend time sitting on her floor laughing about the differences between our cultures.  

She just had a beautiful baby boy named Emma (short for Emmanuel).  

She was more than grateful to receive a mosquito net to cover her new baby and herself in.

Sarah.

Another one of my dearest friends from Masese.  She is hospitable, kind, bold, and everyone would agree, hard working. She has three beautiful children and one on the way.  She still tells me about the "proper way" to cook things.  She has a heart of gold and is one for rules.  She has big plans for her future and noble dreams.  Through many conversations I found how similar our hearts are in regards to work, family, and service.  

She can now sleep safely with her family under her new net. 

We stopped by one day to say hello and Constance came out to greet us.  Constance is strong, just, and sticks to what she believes is right no matter the cost.  She has taught me a lot about integrity and compassion.  She has taught me to pray while starting an I.V. and give God the credit when a seemingly impossible I.V.  is started.  To say I respect her is an understatement.

As she walked towards me she flung her arms out and gave me a big hug.  After quite awhile of hugging and laughing, she grabbed my hand in hers, held it up and turned to Chris while pointing to me.

"This one is my friend!  She is my friend." 

If someone would ask me what the most beautiful moment of our experience has been here, I wouldn't say it was seeing the Nile or the sunset or the red dirt roads. 

No.

I would say it was this.  That moment.  Because at that moment, I realized that I could return home with a happy and content heart.  Because if we can forge friendships across cultural barriers, race, age, and life stories, what can't we do?

I have not changed anything here and I have done very little.  But I will say that Uganda has changed me greatly.  I used to think that I wanted to leave my mark on the world and that I wanted to impact it for the better. 

Now I see God had much different plans for me. 

If I try and teach the world I will ultimately fail. 

But if I open my heart and let the world and it's people teach me, I am forever a student with new material to study.  

And God loves to teach. 

The people we met in Masese changed my heart and taught me more than I had imagined.

And I can now say with full confidence

That these ones are my friends.  They are my friends.

In other news...the little one who stayed with us for two months has now moved on.  Pray for her heart and her future, as big decisions are being made about her right now.

We've been keeping busy with all kinds of things. Researching sustainable power sources, medical assessments, implementing physical and speech therapy at the baby's home, taking photos, creating bells out of oxygen tanks for sponsorship programs, teaching Sunday school (our first time was today!) and enjoying all of the friendships that we have been blessed with here.  Our two good friends from the states are here living with us for the month of March.  They have started a sponsorship program in Masese.
Please pray that they are able to accomplish much during their time here.

Missing all of the friendship from back home, 

but resting in the friendships we have been given here.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, 

since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

 Colossians 3:15

Love, Fear, and Dogs.

"Please, please, carry me!" she screams and attempts to climb up my body with no help from me.

She starts to cry as they approach her.

Two puppies that stand about a foot tall each.

She is terrified.  Or I suppose since she is Ugandan she would say that "she is fearing them".

In general, Ugandans are very fearful of dogs and she is no exception.  For the first week and a half of staying with us she would hold our hands tightly, pop her thumb in her mouth and whimper as we forced her to walk and not be carried through our yard.  Sometimes reaching the gate she would erupt into cheers of triumph and bravery.  On not so good days, she would burst into tears of fear.

But we refused to carry her.

Now, before everyone thinks we are horrible and have no compassion, there is a reason we refused to carry her.  We didn't want her to spend the entire time that she stayed with us crying in fear due to our dogs.  I knew they could be potential playmates for her if only she would get past the fear.

That's the thing about fear.  It is not only a negative feeling but it simultaneously holds captive potential good feelings and experiences.  Not only was her fear causing her anxiety in the moment, but it was preventing her from the love that many children have for pets.

But that's the thing about love....it casts out fear.

For me, one of the best ways to overcome fear is to love even more.

Do I fear malaria? 

Yes. But not as much as I love Uganda.

Do I fear having my heart broken by a friendship?  

Yes.  But not as much I love my dear friends.

Did I fear making a commitment to a man to stand by him for the rest of my life? 

Yes. But not as much as I love that man. 

Do I fear HIV and TB? 

Yes. But not nearly as much as I love the ones who harbor these diseases.

Because love is blinding and when you have enough of it for something the fear evaporates like water on a hot day.  Ask any bungee jumper, sky diver, or crazy-in-love teenager.

It makes me wonder how many times God has chosen not to carry me in my times of fear only to give me the potential gift of love for a new experience, place, or person.

Today, she spent the morning outside by herself, playing with our two dogs.  She called them by name and tried to teach them tricks.  She rubbed their bellies and filled their water.

"Auntie, Auntie, you see!" She would yell every so often and try and imitate what the dogs were doing so I could watch.

Now, her main topic of conversation is Otis and Duke and our home has been lovingly renamed "Two Dogs" (the hotel down the street is named "Two Friends").  I assume she is referring to our pets and not Chris and me....

She came in from a long morning of playing with them both, grabbed my hand, looked up at me, and sighed, 

"Auntie, I love them now."

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear."-1 John 4:18

Quality Work

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’”   Luke 14:28-30

You see a lot of almost finished constructions in Uganda; walls half as high as they were meant to be, houses of bare brick with no plaster to seal them, fences that stop 10 meters short of completion. Some of these things are completed eventually, others never are. It is a money issue, but the root of the problem is deeper. People have difficulty saving money here just like at home, but they don’t have credit cards to help them out when they come up short for something. (that’s actually probably a good thing)

 I think the root of the problem is a lack of quality in what people do. I’ve nearly finished Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and although it’s not a Christian book, I found the discussion of quality to line up closely with some issues the New Testament discusses. As human beings we are often excited about an idea or project but then after some time grow tired of it. We are then faced with giving up the endeavor entirely or rushing through it to just get it over with. I’ve done it countless times myself. I begin a task like building a dog house or working on the motorcycle and then it starts getting too hot outside, or I get hungry, or I smash my knuckles one too many times. I find myself debating whether I want to continue doing the job well, or whether I just want to be done with it as quickly as possible.

I think we all fall into these traps, Ugandans and Americans. We start something without truly preparing ourselves for the time it will take, how much it will cost, or simply how much motivation it will require. Whether it’s a marriage, planting a field, a relationship with a loved one, or building a wall, God asks us to do it to the highest quality. He clearly deserves our best efforts in everything, but I think it’s more than that. He knows that doing things to a high standard will benefit us as well. Not only do we usually feel better about ourselves when we do a good job at something, we will also be better prepared to take part in God’s perfect kingdom if we’re accustomed to trying our best with what we have now.

“Whatever you do, work at it with ALL YOUR HEART, as working for the Lord, not for men.”    Col 3:23

“I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was WELL BUILT.” Luke 6: 47-48

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”   1 Cor 9: 24-25

These pictures are from a Farming God’s Way seminar I had the opportunity to attend. One of the principles was doing everything to a High Standard. During the training the local farmers were taught how to accurately dig the holes for their crops, measure out the amount of fertilizer they use, and were encouraged to plant smaller gardens to a higher standard, rather than planting large, unorganized ones. It’s been proven that if a farmer uses the methods from the class on 1 acre of land, they can produce more maize than using traditional methods on 10 acres of land. It reminded me that God cares much more about our heart and the quality of our work than the quantity of our work. 

 

Presence

There is a little boy that I see every other day who lives at a children's home.

I walk into the room filled with children and ask, “Where’s Alexander?”

Every time, without fail, he turns his head up and flings his arms into the air, a smile breaking across his face.

Chosen. 

I pick him up and he squeals with delight as I tickle his arms and swing him along.  His laugh is indescribably contagious. 

We walk down a short little path and into a room.  

But this room isn’t filled with toys or books.  It holds no delightful surprises or candy or balloons. 

This room holds sterile gauze and antiseptic.  Bandages, tape, scalpels, and betadine.

You see, this little boy has some severe wounds that need to be undressed, cleaned, and dressed again every other day.  A process that is anything but fun for a small two year old boy.

At first, as the process was more painful, beads of sweat would fall from his head as he screamed and cried.  (Parents, be thankful for the resources available for your children in the states for pain management.)

Now, however, he sits there contently as I quickly remove the bandages and reapply fresh ones. 

  

Now, the only time he fusses, is when I put that last piece of tape on and say, “Are you ready to go back?” Now, the only time tears start to fall and fists start to clench and lungs start to scream is when I set him back amongst the others and leave. 

I’m clearly not entertaining him in his favorite way when we spend time together.  I cannot possibly be his favorite person in the world.  I am, however, doing what is necessary for his growth and development.  And although he doesn’t understand that, all he really wants is to be in the presence of one who is completely devoted to him. 

All at once. Only him.  The pain is worth that to him.

Am I like that?

When God calls my name, do I turn my head up?  Even when I know it’s going to be painful?

Is it enough to be in the presence of the One who is completely devoted to me even when the scars are torn open and stinging antiseptic is poured over my wounds and I am too small to understand why it has to be done this way?

Is it enough for me to simply be in the presence despite what happens while I am there?

Although I have a thing or two to learn from this little man that I spend about half an hour with every other day, I am beginning to turn my head up.

Because despite what goes on while I am there, I am learning that being in God’s presence is always better than being somewhere else.

Even if it’s painful.

In other news…(that is less related to my random thoughts about everything and more to do with day to day...)

We have another house guest :)  She is five, feisty, and tons of fun.  She knows the words to any song you play and provides me with endless entertainment as she imitates every single thing Chris does.  She will be with us for a couple months.  Please pray that she feels at home and that we all adjust well.

 Chris is still up to his usual tricks of running around town keeping busy everyday.  He has gotten pretty good at tying things the Ugandan way to our boda....and he keeps the crazy faces coming on a daily basis.

Some of Chris's work deals with...

 Water tanks

 Hauling Bricks

 Fuel Efficient Stoves

 And most importantly, working with the amazingly skilled Ugandan workers.

We moved into town and have been busy setting things up in our new house.  We really love it so far...even if it is a definite work in progress.  I have had to consult Kirsti already about some of our house issues :)  We are incredibly fortunate to live where we do. AND to have a stove :)

 The hideous cheery yellow is overwhelmingly a little intense, and the red floors were not our work.  But its really becoming home and we love it here.  

We call it the Ronald McDonald kitchen. 

Most of the work I do involves lots of photos, diagnosing and treating, temperature taking, bandaging, kisses and hugs, and organizing medication closets.  I love the people that I spend time with. 

A few other moments we have been a part of over the last few weeks....