I've got JOY down in my heart

This past week has been filled with so many great moments and memories that have filled my heart with JOY!!

Tuesday we went to the Abaana's Hope land and got to be there for the bore hole dedication. It was so awesome to see the how proud the workers were of their work that they put into making the bore hole and to know what an impact it will have in the community. These men are so dedicated to their work and work hard at what they do!

Us with the Abaana's Hope workers

We brought our new friends from Gulu, Sharon and Joyce, to the land and they helped translate for us with the people that we are forming relationships with. Having a language barrier makes it so hard to communicate with the people so we were all so thankful to have Sharon and Joyce come with us. These 2 girls are so sweet and both love the Lord! They are such a help and I look forward to getting to know them better as we spend more time at the land.

Joyce, Me, and Sharon

We also we went to the land again on Thursday with the goal of driving around to get more of an understanding of what is available in the community (drug stores, markets, doctors, etc.) We drove around for a while and discovered a drug store that was run by a woman who is a nurse runs. She was very nice and informed us that the local government run health center send patients to her for better diagnosis and for medicine... kind of ironic but definitely information we needed to know. We continued to drive some more and stopped to eat our lunch at the church/community center that is across the street from one of the primary schools. We got there right before the school let out for lunch and being that a group of muzungus (white people) are always an attraction, we attracted a crowd of students. We finished our sandwiches and started playing games and singing...which turned into dancing. It was so much fun being surrounding by so many children FILLED with joy! I love hearing African music and songs but especially when they are worshiping the Lord!

 

One of my favorite things to do is to walk the children from the village to school each morning. We get up and head to the village around 7:00 then walk about a mile down the road to Kasubi Central Primary School where most of the children attend. I walk with Irene, Winnie, and Charles and the time that I have walking with them is so sweet. We get to sing songs, learn bible verses, and just get to talk each morning. I continue to pray for this time that we will be able to use it for God's glory and get to learn and grown together.

Me and my sweet Irene

I love walking to school with these sweet siblings!

Today has been a lot of fun! We all spent the day in the village helping in the gardens, washing clothes, fetching water and doing other Saturday chores. But today was also hard because it was the last full day with the 5 June interns. They are leaving early tomorrow morning to make their way back to Kampala before flying back to the US on Tuesday. God truly blessed this group of girls this past month! We all bonded instantly and have learned so much from one another. Each one of them has different talents and interests but they are all such strong Christian girls. I have been encouraged by them daily not only in the words, but also by the way the life each day. They are all living examples of Christ and servants of Him. I will miss these girls but look forward to seeing them in the fall and I also look forward to to having the 3 new interns join us next week.

We love you girls and will miss you so much!

Please pray for the safety and travel of the 2 teams during the next week. Also continue to pray for Jamie and the baby. Little girl should be arriving any day now and Jamie asks for your prayers: that the midwife will be bale to get here safely and in time, that we will have power, that her anemia will not cause any complication, and that she and the baby will remain safe and healthy through it all.

My Vision of Womanhood

During our devotions this week we have been talking about contentment, singleness, and womanhood. We spent a lot of time in scripture and learning what the Lord commands of each of us in being a woman of God. We were all assigned with the task of defining womanhood and writing our own visions for our personal womanhood. Before this assignment, I had never really thought about what the definition of womanhood is, what it really means to be a woman, or at what point in life do you become a woman. I know women who I view as "women of God" but when I sat down to write out what it means was rather challenging to put it into words.

I am so glad to have taken time and spent time investigating myself and what has called me to be as a woman. It is my prayer that I will stay accountable to my vision and be encouraged by reading it. I would encourage each of you, man and woman, to write your own vision to manhood/womanhood and seek what the Lord has planned for you as a man/woman of God.

My Vision of Womanhood

I will accept who I am in Christ, for I was chosen by God and made in his image. (Genesis 1:27) I will choose to seek Him daily (Isaiah 55:6) and maximize my time with him so that I can have an intimate relationship with Him and reflect what it means to be a woman of God. I will choose to be content with my life and not compare it to others. (John 17:26, Galatians 6:4, Philippians 4:11-12) I will not fear or get discouraged because I know that God has planned each day of my life (Isaiah 41:10, Jeremiah 29:11) and because of this I will relax in His presence and choose to make the best of every situation. I will seek wise counsel from people who will tell me the truth and push me in my walk with Christ.

 I will seek to follow God’s model for womanhood even in today’s ‘modern culture’ and will teach it to younger woman and live as an example to younger women. (1 Timothy 2:9) I will choose to be kind, humble, eager to work, trustworthy, modest and extend compassion to all that I meet. (Proverbs 31:20,26, 1 Peter 3:8) I will seek to serve others before myself (Proverbs 31:17,19, 1 Peter 3:8) and will be a woman who is quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry and will keep no record of wrongs. (James 1:19) I will forgive those who have wronged me and take full responsibility of my wrong doings. (Colossians 3:13, James 5:16) I will be a diligent worker each day and focus my work on the glory of God, not man. (Proverbs 31:17,19)

If it is the Lord’s plan for me to be married, I will work together with my husband to reflect the glory of God. (Colossians 3:17) I will choose to humble myself, honor and submit to my husband. (1 Peter 3:1, Genesis 2:18) I will seek to have a gentle and quiet spirit as I respect his authority as the head of the household and will encourage him daily to help him reach his God-given potential. (1 Peter 3:4, Ephesians 5:22-24) I will work to communicate with him and not hold things inside my heart. 

If it is the Lord’s plan for me to have children, I will be a Godly example for my children to look up to. I will demonstrate and teach my children how to love the Lord with all their hearts, minds, and strength and will train them to respect authority and live responsibly. (Ephesians 6:1, Luke 10:27) I will work with my husband to show our children what love is and that there is no greater love than the love of Christ. (John 15:13) I will cultivate a peaceful home where all who live there and all who visit will sense God’s presence not only through acts of love and service but also through the pleasant and grateful attitude with which I perform them.

Your Glory Speaks in Every Language

"Your glory speaks in every language, across the sky through every nation."

What an AWESOME day! Jerica and I woke up this morning and made chocolate chip pancakes for Anna's birthday. There is just something about cooking and listening to praise and worship music that just makes my heart smile.

After we all finished breakfast we got ready and headed to Gulu Bible Community Church. This was our 3rd time attending GBCC and it was a great service! The pastor spoke on having a friend in Jesus and it was a very encouraging message. My favorite part of the service was getting to worship with the Ugandan people. It is so awesome to know that we are worshiping the same God and the people are not ashamed of Him! I love singing American songs with them but also learning Ugandan songs and dances. "I am a friend of God" "Lord I lift your name on High" "How Great is our God" Each time I worship with them (whether it be at church or with the people in the village) my heart is warmed with an inexpressible joy.

After church at Gulu Bible Community Church

 

We spent the afternoon with the children in the village. It was a rainy day but probably one of the most fun days I have had! As we watched the rain roll in, we all went into one of the huts to keep dry. Once we all were in, Sunday and Tony (2 of the older boys) pulled out their bibles and wanted to read scripture. Many of us have been challenging the children to memorize scripture this past week so when Sunday and Tony wanted to read this afternoon it was very encouraging!

Rain is coming!

Our rainy afternoon quickly turned into singing and dancing. We attempted at learning some of the African dances which was entertaining for us all! But also did the Hokey Pokey and sang a bunch of songs. Children really are like sponges and soak up so many things! They love to do the Hokey Pokey and sing the songs we taught them from VBS when we first got here. I love hearing them sing Father Abraham (Father Habraham) and He's Got the Whole World in His Hands-such a beautiful sound!

Dancing inside the hut

Pure joy in the rain

Chi O in Africa!

It is hard to believe that we have been here for almost a month! The Lord has shown himself to me and taught me more in these few weeks than I ever could have imagined! This past week I have gotten to spend a lot of time with Annet. We have cooked, cleaned, danced, and laughed together and it has all been so much fun! She is an amazing cook and a wonderful mom. I really love spending time with her and am glad that I still have a month with her so hopefully I will be half the cook that she is by the time I leave!

Annet and I

Lord of all Creation

Yesterday, Anna, Rebecca, Laurel, Jerica and I spent our morning at Kasubi Central Primary School and we loved it! We walked the children from the village to school around 7:30 then waited in the head teacher's office until the morning assembly started. At the morning assembly, we were all introduced to the student body and explained that we would be helping in various classes throughout the day. Anna and Rebecca attended P7 math and science classes, Laurel helped with P5, P6, and P7 arts and crafts, and Jerica and I attended P7 english and P2 english.

Jerica and I waiting for our first class

Jerica and I are both education majors and were excited to see how Ugandan schools and classes were run. The first class we attended was P7 english. (This is pretty equivalent to 6th or 7th grade) Our plan was to just sit back and observe the teachers teach their class as they usually do and we would be there to assist struggling students or help the teachers in any way. The P7 lesson was on the formation of adverbs and the students seemed to catch on pretty quickly. Once Mr. Paulycup finished the instruction and assigned the assignment, Jerica and I went around the class to assist students and check their work. It was a great first class to be in! The students were very welcoming but not completely distracted by us being in there.

After P7 English we all joined the other teachers for tea. Tea time is a very respected time each day around 10:30 for all Ugandans. At school it is referred to as 'break' and the teachers have tea while the students have break/play time for 30 minutes. From one who doesn't drink sweet tea at home in Alabama, I thought that having hot tea in Africa would be a challenge, but I actually kind of like it. It tastes a lot like hot sweet tea but they sweeten it with honey instead of sugar. We all really enjoyed tea with the teachers and are excited to continue this and get to know them better!

 

Today we spent the day at the Abaana's Hope land meeting people who live in the bush. The 30 minute ride to the land is absolutely beautiful! Nature at it's finest full of mountains, trees, plants, animals, sky...all pieces of God's beautiful creation! When we got to the land we met with the workers then headed to meet the people who live in the surrounding huts. We met several families but only a few spoke English which made today challenging. But even with the language barrier, we still had a great day and learned a lot from the people and will be returning again on Thursday.

Precious little boy

Such beautiful weather!

"You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands."

Isaiah 55:12

Meet Irene

My sweet Irene

This sweet little girl is 9 year old Irene. Irene and I first met during the VBS we held for the local children in the nearby village and hit it off immediately! She is such a beautiful girl with a beautiful spirit and attitude, always smiling and giggling. Irene's parents both died when she was very young so she lives with her Uncle, Simon Peter and 2 cousins, Charles and Winnifred. She is a P2 students at Kasubi Central (the same school that we will be working with) and is very bright.

Charles, Simon, Me, Winnie, and Irene

When I first met her, she was shy to answer questions in English and would just smile and giggle instead of answering the question. But yesterday, Kasey and I spent the afternoon with their family and when Winnie and Irene started speaking to each other in Alcholi, Simon corrected them and told them they should speak in English so that we all can be included in the conversation. I then asked Irene what she said in Alcholi, and she was again very shy to answer me in English. Simon said that she is shy to answer because she is scared that she will mess up and say the wrong thing. When he said this a lightbulb came on in my head and I could really feel the Lord leading me closer to Irene. I knew that all she needed was a little encouragement because she knows English but was just scared to mess up.

We spent the rest of the afternoon together playing and working alongside of her "Mom" (Grandmother) at the rock quarry breaking rocks by hand. As we spent time together, I asked her more questions in English and she slowly opened up to me. I am really excited to spend more time with her, get to know her on a deeper level, and really pour into her life. Their family is very close-knit and attend church regularly. I pray for our upcoming conversations together that they will be Godly conversations and that I can share with them.

Matt and Jamie had us make goals for our personal ministry the other day. At first I struggled trying to figure out exactly where God wanted me to be, but the more I prayed about it God showed me exactly how I can serve him. My goals are:
1. To work with the teachers and students at Kasubi Central school.
    -help struggling students with English by spending one on one time with them
    -develop relationships with the teachers and minister to them during break/tea time
2. Continue to develop my relationship with Irene and pour into her spiritually,
     -Encourage her and help her with her English
     -Read the bible and memorize scripture together
     -Take Winnie under my wing when Kasey leaves at the end of June.
3. Spend time developing relationships at the Abaana's Hope land.

Please pray for me as I continue to seek God's wisdom to find the best ways to reach my goals.
   

Back to school!

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trails of many kinds, because you know that the testing of faith produces perseverance."  James 1:2-3

Over the past dew days I have been struggling to find my purpose and place of ministry here in Gulu. After spending time praying, talking to others, and really investigating my options, I feel like it is now becoming evident. I have always had a heart for children and as an Elementary Education major I find joy in being with children and seeing them learn.

This afternoon, Laurel, Anna, Rebecca and I walked down to the local school to meet with the headteacher (principal) to see if we could set up a schedule for us to come to the school to help the teachers and tutor students. The headteacher was not there this afternoon, so we are returning tomorrow morning to meet with the her to set a schedule and to decide what teachers and grades we would like to work with. This afternoon's visit was such an answered prayer! The teachers and students were so welcoming and excited for us to come help. I am now really excited to get plugged into the school! The school is a primary school, P1-P7, with over 800 students enrolled and only 15 teachers...so if you do that math they are all very large classes! We are hoping to be able to help struggling students and also assist the teacher in instructing lessons. There are still a lot of unknowns to be worked out but I continue to pray that the Lord will lead and guide us to how we can glorify him.

Tomorrow morning after we meet with the headteacher, we are all heading back to Wawoto. I am excited to get to spend some more time with Alice and make necklaces with her!

Please continue to pray that I will daily seek the Lord's will and follow him. And that I will not get discouraged when the enemy tries to destroy me. For when I face trials, it is testing my faith to produce perseverance. I also ask that you pray for Jamie and the baby that will soon be arriving. Pray for wisdom for Matt and Jamie's decisions that they still need to make concerning details for the baby's delivery.

"Every child in Africa is Yours"

"And I hear children's voices singing, Of a God who heals and rescues and restores, And I'm reminded that every child in Africa is Yours."
-Steven Curtis Chapman

EVERY child is yours Lord! It is mind blowing when thinking about God's creation to think about how he knows and loves each and every person on this earth. He knew our names, the number of hairs we would have on our heads, and the plans for our lives when he was creating the world (long before today!) I was thinking about this yesterday on our way back to Gulu from visiting the Abaana's Hope land. As we drove past people who I will never know or probably see again, God knows each one of them! This is really something neat to think about!

So yesterday we spend the day at the Abaana's Hope land. The land is in the very beginning stages of development but is absolutely beautiful! We were given an overview of where everything will be located on the land (the bore hole, gardens, buildings etc.) then visited one of the local schools in the area. The children at the school were on their break when we arrived so we got to spend a good amount of time playing with them. I played soccer for the first time since I was probably 5 and was reminded who intense the game is! (also how much energy it takes to play the game). Lets just say that the school children did not have much competition in the game. After we played soccer we spent most of the remaining time singing and dancing with the children, which has become one of my most favorite things to do here! I love hearing the children sing and see their faces light up with joy! Im pretty sure they also get a good kick out of seeing us dance.

Today we spent the morning in the village visiting with the people. We got to work alongside the people doing laundry and learning how to cook a traditional African meal. Kasey and I also met a guy named Jackson who was working to dig a field to build a fence. Jackson is 22, unmarried, but working to take care of his 3 brothers and pay for their school fees. We had great conversations about Uganda, America, work, school, and God. Kasey and I are excited to return tomorrow to get to talk to him more and possibly learn to dig.

This afternoon, Anna and I put our recently learned hand washing laundry knowledge to work. This was the first time I had ever washed my clothes by hand and definitely have a greater appreciation for washing machines now-it is hard work!

Today was also Tristan's 4th birthday, He was so excited and let everyone know it! All day we heard "Can we open my presents yet?" "Is it time for my party yet?" but we had his 'Cars' themed birthday party at dinner. It is hard to believe that he is already 4 years old but he sure has been such a blessing to so many during the past 4 years!

The birthday boy!

 

Please continue to pray for me, my team, and Matt and Jamie (especially with baby girl East soon  to arrive any day now!)

Living and Loving

Yesterday was our last day of VBS and it went great! We reviewed the week's lessons to the children about how God created you and he loves you, we are not perfect, and he died on the cross so that each of us can live forever with him in heaven. We then played with and loved on the children for the remainder of the day.

Our afternoon was spent getting to visit another ministry in Gulu, Living Hope. Living Hope was established as a place for women to go to escape the war. These women are taught trades such as making bags and stuffed animals, peanut butter, and sanitary pads for women.  The women also attend weekly discipleship classes and other classes such as personal finances. It is a great ministry and the women there were all so nice and welcoming to us!

First step to making sanitary pads. Mixing water, paper, and papyrus.

Cutting the pads

Women sewing and stuffing small stuffed animals

Today, we spent our morning at Wawoto Kacel, which is a ministry that works with men and women who are disabled and/or affected by HIV Aids. It was such a great morning getting to visit with the people, hear their stories, and see how they use the trades they have learned to make goods that are sold in the gift shop. They have 6 different stations of work: card making, paper bead/ jewelry making, tailoring, knitting, tie dye, and weaving.

Hand tie dyed fabric used to make stuffed animals

After touring the different stations and visiting the gift shop, I went back to the paper bead/jewelry station where I met a new friend Alice. Alice has been at Wawoto for the past 4 years and loves her job! I loved getting to visit with her and hear her story. She and I had a great time and I really enjoyed getting to make necklaces with her. Before I left she asked me to come again and help her and I can't wait to help her again!

Me and Alice

It is hard to believe that we have been in Gulu for one week now! We have already made so many connections and relationships with the people here and with each other as a team. God has provided so much already and I know that he will continue to lead and guide us. I pray that we will continue to make connections but that we would stay focused on our personal relationships with Him. He has already taught me so much and I thank him for his provision in my life and this summer.

Jesus loves the little children

Today went great! I loved getting to lead the bible lesson for VBS and the children were so much fun today. We sang songs, made grass necklaces and bracelets, played games, and my favorite was dancing with the girls. Some of the older girls wanted to perform a native dance for us and it was so awesome. They were singing and dancing to songs in Acholi and having so much fun. After they finished their performance, we got to try. I wouldnt say it was perfect but a lot of fun and we then taught them some American dances like the "Hokey Pokey" and "Little Sally Walker." I am excited to see what tomorrow holds!

Native dance

 This afternoon we got to spend time at Baby Watoko which is a center that takes in children under the age of 4. Most of the children are there as a result of their mother's death during pregnancy or abandonment as a young child. While this is very hard for me to understand, I was glad to get to love on them!

When we first got there, we helped the women who work there by changing diapers after nap time and playing with them before they received their bottles. When I walked into one of the nursery rooms the most precious face caught my eye. I picked her up, changed her diaper, then took her to the play area. As I was walking to the play area, a worker informed me that this child had a twin sister. I immediately felt a connection and was excited to get to feed and love on the twins (Rose and Jolieta.) Having twins in Uganda is often frowned upon/considered a curse. This is because there are kingdoms within Uganda and there are not supposed to be two "princesses" so many times the twins are separated and left as orphans. Being a twin myself, this topic baffles me. Having twins and being a twin is a blessing not a curse! I loved getting to spend time with these sweet babies who are just under 6 months old. I pray that the girls will be placed into loving home and get to share the relationship that I have with my twin sister!

Rose and Jolieta

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
          Psalm 139: 13-14

"How do you carry this on your head?"

This morning was day 1 of our VBS in the nearby village and it was so great! When we first got there, there were only a handful of children but by the time we left there were probably around 50 people. The Lord was so faithful and provided translators, eager and excited children, and he equipped each one of us with the confidence needed.

Each day we will share a bible story, sing songs in English and Acholi, do crafts and games. I really enjoyed getting to teach the children new songs. It is so neat how children all over the world love music! When we went back to spend time with the people in the village this afternoon, I was so encouraged by the children who started singing the songs they learned this morning. They are each just so incredibly precious and I am really enjoying getting to spend time with them.

My favorite part of today was getting to help some of the children fetch water from the boar hole (the local well). The children in Uganda are to be self sufficient by the age of 5 so they start doing chores at a very young age. This includes fetching water, looking after younger siblings, digging in the gardens and bathing themselves. Anna and I followed a few of the children to the boar hole and ended up helping several more children. It is still so hard for me to comprehend how the children carry the water! They take the jerry cans and other assorted bottles down to the boar hole and pump the water into the cans. Some of the children come from a long way away with many cans. One little boy today brought a small wheel barrow filled with 5 cans then once they were filled he had to carry them back home. Anna and I wanted to help the young children carry the water back...I wish I could say that we successfully carried the cans back the "Ugandan way" by carrying them on our heads, but we were not so successful. Fetching water is HARD WORK! We had to stop several times along the way to adjust and take a break but one lady did help me get the can to my shoulder and I was so proud!! The can probably held between 10-15 gallons of water and I cannot imagine how the children can possibly carry them, I got a serious workout!

At the boar hole

Me and Anna when we got back from fetching water.. I wish you could see just how much water we spilled!

Tomorrow morning we will return for VBS and I will be leading the bible lesson. I am both excited and nervous at the same time. But I just have to trust the Lord and rest in the fact that it is not me but Him who is speaking through me. Continue to pray for our team and the children and how we can rejoice the Lord together. 

We made it!

 I am officially in Uganda! All the many months of preparing and dreaming about what it would be like here, is before me. We all met in Atlanta Wednesday (May 29th) to start our journey. Our flight left Atlanta headed to Washington, D.C. We had a layover in D.C. then we flew to Brussels, Belgium. The flight from D.C. to Belgium was 8 hours overnight so we all tried to get as much sleep as we could. We got to Brussels Thursday morning, had about a 3 hour layover, then got on our final plane that would take us to Africa. We flew 10 hours from Brussels to Entebbe which was actually a pretty enjoyable flight.

Our team before leaving Atlanta

Once we arrived in Entebbe, we were all beaming with excitement/delirium from lack of sleep. We purchased our visas, picked up our luggage (ALL of it made it), then met Matt and our fearless bus driver Fred outside to head to Kampala. We rode to Kampala where we stayed for the night before making the 6 hour drive to Gulu Friday morning.

My flight buddy for all 3 flights-Rebecca

We safely arrived in Gulu Friday afternoon...safely being the key word! In all of Uganda there are hardly any traffic rules but a lot of crazy drivers! The drive was entertaining and nerve racking at the same time but we all enjoyed getting to see the beautiful land of Uganda along the way.

The Nile River

When we got to Matt and Jamie's house Friday afternoon we were immediately greeted by Tristan and Cole. They were both so excited to have so many new friends to play with...especially girls! We all got settled into our rooms, ate dinner, then headed to bed early because we all had NO concept of time!

We all caught up on some sleep Saturday morning before heading into the nearby villages. We have been planning to do a VBS this upcoming week but needed to find a location to host it and get the word out to the people. The Lord is so good and answered our prayers when we arrived at the first village. The children were timid when we first arrived but warmed up to us quickly. We began playing simple games like hopscotch with them and their faces lit up with smiles and laughter immediately. My heart is warmed by these children! They are all so beautiful and have such sweet hearts. I look forward to the weeks to come  to see how our relationships grow.

 We are starting our VBS tomorrow morning in the first village we visited. We have invited any children who are either too young for school or ones who cannot afford to go to school to come to our VBS. We will be teaching a bible lesson, music, crafts, and recreation games this Monday-Thursday mornings.
 I ask for you prayers for a few things:
-That God will be able to reach the children in spite of the language barrier (English/Acholi)
-That each one of us will be confident in ourselves to take on the challenge of leading VBS
-That God will receive all the glory throughout our work


Thank you all for your prayers and I will keep you updated!