"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!)