Time of our lives!

"This is where the chapter ends, a new one now begins.....We have had the time of our lives, And now the page is turned, the stories we will write. We have had the time of our lives, And I will not forget the faces left behind. It's hard to walk away, from the best of days. But if it has to end, I'm glad you have been my friend, in the time of our lives."

-Tyrone Wells 'Time of Our Lives'

My sweet Irene will always have a very special place in my heart!

It is hard to believe that I have been back in the States for almost a week and a half! The transition was hard, leaving my "home" for the past 2 months and coming home to Opelika. I think about Uganda everyday and I miss it so much! I will never be able to put into words just what this summer has meant to me and how much God has taught me but I am incredibly thankful for the opportunity to go.


I have been busy with the fast-pace American world since being back and didnt get to blog about our last few days in Uganda so here it goes...


We all decided as a group at the beginning of the summer that we didn't want to give things to the children. This seemed challenging at the beginning of the summer but proved to work and made our relationships stronger with the children because they knew that we were there to make relationships with them and get to know them better. As the summer progressed, we saw that most of the children did not have a personal bible and many didn't even have a bible in their home. We decided that we would purchase bibles and to give to the children that we made strong connections with and who would understand and benefit from having one.
So 2 days before I left, I gave Irene a bible. She was so excited and thankful to have a bible of her own and continued to thank me.The appreciation she has for her bible is more than I have ever had for my own. It was such a humbling experience to witness and I have such a greater appreciation for my bible now.

Everything this week was our last...
-Last trip to the land. We got to know Christine and her daughter Gift during the past couple of trips to the land and when we discovered that the roof of her kitchen hut had caught on fire, we wanted to help her. Christine rode back to Gulu with us on Monday, got the bamboo and supplies she needed to fix the roof, then on Tuesday we brought her and the supplies back. Christine does not have a job, so she has very little income and a trip to town would be very costly especially coming back with all the supplies. I am so glad that we were able to help her save some money and provide her with the transportation needed so that she could afford the supplies needed for the roof!

-Last day in Gulu. As you can imagine this was a very hard day! We got up and walked the kids to school for the last time then headed to the Coffee Hut to have a group breakfast date. It was so surreal that this really was our last full day!

I hate that this picture is blurry!

We started/finished packing while the kids were in school then headed to the village for the rest of the day. Irene gets home from school earlier than Winnie and Charles because she is in P2, so after lunch I headed to spend the day with her.  I wanted to soak up every minute with her! We took pictures and videos, did chores, read her bible, ate corn, sang songs, and had so much fun! I miss her so much already!!!

Once the other children got home from school, we played futbol (soccer) and helped with chores while trying to deny that I would have to say goodbye to them that night. When the sun was beginning to set and the time had come for us to have to say our goodbyes, I fought to hold back tears. These children have such a special place in my heart and it was so hard to think about leaving them! But we said our goodbyes and I told them all that I would be praying for them. It is times like this that I must trust in the Lord for he is the only one who knows what the future holds and who will be able to be with them while we are gone.

It was an emotional night, telling the children bye but also having our last devotion and having to tell Jamie bye. (She and Virginia stayed in Gulu while Matt and the boys took us to the airport) Goodbyes are never easy but especially when you are so close to someone. The interns really became a family this summer and we were led by the best "parents"! Matt and Jamie are such wonderful people who are simply following God where he leads them. Being around them all summer, I learned what a Godly marriage looks like and how that relates to raising children in a Godly home. They were both great role models for us all to look up to and I cant wait to see them again...in America AND in Uganda!

We left Gulu, early Thursday morning to go on a SAFARI! It was hard leaving Gulu for the last time but we were all excited to go on a real African safari. The safari was a lot of fun and it was really cool to see the animals!

 After riding through the gamepark in the bus, we caught a ferry to take a boat tour. We got to see more animals and also got to see Murchison Falls. The waterfall is so beautiful and and a large source of water that feeds the Nile River.

We could not get super close because the current of the water is so strong.

We all went to Friday Market in Kampala on Friday and got to do some shopping and I had a wonderful surprise- I got to see Tessa!! Tessa Bailey along with 2 other girls (one from Troy and one from Berry College) were also in Uganda for the summer working with a ministry in Pader. Tessa is one of my sorority sisters and a great friend. We talked in the spring before we left, that if we got to see each other over the summer that we would probably cry....and we did! I didn't think we would actually get to see each other in AFRICA but God had a way of working. I so excited to get to spend a few days with her when I am in Troy next week for internship training so that we can share stories and relate to one another!

Tesssa!

 

 

 

Kristen, AJ, me, and Tessa at Friday Market

We spent the rest of our time in Kampala sight seeing around town and got to visit the Speke Resort before heading to the airport. We walked around the resort and got to spend time hanging out together before we board our plane for about 24 hours of traveling.

So many beautiful flowers!

Lake Victoria

We ate dinner then headed to the Entebbe airport. It was hard saying goodbye to Matt and the boys but we had to get on the plane as much as we didn't want to! After a day of travels, we arrived in Atlanta Sunday afternoon with warm welcomes from our families.
The past week and a half, I have been adjusting to the time difference, fast-pace American life, and the abundance of choices and opportunities available. It will continue to take time to adjust back to the American life but I think that is best. This summer has taught me so much and I don't want to forget all that I have learned.

I thank God for this wonderful opportunity this summer and for all of your prayers and support! Not everyone can go but everyone can pray. I ask that you continue to pray for Matt and Jamie, Abaana's Hope, and Four Corners Ministries. God is doing amazing work and I pray that this continues.

This is a link to FCM's webpage with a video that captures some of the stories from this summer and a trip to South Sudan. http://www.4cornersministries.org/media/videos/2393/change-there-brings-change-here/