Suppose....

"Suppose another time you are making a big decision in your life, and you need help. You have options before you, and you need guidance to decide which way is best. So you ask God for help. But He doesn't answer with guidance. Instead He answers by sending the Holy Spirit, who is our Guide. God sends the Helper, who will live in you and not only tell you what decision to make but also enable you to make that decision.

Yet another time you need discernment, and God gives you the Spirit of wisdom. At other times you need strength, and God gives you the Spirit of power. Still other times you ask God for love, joy, peace, patients, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, or self-control, and He gives you the Spirit, who makes all these things a reality in your life."

~Radical by David Platt

p. 57 - 58

Heavenly Father,

Send your Holy Spirit; the Guide. You have promised to lead the blind... and You have promised to say "this is the way, walk in it..." You have promised wisdom and strength. Fulfill your promises; direct me and give me strength to obey. Holy Spirit, You are welcome. I need You.

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Psalm 78:4, 12-14

"We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done."

"He did miracles in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan. He divided the sea and led them through; He made the water stand firm like a wall. He guided them with the cloud by day and with light from the fire all night."

"Lord, as we wake from another night's slumber, we are reminded that Your dreams are given to us and not merely conjured up by our imaginations. Help us understand both that Your dreams come at a price and that their rewards are immeasurable." (commonprayer.net Jan. 15th 2012)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Dear friends,

Just wanted to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day! While the world celebrates earthly love let's remember that we have access to the greatest Love.

As you are looking for that special gift, please remember to consider the impact every purchase has. You have the opportunity to impact the lives of these ladies (and their families) for the better by buying their hand-made jewelry.

Check it out here! www.imanilove.com

'Learning About His Ways'

From My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers (Aug 1st)

He Comes Where He Commands Us to Leave

Matthew 11:1

"When Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities."

"If you stayed home when God called you to go because you were so concerned about your own people there, then you actually robbed them of the teaching of Jesus Christ Himself. When you obeyed and left all the consequences to God, the Lord went into your city to teach, but as long as you were disobedient, you blocked His way. Watch where you begin to debate with Him and put what you call your duty into competition with His commands. If you say, "I know that He told me to go, but my duty is here," it simply means that you do not believe that Jesus means what He says."

He Works Where He Sends Us to Wait

'....tarry until....' (Luke 24:49)

"Wait on the Lord" and He will work (Ps. 37:34). But don't wait sulking spiritually and feeling sorry for yourself, just because you can't see one inch in front of you! Are we detached enough from our own spiritual fits of emotion to 'wait patiently for Him' (37:7)? Waiting is not sitting with folded hands doing nothing, but it is learning to do what we are told.

These are some of the facets of His ways that we rarely recognize."

From My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers (Aug 1st)

Wings

I am currently staying at the children's home for 10 days while their house mom is on vacation. So far it's been a blast. :) Several of the girls had chicken pox last week. When I got here on Friday morning, the first thing Jolly told me was "Auntie! Last night I prayed to Jesus to take away my chicken pock, and today they are gone!" Sure enough, she had maybe one or two spots left but the rest had totally disappeared overnight.

------------------------------------

Today -

Nancy: Auntie, when it is time for you to go back to America, I'm going to fly there to see you and to see your home.

Me: How will you fly?

Nancy: With my wings! (flapping her arms)

Doreen: Where will you get wings?!

Nancy: I will pray to God to give me wings like the angels and He will give them to me!

Doreen: Why don't you just pray to Him to give you the money to go!?

Back!

So good to see Nancy's GRIN, Doreen's shy smile, Jolly's hugs, Jacky's attitude, Vero's constant questions, Gloria's hand in mine, Mercy's brilliance, Fatuma's silliness, Anita's sweetness, Charlotte's quiet joy, Janet's energy, Espe's confidence, Charlie's giggles, Naomi's fire, Afosina's wisdom, and Aloyo's sincerity.

Pray for them, for their house mom Carol, and for the home in general...for God's Spirit to be in every corner of that home. For His angels to surround it and keep watch. For the girls' hearts to be open to what God wants for them.

Interesting...

'On January 12, 1948, Mohandas Gandhi began his last successful fast in New Delhi to convince Hindus and Muslims in the city to work toward peace. Six days later, convinced that harmony was achieved, he ended the fast. For most of his adult life, Gandhi read -Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount every morning, convinced that it contained a truth more powerful than the empire that occupied his native India or the enmity that divided Hindus and Muslims. Through “experiments in truth” like the public fast, he sought to put -Jesus’ teachings into practice for the sake of peace.' from commonprayer.net

Safely In Uganda

I'm so thankful for uneventful travels and a safe arrival in Uganda at 2:15 AM yesterday...I stayed the night in Entebbe and am now in Kampala. A couple of fun facts - I ran into someone I know from Gulu (Coy, Robbie, and baby Anna) on the flight from Chicago to Istanbul, and we were also on the same flight from Istanbul to Entebbe. I don't mind flying alone but it is always comforting to see a familiar face on the other side of the world. Also, I was planning on a special hire (rented vehicle & driver) to get to Gulu... I was just praying for someone to share the ride & expense... but instead God has connected me to another missionary who is making the trip anyway. He provides way above and beyond my expectations.

2011 In Review...extended version =)

2011 has been an eventful year for much of Africa, including Uganda and the surrounding area. In Feb., Uganda had presidential elections. In July, South Sudan became an independent state, and in Nov., the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) also had elections. Each of these events had the potential for instability or violence. I’m so thankful for God’s protection in spite of various protests and instability in Uganda following our elections, and that things have now settled. Please remember South Sudan and the DRC in your prayers, as they are both still experiencing violence.

I have recently begun learning more about the DRC, because although I am in Uganda, many of the women and children that Zion Project works with are refugees from the DRC. It is the 12^th largest nation in the world, with many valuable resources such as gold. However, since obtaining independence in 1960, it has been a place of conflict and instability. For the last two decades, it has been the location of “the world’s deadliest conflict since World War II.” This is because of a number of things including conflict over resources, tribal conflicts stemming from the genocide in Rwanda (Hutus/Tutsis), and the presence of many rebel groups. Over 1 million Congolese have been displaced from their homes, and the DRC has been rated 2^nd on the list of the “world’s worst places to be a woman” (Afghanistan has first place). These are some of the reasons that brought the community of several hundred Congolese to Gulu, Uganda, where Zion Project has the opportunity to minister to them.

I have enjoyed my past year working with the Zion Project. I have several different roles, through which I have learned a lot about myself and my gifts. On a normal day, I begin the morning attending worship and devotions with the 10 Congolese women employed in our jewelry making program, Imani. It is always an encouraging time even though I can’t always understand the songs, since they are in Swahili. After that my mornings are spent helping out in the counseling center office or planning lessons for the girls in the children’s home, where I go for the afternoon. We have 16 girls, ages 4 to 14. The first thing I hear when I walk through the gate is several voices saying “Auntie, is it my turn today?” I take a small group of 2 or 3 of them each afternoon and we work on English, reading, or other subjects. We focus on English in the home because it is one of the official languages of Uganda. They will need it in the future for university and an advantage in the job market. Tutoring is important for the girls, as many of them had never attended school before entering the home at age 10 or 11. I also get to spend a lot of time just hanging out with them, playing games, reading books, or talking about Jesus! We had several fun events this year, including trying Pop Rocks for the first time and visiting a big park, complete with a playground and a boat ride.

I also got to help with the process of identifying new girls to come into the home. When I got there in Dec. we had 11 girls, and over the next few months we took in 5 more. It was a difficult process, as we heard a lot of hard stories. For every girl we were able to take in there were probably 4 or 5 that we had to turn away because we just don’t have the space. Many of them have similar stories, but I wanted to share one with you.

Anita is one of the girls we took in this past spring. She is 11 years old and had never been to school. Her father is dead and her mother is a commercial sex worker and HIV+. She abandoned Anita to move to Sudan for work. When we heard about Anita, she was moving from door to door trying to find work just so she could eat her next meal. She was at high risk of being exploited or abused, so we took her in. Anita was used to fending for herself and had a rough background, so it has been quite a process for her to learn how to live in a home with 15 other girls and how to get along with others. She also had quite a struggle with attending school for the first time ever, but she has made great progress in both areas. It has been amazing to see how much of a difference attention and love can make for girls with backgrounds like Anita.

In addition to my work with the Zion Project, I have continued spending Saturdays with Every Child Ministries out in the village of Tegot, where I was working in 2009. When I first got back to Uganda last December it was SO fun to see the kids I had taught the year before and to hear how they were doing in school. On Saturdays I go see them and help out with Saturday club for the 72 sponsored children. I was excited to be there when ECM received a shipment of books for their library in Tegot Primary School, and also to visit their summer team in the village when they were digging two new wells. The two communities that received the wells were truly blessed. It was amazing to see the joy on their faces, knowing they would no longer have to get their water from dirty creeks. One of my projects early in the year was to take updated photos for sponsors. I enjoyed trying to get the children to break the cultural norm of not smiling for pictures!

There have been many good moments over the past year but also many difficult ones. In July, one of our security guards (whom I considered a friend) stole $500 from my room while I was away from the house. As inconvenient as it was to lose the money, and as much as it hurt to be betrayed by a friend, I still had much to be thankful for! My laptop, camera, i-pod, and other things were all on the desk next to the money, but they didn’t get taken. Another difficult day was when one of the Congolese women in the community, Niclette, lost a baby a few minutes after it was born. I was there to represent Zion along with our Imani women, and although it was a difficult day, it was so encouraging to see how our women reached out to Niclette and her husband (who is a Muslim, but noticed the love of the Christians who surrounded him and his family!)

There were also many highlights during the past year! One was a week long retreat at Mto Moyoni, a counseling/retreat center on the River Nile. It was a wonderful week full of relaxation, time with the Lord, and learning a lot in some great seminars. I have also had the opportunity to meet a lot of great people who are in Uganda for various reasons, and we have enjoyed many evenings of food & fellowship. This is often by candle light when the power is out, and it makes me feel like we are having a similar experience to the early church! JAnother highlight has been getting to know my neighbor, Grace. She is in a unique place, as a Ugandan girl in her early 20’s who isn’t married or a mother yet, so I am thankful for many opportunities to hang out with her. Of course, every day that I spend with the Zion girls is also a highlight and such a blessing. They never cease to amaze me with their resilience, joy, and eagerness to learn!

I am so thankful for the opportunity God has given me to learn more about Him and His heart for vulnerable people, especially children! I also want to thank Him for His protection over the past year, as well as both the high moments and the low ones that remind me that I depend upon Him for everything. I want to thank Him for the chance to meet so many amazing people...Africans who are giving up everything to follow Him, and other missionaries who are such an example and encouragement to me.

The Future

As you may remember, I was supposed to be completing my time with Zion Project this past November when I came home. As the time drew near, however, I was not feeling like it was time to leave yet. Several things began to indicate that it might make sense for me to extend my time with Zion for a few months. Zion’s director, Sarita Hartz, announced that she would be taking a sabbatical in the U.S. from December to March, and that she wished she would have more help on the ground in Uganda. The second reason was that another volunteer is coming to help at the children’s home, but not until March. In addition to all of this, the day before I left to come home for the holidays, we received an important document that would allow us to move forward in applying for a license for the children’s home. The license application was supposed to be one of the major things that I accomplished while I was there, but we had gotten stuck due to circumstances beyond our control. Because of all of these reasons, I am returning to Uganda this Sunday, Jan 8^th, and will be continuing my work with Zion Project until sometime in March or April.

I am confident that God will continue to provide, as He always has, and have already been amazed by His provision since I’ve been home this trip. I want to be honest with you that I do not know what will be next after my time with Zion is finished. I intend to use the next three months to actively seek another ministry in Gulu, or somewhere else in the world, possibly even the United States. The people of Northern Uganda will always have a very large part of my heart, and I am certainly willing to remain there if God makes that clear. However, where I am is not as important to me as what I am doing. My passions are reducing child vulnerability, fighting human trafficking, and helping refugees, and I am aware that God may call me to any number of places in the world where there are opportunities to share Jesus with people affected by these issues.

Financial Needs

As I mentioned earlier, I became sick with pneumonia at the beginning of my break at home. This resulted in some unexpected medical expenses (still waiting to hear from my insurance about what they will cover). In addition to this, extending my stay in Uganda has brought some extra airfare and insurance costs. I also recently had to purchase contacts for this year. Many of you have given one time gifts in the past or even support me monthly right now, and any gift of any size is always appreciated. I would like to increase my monthly support base, but special needs or “future transition” gifts would also be a great blessing at this time. I have listed some of my current expenses below so you can see what your special needs gifts would go toward. If you are interested in becoming one of my monthly supporters, I would ask for a commitment through April at this point, while keeping in touch with you regarding my future plans after that. Please pray and ask the Lord if He would have you to join my team of supporters at this time. Thanks so much!

Contact lenses for 6 months…..... $88

Airfare...........……………..............$1500

Insurance………………....….…..…$500

Health Expenses…………...…..….$500

Visas…………………………......….$100

Travel to South Sudan to

visit a potential ministry option…...$200

I am still a missionary under Ripe for Harvest, and they offer several ways to donate to my account (#318), including by check or credit card. You can donate by credit card at their website by clicking here, or mail checks to:

Ripe for Harvest World Outreach

P.O. Box 487

Monument, CO 80132

(Make the check out to Ripe for Harvest. In the memo please write my name & account #318).

During the past year they became a member of the Evangelical Council of Financial Accountability, which is a great accomplishment! You can also view their page on the ECFA website by clicking here. Contributions are solicited with the understanding that Ripe for Harvest has complete discretion and control over the use of all donated funds.

Prayer Requests

-Praise for God's protection, guidance & provision over the last year!

-Safety & a good immune system as I return to Uganda this Sunday

-My grandmother, Evelyn Thomas, has been sick. Please pray for a quick & complete recovery

-Wisdom as I look at options for the future

Thanks for your continued interest in my ministry, and especially your prayers.

Happy New Year!

Much love,

Sarah

+If you would like to buy paper bead jewelry made by some beautiful Congolese women, click www.imanilove.com.

+To see a photo album of my time at the children’s home, click here.

+Check out my blog by clicking here.

Niclette

2 million people have fled their homes in Central & East Africa for other countries or regions. Maybe they left because of war, or a high threat of violence or rape. Maybe they left because of famine or drought. Probably they left family members behind. Loved ones, just like your loves ones, just like my loved ones. Just a statistic. Just a statistic, until you hear about how her father died in Congo a week ago. The money isn't there, though, for going home to be with her family. The money wasn't there a week ago to buy airtime to talk with her father. The money wasn't there a month ago to send for him to get medical treatment. The money isn't there, so she sits on the cement floor and weeps.

USA, deaths per live births, 4 out of every 1000. East Africa, deaths per live births, 30 out of every 1000. Just some numbers. Just some numbers, until you sit on a plastic chair in a crowded corner of a tiny one-room shack down a narrow dirt ally of a noisy slum. Just numbers until you watch the tiny, lifeless bundle being laid on a towel in another corner. Just numbers until you see silent tears roll down the cheek of a broken mother, robbed of the day's joy, rewarded for a difficult night of labor with nothing but grief and heartache. She sits on the cement floor and weeps.

Actions speak louder than words. Just a saying. Just a saying, until you hear that her husband is a Muslim. He watched, a week ago, as his wife received a phone call from Congo and sank to the floor. Just a saying, until you hear how he watched as none of his Muslim friends came to grieve with her, but her friends from church came and sat with her for three days. Just a saying, until you hear how he watched helplessly as his wife and newborn child were rushed to the hospital on a motorcycle taxi. How again, his Muslim friends were absent but followers of Jesus surrounded his wife from the moment something went wrong. He sees how they care for each other, and take care of each other, and sacrifice for each other. He follows the Muslim tradition of burying the baby the same day, but he refuses to let the burial proceed until the Christian pastor arrives to lead the service. How beautiful it is when the Body of Christ acts like the Body of Christ. How beautiful it is when His children love each other, and love others even though they might be different from us.

God could have revealed His glory that day by miraculously healing a baby. He didn't do it that way this time. But I know that He somehow used a tragedy to reveal a little bit more of His love to a man who might come to know Jesus one day soon.

Please pray for Niclette – for comfort and peace as she has lost so much in just a few days. Please pray for her husband – also for comfort, and that He would come to know Jesus.

If I had blogged in July...

...I would have blogged about being stolen from. Our security guard entered our house one night while no one was home and stole $500 from my room. John wasn't just our security guard...I thought he was also my friend. I've been stolen from before, but by a stranger. It's a completely different feeling when someone you trust totally betrays the relationship. In addition, this is not a good place to have a crime committed against yourself, as many of the police are rather corrupt. We had to bribe them to even come and take fingerprints. If you want them to try to find the thief, you have to pay them some “appreciation” each time they do something. As bad as the betrayal felt, and as inconvenient as it was to lose $500, and as frustrating as it was to try to get the police to do something (they still haven't caught him), I still have so much to be thankful for. When the money was taken from my desk, it was right next to my laptop. My external disk drive was also there. My camera was also there. My ipod was also there. None of it was taken. I could have lost a lot more “material” things which are special to me, and a lot of work, photos, and files on my laptop. Yes, they are just things, but they have more value to me than dollars. I thank God that He spared me from losing any of those things. If you think of John, please pray for him. He had professed faith in Jesus and was being discipled by another missionary. Please pray that the Holy Spirit would minister in his life. Thank you!

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On a happier note...

4^th of July was fun. A local cafe which is owned by an American had a 4^th of July celebration, complete with hotdogs, sweet corn, onion rings, potato salad, and watermelon. Over 50 Americans gathered to enjoy American food and watch Independence Day, which I had never seen before. Thank you Sankofa!

I was there with some friends from the house church I attend (Pancakes & Podcasts). Here I am with my great friend Kristin! We were so excited for the meal!

In the month of July we had two short term volunteers. As the resident “long-term” volunteer in the Zion guesthouse, I get to welcome the short term volunteers and help them learn their way around Zion and Gulu Town. I really enjoy it. Bailey was here for a whole month, and we had a blast! She taught the girls tons of new songs and is still a daily topic of conversation at the girls' house. Martha was here for 2 weeks and I really enjoyed having her here as well. She is a teacher, so the girls really benefited from time with her, especially Anita who is in her first year of school at age 11. While Bailey & Martha were here, a couple of highlights included doing a 3 day VBS with the girls on Esther, Hannah, and Ruth & Naomi, as well as having the first annual Zion Girls Joint Birthday Party (complete with party hats thanks to Auntie Bailey!)

At the end of July it was time for Bailey to go home, so I went with her halfway to Kampala to a place called Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, where you can track wild rhinos on foot! Rhino footprint:

Of course I have seen rhinos before in the zoo, but a rhino with no fence between you is a totally different animal. The first thing the guide tells you before you head out is that if a rhino decides to charge, you should immediately climb the nearest tree. Now, I'm not known for my tree-climbing ability so this was a bit concerning. The second option, if you can't get to a tree, is to “get behind a shrubbery that the rhino can't pass through.” This was also concerning, as rhinos are rather large and very strong and through the whole treck I never saw a shrubbery that looked like it would be able to withstand the force of a charging rhino (and believe me, I was looking for them). Thankfully we didn't have to worry, as rhinos like to sleep during the day and even the ones that were standing up were kind of drowsy and not too inclined to charge. I learned a lot about rhinos that day but one interesting fact is that they have terrible vision, but excellent hearing. We could see this clearly as the momma rhino kept close tabs on our where-abouts, not by turning her head to watch us, but by constantly moving her ears to catch every sound we made. As a results of this, though, we were instructed to be very very quiet, as a rhino will charge after a threatening sound without waiting to “see” what caused it.

One ear to the front, one to the back:

Our guide pointed out some ants that were behind us as we were rhino-watching. They were big ants, and I can't remember what they were called but they eat termites. They had carried their eggs up out of the nest to “get fresh air,” which I didn't know ants did. The guide told us that soon they would smell us and start carrying the eggs back into the ground to protect them from us, and that's exactly what happened. The ants quickly changed from lazily wandering around near the pile of eggs to frantically carrying them back into the nest as fast as their little legs could move. It was so cool to see two of God's creatures, especially with the contrast in their size, and to learn about the things He has equipped them with for survival.

More from June...

Every Child Ministries had a short term team come to drill wells for remote parts of the village near Tegot Atoo, where I tutored in 2009. I got to go along, before their arrival to help scout out the locations for the wells and send back photos, and then also after they arrived to see the work they were doing. The first time I went with ECM staff to photograph the potential locations, they asked around the village to see which men would be willing to help out and have a part in digging the wells for their communities. Many of their families had to walk for hours just to get water, and often still from a dirty source like this creek:

It was fun to see the excitement on the men's faces and listen to them express their happiness over getting a clean source of water. Here they are committing to work with ECM in the drilling, and checking out the future well site:

Men from the community contributing labor for their new well:

884 million people in the world don't have access to a safe water source, but ECM has reduced that by two villages. :) A small step but a very important one for several families in Northern Uganda. It is an honor for me to still be involved with ECM on a part time basis and to see the work they are doing for this community. You can check out their website at www.ecmafrica.org.

If I had blogged in June...

...I would have blogged about taking the girls to Gulu Recreation Center. It's about 20 minutes out of town by boda or taxi. It's still under construction, as it has been for about 10 years, but parts of it are finished and super fun - like the playground, the fake safari (ceramic animals placed a few meters apart in the bush), and the rowboat on the small man-made pond! All of this for about a dollar per adult and 50 cents per kid.

The girls were toward the end of their holiday so they were pretty bored and needed some excitement. :) I got to their house in the morning... all they knew was that they were getting "a surprise". They all dressed in their nicest clothes and we piled into the taxi (16 girls, 2 house moms & their babies, myself, and the taxi driver - just 22 people). Too bad I didn't get a picture of that. All the way along the bumpy road, the girls kept guessing where we were going. When we left town they became really confused. We turned off the main road and followed a smaller dirt path through the bush until we came to the recreation center. The boat was the big attraction at first...but the staff told us we had to wait until they had blown up enough life-jackets, so we moved on to the playground.

After that, the manager gave us a tour of the fake safari. The girls could hardly stand still long enough for him to tell them about each animal before running ahead to find the next one.

When we got back from the bush, the lifejackets were ready and it was finally time to go for a boat ride! It was the first time in a boat for most of them. They loved it!

After that they ran and played, and spent some more time on the playground. We ate chicken and chips, drank soda, and rested in the shade...then it was time to head home. It was a quiet but happy ride back to the house. ;)

Broken Girl

Look what he's done to you
It isn't fair
Your light was bright and new
But he didn't care
He took the heart of a little girl And made it grow up too fast

Now words like "innocence"
Don't mean a thing
You hear the music play
But you can't sing
Those pictures in your mind Keep you locked up inside your past

This is a song for the broken girl
The one pushed aside by the cold, cold world
You are
Hear me when I say
You're not the worthless they made you feel
There is a Love they can never steal away
And you don't have to stay the broken girl
Those damaged goods you see
In your reflection
Love sees them differently
Love sees perfection
A beautiful display
Of healing on the way tonight
Tonight

This is a song for the broken girl
The one pushed aside by the cold, cold world
You are
Hear me when I say
You're not the worthless they made you feel
There is a Love they can never steal away
And you don't have to stay the broken girl
Let your tears touch to the ground
Lay your shattered pieces down
And be amazed by how Grace can take a broken girl
And put her back together again

This is a song for the broken girl The one pushed aside by the cold, cold world
You are
Hear me when I say
You're not the worthless they made you feel
There is a Love they can never steal away And you don't have to stay the broken girl
You don't have to stay the broken girl

-Matthew West "Broken Girl"

Books and Babies

Friday night I spent the night at the girls house. We ate dinner which was binyewa (g-nut sauce) mixed with small fish & eaten over posho. After that we cleaned up and then watched Happy Feet and ate popcorn =) Then it was bedtime.The next morning I woke up to breakfast of rice & tea while the girls began their laundry for the day. I left around 8:30 to walk to Mary's to meet the ECM staff for the journey to Tegot.

Once everyone was there we piled in the van. It was full of boxes of books (donated by www.booksforafrica.org through Visions in Action, I think?) which were going to the library at Tegot Primary School. Once there the sponsored kids helped us unload and organize the books on the shelves.

Progress was slow as people stopped to read a bit. :)

Finished product:

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One of the house moms at Zion, Stella, just had her baby a week and a half ago. It's a boy! This evening Naomi and I went to visit. Meet Ethan Joel:

Proud mama:

So that was the weekend. :)

God's Love

I visit Mto Moyoni (Swahili for river in the heart), on the Nile River, just a little ways north of it's source in Lake Victoria. A Dutch lady named Ingrid teaches us for five days. She has been a missionary in Uganda since the 80's, and has stayed through being slandered, robbed at gun point more than once, and shot through the arm.

The bad news is that the enemy has come to steal, kill, and destroy.

The good news is that God's love is stronger than ALL evil.

Five days later I get off the taxi in downtown Kampala. Kampala is big, and overwhelming, and I've avoided it enough that I don't know my way around at all. I'm supposed to meet a friend at a coffee shop. I'm sure I can find it myself, I just need to get to a street that is named on my map. I show my handdrawn map to the conductor as he's busy trying to get more people to load the taxi. Can you point me in the direction of this coffee shop? He squints at the scrap of paper and another man comes to see what is so interesting. Neither of them can tell me exactly where to go but a woman comes over and asks where I'm wanting to go. She starts walking and the conductor says "This one is taking you." What? Okay...

I follow her, trying to catch up while dodging venders and bodas (motorcycle taxis). I introduce myself and find out that her name is Agnes and she is from the north, from Lira, a member of the Langi tribe. She is a widow and her only child has also died, but she cares for several orphans. She is constantly walking out into the middle of the street rather than using the sidewalks. Bodas whir by her and she is totally un-phased and just walks even further into the road. I'm convinced she's an angel. "Were you already coming this way or are you only helping me?" "I'm only going this way for you!"

We reach the area and I'm tempted to tell her thank you and that I can find the shop from there. Maybe she just wanted to help me in order to get some money or something. But I decide to refrain and we ask directions to find the specific coffee shop. One guy sends us the wrong direction and then two ladies send us to "a cafe" which is the complete wrong one on the complete wrong street. Finally we look at the map again and find the right road. The coffee shop is closed for fumigation. We walk a block further and find a small local restaurant with tables on the porch. I find out that my friend can't make it to see me after all.

I buy Agnes and myself a bottle of soda and we plop down. It's getting late, and I expect her to rush off to make her way to the other side of town, where she's hoping to stay the night. Instead she sits and shares with me how God has been so good to her. How her husband was a pastor, and they lived in Tanzania on the shores of Lake Victoria, and how he shared everything he had with everyone who came into their home, even money. "He would want to give someone something and I would just look at him and say, 'My husband, you do what you see is good.'" She continued with a smile... "He was preparing things for me for when he would leave. After he died, everyone in the community came and brought food to my house on a daily basis. A big jug of cooking oil. 10 kilos of rice. 5 kilos of beans. Food just kept coming. People gave me clothes. Even now, people are still giving me things." She opens a brand new handbag and shows me that it is stuffed full of beautiful new dresses. "They said, 'You're our mother. How can we let you go without something?' My husband had shown so much love that everyone wanted to repay it after his death." She went on and told me stories about how God had given her opportunities to minister to people. Not even a trace of bitterness toward Him after losing both her husband and her only child. Only joy, and peace. As we finish our sodas and get ready to leave, she prays for me.

God's love is stronger than all evil.