easy going...

All I can say is that right now, everything is good in the neighborhood. I am finally able to see where this could be going. And I am encouraged by it. I mean I got to go and pick a paint color for my apartment yesterday! If that’s not encouraging I don’t know what is! I got to sit down with my new landlords, Bobby and Candice, and talk about where entryways could be added and bathroom floor plans. I still can’t believe that in less than three weeks I will have a place of my own. I am also starting the process to apply for a work visa next week. That gives me an entire year of not having to worry about extending my visa like I would have had to do with a tourist visa. So it’s also a pretty exciting thing to be doing!

Today was my last day of teaching at the Uganda Baptist Seminary. My students took their final exam this morning and are heading back to their villages and cities tonight and tomorrow. I am already seeing how the Lord is opening doors for me to start working in other capacities. I know some of you are ready for the pictures of cute kids to come back! I don’t blame you!

I pray that as the Easter season is approaching that we are all taking time to reflect on the sacrifice that our Savior made for us. I love this time of year, because the reminder of His love is everywhere.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.” –John 3:16-17 (ESV)

the beauty of meltdowns...

Well, it's honest blog time again. As you know, it's the end of the month. That means looking for a place to live again. Looking for another ministry opportunity to fill my days with again. After trying for several days to brave it out and wait on the Lord to provide, which I know in my head He will do, the walls around my heart came tumbling down last night. I was showering with a little light on in the bathroom, because of course the power was off again, when the tears came. The tears came and came and came. I think I had a stock pile of them waiting to escape because this month has been so wonderfully filled. Then the trouble started. I began telling the Lord that I couldn't do this, I wasn't cut out for this. I told Him that we had tried and I just wasn't strong enough for this. I cried out to Him telling Him that I needed a home, a job, and a routine. Was that too much to ask? Right when my melt down was hitting a low point, something caught my eye. A baby gecko ran out from underneath the shower curtain and ran through the tub to the other side. At that point, I looked up at the ceiling and said out loud, "You've got to be kidding me God!" I hate geckos with a passion. You can't keep them out of your house. But to be trapped in the shower with one, not on the wall above the shower, but in the tub with you, was a whole new level of disgusting! But what could I do, I had to laugh. I realized what I was doing. I was begging God to provide me with an easy life. One like I had in the states. Where I didn't need Him on a daily, or sometimes even weekly basis. And I don't want that. I like living a life where the only option is to give the glory to God because there is no way I could have done it by myself. He also reminded me that I don't have to be cut out for this, I just have to be obedient. That's all He's asking for. I decided that my prayer would be simple. I want a plan. God's plan, but still a plan. I am a planner, I feel like I need a plan to thrive. So after praying for a plan, I dried up my tears, got out of the shower, and acted like the gecko never happened.

Today was a much better day. My perspective had been readjusted by my compassionate Creator. I began looking for the plan. I called and made an appointment with a housing broker to show me some available living arrangements. Checked my attitude. And then went and had an incredibly encouraging talk with a sweet friend. While I was on my way to meet my friend (Tamara), I got a phone call from the friend (Candice) that I stayed with last week. I was on a boda so I rejected the call and made a mental note to call her back later. (Secretly I was hoping that she and her husband were inviting me over for dinner!) Tamara is friends with Candice, so I knew she wouldn't mind me returning the call. It didn't take long to realize that Candice had called about much more than dinner. Candice and her husband have been considering renovating a section of their house into an apartment for a while now, and they have finally decided to do it. They had a foreman come yesterday and he said it was absolutely doable. She had called to tell me that they would like me to rent the apartment! I was so blown away that the only thing I could get out of my mouth was "Shut your mouth Candice! Are you serious?" Haha! It was so exciting to hear that news. I rushed home to Skype my Momma, I knew that she and my Daddy would be just as excited as I was! A safe place for their daughter to live! Looks like I won't be needing the housing broker after all.

I am still in disbelief that 12 hours ago, I was telling God that I didn't know if this could work. I know that God has to look at me in my melt downs and think "If she would just wait a few hours she could save herself the tears!" I am so thankful that I serve a God who lets me be me. Who lets me have my moments of complete chaos, only to settle my heart and reveal His goodness to me soon after. I am so thankful that I serve a God who is so patient. Who continues to mold me into something beautiful even when I make it difficult.

I am also thankful for those of you who lift me up to our Father on a regular basis. What would I do without my strong support system? I certainly wouldn't have made it this far.

As I sit here writing this, I am eating Twizzlers, drinking sweet tea (made out of a Luzianne tea bag!), and watching the Apple Dumpling Gang. This can only mean one thing. I am loved. My Momma and Daddy put together a suit case full of wonderful things from them and so many other amazing people. I had several goodies from my favorites in New Orleans, cd from Audra, stuffed animals and Mardi Gras beads from my sweet little friends Tripp and Cash, candy from the Conway’s, and a t-shirt from Marsha to name a few. Thank you to all of you who wrote encouraging notes in the big stack of cards I got. I was thrilled to see how big the stack was! I’ve got cards all the way from California to Virginia! I had to force myself to add the cards to my dwindling stack that I brought with me in February. I open a card every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. I wanted so badly to rip through every card tonight though!

This is my last week teaching English at the seminary. That also means my time in the comfortable apartment that I am staying in is also coming to an end. Please be in prayer with me that I would continue to confidently and calmly trust in the Lord to provide my next step. I know He will, it’s myself I don’t trust. I so easily get upset and panic when things aren’t working out as quickly as I would like them to. I can say, this month has been better than last month. Maybe that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Baby steps every month. Growing into the person He knows I can be. And I think I’m okay with that.

In a card from my Momma, she included this much needed scripture…

“But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” –Matthew 6:30 (ESV)

fun fridays...

She can't help that she's so cool!

My lovely lunch dates.

My least favorite part of teaching is discipline. Period. Hate it. In Hattiesburg and New Orleans I always tried to use more positive reinforcement rather than consequences. Hornets basketball games, cupcakes, meals away from school, and any other way I could think of to get my students to "make wise choices!" So why change that now? Today, my four homeschool students earned a lunch in town! We successfully made it through two weeks of school. So after a short day of school, the girls put on their carefully chosen dresses and strategically matching sandals and we hit the road. After much laughter and filling our bellies with too many chips (french fries) and skewers of meat and veggies we headed to the library for reading and dessert. While we were waiting for our bodas, one of the girls had an epiphany. She declared "We've had two sodas today! We never have two sodas in one day!" My replay was "Oh man, you're mom is going to love me for giving you a double dose of caffeine and then sending you home!"

Several times during our lunch outing, I realized how much the Lord has blessed me in the short time that I have been here. I haven't even been here two months yet and I am already going on reward outings with four sweet little girls. And while homeschooling is not the permanent ministry for me, I am learning to enjoy where God leads me. Which has been a difficult thing for me to do in the past. I am always so concerned about what is coming. Where will I be? What will I be doing? Will I even like it? I can say that I am finding contentment in the present. And for that, I am so thankful.

redemption...

This Easter season means more to me than any other has in the past. I think it's because Jesus means more to me than He ever has in the past. He is my provider. He is my comforter. He is my joy. I see His redemption in my everyday life here. As I work with adults who did not finish high school for whatever reason and are being given a second chance at a precious thing called education. As I teach phonics to an 8 year who was severely neglected in her first home but is thriving in the love and stability of her second “forever” home. As I hold a struggling three year old who was dying from malnutrition and stiff from cerebral palsy but now is recovering and will begin physical therapy soon. I see the redemptive power in the love of Christ. His love transforms. His love is constantly molding us into something beautiful. This is something I am thankful for. Living in a third world country isn’t easy by any means, but it makes it easier to live here when the love of Christ is so evident everywhere. Are the people perfect here? Not close. Does everyone live a life of integrity? Not even close. Is there work to be done and lives to be changed? Overwhelmingly yes. But, the redemptive love of Christ is evident and moving. So in this Easter season, I have to hold stronger than ever to my belief that the love of Christ is not only big enough, but strong enough to reach the people I am falling in love with.

I hope that you too can find peace in the redemptive love of Christ in this Easter season. I am praying for you.

He shows His love for us...

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ dies for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person-though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die-but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. -Romans 5:6-8 (ESV)

Go back and reread that scripture. I know if you're like me you probably just scanned it. Take a few moments to take the words in. Let them settle in your heart.

While reading over my notes from church again, I noticed something in verse 8, "but God shows His love for us". 2 things. 1) Paul uses the words shows in the present tense. (Okay theological scholars, please don't judge me too harshly on this thought! It might not be the right idea, but the Lord used it. Promise!) In my mind, it serves as a comforting reminder that God's love for mankind is not something of the past, it is ongoing. The death of Christ is still manifesting itself so many years later. 2) A lot of times I see the cross as a necessary means of action to show God's righteousness and to provide justice. But I often times, overlook the love of God displayed through the cross. For He orchestrated our salvation through the cross. He allowed His Son to die a gruesome and uncalled for death so we could have fellowship with Him.

Yesterday at church, the pastor said "God works so hard to have a relationship with us, He allowed His Son to be butchered for us." I don't know about you, but I don't like that word butchered. I didn't like it yesterday and it still doesn't sit well today. It's too gory. I would rather use words like died, crucified, sacrificed. I think it comes down to me not being able to understand the depth of both God and Christ's love for us. But God has already dealt with that. In Isaiah 55:8 we are told, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord." And boy am I ever glad for that! I may get frustrated when I can't figure out what He's doing in my life, but I'm so glad that He is so far above me. Do we serve a great God or what?!

Thank you for walking this journey with me. Your encouragement and prayers mean the world to me!

A love that transcends all

Loving on Isaac!

Sweet little hands.

Try not to fall in love with that face!

I got to go spend time with my buddy Isaac today. This is the first time I have seen him since he was at the clinic hooked up to an IV and crying constantly. I am thrilled to tell you that he is different toddler than he was then! He is now so much more content! He is still not overflowing with joy and freely giving away smiles (He smiled for the first time this morning!), but he looks comfortable and his eyes are constantly searching. I got to feed him his special formula that is loaded with sugar and protein and then sit and watch a movie with him. He loved the movie! He was quite upset when I took him back to where the other kids where when I left. I think someone is getting used to the one on one time he is getting from all the loving hands at Ekisa!

There is something about hanging out with my friends at Ekisa. I am reminded of God’s love for me every time. Even though I am broken from my sin, my God still loves me and takes the time to constantly be molding me into something beautiful. It’s just like the beautiful faces at Ekisa, to the world they seem broken and somewhere along the way, someone decided that their love as a parent wasn’t enough and left these precious creatures behind. But our God and our Creator has a love for us that knows no end. It sees past our brokenness. It is big enough to complete us.

I was also reminded of what our love for each other should look like. The kids at Ekisa have such a pure love. Not one riddled with expectations and motives. They love simply because they love. I am challenged to grow the way I love. To be able to not hold back or have requirements. Who knew that through my visits with my young friends I would learn so much!

"For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." -Galatians 5:14 (ESV)

Rhythm of life...

I've been gone for six weeks. It's seems like a year some days and then a day some days! I have been praying all along that the Lord would lead to a new rhythm of life. I want to live here. Be here. Find joy here. This is my home for now. I don't know how long it will be my home, but for now, I am making it my home so that I can have a rhythm, a new normal. I felt so at home Tuesday when I went grocery shopping. I needed to buy some groceries at the store and go to the market. Not really wanting to do both of these tasks, I sent my boda man/friend, Timothy to the market to get my kilo of eggplant and I went to the grocery store. In the grocery store, I laughed to myself when I thought, "I'm getting the hang of this!" Even though, it sounds so silly and so small, I was proud! As I keep walking through this month, I am trying to figure out what next month looks like. I am at a place where I am confident that next month will fall into place just like this month did. When I look back at myself one month ago, I realize that I should have calmed down and taken a breath. The Lord was going to provide. But then again, maybe that's why I needed to be so unsure then. I sure did learn a lot. I learned that God rarely does things my way on my schedule. But I can rest assured, that His way and schedule is infinitely better than mine! So right now, at the two week point in March, I am taking a breath and loving what the Lord has brought me to this month. As I laid in the grass this afternoon and taught phonics to one of my new students, I thought to myself, "I love this. I could do this for a while." I am loving the deeper friendships, purpose to be here, and a comfortable place to live for the month.

"Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God." -Jim Elliot

I have great news for you…the little guy that I told you about last week, Isaac, has been placed at Ekisa to live and recuperate! What seemed to be a very dire situation last week, with Isaac being sent home to live in the same situation that got him so close to death, has turned out to be a very ideal situation. He still has some healing and growing to do, so please be in prayer for little Isaac and the sweet hands at Ekisa that will be caring for him.

I am blaming the shortness of this blog on the lack of electricity tonight. It has nothing to do with the fact that I am spending the night with another young missionary while her husband is out of town! She spent the evening encouraging and teaching me about what it looks like to live here.

I hope to have pictures of Isaac in his new home to show you tomorrow! Keep praying, you are making a bigger difference than you will ever know!

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. -James 1:27 (ESV)

Finding compassion for a betrayer...

My Momma knows the way to my heart...candy!

My Momma and Daddy are too good to me!

At the church that I attend, we are going through the book of Matthew as a congregation. They have been doing this for almost two years! I am coming in on the good stuff! It's really cool, because we are working our way up to Easter Sunday where the pastor will be preaching from verses in Matthew 27-28 where the crucifixion and resurrection are accounted. Last Sunday, our preacher gave us a new perspective on Judas. In Matthew 26:14-16, we are told of Judas' plan to betray Jesus. Now, I've never had sympathy for Judas, or even tried to understand why he would betray Jesus. I just looked at him as a selfish coward. Until last Sunday. I wrote our preacher's words down in my Bible because it blew me away. He said, "Maybe Judas was angry that Jesus was leaving him. Who would take care of him once Jesus was gone?" And it struck me. I have more in common with Judas than I thought I did. I think we all do. The moment things gets hazy, I get in a tizzy. I don't know how many times I have said this to the Lord this year, "Oh no, no, no! This is not how I thought this would turn out!" All of the sudden, I feel like the Lord is no longer taking care of me. But then by God's grace, the Holy Spirit brings upon comfort and God provides once again. Now, instead of looking at Judas with anger, I have compassion for him. It breaks my heart that he was so desperate that he betrayed the man who was willing to give His life for Judas' salvation. If only Judas had waited to see what was in store. To see that is what so much more than his fears that Jesus was leaving him. Judas serves as a great reminder to me. Sometimes I have to wait it out, even when I feel like Jesus is leaving me. Because the truth is, He never will leave.

No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will never leave you or forsake you. -Joshua 1:5 (ESV)

My teaching is going well! I teach grammar to 24 adults and then go teach phonics and reading to 4 little girls. It's a lot of fun! Pray for my adults in my class. English is their 2nd or 3rd language, so it's not easy to learn the difference in present and past tense. They even complain that I talk too fast, there's a first for everything! Maybe my Daddy should come teach a class...he might speak slow enough for them!

You can also be praying with me that I can find ways to stay involved in the places I love most throughout this month. I got to ride out to a village to check on a little girl with the director of Ekisa Sunday, and I was reminded of how bad I want to be in the villages around Jinja. There is something about living life with these beautiful faces that draws me in and keeps me content. Much love and many prayers to you all!

reaching out with a prayer...

Hey guys, this is just a quick request. While preparing to start home schooling my friend's little girls, I have been able to spend time with a precious one that she is fostering. She is fostering Eden while Eden's parents wait for the government to give their beloved daughter a visa. They got bad news yesterday about the American government wanting more than the Ugandan government can give them. Here is a link that I would love for you all to read and join in on! It's a wonderful opportunity for all of us to participate in!

http://www.mandiejoy.com/30-days-of-prayer-for-eden/

knowledge vs. action

I said I wouldn’t blog about this…but I am. Not in the way that many others are though, I don’t understand enough to fill a blog with words about it. KONY 2012. If this doesn’t ring a bell. You aren’t on Face book (hint, hint mom and dad!). Simple as that. KONY 2012 is an effort being made by the Invisible Children organization to bring about knowledge of the injustice that Kony has brought to East Africa. He is a dreadful man that has lead in the killing, raping, and taking advantage of many people, mostly children. Invisible Children has done a wonderful job of using social networks to inform and encourage young people to demand social justice.

But I just wonder, how many of us jump on these “band wagons” because we feel like we are accomplishing something by being involved. We talk about it at church. On facebook. In our work place. We even sometimes go as far as judging others for not seeming to care. I know I have. But at the end of the day, is it enough? No, it isn’t. While knowledge is power, it surely doesn’t equal action.

I use a biodegradable toothbrush. Made of old yogurt cups. Bought for way too much at an organic grocery store. I would even make special trips to the grocery store to stock up on them when I would visit New Orleans last fall. Of course, I packed one in my suit case to come to Uganda with me. In my mind, it’s my offer of an apology to the earth for not being a better recycler. I mean come on, even the paper inside of the package is recycled paper. I laugh when I think about the silliness of it, but if I were in the states when it came time to buy a new toothbrush, you better bet it would be biodegradable. Why? Because it makes me feel good. Does it make a hill of beans difference to the earth? Probably not. Because, it’s my only attempt to preserve our earth. I don’t make a real effort to cherish the earth I live on.

So I wonder. How often do we do the same thing with other causes in our lives? Causes that really mean something. Causes like children who need a way out, adults who need healing from their past mistakes, our neighbors who need a little extra this month, or our family who we don’t think deserve just one more chance. How often are we called to care about an effort and we placate that call by learning the facts so we can think about what can be done, and then never look back? I think we are all guilty of that. I’m convinced that we need to take action, and really put an effort into change. I’m not talking about packing up and moving to a third world country. I’m talking about genuinely caring enough to invest time in interceding for these causes through prayer. Maybe even coming off a few dollars we really don’t want to give. Heaven forbid, we have awkward conversations about these causes to really figure out a way to make a difference. Because it comes down to this, if we don’t do something, who will?

Safety Sally strikes again...

My $12 helmet!

I love safety. Plain and simple. I thrive when I feel safe. So when my Momma mentioned the other day that my Daddy had offered to pay for a helmet if I could find one, I jumped on that offer! I figured it would be a costly purchase, seeing as though you don't see many helmets here in Jinja. So after some investigating, I took my last boda ride helmetless to the motorcycle shop this afternoon. I took a trusted boda man into the store with me to ensure that I wasn't getting completely ripped off. Imagine my surprise when they pulled a brand new helmet out of a box and said, "It's 30,000 shillings if you want it." That's $12! I happily bought myself $12 worth of safety and proudly wore my helmet on the way home.

Safety is a funny thing. It's mostly a perception. I feel the safest when I am wearing a seat belt, or for now, a helmet. I like taking precautions to feel safe. Some of you are probably thinking, "Okay crazy, you packed your bags and went to Africa and you don't know when you'll be back! What do you know about safety?" Oh trust me, I care about safety. But my perception is different than your's and your's is different than mine. I think it is just another reminder of how differently we are all created. Can you imagine if we were all scared of the same thing? I find safety in sitting in clinics with new pals who might not make it to see tomorrow and learning how to insert cannulas. But put me at a desk working crucial numbers to keep a business/organization running and there is no safety in that for me!

Today was my first day to teach English! Although I entered the classroom very nervous, most of my students are older than me, it ended up being a great experience. Please pray that the Lord would give me wisdom in how to help these ministers be as successful as possible.

"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his son, His one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in Him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending His Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it is. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in Him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust Him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him." John 3:16-18 (The Message)

I am doing a Beth Moore Bible study on my own here in Jinja, instead of watching the videos with a group of sisters on Christ, I listen to podcast by myself. It sounds miserably lonely, but it is actually endearing. I get to have Beth all to myself! The Bible study I am doing is based on the book of James, he wrote some good stuff, too bad the poor guy doesn't get much air time! In the last week I completed, Beth takes a day to discuss gifts from God using James 1:16-18. She wrote something that has stuck with me...

"Out of God's outstanding grace, a very imperfect person can still receive a delightfully perfect gift precisely because it's perfect for her. God's gifts are given with goals. They're perfect because they are perfecting. They don't just give today. They give toward every tomorrow."

...it sticks with me because she explained my time in Uganda with this quote. I don't know how long I will be here or even what I'll be doing next month, but this gift of time is perfecting. I am learning what ministry God is burdening me with. I am learning what it looks like to live in a third world country. I am learning how to completely and wholly trust in God when my flesh screams warnings to just handle it myself. I am learning how to handle missing those I love most. But through it all, I am being perfected through this gift from God. It’s not always easy, but it sure is worth it in the end!

Tomorrow, I teach my first English class! I am both excited and nervous. I know that the preachers and church workers will go back to their country (They come from all over East Africa.) and be able to do even more ministry. I am also experiencing my first, of many I’m sure, go-rounds with giardia. Let me tell you…it is no fun! Any time I walk very far, nausea is there waiting for me. Thank goodness I am spending lots of time with a sweet IMB nurse who asked lots of questions about symptoms and gave me a strong dose of antibiotics. All your prayers for quick recovery would be coveted! For all you mommas out there…yes, I am drinking plenty of CLEAN water! :)

adventures in the month of march...

This month is going to be a busy one! I am teaching two month long English courses at the Uganda Baptist Seminary. (Who says you have to have a doctorate degree to teach seminary!?) It's a new program for everyone involved, so we all have a lot to learn together. This new program is for pastors and church workers who did not finish high school, but want to go to seminary. It consists of 3 month long terms where English, science, math, and computer will be taught. After the students complete this program, they can return for more in depth seminary programs. We are expecting over 100 students! The students will be broken into 4 groups, this way the class size is much more suitable for everyone involved. The best perk of this ministry is that I get to live in the apartment on the seminary campus. To think that last week I was so worried about where I would live! Now, I am getting spoiled having my own space...including my own kitchen which is equipped with a microwave! Unfortunately, the apartment is only available this month. So come April 1, I'll be packing up again. I am getting really good at packing my life into a suitcase and carry-on!

I am also going to be helping a young missionary in town home school her daughters. For the month of March, I will be teaching phonics and 2nd grade reading and grammar in the afternoon. In April, I will join in on their morning schedule and help out. The great thing about this opportunity is that I get to learn more about ministry while helping her out. Her ministry is one that I believe in and I am very interested in learning more. I am beginning to see a theme of learning in this journey! Everyday I see that there is more to be learned!

I've set some goals for specific things I want to learn while I'm on this journey. A few of them are:

1. How to insert a cannula (or IV).

2. How to complete a malaria test (blood test similar to checking your sugar)

3. Learning the ins and outs of the local clinics

4. Learning what good prices are for fruits and veggies at the market

5. Figuring out how to cook EVERYTHING from scratch (no hamburger helper here!)

I made the goal of learning to insert a cannula soon after I got in Uganda. So many people are severely dehydrated and die before reaching clinics and you are pretty much on your own in the clinics in town. I watched a friend put one in a severely malnourished little boy today and reconsidered this lofty goal. I had to make myself watch her put the cannula in, the little guy had practically no veins and was skin and bones. I am also learning the importance of malaria tests in order to prevent malaria going untreated and then children ending up with cerebral palsy. I announced today that my ministry might just be to travel the continent of Africa testing children for malaria to prevent more cases of cerebral palsy! I would probably end up with a bad reputation if that were the case. Can you imagine having the reputation of the mzungu who travels around sticking kids fingers?!

our hearts...

A gorgeous view of the Nile River after a rainy day.

Isaac's little arm with a cannula in it.

Exhausted Isaac being loved on by Auntie Annelise.

IV to help get some nutrition into his malnourished body.

Hospital bed side table. You have to provide your own food. Makes me very thankful for the quality of hospitals where I grew up.

I am amazed at the capacities that our hearts have been given to love. Our hearts were created for love. To love our Creator. And each other. Sometimes it’s hard to have a genuine love for people. Especially when we’ve been hurt or taken advantage of. But then sometimes, our hearts overflow with a love that is so real and so big. Today was a day where I found it easy to love. Easy to love a little boy named Isaac.

I met him today at one of the local hospitals. I was going to meet a friend not knowing what my heart was about to feel. Isaac’s mom dropped him off at pre-school days ago and never returned. Then a man showed up. The man said Isaac was dropped off at his house randomly…no wait, the man is his uncle…never mind, the man is his father. These are the stories that were told all day yesterday. Whether they were told out of fear of prison time (for abandoning his son with his ex-wife) or out of selfish motives, I don’t know. The man said Isaac was five yesterday, but then the man said Isaac was three today. The man kept disappearing from the hospital all night last night and all day today. Whether he needed a breather from all the regret he was feeling or looking for a way out, I don’t know.

When I saw Isaac, his little body was swimming in his size 4 diaper because of malnourishment. His little lungs were laboring to breathe and his ribs felt like they might wither away because of a very serious case of pneumonia. His arms and legs were stiff because of the cerebral palsy that probably came from untreated malaria. And I wonder how it is so, that neither of his parents can stay and comfort him. How can they not sit on his bed and hold back the tears? How did they allow for his little body to get to such a frail and downright scary condition? Because as I sit on his bed and rub what should be a chubby cheek and lean down to his ear to whisper one of my favorite songs that we sing at Friendship, “Jesus we crown You with praise…” I feel my heart overwhelmed with a love for a little fellow I’d just laid eyes on an hour earlier. A love from a heart that was created to feel that way by my so thoughtful Creator. As I think through this blog and think about that sweet baby, I have to give praises of gratitude to God. I am so thankful that our hearts can love big. I also have to pray that Isaac’s parents will soon realize that they too have hearts with the capability to love big. Love big enough to take care of their precious son. Love big enough to raise Isaac to be a healthy child and then onto a healthy man.

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit the orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. -James 1:27

Oh yeah...you're probably going to want to know this exciting piece of news! On Monday, I will be moving into an apartment on the campus of the Uganda Baptist Seminary for the month of March! Where there is a strong possibility that I will be teaching English to students who are in a month long seminary prep program. I am so thankful that the Lord is letting me spend at least a month among people who are like-minded with me and have so much to teach me about this country. I can't wait to fill you in on this week as it progresses!

a whole month...

Well, as I prepare to go to bed tonight, it is in a new bed. I am no longer at Sonrise, as the month of February is over with. It is crazy to see how quickly a month went by! When I look back, it seems like forever away, but then at times is seems like just yesterday I got on that first plane in Mobile. I can already see the ways that my heart has changed and the way my relationship with Christ has changed. I will never be the same. I now know what it is like to not know what tomorrow holds and being forced to rely of my sovereign God to provide for me. Although, it was not a fun lesson (and unfortunately it's not over!) I am better for it. Now back to my new bed...I am staying with Ms. Jude and her adopted daughter Barbara for the time being. Ms. Jude, who is Australian, owns a restaurant in town and goes to the same church I have been attending. She has been in Uganda for about 25 years, I won’t even attempt to make a stab at her age, I think it would only get me in trouble! She has a reputation of letting volunteer vagabonds with no place to go stay at her house! With all of my house hunting this week, she kept telling me, “If you can’t find a place to live, you are welcome at my house. Although, I’m not a good host, I don’t cook at home!” She reminds me of my grandma Betty. She is sassy and has a knack for telling the truth, whether or not you want to hear it is your problem! So for now, I get to learn from her, sleep in a full bed, and take hot showers. I’d say the Lord is providing for me!

I am looking forward to sharing with you what I will be doing ministry wise this month! There are some opportunities that are still up in the air at this point. I will know at the beginning of next week if they are going to work out. Know that I am excited about them, and I know there is so much for me to learn from them! I am thankful for your continued support, both financially and prayerfully. Because of you, I am here. I will always be thankful for that!

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. -Proverbs 16:9