We look to Yahweh

The past couple of weeks have been tough. We’ve had to watch people go, but we’ve also seen a few come in. It feels like the dynamic of the group just keeps changing, but we’ll get into a groove soon! We had a couple of technical issues this week; for example, our car broke down in the middle of the road on Friday and we had to walk home. It wasn’t frustrating, but some people are leaving tomorrow and they didn’t get to finish projects last week. I feel like I’ve had a lot of opportunities to work at the different projects and I helped lead praise and worship a lot. It’s been so good to force myself to get in front of people and I think I’m starting to get my love for performing/acting/just being in front of people back. I hope that doesn’t change when I get home. I’m really starting to understand that you don’t have to be perfect, just as long as your heart is in the right place, God will be glorified! It was good to go to the projects 2 full weeks. I hadn’t really done that since I got here because I was in the village, then on safari, and then the village again. Amy, Jillian and I have big plans for some of the schools. We’re all staying a longer than the rest, so we’re exciting to bring our own creativity to the projects!!

Our group before some of these girls left. 

Amy and I at Victory having a blast!

Porridge. Porridge. Poooooorridge. 

Leading praise and worship. 

Chapati!

There's no point in wearing clean clothes to Victory... you get so dirty!

Kelley from Tennessee, Megan May from Texas, and Melissa from Chicago.
I miss you all!

Jumping for Jesus!

Saturday was a sponsorship meeting. Lots of children, not all of them, came to our house and we did a program and bible study with them. I happened to glance at the list of children here and noticed my friend Paul’s sponsor child was here. I made it my goal to find him and take a picture to show Paul. I also bought him a coke to enjoy with his lunch. He was so excited! I helped lead Praise and Worship with Craig and Leez and was the man beaten up in the story of the good Samaritan. It was a super fun, but very exhausting day! I love seeing sponsor children because they are so sweet and grateful for their sponsorship! We have another meeting this weekend, I believe, and the children will be back to write letters to their sponsors! It will be fun to see them again!

Teaching with Douglas about The Good Samaritan. 

hanging out in the tree

Girls being girls. 

me and Isaac

My favorite day is Sunday. We go to Watoto Church, well most of us most of the time, and it’s such an awesome experience. They have a bunch of different satellite locations, but today we went to Watoto Central. It’s near downtown Kampala and we wanted to visit the Craft Market after church today. I love the church so much because as you look around you realize you among believers from all over the world! There are Ugandans, of course, but also Americans, Australians, British, Koreans, etc, etc.  It’s an incredible sight to look around at people so different from you in culture, and yet, so similar in their faith. We worship 1 God, who is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow! It’s quite exhilarating and it was an incredible worship!

It was also an incredible day because I got to spend time with Melissa. She was the oldest girl here and the only person older than me; but, that’s not why she’s awesome! Melissa and I both came to EAC last summer, but missed meeting each other by a couple of days. This year we’ve had the opportunity to spend this last month together. Before she got here I heard that she was coming to see about adopting a little girl she met last year. I honestly didn’t know how much she would just change my heart!

Over the past few months I’ve had the awesome opportunity to learn her story and what God has called to her to do. She’s from Chicago and is a Resource Teacher for elementary age children. Last year when she came she met a baby named Scholastica at Nsambya babies home, one of the orphanages we go to. She told me that she knew instantly that God had a plan for this girl to be in her life. She spent the whole past year knowing what God had called to her do, but maybe doubting what he actually said. Her time here has been spent doing projects and spending as much time as possible with this sweet baby.

She’s spent this last month in a flurry of emotion. She’s had good days with Lola (what we call her!) and bad days with her. We had a conversation the other day about Lola being exactly what she said she never wanted to adopt. Funny how we put limitations on what we think we’re capable. Good thing God knows exactly who we are. She met with a lawyer last week who wasn’t really interested in meeting with her. Little did this lawyer know that Melissa would be an answer to her prayers. Melissa explained that she’s interested in adopting a special needs girl from Nsambya and the lady knew exactly who she was talking about. She even said she’s been praying for a family for her! Now, this whole time Melissa has struggled with what appears to be the negative things: Lola won’t have a dad, because she’s not married, adoption is expensive, let alone an adoption from Uganda, and Lola has cerebral palsy along with a few other things. After Melissa met with the lawyer she came back to the house and told us all what had happened. As she explained what the lawyer said I was just reminded about how God’s time frame is not our own and how he is always in control. He’s had his hand on this situation the whole time and I was blessed to be a part of it this summer!

Today we went to Nsambya because Melissa is going back to Chicago. The positive side is that now she can start the adoption process in the US. The negative was that it was her last day with sweet Lola. Since Amy and I are going to be here for the next few months we promised to watch over her and take care of her until Melissa comes to bring her home officially! Although we don’t know what will happen I know God will continue to show himself in a mighty way in this situation. It was sad when we really had to leave her. Melissa started crying, like any mother would. I’m glad Amy and I were there to encourage her about this whole process.

Melissa bringing Lola out to say hello to us!

She is a natural mother to Lola, it's such an inspiration. 

On another note, we are going to the village this week. Our team has dwindled to just a few and the teams I went to the village with before are mostly gone now. It will be a great opportunity for us to get to know each other better.