Why is it that my natural reaction to stress if often times worry rather than prayer? Why do I allow myself to lose sleep over something I know is completely taken care of by the One who is far more capable than me of dealing with it?

Just this past week I found myself stressed out over the women’s jewelry project I’m involved in. I was racking my brain on how to make the program a success and how to get enough money while I’m home to purchase the final bit of jewelry when I return. To be honest it didn’t dawn on my to give it to God or pray about it. Not only did I waste an enormous amount of time and energy stressing out, I acted extremely foolishly. However, because we serve a God that has everything under His control, all has been taken care of and I have been reminded of how God cares about all I do.

Over the past year I’ve had the amazing privilege to work with a ministry and church on developing a jewelry/business project for a group of 15 women. The area, Kasokoso, is extremely impoverished and there is very little opportunity in the community for people, especially women, to get work. We (myself with church leaders) have created an empowerment project that we believe will both help the women create their own business to help earn money to provide for their family and also give these women a sense of dignity and hope in using their talents and abilities to work.

We started in March and since then the women have been making jewelry to be sold in the US, meeting together for fellowship with church leaders and attending a few basic business/savings trainings. The money that each woman makes from the jewelry goes toward two things: 1) daily living expenses, and 2) some is put aside in a savings to be used at the end of the program as capital for her business. We don’t believe in giving money to the women to start their business so under this program they are earning the capital needed by making jewelry.

While we could disregard the savings and business part of the program and only have the women make jewelry to be sold in the US, it would not meet our goal of sustainability. Paper bead jewelry that is being bought by Americans and sold in America is not sustainable. The minute America or the American is removed from the equation the women’s business would be over. In addition, these women have dreams of doing other work but need capital and training before they are ready.

And here’s the deal: help is needed. First and foremost prayer is needed. Please pray that these women would fully understand how God has blessed each of them with gifts and abilities.Please pray that they would come together as a church and that all they do would bless their families and others in the community. Please pray that they would be focused and serious on the work necessary to start up the business; that they would have perseverance and determination.

Secondly, help is needed to sell the jewelry. I am home for another month and would like to sell enough jewelry to have the money needed to purchase the last bit of jewelry before we end the program. I have spent about $400 a month and have committed to another 4 months or $1600. At that point we believe the women will have enough in their savings for the capital needed to start their businesses.

The jewelry is all hand-made by the women. Each bead is hand-rolled pieces of paper dipped in varnish. Because it is all hand-made, each bracelet, necklace and set of earrings is different, no two pieces being the same. The women make several styles of necklaces, bracelets and earrings.

On average the women make $1.50 per piece and the church makes $.50. While this may not seem like very much, it is significantly more than the women would make if they sold their jewelry at the local markets. The craft markets here are extremely over-saturated with this jewelry and women only make around $.40 - $.70 per piece.

We approximate that each woman will need between $100 - $200 to start her business (15 women times $150 equals a lot of jewelry!!)

I ask that you would consider helping sell this jewelry. There are many avenues such as:

§ At bible studies

§ School fairs

§ Set up a stand during a baby shower, wedding shower or party

§ Throw a party to sell the jewelry

§ Craft fairs

§ Local farmers’ markets

§ Co-workers/lunch room at work

As I first mentioned, I was stressed out a bit this week thinking about how I would sell enough jewelry to buy what is need when I get back. Well, on Wednesday I went to a small boutique where my mom had dropped off a few pieces to sell. I went to pick up money and drop off a bit more jewelry. I wasn’t expecting to collect much money (trying to manage my expectations) but as the manager was adding up the amount sold it kept going up – all the way to $696! When this boutique first offered to sell the jewelry they were going to give us half of what they made but after a few weeks they decided to give all the money back! And I was worrying for nothing. I was reminded in that moment how God is continuing to take care of me.

Home.

It’s a weird thing really. I just spent the last 9 months living in Uganda and the minute I stepped off the plane in Chicago I felt completely at home. How does that work? My life is in Uganda and has been for the last two years. I love it there. I have an apartment, a great roommate, wonderful friends, work, etc and I feel comfortable there. But within 24 hours of traveling I find myself in Chicago and I feel as if I never left. And that does not make sense to me. At all. Sometimes I try to figure it out, how one person can live in two opposite places and feel as though she never left. But then I just decide that God is good and that is how he made me. I don’t think I’ll ever ‘get it.’ It’s just wonderful!

With that said, I must say it is amazing to be home in Chicago. When I am here I experience God in such a different way. Here I see how God uses my closest family and friends to pour love onto me. He uses them to speak words of love and encouragement. I feel rejuvenated and relaxed. I come home and truly appreciate the little things and that is a blessing. I’m not excited about the shops or fancy foods or other amenities (although the paved roads, fountain sodas, hot showers and constant electricity are nice). It’s waking up and having a wonderful cup of coffee with my mom. It’s having my dear friends sitting in front of me and laughing with me.My cousin ran up to me and jumped on me – and I’m not kidding. She’s a grown woman and almost tackled me to the ground. And it made me feel loved. I love it here. There are moments when I love it so much I feel like I don’t want to ever leave but then I remember the life God has blessed me with back in Uganda. I remember my amazing love, Ivan, (and if you didn’t hear yet we’re getting married). I remember my friends and the kids I work with and miss them dearly. It’s ok to love home and it’s ok to not want to leave and at this point I’m glad I’ve got another 5 weeks here.

Yesterday was great! I arrived at our street kid program to find many new kids. I also saw Wasswa and Brian. Brian agreed to go to bible study this morning and Wasswa seemed too cool to go but we’ll see if David can persuade him. Please pray for both of them as we continue to love these kids. Pray that God would work in their hearts. I feel so blessed to be one of God’s vessels in showing love and care for these two boys, no matter how tough and ‘cool’ they are.

I’ve mentioned in the past how God has used malaria and other times to allow us to serve the children and break down walls. Even the toughest kids need care when they are sick. Yesterday one of our new kids was very sick with a high temperature. I took him to the clinic and it’s amazing how I barely knew him on the way there but by the time we left he was noticeably more comfortable around me. It may help that I bribed him with a new pair of sandals :) I pray that Franco would recover quickly and continue to come to programs. I’m grateful for the opportunity to care for him.

Last and by far the best part of the day was last night. Several of us had dinner together last night at our favorite Ethiopian restaurant, it’s always fun to hang out and laugh. After dinner five of us went out into the streets in search of kids. We know there are hundreds of boys living on the streets of Kampala and last night our goal was to meet as many as possible. For three hours we walked all over the city and talked to as many kids as we could. After the first hour we met Alex and this kid is awesome! We asked him to take us to the places where the kids slept and for the next two hours he led us around the city. It must have been quite a sight; 2 Ugandans, 3 white girls and a young street boy leading us. As we met kids we encouraged them to come to Kivulu, the area where we have program. I pray that they come today. I pray that God would use us to get these kids off the streets.

That’s it - a wonderful day and I attribute it all to God.

Update 2 from Week of Fasting and Prayer

The original reason I fasted several weeks ago was for the boys living on the streets and our programs. My friends and I were worried the boys would scatter all over the city and not come to programs. With a feeling of frustration and desperation we decided to fast and give it to God. And God did amazing things with the kids and our program.

Our programs have not suffered at all, not even a little bit. The boys were kicked out of the room they slept in on a Friday and that Monday our program had just as many kids as usual. Despite the fact that many of our kids had spent the night sleeping in places all over the city, God brought them back to Kivulu on Monday. Before this all happened, there were several boys that we knew and saw regularly but were not close with. They were a bit distant and hard. Those were the boys I was concerned about the most. They were the boys that we didn’t have strong relationships with and I was sure they would move on to other areas in the city and we wouldn’t see them again. But they showed up that Monday and have almost everyday since. It is so clear to me that we are not in control of this program or situation. God is in control and apparently His work with these kids is not done and I feel so blessed that we still have time with them.

Not only that but since that time we’ve had many new boys come to the programs. Before the police got involved and told the kids they couldn’t sleep in the community, my friends and I had planned on going out into the city to find more boys and bring them to Kivulu. But when the police chased the kids we put that plan on hold. But God showed up and it is clear that he doesn’t need us to do His work. With or without us He is capable of reaching these children. The week we fasted new kids came to the program and our program numbers grew. Then last week a friend of ours went to another slum in Kampala and told more kids about our program. I counted 10 new kids last Wednesday!!! With new kids come new relationships and more opportunities to share Christ with them.

Lastly and probably most surprisingly and wonderfully is the work God has done with two of the boys. As I mentioned above we are blessed that several of the boys that are tough and distant continue to come to program and we have more time to build relationships with them. Two of them specifically were especially difficult and resistant to us, Wasswa and Brian. Wasswa is always around but rarely involved in our programs. When he is, we’re usually asking him to stop talking, stop fighting or something else. But then two weeks ago my friend David that leads our Bible study (The Breakfast Club) told me he wanted to invite Wasswa. I was absolutely shocked but very supportive. In the past we’ve invited kids that are involved in program, respectful and kids we think we can build a deeper relationship with. Wasswa does not fit that but he has gone for two weeks in a row to the Bible study and David said that he is extremely respectful, pays attention and actively participates. You have no idea how much this makes me smile. You have to know Wasswa to know how amazing this is – let’s just say that my friend and I have joked around that if you let Wasswa in your home he’d probably burn in down within minutes and we’ve joked that if we ever lived on the streets that we’d be scared of him. So to hear that he has joined bible study and is allowing David to pour into him is absolutely amazing.

Then Brian is a boy that has always seemed angry. He’s been around for months but never really comes to program. I would always greet him and rarely get a response. We’ve had moments when he has been downright mean and rude to us. But we always told him to come to program. Then one day about two weeks ago I get a text from my friend that Brian greeted her and then hung around program for the entire day. I was shocked! That same day I ran into Brian as I was going to program and he smiled, greeted me and as he was leaving program turned around and came back when I asked him to. To this day Brian hangs around; he is so polite and respectful. Honestly, I feel like I am witnessing the power of God’s love change people in big ways. These are both kids that were usually high, extremely dirty and often times rude. I feel so blessed that God has chosen me to love these kids and that He’s allowed me to see first hand the power of His love. Humans don’t do this kind of stuff, God does.

A few months ago my friend and I were joking around that if we got Brian to come to program regularly and if he turned out to be one of the respectful, kind kids that we would feel like our job was done. We joked that if Wasswa ever showed enough interest in the Bible or what we had to say to join the bible study that we could move on because we would have completed our mission. And here we are a few months later and what seemed like the impossible is now happening.

I never expected such awesome outcomes from our week of fasting but God has shown me once again that He loves us beyond anything we could ever imagine and He is our ultimate Provider.

I feel a bit overwhelmed with all that I want to write. There is so much to share and I think I’ll have to post a few updates to capture it all. However, all that has happened over the last two weeks comes down to the fact that our God never leaves us or forsakes us. He is our ultimate Provider and Father for all His children. He hears our prayers and knows our hearts desires and responds with love, grace, compassion and mercy.

Two weeks I wrote the previous post. I’m not sure it is clearly conveyed in my writing, but the feelings of desperation and helplessness I felt then was so real and intense. It was absolutely awful to look at my friends and know we did not have answer to the problem. I know without a doubt that while we may be helpless, God is always in control and that no problem is too big for God. I know times like that require an unwavering faith. But it still felt terrible.

So, two Sundays ago, I did the only thing I could think of at that time and that was to take two kids home with me, Bwanika and Isma, ages 12 and 11. I had no plan and no idea what I was going to do with two boys once morning came but it didn’t matter, kids were not meant to sleep on the streets. One night turned into two and two into a week and a week into two weeks.To say that the last two weeks have been a whirlwind would be an understatement. The last two weeks have been absolutely crazy. I can’t remember the last time I was so tired but it has been worth every bit. A few very important factors have made the two weeks a bit stressful and made coming up with a long term plan urgent. It is not legal for me to have the kids in my home without legal consent of a guardian or government approval. At the same time the longer they were with me the harder it would be to have them go anywhere else. So last week I went on a mission to find a solution and I pray that what I have found is the right decision. Wednesday afternoon I will take my kids to a ministry that runs a home for street kids. They put the kids in school and spend months, if not years, counseling them and working with them and their families. The goal is always resettlement into their family. I’m a firm believer that children should be with their families and everything needs to be done to make that happen. However, it’s much easier with kids I know and love from a distant. It’s not so easy with kids I consider my own and love so much.

I love these kids. I could write for hours and hours about how amazing they are and how much I’ve learned from them. I’ve seen God work in their hearts and lives. Just two months ago Isma would not greet or acknowledge me or any other staff at the program. He constantly looked hard and angry. He would rarely come around but God used an injury several weeks ago to change him. He started coming around for medical care and started listening to us. Then he started greeting us and then we took him out with a few other kids and I saw a different side of him and now he is a 100% a different child. In a short few weeks God changed his anger and hardness into joy and laughter. I am telling you this kid is funny and he loves all the staff now.It goes to show what consistent love and God can do to somebody. Then there is Bwanika. I’ve known him for the longest and I’ve seen a side of him many didn’t see for a long time. I saw a kid that is far more mature than he lets on. He’s far more caring than most know and I love him. The staff member that leads the weekly Bible studies was hesitant to let Bwanika into the club for fear he would distract the other kids but he turned out to be one of the most respectful and well behaved. He wants to be a comedian when he grows up and gets pure joy out of making people laugh. He loves little kids and is always kind to them and the dogs that live on the streets. While most kids are terrorizing the dogs and little kids, Bwanika is feeding them with the little money he has. He wakes up earlier than Isma and without hesitation starts washing all dirty clothes every morning. It’s pretty amazing.

God has blessed abundantly with these two boys and my heart is so heavy now that they will be leaving. I find peace in knowing that God has His hand in this and that He can do far more than I can in providing for them and ensuring their care. I pray that this transition would be smooth, that the boys would love their school and new home. I pray that God would work miracles in their families and that the boys would be able to be resettled with no difficulties. I pray that their families open their arms to the boys and love them so well. I pray that they would never have to call the streets their home again.

Further updates to come soon.

Isma enjoying chicken lunch.

Bwanika's favorite food is fish. I may never eat fish again after seeing this :)

Bwanika and Peter at a soccer game.

Isma is in the background with the comb and Bwanika is making a funny face (naturally).

The three of us - Team Red :)

Self-portrait of Isma

We Fast and We Pray

We fast and we pray because God is our only hope and we know that He will provide a solution. The problem is beyond human power and we are out of ideas of how to meet the needs of these children. We turn to our Maker and Father for answers. We know that He will not fail us and more importantly He will not leave our children who are without a place to sleep.

The past several months’ work at our street programs with children has been good and we feel extremely blessed by the work God has done. We’ve met several new kids and been able to build relationships with many kids. My friends and I were even at the point of going out to Kampala and bringing kids to the area where we do our programs. While the kids were still calling the streets home, we knew where they were and we knew where they slept. There was a small room where 40 of them slept. It wasn’t nice and not at all where children should be sleeping but it was better than outside in the streets where they could be beaten or arrested. We knew that we would see the kids each day we went and could see that they were ok. There was some sense of security. The sick kids came to get medicine, they came to get food, soap and hang out.

However, things have changed and we don’t know what to do. We are still able to do our programs there but the children are no longer allowed to hang out in the community and they are no longer allowed to sleep in the room. A few nights ago the police went into the room where the kids were staying and beat them and then arrested several of them the next day. When my friends went to get them back, the police that made it clear the kids were not welcome in the area and would be arrested if they continued to sleep there. They have been completely chased from the area and we don’t know where to send the kids. There is definitely an argument to be made that these kids have been on the streets for a while, some years, and they are capable of finding a safe place to stay. However, that argument is crap. Kids should not have to search to find a safe place to sleep. Kids should not be wandering the streets looking for a place where they won’t be beaten. And the truth is that we want them near us. We want to know that they are safe and we want to pour Jesus into them and if they are scattered all over Kampala, I’m not sure how we do that. Many of these kids have come to trust and respect us and it feels like we are failing them by not having a solution to this. How can we hang out with the kids all day and then come night say good-bye knowing they have no place to go while we go home to nice, safe beds? It just doesn’t work and it is not at all how God intended.

They are amazing and it breaks my heart to know they are sleeping on verandas, in front of supermarkets and anywhere else they can find where the police won’t beat or arrest them. So, we fast and we pray that God would change the hearts of the police and we pray that He would find a place for these children to sleep. We trust in His power and His love.

Not My Words

These are not my words but I share them because I love them and I believe them and most importantly I want my life to reflect what they say. Enjoy.

Why Disciple-Making International by David Platt

I want to be a part of the accomplishment of the Great Commission.

That’s the short answer I would give if someone asked me, “Why DMI?” God desires for His gospel to be known and His glory to be praised in all nations. And Christ has commanded us to fulfill this God-exalting purpose among every people group on the planet. How? We make disciples. No matter the sacrifice. We go to them, baptize them, and teach them to obey everything He has commanded. And we keep doing this until the gospel has been proclaimed to all nations. Then the end will come.

For any and every follower of Christ, that’s a purpose worth giving our lives to. We were created for something so much greater, so much deeper, and so much more fulfilling than having a nice job (not that jobs are bad), raising a decent family (not that this is bad, either), and attending a good church (as a pastor, I definitely wouldn’t say that’s a bad idea). But there’s more. There’s so much more. God has given every follower of Christ gifts, skills, passions, resources, and most importantly His very presence so that we might be a part of the advancement of a kingdom on earth in anticipation of a King from heaven.

Yet, we are subtly and dangerously tempted to settle for less than this. We have taken the costly command of Christ to go, baptize, and teach all nations, and morphed it into a comfortable call for Christians to come, be baptized, and listen in one location. As a result, if you ask individual Christians today what it means to make disciples, you will likely get jumbled thoughts, ambiguous answers, and probably even some blank stares.

That’s where I was once—and to some extent where I am still. The more I read the Gospels, the more I marvel at the simple genius of how Jesus lived and what Jesus did. With the task of taking the gospel to the world, He walked through the streets and byways of Israel looking for a few men. Don’t misunderstand me—Jesus was anything but casual about His mission. He was initiating a revolution, but His revolution would not revolve around the masses or the multitudes. It would not revolve around garnering a certain position. Instead, it would revolve around a few chosen people. He would intentionally shun titles, labels, plaudits, and popularity in His plan to turn the course of history upside down. All He wanted were a few men who would think as He did, love as He did, see as He did, teach as He did, and serve as He did. All He needed was to revolutionize the hearts of a few, and empowering them by His Spirit, they would impact the world.

Jesus lived, died, and was raised for the glory of God and for the sake of all men. But during His earthly ministry, Scripture indicates that Christ spent more time with this small group of people than with anyone else on the planet. This is astonishing when you really think about it. At the end of the Son of God’s time on earth, He had staked everything on His relationships with twelve men—eleven when you consider Judas’ role. These eleven guys were the small group responsible for carrying on everything Jesus had begun. Before ascending into heaven, He gathered them around Himself and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20). After intentionally spending His life on earth with these eleven men, Jesus told them, “Now you go out and do the same with others.” The mega-strategy of Jesus: make disciples.

And this is now the command that God intends to govern every follower of Christ. Every disciple is created, crafted, blessed, and intended by God to be a disciple-maker. No Christian is excluded from this mission (as if we would want to be!). You don’t need to have inordinate skill or unusual abilities to make disciples. You don’t need to be a successful pastor or a charismatic leader to make disciples. You don’t need to be a great communicator or an innovative thinker to make disciples. All you need is Christ, His Word, His Spirit, and His people.

Which brings us back to where we began. Why Disciple-Making International? I am firmly convinced that Jesus’ charge to make disciples is intended to be at the heart of the local church. I want to pastor a local church that is radically abandoned to this commission, and I want to serve other local bodies of believers who are committed to this command as well. I want to be a part of providing free resources that are biblically faithful, theologically sound, practically beneficial, easily accessible, multi-lingual, and cross-cultural. I hope and pray that these resources fuel disciple-making relationships through churches around the world. The whole purpose of DMI is to encourage and to equip Christians in the contexts of local churches to make disciples who will make disciples who will make disciples who will make disciples…until every people group has heard the gospel and our all-satisfying, grave-conquering King receives the praise that He is due.

Change

Change isn’t always easy. Even when it is necessary, even when it is for the good, it can be hard.Sometimes change is a really good thing, like a new job or a new home. But even then there are hard parts that you can’t avoid.

24 months ago I had never been to Africa. I had never been to Uganda. To say that I’ve gone through a bit of change in the last two years would be quite the understatement. When I think about it, everything has changed. Two years ago I was living in Chicago with a good, stable job staying in a fabulous apartment with an even more fabulous friend. My church was wonderful, my friends and family nearby and I had nothing to complain about (other than the weather J.But anybody who knows me knows that my heart was not content, so when God brought about the opportunity to visit and then move to Uganda, I took a step of faith – maybe more of a leap.

I arrived in a new country, a new continent to be exact with a new language, extremely different culture, new home, new environment, few friends and a lot to learn. And God was so good because most of the change was not too bad; in fact a lot of it was great. However, I say all of this because it was a more recent change that caused me more stress and hardship than the one when I moved here.

It’s amazing how relational we are. It’s amazing how quickly we adapt to our surroundings and how usually, the most important thing about our surroundings are the people, not the stuff.After living here for one year I was absolutely in love with my community. I loved my little room, my noisy neighbors, the kids that would come by after school and on weekends and I loved walking around the neighborhood knowing many families. However, throughout the year there were signs that I would have to move and I was not happy about it and a part of me wanted to be very stubborn and not go anywhere. But there came a point in December where it was clear I needed to move. It made sense why it had to happen, I was absolutely prepared for it and yet I was not happy about it at all. So reluctantly I went, I found a fabulous new place, much bigger, in a great quiet community closer to Kampala.

But it didn’t matter, I wasn’t near my community and the kids I had fallen in love with. At one point a friend told me not to worry that I’d find other kids to love and spend time with, but the truth was that I didn’t want new kids to love or serve, I wanted my kids. I knew there was thousands of children I could love and spend time with and I knew there orphans, children without homes, kids that didn’t know Jesus all over Uganda but it didn’t matter. I was not ready to move on.

But thankfully it didn’t stay like that forever and a couple months after the move my heart was already in love with a new group of children. God worked in my heart to allow for a bit of healing so I would have the capacity to love these boys that live on the streets. I still miss my kids but I am blessed to be working with the boys. The past few months have been filled with lots of joy and blessing.

A few weeks ago I was reminded that it is our privilege and duty to disciple these children and teach them about Jesus. We do daily sharing time with the kids but with a group of 50 + boys it is often short and few kids pay attention. However, I knew there were many kids that would listen and potentially welcome true discipleship from the leaders if we could get them away from the big group and pour into them. So, two weeks ago a friend of mine who leads the kids, David, started a club. He invites 6 kids to his house on Thursdays and 6 different kids on Fridays. We handpicked the kids and personally invited them to the group. David cooks a lot of food for them and does Bible study with them for 2 hours each time. I don’t go to the meetings but let David run them since he can relate to them at a much deeper level than me. I am confident the kids feel extremely special to be getting such personal attention from David and a home cooked meal from his house. David tells me that the kids are wonderful and some of the most unlikely kids ask the most questions. He said they all participate, they all listen and they all welcome his love and attention.

I am super excited about the group because I know how stinkin’ cool these kids are and I want them to know that as well. I hope they begin to see themselves as we see them and how God sees them. David says they are really learning how to pray and I’m so joyful that we serve a God that hears those prayers.

I hope to get a picture of the two groups soon and post them but as of now, they don’t know I know about their special club and for the moment I’d like to leave it that way. The kids in the Thursday group are: Simon, Peter, Tom, Bwanika, Joel and Isma. The kids in the Friday group are: Peter, Richard, Nathan, Gabriele, Matthew and Derrick. Please pray for them. Pray for David.

Below are a few pictures I have of some of the kids. Enjoy!

Peter and Richard

Isma

Simon

Bwanika (in orange)

Matthew

Gabriele

Not Your Typical School Musical

I am tired but feel like I have to share how I feel. I feel so blessed. It would be easy to say that tonight was good or tonight was fun but when I really think about it, it was so much more than that. Tonight was a blessing and truly the work of God.

Tonight was the school musical at the international school where a few of my friends teach. On the surface it was a typical school musical, kids singing, parents with cameras and lots of jazz hands. But it wasn’t typical. It was wonderful. Children from all around the Kampala area put on the musical, not just kids from the school. Some kids came from the school, some from a local church, others from an orphanage and a few from the national rehabilitation center (government orphanage). Some kids came from wealthy parents, others from missionary parents, some had no parents while others had been abandoned by their parents. But tonight you couldn’t tell, all you could see were a group of kids singing about three heroes from the Bible; Shadrack, Meshach and Abednego and they were awesome.

The other special part of tonight was the audience. Of course there were plenty of parents, relatives and friends in attendance but that was not all. A friend of mine works with an orphanage and as a special treat all the children were able to come tonight. In my experience with kids that live at orphanages is that anytime they get to leave is a treat. So occasions like this; a trip to Kampala (they are from a village) to see a special performance, is a big deal!

Also, I had intended to bring a few of my friends that work with the street kids to the performance. We typically meet on Saturday nights to hang out and I thought attending the musical would be fun. However, what started out as a group of 8 soon turned into a group of 18. The 8 leaders as planned and an additional blessing of 10 of our kids joined in. The kids loved it and while I’m not sure they understood all the words, they were clearly entertained. Anytime we get to take a few of them out of their environment and give them special attention is always a good time. The kids were dressed in their best, far better behaved than the leaders and were a pure joy.

Maybe it doesn’t seem like such a special night but in my eyes I saw parents, orphans, kids that call the streets their home, friends and other people, all enjoying, supporting and cheering as a group of kids from all different backgrounds told the wonderful story of 3 young men and their rock solid faith in God. Not your everyday school musical at all.

Easter - Kampala Style

I have to say that this Easter was one I don’t think I’ll forget for a long time. It was wonderful. I had the amazing privilege of spending Easter with over 60 kids that live on the streets of Kampala and a few other fabulous friends.

The week leading up to Easter was filled with Easter fun. We made crosses out of tongue depressors (no popsicle sticks in Kampala) on Wednesday and then Friday we decorated eggs.Eggs are a luxury for the kids and they were so excited. However, rather than just decorating and eating them, we added a small twist. We gave each child two eggs, both they decorated and then as we led a procession through the community with a big wooden cross, the kids gave one of their eggs to somebody they saw and told them about Easter. I definitely had my concerns of walking through the community with all the kids but they were great and I saw a lot of people enjoying their eggs.

We spent the entire week talking about the significance of Easter and each day that led up to Christ’s resurrection.

One of my friends made a wonderful recommendation for the party that I think made it super special for the kids. She reminded us that part of the holidays in the US is eating until you couldn’t eat anymore, and so she wanted lots of good food for the kids so everybody would get their fill; and that they did. I’m not kidding when I saw one of our smaller kids with a mountain of food on his plate and a huge grin on his face. Clearly he was excited about the food.

After cooking and eating enough food to serve an army we spent the majority of our time dancing. Honestly, the kids love to dance. We had a few games and a dance competition and then opened it up to everybody. We attempted to watch a film (something the kids would usually love) but it was clear they wanted to dance…so that is what we did. And I’ll say the only sad thing of the day was watching me try to dance. Honestly, anybody who knows me knows I can’t keep a beat and have zero rhythm so imagine me, the only white person on the floor, trying to keep up with kids that can move – I’m sure it was a sore sight but the kids laughed and that made it worth it.

Thank you Jesus.

Enjoy the pictures below:

Ibra enjoying his Easter dinner, soda and all.

A few of the amazing people that helped make the party possible serving food.

Games are always fun

We were even blessed with a few solo acts.

Container Update!!!!

Container Distribution Record as of April 2011

(Approx. 10 boxes of shoes and clothing remain)

Gulu – January 2011

• 1 huge box of backpacks
• 4 boxes black shoes
• 1 box school supplies
• 2 boxes casual shoes
• 6 boxes/bags of clothes

Bududa – February 2011

• 1 big box of shoes (all casual)
• 1 box of girl’s clothes
• 1 box of boy’s clothes
• 1 big bag of school supplies (pens, pencils, rulers, folders)
• 1 big bag of reading books for school
• 2 bags of candy for the party
• 1 bag of misc gifts for younger children

Kisii, Kenya – March 2011

• 1 huge bag of clothes
• several pairs of shoes
• many boxes of pencils
• 40 toothbrushes

1 box of shoes to Kasokoso school

Street children – over 10 pairs of shoes and over 20 t-shirts given out as needed or as prizes for good behavior at programs

Families

• Children - school bags, school supplies, black shoes, casual shoes, clothing
• Parents – clothing, washcloths, soap, toothbrushes, band-aids

Mama Yvette and family – 3 children, 1 mom

Grace and family – 6 children and both parents

Mama Andrew and family – 4 children and mom

Mama Vincent and family – 4 children and mom

The names below are children that received backpacks, clothes, shoes and plenty of other fun stuff:

Tutu Shaddrock Ellsa Lighton Chloe Emma Angel Beal Derrick Wahab Jon Nelson John Timothy Sam Kasozi Kisakye

Emma Amos Marriet Phionah Bayo Winnie Gift Sarah Byron Calvin Sam Lillian Catherine Faith Sharon Miriam

Josie Sam Kizza Peter Peace Hope Abby Stephanie Esther Shalom Akim Christine Sarah Angel Wasswa Jonathan

**Items were given out based on need, not all children received a backpack, shoes and clothes. All except a few received several items of clothing and black school shoes – backpacks and casual shoes were handed out as necessary

Sundays

There is Tom.

And Wasswa.

And Bwanika.

And Kasule and Michael.

And Alvin and Trevor.

They are kids I know and love. They are all between the ages of 10 – 14 and live on the streets in Kampala. There are thousands more in Kampala, all with a name, all precious to God.

Kasule is in school but the others spend their day picking scrap metal to sell so they can buy food or pay for somewhere to sleep. Some of them pay 10 cents to be able to sleep in an enclosed shelter while others just sleep outside.

Michael wants to be a lawyer when he grows up, Alvin, a headmaster (principal), Bwanika, a comedian and Kasule, a pilot.

Tom loves attention from the leaders who run programs for the kids. Kasule is always smiling and kind of my favorite. Trevor is pretty quiet and Bwanika is always up to something (but always has a good excuse).

They all have their stories. They shared them with me this past weekend. Some want to be re-united with their families and others have no desire. They call the streets their home. The streets shouldn’t be home for anybody, especially children.

I have the amazing privilege of spending Sunday afternoons with them. A friend of mine started a program, Tomorrow’s Heros, for these children. The kids and leaders love it. We all have our teams and team leaders. I’m the proud leader of the Cheetahs. We have team competitions, play games, watch movies, sing, dance, learn about God and hang out. It’s pretty awesome. We provide soap and sponges so they are able to bathe and wash their clothes and of course there’s food at the end. I think they typically come for the food but I come for them.

They are children and it weighs on my heart that they are living on the streets. The truth is I don’t know the solution. It is hard to help a child with no home unless you take them in. They don’t have a foster care system here and I can’t imagine adoption among these kids is common.

I have a few ideas of how to help but really need guidance and direction from God.

Pray for these children. Pray for them by name.

This is where the kids sell scrap metal. They get less than 25 cents for 1 kg.

This is where Trevor sleeps. He has to pay around 10 cents a night to sleep here and he shares it with well over 10 other kids/adults.

This is Kasule showing us where he sleeps. He is an amazing, joyful child. An adult in the community pays for a small room for several boys so he doesn't have to pay to sleep here.

This is my new friend Michael. Below is a picture of where he sleeps outside.

A PIcture is Worth 1000 Words

Here are a few pictures from the past few months.

My darling Andrew. I stopped by to drop off a few clothes for him and his family, he was so excited.

Simon and Amos modeling their new clothes and bags. Again, compliments of the amazing stuff sent on the container.

Since the beginning of January I've been spending my Sundays working with boys that live on the streets. A few of my friends organized a wonderful program called Tomorrow's Heros. In this picture Kasule is showing me where he sleeps.

I think some of the best moments over the past few weeks have been the two trips to the zoo with children I absolutely adore. This past Saturday I took a group of 9 and only 1 had ever been before. They had a blast.

And we did face painting as well at the zoo. Mutabazi and Joshua are super fun.

Further updates are coming soon.

An Hour of Prayer

My shower tonight was super cold, like take-your-breath-away cold. But as soon as I started to feel sorry for myself I remembered the headline on CNN I read minutes before, “The Confirmed Dead and Missing Hits 13,000.” I don’t mean to state the obvious and focus on the terrible news going on in our world and this may seem like a very weird blog post but I feel like this blog doesn’t always have to be about Uganda or what I’m doing here and it probably shouldn’t. All too often my time is spent thinking about myself. Even when I am doing my work here, it is in the context of my time, when I’ll get it done, my schedule, etc. And I am embarrassed at the little time I spend praying and thinking about other people, especially people in other parts of the world.

It is hard to ignore the recent onslaught of horrific news in the past few weeks and while I have spent a bit of time reading the news online, I can’t say I’ve spent time praying for these dear people. I know that God calls us to intercede for people all over the world and tonight as I worried about my cold shower, God reminded me of His dear children in other parts of the world. The pastor of the church I attend in Chicago shared on Romans 12:15 several years ago and this verse comes to mind when I think about God’s people in Japan, Libya, New Zealand. It states, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” This verse is among the many in Romans 12 about how to love others well. And at a time like this I am reminded that we need to get on our knees and mourn and pray for those who are going through terrible times.

When I think about the people in Japan, in the snow looking for their loved ones, my heart feels heavy. In Tunisia last week 2000 people an hour were crossing the boarder in hopes of finding refuge. I can’t even fathom what that looks like. And these are people running for their lives, running to a new country with the stuff on their backs, running to no home, no job, no security or guarantee of food, water, anything. And I was worried about my cold shower. Yuck.

But, rather than dwell on the horrible events and feel overwhelmed and helpless, I am turning to the only One who is capable of providing what these dear people need, my Father.

I believe that it is our privilege to be able to intercede for God’s people all over the world. Tomorrow I am going to commit to spending one hour in prayer for the people of Libya, Japan, New Zealand and the many other places that are experiencing hard times. I ask that you (whoever is reading this) would consider doing the same. I believe in prayer and I know that when God’s people come together in His name things happen. I am going to spend from 5 – 6 pm Uganda time praying for these people and ask that you join in at that time if possible. I think Chicago is either 8 or 9 hours behind Uganda but I’m not really sure. I realize many people have jobs that don’t allow an hour break but if your schedule does permit, I ask that you pray with me.

Thanks for reading and praying.

Gulu and Bududa Are Blessed!

After weeks of sorting shoes, clothes and school supplies I have been able to deliver several boxes of items on two different trips.

The first trip was last week as a friend of mine and I went to Gulu. It was a wonderful trip and we were able to bring:

- 4 boxes of black school shoes

- 2 boxes of casual shoes

- 1 big box of backpacks

- 1 box of school supplies (including supplies for the teacher and children's books)

- 6 boxes/bags of clothing.

The ministry in Gulu is amazing and is doing great work. Pastor Experito is our contact in Gulu and has been there for over 15 years. He started a church in Gulu town and has recently partnered with other people to start a church and school in Kochgoma, a village an hour from Gulu. Gulu is going through a lot of changes right now as people are leaving the IDP (internally displaced people) camps where they have been living for over 15 years and returning to their villages. As the people return to the villages they are rebuilding their homes, working on their land to grow food and rebuilding schools for the children. These supplies will be a huge help as many of the people have very little and have to rebuild communities.

Pastor Experito will be using the school backpacks and school shoes as incentive and rewards for the people who pay for their children's school fees. Since the community is so financially poor, many are unable to pay for school fees but we encourage them to pay what they can and to continue giving throughout the entire school term.

Below are a few pictures of the school in Gulu:

This is the school room for nursery students in Gulu.

Then this past weekend I was able to join a few friends on a trip to Bududa, a village near Mount Elgon, about an hour from Mbale. Last year a village a few kilometers from Bududa was completely destroyed and buried in a landslide. Through partnerships with other organizations, a party was thrown for the children at a local school. This particular school and church we visited is very near where the landslides occurred and have many people in their community that were affected by the incident. The party was to show love and bring a bit of encouragement to the community. Many children we met went to school the day of the landslide and were unable to return home as their families and homes were buried. Children became orphans instantly. The church we visited is doing great things in the village and running both a primary and secondary school. From the container we brought:

1 big box of pencils, folders and other misc school supplies

2 boxes of children’s clothing

1 bag of children’s books

1 big bag of misc toys, water bottles, cute bags, etc

Another organization also donated notebooks and pens so each child had the basic needs met for school.

I’ve included a few pictures of the village below:

Looking super cute in her new pink jacket.

New Shoes!

Yeah - more new shoes!!

Pencils and books!

Thank you again to everybody who helped with this effort; it is a true blessing to the people of Uganda.

I’ll continue to post updates.