Uganda

Grace Beyond Reason

2010-07-12T07:07:00.000-07:00

The Lord’s protection is greater than all! Within minutes our lives changed. I know it has been awhile since I last wrote a blog and yesterday I was planning on updating everyone with all that is going on here. There has been a lot to celebrate over the past several weeks, but I think I will use this blog to describe the events of last night.

As most of you know by now there were three, maybe four, bombs that went off in Kampala yesterday. We were in one of the restaurants where one exploded, but by the grace of God we walked out unharmed. The night started like so… we were supposed to leave the orphanage at 6 in order to pick up Jonathan in town and make it to dinner by 7. However, this is Africa and we were not picked up until 6:30, and there was a march on the main road, which delayed us another 30 minutes. Our hope was to eat dinner at 7 so that we could make it to the Ethiopian Village an hour before the game to get a good seat. We however, did not finish dinner until 8:45 and when we arrived at Ethiopian it was packed. One of the waiters said there was a small side room that opened to the main area and escorted us to those seats to watch the game. We were a little disheartened that we were not going to get to watch the final game on the big screen, but little did we know that us running late would save our lives. Our frustrations with Africa’s understanding of being on time turned into God’s perfect timing and protection of us.

We were sitting in somewhat of a semi- circle in front of the tv with a couple of rows of people behind us watching the game. I kept turning to Jonathan and saying I think I am going to walk out to the main area, it is too hot in here, but I never got up. Allen had just gotten back from the bathroom, the timer just went off for half time, Jay and I were standing up to walk out when a huge explosion went off. For the first five seconds we thought the screens had blown up due to an electrical mishap, but when I could not hear anything and realized I was not in my seat we knew it was not that. The boys pushed Carrie, Tori, and I up against the wall and covered us. I was really so disoriented at this moment that I really don’t know how to describe it or how long we were curled up against the wall. All I know is at this point I realized it was a bomb and I was almost positive another one was coming and I did not think we were going to make it. Nothing came. I was expecting things to be torn to shreds and tables everywhere, but I was not prepared in anyway for what I was about to see. I stood up and blood was everywhere. We could barely walk without slipping. I looked to my left and a two people were holding themselves, covered with blood, screaming. Jay and Mason passed a little boy being held by his mother; his leg had been blown off from the knee down. Jay tried to talk to the mom, but she just stared with a blank face, speechless. The row of people behind us either lost a body part or lost their lives. Again, we walked out without a scratch. The people behind us died and we walked out without a scratch. When I finally laid down this morning at 6:30 AM to sleep I could not close my eyes because all I could think about was that. Over and over again I think that. Once we all got off the floor, we looked around with almost no thoughts and just said “run!” Jay led, I threw chairs out of the way and we walked through the flesh, blood, bodies, and tables to get to the main road. People were screaming, crying out for loved ones, police were pulling up, bodies were being pulled out, reporters were coming; we were dumbfounded. The man next to us just fell on the ground weeping, “ My brother died! My brother died!” We did not know what to do because to our left was more people which could mean more bombs, but to our right was absolutely nothing- do we go away? What if they are targeting white people? Do we stay at the place since it was already bombed and another has not gone off yet? I just did not react in a way that was helpful at all. I had no thoughts, no reaction, no suggestions, absolutely no idea what to do. Jay was talking to Jon and it was just good to talk to someone who was not there. He was able to tell us what to do. In those situations we know what to do, but I think we were so shaken up that we just stared at each other and needed someone who did not see any of it to direct us. We made it down the road, Carrie passed out a couple of times, but other than that we made it out completely untouched. I know I am repeating myself, but still telling this story shakes me up and I cannot get over the protection of the Lord. At first I was mad and still question: why were we so protected and others dead, even the people right behind us were dead. There are 64 dead, 15 where we were. We were feet away from the bomb. When we eat at that restaurant they usually put us near the front at the big table, well that was the table the bomb was under. Again, the Lord’s timing is perfect, we would have set there if we were on time and we would not be alive right now. It makes me want to fall on my knees and weep. That’s the only reaction in me.

Please be in prayer for the families affected. I pray that we would not be desensitized to what has happened, this is not just another bomb that went off in a foreign country. It is sad to say, but I often feel that we become desensitized to this because we hear about things like this over seas often, but seeing families curled up weeping because in a matter of seconds they lost a loved one is more than just something to pass by while watching the news.

“ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

We are covered by the grace of our Lord.

Today I met Jesus and Obama's brother

2010-06-24T06:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was one of my favorite days here in Uganda. We went and walked through the community, which is a slum, where Rays of Hope school is. We went to tell the people about Jesus Christ and I must say it started off very interesting. The first man I met told me that he actually was Jesus Christ. He said that he needed us to fund his work here so that he could preach. He also told us that he was a Muslim. So we met a Muslim, Jesus/ preacher who needs money to tell people about Christ. Another man that I talked to told me that he was Obama's brother. I had to take advantage of this and have a little fun. I asked him how many siblings were in the family and he told me around 200. He also told me that he would take me in one of his six helicopters (which were flown by white people- he made sure I knew that) to Yugoslavia to visit Obama. So Obama is in Yugoslavia? Who knew? Then he said for me to tell Obama his brother said hello and he told me to use his phone that directly connects me to him for free. This conversation pretty much made my day.

However, on a more serious note… We spent the first 45 minutes talking to a Muslim woman and trying to explain to her who Jesus is. She laughed in our face when we talked about him being the Son of God and not a messenger. She said that she would never believe that Jesus is the Son of God. She listened though, the rest is up to the Lord. Her friend was there who is from Gulu (northern part of Uganda where the war is). She had two children, one was mentally disabled and the other one lame. She asked us to pray over her and her children. It just broke my heart to see her children, but also encouraged me to see a mother here still seeking strength to raise these two children. We then walked deeper into the slum and saw some people gathered around drinking out of this very long, thin pipe from a small pot, which I quickly realized was alcohol. They asked us to come over and talk to them. This is where I met Obama's brother. Tori got to talking to this one lady who seemed sincerely interested in who Jesus is. She asked a lot of questions and ended up surrendering her life to Christ. She then asked us to come back with her to her home and meet her family and pray with her. She is a widow with four children. Two of her children were there (they are teenagers) and one of her friends followed us back. We crammed into their small living room and got to share the Gospel with her friend and two children. They surrendered their lives to Christ and asked us to come back to walk them through the Bible while we are here (discipleship, yes please)! " But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us" (2 Corinthians 4:7). " For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:16). Lastly, we came to a group of people sitting out selling fruit and vegetables. When we walked by, they asked us to stop and talk to them. One man caught our attention and asked us to tell him about Jesus. He said he was Muslim. We talked about what he believed for a minute and then he asked me to explain to him who Christ is and what is considered sin. I was thrown a little off guard because I realized that in America we get so caught up in the deep theological discussions, that we forget the simplicity of the gospel. " For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power" ( 1 Corinthians 1: 17). Joel also spent some time discussing with him and then he said he wanted to surrender his life to Christ. He also asked us to come back while we are here and take him through the Word. I will admit I was a little hesitant on his sincerity, but I was immediately reminded who am I to judge? The Lord calls me to tell all about Him and He will do the rest. He will seal them with the promised Holy Spirit. I cannot forgot about the power of God and so quickly I do. " I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth" (1 Corinthians 3:6).

We got back to the school in just enough time to be a part of their devotion. Again, it is the best worship time we have here. They follow singing with prayer. They all prayed at the same time out loud, then they laid hands on each one of us and prayed individually for us. Josh, Carrie's friend that came for the week, gave the message. We sang some more and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon hanging out with the kids.

Also, we found out that Victoria has an enlarged heart. Jay took her the next day to the hospital to get some tests run and they said she will be fine. She does not need surgery. Another answer to our prayers!

The Lord continues to allow us to be a part of His miraculous works that happen daily. I just pray that we would have open eye to see them and willingness to obey Him.

"Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?" Jeremiah 32:27

A month into it all...

2010-06-19T13:00:00.000-07:00

We are now about half way through our time here. It is crazy to think that we have already been here a month! This past week the Lord really helped me take a step back from everything and look at all that is taking place. To take a look at how the Lord is intertwining everything together and there is a greater story in process than we can see now. I can see a lot more coming together and know that I am in a season of learning and waiting. Walking by the Spirit and waiting are the two key things now that is a must from us in order to gain discernment and wisdom. The greatest thing to discover for me right now is seeing the work the Lord has done in me since I was young being pieced together and given meaning.

As some of you know we took all 17 of the kids to the doctor for check-ups last week and not one of them have HIV, typhoid, or malaria. Talk about a blessing from the Lord! Seventeen orphans and none of them have HIV! That is a miracle in itself. We did however have some funny stories after our doctor’s visits. Carrie and I took the first five together. Vanita has been sick so she had a permanent IV in her hand and would get medicine put in it everyday. Well, Carrie decided to sit back there with her while they put more medicine in her hand. About 2 minutes into this I hear, “Catherine, Catherine, I can’t do this! I am about to pass out. Catherine!” So I walked back there and Carrie came out to sit on the chair and when I turned around Carrie looked up at me and then just flipped out of her chair! Ha, five minutes into this and Carrie has passed out. I was thinking, if we can’t get Carrie through this there is no way that 17 children are going to make it when they draw their blood. Lets just say that that was Carrie’s last trip to the doctor. Tori and I finished up the rest.

We have also been able to spend a good bit of time at Joel’s school, Rays of Hope. We are helping paint the rooms and are trying to finish up some small projects he has for us. Wednesday’s are their devotion days for the older students and this week we decided to join them. The students led us in singing and dancing. It was probably the best worship time I have had since we have been here. I sat amongst the students this time and sang, danced, and prayed with them and just felt immersed in the love and joy of Christ. Allen ended up giving the message and Joel told him to ask if any of the students wanted to surrender their lives to Christ. As soon as he asked 30-40 students jumped up to the front. I stood amazed for the next fifteen minutes as everything played out. Joel was sure to explain to them that this can’t have anything to do with white people being here. We stood up there with them for the next 15 minutes and explained to them, the best way we could, the Gospel and what it means to surrender your life to Christ.

The Spirit of the Lord is moving, through these kids, through the kids at Sozo, through our time with Kenneth (our driver), and throughout this city as those kids go and tell their parents and as we walk the streets in the community sharing the good news. I am excited about the upcoming week because we will be finishing up our work at Joel’s school so that we can spend our time in the community telling the people about Christ.

Relationships are being reconciled. Opportunities to share Christ are arising left and right. Students are surrendering their lives to Christ. Their parents are hearing the Gospel and seeing the joy of Christ in them. Orphans are being cared for. We are growing and learning. I would say that so far it hasn’t been too bad of a summer. Glory be to the Lord

Just a few fun facts… I tried to kill a chicken last week and got half way through because I could not get through the skin and gave up. It was too much for me to handle. However, I have been told that I would have to try again tomorrow. Jay and Allen have both tried grasshoppers and I too might have to give that a try. Kenneth said he would let me drive the car to the orphanage one day (not to sure about doing that). Bungee jumping is quickly approaching as well… African adventures continue!

The Small Things

2010-06-09T01:56:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday we loaded up all the kids again and went to Watoto Church near the home. The pastor talked about the roles of the church and defined their church and their mission in Uganda and in all the nations. It was a really good service. This part of the sermon really intrigued me…

New Testament __ Church Today

Location: house to house - church building

Size: small and intimate - large, impersonal

Activities: daily - weekly service

Ministry: by all believers - fulltime pastors

Pastor’s Duty: equip - preach well

Key Words: Go! Make disciples. - Come, grow with us

Involvement: participate - watch, spectate

Focus: people - programs

May we constantly recognize our need for Christ, and be rooted and grounded in Him, that we may glorify Him by being a church willing to love and serve, thereby becoming His pure bride.

This week I have been more mentally drained then ever, yet at the same time I have never felt more spiritually renewed. If a day went by this week where I was not refocused through Scripture, it was not going to be a good day. I have never felt more reliance on the Word then now. I have also never felt this much intimacy with the Lord. The small things have once again captured my attention and drawn me deeper into His love. We may not have a big day, but when I sat by Lake Victoria and watched all the kids dance to music around the car, knowing where they were a month ago, my heart could do nothing but rejoice. I couldn’t help but see the love of Christ in a little mute and mostly deaf girl that followed us around the school all day with a constant smile, laughing and wanting to play with us. I could see the humbleness of Christ in the Ugandan family who invited us to dinner and served us a Ugandan feast that was probably very expensive for them. The hope of Christ when we do devotion with the kids at night and they each stand up and thank Christ for food, shelter, love, and each other. Just before testimony time they all pray out loud at the same time. We asked Aggie what were some of the things they prayed about and she said they asked for wisdom, prayed for the kids at Mercy Home that are not being taken care of, prayed for the kids on the streets, thanked the Lord for giving them food that day, and Dennis (usually the one getting in trouble) asked that the Lord would change his attitude so that he could be nice and not disobey. The love of Christ is in the conversations, in Victoria’s smile, Fatuma’s laugh, and Vivian’s gentleness. I thank Him for making me aware of the beauty around me and allowing me to take part in it.

Last week we got to spend some time at Rays of Hope with our friend Joel. When we arrived they had a devotion planned. Their choir sang and a few people welcomed us then Carrie, Tori, and Allen led worship for a little while, followed by Mason’s message. Afterwards Joel caught us up on what had happened since we left and it was so encouraging to see that what the Lord started last year was being brought to fruition. Joel said that one particular man we told about Christ last year really did turn his life around and was still seeking the Lord. I got to meet some of the orphans that were now in school because of the money raised, they were being served breakfast everyday now, and they had new desks. Joel’s ministry is still moving forward and the people of Kabalagala are hearing about Christ. I did not know this last year when the Lord placed this area on our hearts, but apparently it is one of the poorer areas, prostitution and drunkenness are prominent, and there are very few people serving there. Joel said that they have been doing devotions once a week for the past year and the children go home and tell their parents about what they have learned, a good bit of them being prostitutes. The Word of God is spreading, people are hearing and believing! I thought this was very encouraging to see the work of the Lord being continued no matter where we are. It is the Lord who gives the growth, not man.

This coming up week we will hopefully be helping Jay and Allen take all the kids to the doctor to get checked out. Please be praying for them. I am sure they will all be tested for HIV. We are going back to Joel’s to work on Wednesday and Friday. Please continue to pray that we would always have a servant’s heart and that we would have opportunities to share the Gospel with people.

Thank you for your prayers!

The first days

2010-05-28T05:37:00.000-07:00

Well we’ve been here now for a solid week. Sorry I have not been able to update much lately, but hopefully I will be able to write two blogs a week. We will see though…

Our flights here went well. On the flight from Atlanta to Amsterdam I sat next to a family from India. They had a two year old little boy who quickly became my new best friend. He was full of energy the entire flight until the last thirty minutes. Once we got on the next flight from Amsterdam to Entebbe exhaustion began to settle in, but the lady next to me started up a conversation and we enjoyed hearing each other’s stories for a good bit of the flight. It was cool to see the work of the Lord from the start. In the Atlanta airport we met a man from Louisiana who was headed to Ukraine, but felt the Lord leading him to Uganda and wanted to learn more about what we were doing. On the flight to Entebbe the lady next to me was a professor at Wisconsin and was taking a team to Uganda for nursing. She too was interested in what we were doing. It was also encouraging because our flight to Entebbe was about 70% missionaries. I just love to sit back and watch the people the Lord puts in our paths to further His work. I love meeting new people and seeing what the Lord is doing in their lives and somehow connecting or networking with them to further the work of the Lord. I pray that our eyes would continue to be open so that we would see these opportunities and converse with the people around us.

After naps, food, conversations, sunrises, more food, sunsets, again food, we finally made it to Uganda! Allen, Jay, and Eddie were at the airport to pick us up. We stopped by the orphanage for a minute to meet the kids and then headed to our apartment to get some rest. On Sunday we met Allen and Jay at the orphanage to help them get all 17 children ready for church. This was quite the experience. The girls walked in in their dresses with their chunky, black school shoes on. This is when we realized that they did not have Sunday shoes. I will have to put up some pictures because it was really funny to see them in pretty Sunday dresses with huge, black shoes on. We walked down to the main road; all 23 of us piled into a taxi and off to Watoto church we went. When we arrived we were surprised with an outdoor, celebration service that lasted 3 ½ hours. About 30 minutes into it some of the girls looked miserable, although they did not complain, so Carrie took some of them to sit under a tree. After that came the “I need to susu" ( go to the bathroom) requests began. After our first bathroom break we rotated walking around, sitting under the tree, and taking kids to the bathroom for the next three hours. At one point Mercy took off from the back to the front of the congregation with me chasing after her. It was quite the sight to see I must say. The people there probably thought we were crazy… six muzungus (white people) taking 17 children to church. After the service we loaded them back into the taxi and went to the home for lunch. I was taken back because immediately the kids started doing chores. They washed their clothes, cleaned all the dishes, mopped the floors, and cleaned their rooms. I was told that they do this everyday. The greatest sight was watching two year old Mercy wash her clothes. I don’t think I would ever see this in America. It takes enough for parents to get their 20 year old children to wash their clothes in the washing machine here in the US of A.

Monday was quite the day. We headed back to the home (orphanage) to meet with Jay and Allen and go with them to finish registering the kids for school, get them school supplies, pay the fees for school, get their uniforms, and take them to the doctor for check-ups. Well things did not go as planned. Unexpectedly, a team of 12 showed up to see the home and play with the kids, which was fine, but we were unable to leave. Then Fanitah and Fredah both got sick, so I was going to run them to the doctor. Well just before I left Julius started running a fever, crying, and was having a little bit of trouble breathing, so I hopped in the car with him (we decided not to take all three- The Ugandans there said Fanitah and Fredah probably had malaria so just to get them medicine). Eddie, Julius, and I went to the doctor. (Take note that Eddie speaks a little bit of English and Julius speaks no English) I was about to have some fun. I walked into the doctor with Julius. Eddie walked me in and then sat in the car. When I finally figured out that the chairs were in line to see the doctor (after several people jumped in front of me) we went into her room. She just stared at me when I sat down so I was like “He has a cough, fever, and we think it’s malaria.” I have no idea what she said back so I just pointed to Julius and said talk to him. This was my second day with the kids so at this point I knew very little. She asked me his last name; I had no idea. She asked me where we lived; I again had no idea. (I made something up after she stared at me like who is this person). She asked me our phone number and because it’s a million digits long I had no idea. Also, we ran out the door so Julius did not have shoes on. So this is the picture…. A white person walked in with a child who does not have shoes on, does not know his last name, does not know where she lives or where he lives, does not know her phone number, and honestly does not know what to do at all in this doctor’s office. It was quite the learning experience and to say the least humbling. It made me really want to know Luganda because he had to get his blood taken and a shot and I had no way of comforting him through words, which was really frustrating. We learned a lot that day in the doctor, but due to the length of this blog I will end it there. Nonetheless Julius had malaria, but he is doing great now! I now know how to take a child to the doctor in Uganda, except next time I will know their last name. When we got back to the home Deborah and Dennis were not feeling well. At this point I just felt so bad for Jay and Allen because we had so much to do that day and none of it got done and five of the kids got sick. This was life for them for the past few weeks so we felt the need to try and take a little load off. Also, when 17 children are involved, the word “plan” is not a part of their dictionary.

Tuesday we spent the day in the city trying to round up last minute things for the kids before they started school Wednesday. Yesterday was pretty low key. We had several meetings so our brains were fried, but we enjoyed spending time with the team from North Carolina. Today we slept in and went to eat at Good African Coffee, a taste of American food. We spent the rest of the day playing with the kids, dominating card games (Allen and I dominated Jay and Mason), and enjoying good conversations.

The Lord keeps reminding me to take everything a day at a time. For some reason I feel like it is easier to do that in America than here. Maybe it is because I feel the weight of having things planned for everyone everyday, which to an extent is good, but for one we’re in Africa (where plans are never made) and two I feel that there is a lot the Lord is leading us to do. My prayer is that no matter what the day brings, no matter how frustrating things may make me, no matter what the plan is, I need to set aside my desires, plans, and frustrations and seek out the decisions that will glorify the Lord the most. I desire discernment for decision -making, purity of the heart, and a humble mind. I am very anxious to learn right now and soak in everything. I pray that that eagerness will not fade and that patience and love will abound in my walk with Christ.

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement. Please continue to pray for Sozo as they seek the Lord for guidance and for the children that they know the love of Christ surrounds them. Visit sozochildren.org for updates on the orphanage.

1 Peter 3:8

Home sweet Home

2009-06-14T13:43:00.000-07:00

Lauren and I arrived safely in Atlanta yesterday at 2:00 pm. We both stayed awake for at least 45 hours so we were exhausted. It was a bittersweet reunion. Both of us wanted to stay in Africa and hated to leave all our new friends, but we were excited to see family and friends here and I think even more excited about our Chik-fil-a visit.
Overall, I cannot even begin to think about how much the Lord exceeded our desires while we were there. He did so much more than we thought or imagined. I mean He is a faithful God and the Word says: " Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us" Ephesians 3:20. Although we got to be with a lot of people and were told several times how much we helped them and encouraged them, this trip changed my heart and encouraged me just as much if not more. I wish everyone had the opportunity to go and do what we did. It was enough to just see the how mighty of a God we serve. How good He is to us. How faithful He is. He is more than enough for us. He is to be glorified.
Thank you to everyone who prayed for us and sent me letters. I was so encouraged when I read everything. It meant so much to me to have such faithful friends and family supporting and praying for us. It was really cool to know that Christ connects us all. I was being encouraged by my brothers and sisters in America which helped enable me to encourage and be with our brothers and sisters in Uganda. My only request is that you please pray for the people and the ministry going on around the world and particularly in Africa. They were telling us that there is a Christian movement going on in Uganda and more lives are being saved everyday. So please keep praying for what Christ is doing there to be sealed. Below are the names of some of the people we met that either became Christians, are not Christians, or have been a believer for a while. Please pray for them:
Mark Kasozi, Hadija Kansika ( has a sick daughter), Nakomya Fatoma, Teopista Namusoke, Lukiya Namulondo, Jockline Nakojobi, Godfrey Bwire, Jose Rocki, Ssekotewa Muhamod, Prospel Agata (he was one of the men drinking that we talked to, but came to know the Lord. I talked to Joel recently- the man who took us around that day- he said this man was really serious about being a Christian but has the temptation everyday to go back to drinking because he is surrounded by people who do -so pray against that and that he will find new friends who will encourage him in the Lord), Steven Wosobe, Etiya Ahimbisibwe.
Once again thank you all for everything! I love you all!
" But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Matthew 6:33

Greater Things Have Yet To Come

2009-06-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.” Ephesians 3:20

I cannot begin to explain how alive this verse has become to us over the last couple of days. So just let me begin to tell you a little bit about what has happened…

I have told you about our friends from Canada. Well we were going to eat with them Thursday night because they were leaving on Friday. As we had gotten to know them we did not think any of them were really Christians, so our desire for the night was to tell them about Christ. We prayed before they met up with us that the Lord would open their hearts and lead our conversation. Well one of the first questions asked that night was about the church. Then Turune asked us about the differences in Protestants and Catholics. Alex jumped in some with a few questions about the church and its history. So we thought we were getting somewhere, but it was to only get better. Alex began asking us a million questions about the Lord and our relationships with Him. She wanted to know how we know He is real. She asked us when we became a follower and what the Lord meant to us. We spent the entire and I mean entire meal talking about Christ! It was at least 1 ½ hours and the conversation never changed! Not to mention that before this they had never asked us a question about the Lord. We came to find out that Missy is Catholic, Kate is a Christian, Turune is Muslim, and Alex believes Jesus was a man, but says she cannot believe in God. She said she loves to ask questions and really wants to know about the Lord, but wants to know for sure that he is real and not just by faith. She said she did not grow up in a family who believed in the Lord and that is why she struggles so much to believe because she has heard that there is no God all her life. So please keep these people in your prayers! We are so excited to have started a relationship with them and have the opportunity to talk to them about Christ! How great is HE who gave us that opportunity and did even more than we expected! The entire night was about Him! I know at home my friends and I can have a conversation and it only be about the Lord, but to sit with unbelievers and talk about the Lord with them for hours and the conversation never change is incredible! There is still more…

Friday we met up with a young man named Joel who is a teacher and evangelist in a slum near Kabalagaga. He was going to take us around the slums so we could share Christ with people and help clean up some more cuts that the kids had. We started off at the school. These kids had never had a white person come visit them so they were screaming and yelling, jumping up and down, and running to us as soon as we walked in. This school was one of the poorer schools we had been to. Joel was telling me later that they had very little help because the community is so poor so he will often have to pay the teachers with his own money. Note that this man is 23 years old and is trying to make a living too. We helped bandage some of the kid’s cuts and then went to the classrooms and told them about the Lord. Joel said they were so encouraged because white people came today and told them about the Lord. Since we were white he said that the children will go home and tell their parents that we came and tell them what we said. This means that the knowledge of the Lord will spread into their families! After this we went to where the market is and prayed over a mother. Then we were telling this man about Jesus and he said he would become a Christian later so Lauren asked if she could pray for him. After she prayed over him he told us that he accepted Christ while she was praying. When we were talking to him a Muslim woman came up and wanted to know what was going on, so we told her. She said she wanted to know about the Lord and also became a Christian. We continued to walk down the street talking to people, encouraging those who knew Christ and telling those who didn’t. Then we came to a group of men and Lauren and Shanna talked to them while I went with Joel to talk to this single mother. She said she was a Christian so we encouraged her and prayed over her and her home. Then Joel and I had a chance to talk. He asked me what is something that encourages you and helps you when you do not feel that the Lord is answering you. What are things that help you? I told him that I have to remind myself of the strength and power of the Lord and remember that He can do immeasurably more than all I ask or think. I told him to remember the Lord’s faithfulness and stay surrounded by people who will encourage you, then we looked at Ephesians 1:15-23 and Ephesians 3:14-21. He began to tell me that he was struggling because he was not sure why the Lord would call him to this community to do what he is doing when he has very little support and the community is so poor they can barely help themselves. He said that he had been praying for the Lord to send someone and that He was about to lose all hope. We talked more and then he said to me, “ You have encouraged me more than you know. I was a bit fearful to come out into this community alone and just walk around telling them about Jesus because I knew they would be hostile and not welcoming. Then you guys came and said you did not care at all, lets tell everyone. I am now not afraid at all and once y’all leave I will continue this.” He continued, “ I have been praying that the Lord would send me encouragement and help and He did! He went all the way to Alabama in America to send me people to this small slum in Uganda! How great is the Lord! How faithful is He! The Lord tells us to be careful who we talk to because we could be entertaining angels. I do not know what you are, but I know you being here is a miracle from the Lord.” Isn’t this awesome! That the Lord would take us from Alabama to a small slum in Uganda just to encourage this man and he will now go out and tell all about the Lord. If this is the only reason the Lord sent us here it is enough! See His faithfulness. He answered this man’s prayer in a drastic way! He is Lord! After we talked for a while and Lauren and Shanna finished we continued to walk down the street. We passed by a place where a group of 8-10 men were drinking, a few of them were drunk. Joel asked us if we wanted to minister to them and we said yes. We tried to talk to one man at a time and to those who were more sober. As we were talking to this one man he became very interested and asked a lot of questions. We all walked with him to the side of the store and talked more. He told us that He wanted to be saved so we prayed with him and as we did another man walked up. We talked to him and prayed over him then he said he wanted to be saved. We encouraged him and told him more about the Lord then prayed with him and as we did that two more men walked up. We told them about the Lord and guess what as we did that two more men walked up. Before we knew it we had a small crowd gathered in this tiny area in between two stores and were telling them about the Lord. Not all of them came to know the Lord, but the Lord asks us to preach His word and the heart is His to change. Joel is going to keep up with these men because they all wanted to know more and guess what…. Two men got redeemed from alcohol today and became our brothers in Christ! All that was done today was through the Lord and for the Lord. None of this was us, we are just vessels used to spread the word and bring Him glory.

The past couple of days have gone way beyond what I thought would happen which is why you never keep the Lord in a box because you have no idea what He will do! Please pray for these men and women who came to know the Lord. Pray that they will be encouraged and continue to seek him on a daily basis. Pray also for our friends in Canada. Pray that they would continue to seek out answers about the Lord and that the Lord would surround them with Christians.

We don’t want to come home now! Haha.

Hebrews 11

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2

Mulago Hospital

2009-06-04T06:12:00.000-07:00

I think that yesterday was our hardest day so far. We went back to Mulago Hospital and this time we were able to do more things inside it. We started off in the labor ward, which was a lot different here than in America. There were at least fifty plus women lined in the halls and open areas waiting to give birth. They would lay down wherever they could find a place. We walked inside the door to only find more and more women waiting in a very small area. Dr. Martin took us to meet the lady that we were going to work with and when we walked in a lady had just given birth and was helping clean up the area. She didn’t make it to the actual area they give birth so it was in a very small room, not really even enough room for the four of us. I mean this lady had given birth literally two minutes before we walked in and she was already in her normal clothes, cleaning up and ready to walk out. It is like they give birth then the nurse says, “okay, next.” They then took us to a room where the image will never leave my mind and the smell will never leave my memory. When I walked in Lauren and I immediately looked at each other in shock. This was a very small room packed with naked women lying on about ten beds each of them ready to give birth at any moment. There was no privacy, no room, no husband, and one nurse for all of them. When we asked how old the women were they said 17,18, 19, 20, and 21! For the rest of the day I was pretty quiet and just in shock at what all I had seen.

When we left the labor ward Dr. Martin took us to the Pediatric ward, which was almost harder to be in. We met a little girl that looked about 2 or 3. Her mom had abandoned her and left her at the hospital. She was so skinny. You could see her ribs, her spinal cord was poking out, and her arms where tiny. It was sad because Lauren and I carried her around. I had only been holding her for five minutes and she was attached. She would not let anyone take her from me and if they did she wanted me to take her back. As we left she just watched us confused. She looked at us like “why aren’t you taking me with you?” My heart was completely broken at this point. We then walked to the cancer patient ward and saw both children and adults who were struggling. I really just don’t know much of what to say because the things I saw could only be understood by your own eyes. We also went to the malnutrition ward where kids were fighting for their lives because their parents couldn’t or wouldn’t feed them or they were battling HIV. It was a hard day taking in and seeing just a glimpse of what goes on at that hospital. I am not writing this as a plea for Africa or to make you feel guilty, but just to try and show you even a glimpse of something outside of America. Guys, we have it good, really good. If nothing else, don’t take it for granted.

A brief update

2009-06-02T07:54:00.000-07:00

Thursday we started again in the morning at Wentz Medical Center following Doctor Andrew around and helping out with immunizations. Later we went to Mulago Hospital, which is the biggest hospital in Uganda. It was at least twice the size of Children’s Hospital. We were not allowed to do much because they are so strict, but we did get a surprise. Patrick’s brother took us around the hospital and took us to the gross anatomy lab. Guess what we saw there? Cadavers. Yes, at least 8-10 of them were on the tables and cut up. I walked by one of them, looked down and was scared to death! I saw a foot hanging out of a bag! Once again I am reminded why I do not want to go into the medical field.

Friday we went to Katonga Slums. Lauren brought a lot of medical supplies that we could use to help clean up the kids cuts. We spent a lot of time doing that and handing out toothbrushes. We also got to pray over some people and tell others about the Lord. Most of the people we talked to said they were Christians, but there was a lot of evidence of witchcraft. Most of the little children had beads hanging around their waists, which is a sign of witchcraft. The witch doctor will tell the mother that if the beads break it is a sign that the child is healthy and growing, which is a lie because their stomachs expand like a bubble when they do not get enough food, so it really is a sign of malnutrition.

Saturday we went back to Bethany Village, which is an orphanage. This orphanage is set up very well. They have about 150 children divided into houses. Each house has a mother and 15 children. They are given specific chores to do everyday and each house has a garden they have to maintain. When we got there the kids were working in the garden so we spent the first two hours helping them out there. We also helped cook lunch, fetch water from the lake, wash clothes, and play games with the kids. The little kids thought it was funny that in America we do not hand wash our clothes, so they enjoyed showing me how to do that. One thing I really noticed about the kids was their lack of complaining. If someone asked them to do something and they were playing they would immediately stop and go do what they were asked. They never once said, “hold on, I will in a minute” or “no, I don’t want to.” Also, lunch was not ready until 3:30 which is really late, and where American children,( I will admit probably me too) would complain or keep asking for a snack, these kids waited patiently and never said a word about it being late or them being hungry. It was good to watch how patient they were, how much they respected their elders and treated guests.

Also, I forgot to mention that when we were walking to get a boat that morning we passed by someone who was either dead or almost dead. He was lying in the garden and people were gathered around. You never know what you will see in Africa…

Sunday we went to surprise our friends back in Buloba. It was so exciting to see them and see how surprised they were! They did not think that Lauren and I would come back after the team left. Andi always told us to be prepared wherever you are in Africa to speak in front of people. We got there and Pastor Isaac was like “ we would like to hear a word from our sister Cathy.” We each went up and spoke to the people in the middle of the church service. One other thing… We arrived at the service at 10:15 and they had already started and we did not end until 1:45! A little different than America, huh? These people are awesome! There is no coming to church to be filled for the week and then leave or come to check it off the list as something you feel you need to do. These people WORSHIPED the Lord. Their hearts were turned to Him and fully focused the entire 3 ½ hours on worshiping Him, not worrying about when the service was over. They wanted more.

Monday we went back to Wentz and spent a lot of time in the lab. We learned a lot about the diseases there and saw them under slides. He also showed us how to find out someone’s blood type (Lauren was the donator to this experiment, I avoid needles at all cost.)

We are both still really enjoying our time here and are blessed to be a part of what the Lord is doing here. We do miss everyone at home including the food! Thank you for your prayers! It has been more than a blessing to know that all of you are praying for us. The Lord has done immeasurably more than we have expected! Please continue to pray for the people of Uganda especially against the practice of witchcraft, which seems to be the biggest problem here. Also, pray that Lauren and I would have the patience and endurance to finish out these last couple of weeks.

“The twelve gates were made of pearls- each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass. I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. Its gates will never be closed at the end of the day because there is no night there. And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city. Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty- but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” Revelation 21:21-27

A hope set before us...

2009-05-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

The power of the Lord is immeasurable. The love of the Lord unsearchable. The wisdom of the Lord is unfathomable. The joy of the Lord is indescribable. And to know that He is mine and I am His is unimaginable. He never changes. “Having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you.” Ephesians 1:18. His hope is the anchor of our souls. Our hope is salvation. Christ. Eternity. “An inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.” 1 Peter 1:4. By His mercy we have been given an inheritance more precious than gold. We should worship him humbly for his beauty is never fading. We have been saved by grace. This is not our own doing. So boast only in Him. This earth has nothing to offer us except the opportunity to spread the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere. Seek him with all your heart and He will be found by you. “He will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love, he will exult over you with loud singing.” Zephaniah 3:17. Christ is crowned with glory and honor for he is a merciful and faithful high priest. Everything proclaims his glory: sunrises, sunsets, mountains, flowers, his people. When we finally meet face to face his bride will enter in and the angels will gather around singing. It is a beautiful romance. The only one that matters. I pray that all that is within you will cry out for him to be glorified. That your heart will be open and by his grace he will grant you to live in peace with a greater understanding of who He is. With all encouragement seek His heart. He promises that He will reveal more to you. He is a faithful God. “It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.” Proverbs 25:2. His promises are sealed with hope. A hope that is greater than all else, hope enough to live by. Walk in HIM. Walk with HOPE. Walk in LOVE so that others will know your GOD. THE ONLY GOD. Walk with comfort that your Savior has conquered the world! Do not fear, nothing is out of his control. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33. Sing praises to Him. Sing with a grateful heart. Sing with joy. Sing with all the nations, for the Lord your God is in your midst, a MIGHTY one who will SAVE.

“When we arrive at eternity’s shore where death is just a memory and tears are no more, we’ll enter in as the wedding bells ring, your bride will come together and we’ll sing you’re beautiful.”

“Heaven fall down on me. Bring your peace. Bring your joy. Let it rain. Let it pour.”

Hebrews 2:5-18

Soon we will be coming home. Wait for Him. Wait with hope…

Everything is an adventure in Uganda

2009-05-26T13:20:00.000-07:00

We started working in our new places on Monday. We went to a medical center the first day and I was able to shadow a doctor all day. It is a small clinic so they do not do major surgeries, but overall that day I saw some pretty interesting things. I sat in the room with him while patients came in and out, most of them had malaria. Then we had to do minor surgery on an 11 year old girl's foot. He put her to sleep and then took a cyst out of the bottom of her foot. He would tell me, "come, look" and then explain to me what was going on. I was definitely reminded why I do not want to be a doctor. (Russell- I respect you even more now.) Then the lab tech told us to come and work in the laboratory with him. We took people's blood and tested them for malaria. He showed us several slides of patients with malaria or HIV. After going back and forth between the doctors I learned a lot. There were four other people there from Canada and our new friend, Shanna, from Texas. They all asked us to lunch. All I could think about was okay, so I'm in Uganda eating lunch with people my age from Canada and Texas and I don't really know any of them well, this is awesome. (Don't worry mom- they aren't strangers haha. they are all our age doing work here).

Today we went to Bunga Hill Primary School and what a day it has been! We started off the day working with the little kids, but we got a little tired just sitting there listening to them say their A,B,C's and the teacher didn't seem to need us too much, so we went to the older classrooms. The school headmaster asked us what we wanted to do with the kids and we said we were good with whatever, that if they wanted to they could ask us questions. He said, " oh, okay so you teach them?"(in his Uganda accent) Well I thought this meant that we would tell them some about America. Not so much. He took us into the classroom and then left and so did the teacher, for at least two hours. Haha. So Lauren and I were like awesome, I guess he was serious when he said we were going to teach. We spent a lot of time answering their questions about America and then we did a couple of small English lessons and played some games. They seemed to enjoy their day off with the Americans. The last class we went to was a group of 10-12 year olds and those teachers did the same thing, they wanted us to teach. Well this was the class that we went to a little unprepared. We asked them if they had any questions about America. These were some of the questions: " What plate tectonic does your country and state lie on?" "Do you have rift valleys and if so which one?" " Is the United Nation's headquarters located in New York?" ( I told him that I thought it was in Washington D.C. and he brought me a book because he thought I was wrong and showed me that it is in NY) "What is the youngest President of the United States?" "Who is your governor?" ( That one scared me because I thought he was going to ask me the names of a lot of government officials which I honestly do not know) They asked about every geography, political, and just crazy questions that I would not expect from kids here and especially not 10 year olds. They also asked us to sing the National Anthem, oh how I wish I had the video camera for that one. It sounded lovely. Do you know our emblem or national bird? You should, because you never know when you will be asked. We felt like we were in American History 101 with 10 year olds from Uganda. After they drilled us, Lauren and I sat down with a couple of them and before you knew it they swarmed around us asking us more questions. Lauren said that the kids with her thought that some Americans can fly because they have seen the Spiderman movie and thought he was real. They thought that we have invisible cars. This one surprised me- they asked us if Americans feared black people because their teacher told them that we do. I was not expecting that because I definitely did not think that they thought that. So what started out as a mundane day turned out to be quite interesting.

Tonight we went with David to Maureen, his girlfriend's house. It was her birthday so they wanted us to come celebrate with her family. Well on the way there we took a boda-boda. This was our first experience and it was definitely entertaining. Boda- boda's are like a smaller version of a motorcycle and a bigger version of a scooter. They are small which means they like to zoom through already crazy traffic. No worries though, we made it alive. When we arrived her family was so happy to see us. We sat down and talked to them for several hours.(They eat dinner around 9:30, so my stomach was growling.) I really don't even know how to fully tell you how Ugandans treat guests, but they think that God has blessed a family when they have visitors so having us over tonight was a big deal. Her dad thanked us over and over and talked about how he was the most blessed person in their community because he had guests. They cooked dinner for us and we ate in the dark by one small lantern, which was really cool. I could not see the food I was eating and I think it was better that I could not. It has been neat to learn and see what goes on in their culture. It was Maureen's birthday yet she helped cook dinner and before we ate she walked around with a bowl and pitcher of water, got down on her knees and washed all our hands, starting with her fathers. It just reminded me of when Jesus washed his disciple's feet and how humbling that had to be. I just sat back and watched her kneel down and pour water over her fathers hands to wash them. Then she served her cake she put it on a plate and individually knelt down on her knees in front of each of us, including the kids, and held out the plate for us to get a piece. I was served the entire night. These people here are servants. I was just taken back at how they treat people and serve them humbly. These people welcome you in love and serve you with a humble heart and they are real. They are truly grateful to have you and really want to get to know you, it is not just entertainment and surface level small talk. These people intently listen to you and serve you. You can see Christ in them in all that they do. I have never felt so welcomed, served, comfortable, and loved more than I have by anyone and I am in a strangers home in Uganda, yet because they are in Christ they are family and it definitely feels that way. It has become so much more real to me that my family in Christ is not just in America, but it's all over the world. These people in Uganda are my brothers and sisters and I will one day see them in Heaven!

2009-05-23T10:08:00.000-07:00

so two days ago i went BUNGEE JUMPING into the Nile River!!! Wow! I never thought I would do that! It took a long time for me to decide to do it and it was CRAZY, but so much fun! I guess I can check that one off my list haha. You can look at the pictures on Andi's blog andreacollette.com.

It was a good day. We woke up at 5:30 and saw the sunrise which was so beautiful! We also took a small boat on a short trip around the Nile and saw where it starts. We saw some of the falls and then had a good lunch. It was a good day off before our friends had to leave for Alabama!

The next day was a pretty sad day. We had to go say bye to our friends in Buloba and then take the rest of the group to the airport. It is now just Lauren and I here. Our first night alone consisted of a PB&J for dinner. It looks like rice, fruit, and PB&J are going to be the food of choice for the next three weeks. Tomorrow we are going to Gaba church again, which had one of the best services I've been to. We also get to eat lunch with Patrick and his family who has a one month old baby girl, so I'm in heaven. We start work again on Monday. We will be splitting our time between a school and medical center. I think we will also go to the slums some as well as go out in the community to tell people about Christ.

I have internet now at the new apartment, so I will be able to keep in touch a little bit better. Love you all!

He Will Rejoice Over You With Gladness

2009-05-20T08:16:00.000-07:00

“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exalt over you with loud singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

It was yet another incredible day. I started off the day by getting a tattoo from our good friend Amos who is an artist. Actually I got two, both on my right arm. Sorry mom, I had to do it. Anyways, after distributing eyeglasses we went out into the village again to tell people about the Lord. Pastor Isaac, Henry, Lauren, Morgan, and I were together. We first went to this family who lived next to a mosque. Half of the family were Christians and the other half were Muslims. Altogether there were about twenty people gathered around us. One of the boys, he looked about sixteen, asked a lot of questions about Christianity. We prayed together at the end as several of them came to know the Lord. Next, we went to an elderly ladies house who had never heard about Jesus. She was 70 and had never heard; that is crazy! We had the opportunity to tell her and when we finished talking she said she wanted to be a Christian. There were several people today that we talked to that had never heard about Jesus or who did not know much about Him. We got asked so many questions and several people came to know the Lord.

I don’t know what to say about today. I am just so excited! These people had never heard the name Jesus or did not know much about Him and we got to tell them! We sat down with so many families today who came to know the Lord and some were Muslims. It became so real today that the Lord has brought us here for a reason. These people might have never heard the Gospel and we got to share it with them. What an opportunity! At least 15 more people joined our family today and will one day rejoice with us in Heaven!

Also, this morning they took us to their old well, which is about a 1 ½ mile walk. We were given jerrycans (water jugs) to carry. This was about one of the hardest things I have ever done! Each jerrycan weighed at least 40-50 lbs. and we had to carry them all the way back. I struggled big time.haha. I tried to carry it on my head and oh man was it heavy! It amazed me that little kids do this every day more than once. Never again can I complain about working. I have a new outlook on the people here and the work that we do. I have not heard one child complain. I was told that these kids have a problem with growth. They carry these jugs everyday and it stunts their growth because they are so heavy. A lot of these kids are tiny because of this. What looks like a four or five year old is actually nine or ten. The church I am with helped fund a new well for the community so they do not have to walk as far. After today I am very thankful for this.

I hope everyone is doing well. I can’t wait to hear from you guys! Connor- I love you! Happy Graduation! I am sorry I cannot be there; I wish I could! You finally made it and now you will be with me at Alabama! I’m proud of you!

P.S. I did not really get a tattoo. Amos did it with a marker.

Preach the Gospel To All Nations

2009-05-18T09:16:00.000-07:00

Today was another great day. The Lord did some really amazing things yet again. We began the morning going to the people’s homes in Buloba preaching the Gospel. We split up into five teams. I went with Pastor Isaac and another Buloba man. Once we walked to the homes Pastor Isaac just walked up to a man and started telling him about Jesus. I was like okay I guess were doing this, so the other guy and myself went and talked to a man near by. He could speak English so it was easier. The guy I was with just encouraged him for a while because he was already a Christian. I got to pray over him when he was done. Then it was really cool because some kids began to gather around because their was a muzugoo there (white person, aka me) and one of the kids could speak English really well and so I asked him about Jesus and he said He loved the Lord so we went through some verses while more and more kids gathered around. Before I knew it there were at least 10 kids gathered around listening to us read Scripture. All I could think of was Jesus saying “Let the little children come to me.” We then walked over to four women sitting outside their home with their children. Pastor Isaac talked to them for about 30 minutes in Luganda. I had to just sit their because I could not understand what they were saying, then Pastor Isaac turned to me and said okay they want to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior lets pray over them. I was like well okay, awesome! I didn’t understand a word for the past 30 minutes and now they are going to accept Christ, great! Haha. We walked to several other people, some who were not so welcoming to Christ. I talked to the guy with us for a while and he was saying that witchcraft, prostitution, and alcoholism are all very prevalent in this town. He also said that a lot of people love the Lord on Sunday and then forget who He is during the week. Sound familiar? The best part of the day came next. Some of you guys wrote me letters and I open them every few days. Today I opened the one from Kyle and it turned out to be the focal point of the whole day. He wrote this verse in it, “For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile – the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Romans 10:12-15 He also wrote in the letter the Great Commission. This was the most appropriate verse for the day. I showed a lot of people so it would encourage them when we were telling them about the Lord. When we were walking I showed Pastor Isaac the verse and it came in handy later. Our last person to visit was an elderly Muslim lady. She told us that she was a Muslim because it was in her blood, all her ancestors were Muslims. She also said that she believed in God but believed that she could go to God through Allah. She said that some people go to God through Jesus and others can go through Allah. Josh and I were sitting there and we were like man I wish I knew that verse by heart that talks about Jesus being the only way and then Josh looked down and his Bible was opened to John 14:6 which says “ I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” How great is that! Then Pastor Isaac pulled out the Romans verse I was talking about because it went right along with what they were saying (I could not understand that part because they were talking in Luganda) but he asked me for the verse! So that was cool too! We talked to this lady for at least an hour and at the end she asked us to pray that God would stir up her heart to believe in Jesus Christ. She said that she wanted to believe, but that God needed to stir it up in her! Wow! She did not believe just to make us happy, but wanted the Lord to change her heart. That is incredible! I could definitely tell that the presence of the Holy Spirit was there.

When we met up with the other group they said that five people they talked to got saved. They said they went and prayed around the shrine where people practice witchcraft. They also said that they have found bodies of people in the bush beside the shrine where they have sacrificed people before.

We handed out eyeglasses the rest of the day. We got a touch of home when we drove back because we got ice cream and tonight we get pizza! I love the food here, but I am happy to enjoy some good, not healthy American food tonight.

I forgot to tell you the other day we went on a 6-mile prayer walk around Buloba! Yes, I was about to die, but it was good. These people are incredible here. Also, a little side note, we enjoy our dinner and go to bed every night listening to the Muslims sing. There is a Muslim Institution really close to where we are staying.

This was another long one, but I just have so much to say. Wednesday we are going out again to tell people about Jesus so please pray for us. Pray that we would have wisdom and knowledge and that the hearts of the people would be open. Thank you all for praying, the Lord is definitely hearing our prayers and answering them.

Week 1

2009-05-17T13:33:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have not updated you guys in a couple days, we have either been really busy or the internet has not worked.

The past couple of days have been great! We have spent all our time in Buloba village. Yesterday we started off the morning by eating breakfast with the kids. It was porage (milk and corn). Honestly I did not like it very much so David helped me eat it. It’s sad that I could not eat that one time and they eat it everyday. Two Saturday’s a month the kids spend the day at the church doing activities and are served a meal. We got to help serve this meal. I have never seen pots so big! We served over 150 children. Later that day we walked to the school and had VBS. The kids are great! They are so intrigued by us. Usually I will have three kids per arm, one holding on to my back and one holding onto my front. They just want to be with us at all times.

The hardest thing I have had to adjust to is the bathroom situation. All I will say is that it is a hole in the ground and it is much more difficult for a female to do this, I will just let you think about that one and not go into details.

Today was my favorite day. We woke up and went to Gabba church at 8am. It is very interesting because the people here have no concept of time and just really don’t care. Church starts at 8 but when we got there there were only maybe 40 people there. As the service went on people just came whenever they could. This church has 6,000 members! I know, crazy! We always talk about preparing our heart for worship, well these people really understood that. Every person that walked in to church, no matter what time, would first sit down and pray to themselves and then get up and sing. “You will seek me and find me. When you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13 That church service usually last 2 hours but we had to leave early and go to church in Buloba. The same thing happened there. Church was suppose to start at 9 and we got there at 10 and they had not started. This service was long. We started at 10 and got completely finished around 1. It was really good though. Four people got saved! One of the people was a Muslim! How awesome is that? After church we gave out gifts to the sponsored children and they were so so happy! We did not have anything planned until that night so we just hung out and talked to the people there. One of my favorite people to talk to is Pastor Isaac. He became the pastor in Buloba last year and has the biggest heart of any man I have ever met. Saturday when we did VBS he played with the kids all day and had more energy than I did! We got to spend some time talking about his vision and goals for the church today and he desires for the people in the community. It was really good to spend a lot of time learning things today about the church and community. Lastly, tonight we watched a movie about the stoning of Stephen and conversion of Paul. At the end of the movie several people came up and said they wanted to be saved. So wow God is so good, we have several new brothers and sisters in Christ today!

One of the guys that works with us, Alfred, is teaching me verses in Luganda and also teaching me how to play one of their instruments that looks like a mix between a guitar and harp. Who knows, when I come home I might be musically sound and know another language. Haha.

The Lord has shown me a lot about asking and you shall receive as well as knowing that He is in our midst at all times. “The Lord your God is in your midst.” Zephaniah 3:17. “God is in the midst of her she shall not be moved.” Psalm 46:5. “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1. “ I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him.” Psalm 91;14-15.

Fun Facts: (for you trey)

1. Average age for women to get married is between 18-20, average age for men to get married is between 34-36

2. When a person who is older than you walks in the room you kneel. This is especially seen out in the village and not as much in the city. It is also very important when someone gives you something to kneel before them .

3. A traditional Ugandan meal is eaten in silence. (we do not do a good job with this) It is mainly like this in homes with young children.

4. A proposal is at the very beginning of a relationship. It is when the man goes and talks to the whole family about what his thoughts are and how he feels towards their daughter. The daughter, mother, father, brothers, sisters, aunts, etc are usually there. He does this before he ever tells the girl he likes her. Then if they are okay with that, they date a while knowing they will get married one day

I will have more fun facts to come. Sorry this is so long. Also, if this does not make sense it is because today was our longest day and I am so tired. Not sure when I will update again, maybe tomorrow? Love you all!

Welcome to Uganda

2009-05-14T11:41:00.000-07:00

We finally arrived after seeing the sunset, the sunrise, and then set again. Surprisingly, I did not sleep for a good 24 hours and was not really tired. We arrived around 8pm their time and got in bed at about 11:30. Somehow the next morning I woke up a little before the sunrise,completely energized for the day. The time change really has not made me tired. The Lord has been so good in giving us all strength, we all woke up ready to go! Today was our first full day seeing Uganda. We left this morning around 8am( 12am Alabama time) and went to Bethany Village (an orphanage). We had to go into market, which was neat, and then get in a very small wooden boat and cross Lake Victoria to get to the orphanage. The orphanage held 145 kids in small homes of 14 kids each and a house mom. They also had a school, camp site, and farm. Once we left there we went and saw Gaba church, which is where Patrick, our leader, and translators go. They had also built three schools, a kitchen, and dorms for these children. I believe that there were 10,000 children that go through these schools and are apart of the sponsoring programs in America. Lastly we went to Buloba, which is where we will be working this week. This is a small village about 45 minutes outside of Kampala. This place was crazy! When we were driving there the kids saw us and started chasing the van. When we got there we could not even get out of the van because the children had surrounded the car and were trying to give us hugs before we could get out. I think we each had about 10-15 kids holding onto our arms the entire time we were there. These people were incredible! We went inside their church and gave them a sound system that they were so grateful for, people were in tears! I have never seen anyone so happy to receive something. They then gathered around and we all sang "I'm Trading My Sorrows." All these people just latch onto you and treat you like you are the king. They say " muzoogu" (not spelled right) which means white person and then run up to you. The last thing we did was go on a walk when we got back. David, one of our translators, walked with us to the slums. It was a whole other world. The kids flocked to us, asking us for money and water. They were covered in dirt and sewage water because that is all around them. It was weird that we simply walked down one street and it was like a separate town.
All I can say is in one day I already do not want to come home. It has been amazing! Everything is different here, including the sunsets and sunrises, they are gorgeous! The only scary thing is the driving. Holy cow they are crazy! I thought we were going to die several times. Patrick, David, and Amos are our leaders and translators and they are so cool. One of my favorite things has been hanging out with them and hearing their stories and learning about Uganda and some more Lugandan words. Please continue to pray for us, particularly that we will seek the Lord's will and reasons why we are here. That we will not act like tourists and take pictures but that we would really be tuned to what the Lord has for us here. Thank you all who wrote me a letter! I have not read them all, but the ones I have have been encouraging.

I am not sure how often I will be able to update. I will hopefully have pictures up soon and videos. You can look on Andi's blog, she should have pictures up. Go to andreacollette.com
I love you all! See you soon!

Almost there...

2009-05-09T12:20:00.000-07:00

In four days I will be in Uganda!!! I am getting really excited and it does not seem real that I will not be in this country in a few days. I have never been out of the country before so I have no idea what to expect. we will see... Please continue to keep us in your prayers as He is preparing our hearts to go.