The Day Before and Still Being Blessed - Tues - Feb 24

Happy Tuesday and Happy Birthday to my sister Penny. I had hoped to call her today from Uganda but I have NO voice left, just a whisper.  I feel great though and perhaps today I am called just to listen.  Last night’s birthday party for Esther was so sweet.  She was the happiest and so were all the other kids to enjoy a beautiful pink bowed chocolate cake with icing.  She loved her Mexican paper flower the most and has worn it until it looks a little wilted!!  The highlight of the night was a “dance” off between the boys and girls and these kids know how to move and dance!  So much laughter and fun and they even had a few of us adults moving and dancing!  Okay, we were moving but I wouldn’t call it dancing.  

 With Kyle and Moses back in the house the little of excitement has escalated!  They both are so gifted with children and there’s a special two year old that is attached to Kyle.  She calls him Kuncle Kyle.  It’s no wonder because she never knew her mother that died of AIDS and her dad was the poorest of poor and couldn’t even provide for her basic needs. Sometimes she picks up the fisher price phone and says, “Don’t cry daddy”…heart wrenching thinking about that.  She is exceptionally smart for a two year old and we wonder how much she remembers.    She has won all of our hearts with her deep penetrating eyes.

Kyle and Moses took Patti and I to lunch today because he had met a very unusual girl from Texas last September when he visited and he thought we would really enjoy the fellowship.  She is here running a ministry based out of Texas called Uniquely Woven.  Because these poor women cannot afford pre-natal care, nor post-natal; they provide a lot of support through education, mama kits (women here have to bring their own razor to cut the umbilical cord along with plastic gloves, etc for deliver—most cannot provide so they have their babies in the worse conditions) and Bible studies where they can build relationships with these moms.  The mortality rate here for infants is huge and so the education they provide in caring for themselves and their children is really making a difference in Uganda.  Now here’s the kicker.  This girl is 21!!!!!  Can you imagine that?  She is the lone American running this here in Uganda along with some Uganda natives that have come along beside her.  It’s her goal to raise up enough Ugandan’s to run this ministry and then go somewhere else in the world and start it again.  I am simply blown away when God puts it in the hearts of people to see what is POSSIBLE instead of what’s IMPOSSIBLE and then they are obedient to carry out this calling!  So convicting for me!

Well, the children will be home from school in just a minute and then the craziness begins.    They have been so curious over the “farm” animal pictures that I brought from my friend, Alden’s farm there in Fort Mill.  They had NEVER seen a LLAMA and had no idea what it was!!  But the favorite is Jesse the Sicilian Donkey.  These donkeys have a cross on their back and the legend is that they were the type that carried Jesus into Jerusalem (what we call Palm Sunday) and are forever marked with this cross (all Sicilian donkey’s have this cross) so the craft was making a donkey with the Jesus Stripe!

Abbey and her Sicilian Donkey

Acrum and his donkey (Acrum was new to Rafiki last week and has adjusted well!

Tonight is “going away party” and “water balloons.”  Pray for all of us, but especially the children as we are leaving.  I hope to send out one final update tomorrow (I don’t leave til tomorrow evening) and then I’ll turn over this blessing of a computer to Rafiki for their use (thanks Keith and Debbie Wright!).