Before Buwooya, New Arrivals, Water Balloon Games Mon Feb 16th

Auntie Sarah, and Frank (my facebook friend)

View from our walk from school back to Rafiki

Such a joy to serve with Uncle Kyle and Auntie Patti One who broke the "rules" by walking with coffee!

While walking the school children to their school on Monday morning and each morning we were able to do that, we greeted people, suspecting white faces were not a common site in the neighborhood.  We noticed a high gated beautiful house amidst the poverty and ruins along the road and learned it was the priests home. It actually made me sad to see it with it's surroundings so in contrast to the beautiful structure.  How accessible were they?  How accessible am I?  I hope I'm not in my "ivory palace" removed from the dirtiness of the world.  May God's Spirit convict me of staying too clean, too removed.  May I want to be bothered and may my eyes never close of the heartache around me.  My "village" may not have the physical ruins but the people are still needy and still in need of a Savior. 

Hannah and Ruth

Shakira arrived with her brother, Mama Monica clipping her nails

I was able to witness the arrival of a brother and sister on Monday who had been neglected and needed to be relocated and Rafiki agreed to take them.  They were very dirty and non emotional when the arrived, living with their grandmother who was blind and is ill and who could no longer care for them and their mother died two years ago and she was one of four wives and their dad didn't care about them after she died.  They don't know it but they have landed in the most loving environment, very happy, unspoiled place and I just pray that they will understand God's great plan for their lives in arriving here.

The Monday night water balloon games were a highlight!  Kids are kids wherever you are at.  They want to laugh, run, have fun and get dirty.  The adults were just as competitive!  What a great night! Video is Fausiya and Auntie Patti One winning! 

James, Brenda and Cocus plotting their moves!

Uncle Kyle and Godfrey getting ready!

 

The end of every night ends with singing, drums, dancing, Bible Story, prayer with all the kids. It's a lively time and everyone is moving!  I was so impressed with the dancing and also the knowledge that these kids have on the Bible.  They can recite Bible stories and details.  The staff here live out the principles taught in the Bible and they are the "verb" to the word LOVE.  They are the hands and feet of God, literally.  The end of Monday night could not have been better.  After the kids go to bed (typical kids, you can hear them chattering and giggling in the beds, all the girls in one room and all the boys in another!), then the adults share special verses from scripture and pray for each other.  Kyle and Patti noticed that Auntie Sarah's Bible was falling apart and Kyle had brought Bibles to distribute in the village and realized right away that the first Bible was to go to Auntie Sarah.  She was so excited and we later learned that the children also noticed her Bible falling a part and they had prayed that God would send her a new one!  (wow, we take that for granted; when we have a need, we usually just go to the store and solve it - THEY PRAY and GOD MEETS THEIR NEED and then THEY ARE AMAZED AND THANK GOD FOR THE PROVISION!  Auntie Sarah taught me a lot about prayer and passion.  She prayed over many of the children who were sick and we were amazed the next day that their coughs and congestion were gone!  She is a woman of great prayer knowing she prayers to a GREATER GOD.  Once again I am reminded, do I REALLY PRAY, do I really believe that God will answer?  or am I going through the motions?  (First Video is the kids dancing with Uncle Kyle!)  Second Video is after Auntie Sarah received her Bible, Uncle Moses and her did a little victory dance with Uncle Kyle attempting the drums!

Ndere African Culture Dance Sun Night, Feb 15 and Mon, Feb 16

These women were dancing with 10 loose pots on their heads!

Kyle enjoying the free for all dance!

Our friend, Godfrey enjoying the night!

Drummers from Burendi

Ndere African Culture Dance Meal - Goat Meat!

We have experienced so much.  Last night (Sunday) we were taken to an African Culture Dance called NDere and for three hours we got to experience dance, music and narrative on the different regions in Africa and the dance and music specific to each one.  I will never throw "Africa" again into one pot.  Each people group has distinct customs and traditions.  In the end they invited all of us down to dance with the professionals and dance we did!!  I savored every moment there including enjoying a taste of goat meat.  Have I said that I love Uganda!

This morning I was awaken again by the best alarm clock with the giggles of the children getting ready for school below our room.  I could also hear the roosters that roam wild here doing their morning calls.  I walked the very narrow dirt road to take the school age children.  Rafiki is in the heart of extreme poverty and the walk is difficult on the eyes and heart but the children are joyous and full of energy, holding the hands of this Mzungu (white person) as they sang with their beautiful uniforms and almost running with pleasure to be at school.

Edwin and Emma with Auntie Patty Two!

Fausiya, Edwin, Isha, Emma and Cocus!

I had orientation this morning to learn more about Rafiki, the Ugandan culture and my role as a short-term missionary.    This staff is incredible.  This is not just an orphanage where kids get dumped, where kids should be felt sorry for or where anyone is pitied.  THis truly is a home and all the staff are these children's family addressed as Aunt, Uncle, Mama.  Auntie Esther is an amazing Office Manager.  She spent over an hour with me and I so appreciated her heart for these children. The staff are dedicated to these kids and they aren't just performing a job, they are loving on these kids, disciplining these kids and raising them up to be the next generation of Ugandan leaders.  The goal for this particular children's home isn't to remove them from their culture, or teach them the American way.  The founder is American but she is dedicated to keeping these kids in the Ugandan culture and working with their families or extended families to hopefully place them back with them.  The children are unspoiled, obedient, they help each other and help the workers.  They know how to extend love and kindness to strangers.  They laugh, they cry, they make messes, they sing but are completely content.  I couldn't get through orientation without crying (alot).  God has chosen this little place to shine His Light and shine it does very brightly!

Our schedule changed today and we are staying here at Rafiki. The work we have done today (with great pleasure) is read to the babies, hang up the wash on the lines,  (The wash is endless and everything, minus underwear, gets hung to dry), wash dishes and sweep the alley ways.  We look for anything that we can come along side the worker here and provide them a little relief for the time we are here.  By the way, I'm coming back, who is in???

Aunti Patti One Children including Esther!

Prayers needed.  My luggage has not yet arrived (that's getting to be a little tricky!).  I have two large bags  somewhere out there. One is full of t-shirts for Rafiki and soccer balls and the other is all my personal stuff.  I was told today that the luggage with Rafiki t-shirts arrived at the airport (nearly 1 1/2 hours away) but they have not quite located my personal belongings!!  It would be nice to have my luggage of course, but then again wouldn't it be an adventure to do a missions trip with no luggage (don't feel too sorry for me - I have Patti and Kyle here and we are mostly sharing some things :)  Most important though is the Malaria medicine that Kyle, Patti and I are taking are causing vivid dreams and in some case such as last night wild nightmares.  Funny thing that we both consulted with medical people that steered us away from one of the drugs because they said that it caused nightmares, so we chose what we thought was the right drug.  Short story, pray that we just sleep well and feel rested so we can do our best.  Tomorrow, the three of us are going to another village a couple of hours away to spend the night (I'll describe the purpose of that in another email).  Our friend Moses who will be with us the entire time.  Pray for safety along the way and where we will be staying will have no electricity and will be more remote then the city of Kampala we are currently in.  Tonight is Water Balloon Games!  More pix in the next post.

Our walk to school from Rafiki

Walking to School with Uncle Kyle

The school the kids love!

Uganda - Pearl of Africa - Sat Night, Feb 14 and Sun Morning, Feb 15, 2015

Sunday, February 15 - I wake up in Uganda

Sir Winston Churchill coined the phrase "Uganda - Pearl of Africa" because of the lush green landscape; however, those scenes would wait for another day.   It's a land with over 60 tribes and 40 different languages.   The darkness was good coming in. We rode 1 1/2 hours to the orphanage and it was a blessing not to see everything all at once.   The last mile was dirt road, and then the walled gate to Rafiki Africa Ministries.  It's surprisingly small to house this many people. Patti and mine room was perfect; double bunk beds and a bathroom shared by all three of us.   Went to bed at 2:00 am and this morning I woke up about 7:00 am to the sweetest cherub voices chattering downstairs.  Our windows are wide open and we sleep with mosquito netting.  The children have already won my heart.  Their brown skins glows, their smiles make you smile and their innocent trust of a new worker was overwhelming for me.  I thought it would take a day or two but the mutual love was instant.  My first introductions were to Fausiya, just as beautiful as I had thought.  Cocus, whose gregarious grin is larger than the hump on his back.   Esther and Brenda, two sisters whose loving smile is so inviting...Hannah, Junior (the youngest), Isha, Ruth, Edmund, Emma. They loved my journal and looking at all their pictures and LOVED my camera and they took 60 pictures before church!

Isha, Cocus, Esther, Brenda and Hannah

Fausiya Loved Selfies!

Our ride to church was eye-opening.   Police with AK-47 everywhere.  I kept focusing on something my cousin shared.  They don't need to see a white-woman crying..you need to be strong and so by God's grace I focused on the loud little voices in the van singing praise music on the way to church.  My eyes saw severe poverty, no resources, devastation, dirt and trash but my heart saw people everywhere, walking, on motorcycles, dressed up, Sunday best, heading to church.  Uganda takes terrorism very seriously.  Our van was searched for bombs and we were body scanned going into church.  We worshipped at a church with 1000 believers and it was energized and alive. (Added a short video of the worship that I experienced).  Truly gave different meaning to singing that "Jesus, You are Everything" when you have nothing.  I know nothing of the faith these people have.

Lunch was a special meal for this new worker; chicken and rice and I so appreciated Aunte Monica who only speaks Lugandan and worked all morning to have something special when we returned to church.    So much to experience in the next few days. 

I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane....2/13/2015 - Friday

Starting Point -  Waxhaw, NC

So today I start my trek across this earth.  It's a big deal for me.  I've never traveled overseas so there are A LOT of unknowns and uncertainties traveling alone!  On my flight from Charlotte to Atlanta, I sat with a proud grandmother named Catherine.  Rather than ignoring the person next to me, I am determined to try to meet everyone I encounter.  I loved she had her Ipad open and showing me all the pictures of her grandchildren and especially her granddaughter, Ella Taylor.  I was able to share with her Taylor Anne's story and how I was now meeting up with Tay's grandmother in Uganda!  Catherine was touched by the story and left me her "card", to let her know how things have gone.  She was the first nugget in a very long journey to the other side.  In Atlanta, I know it's the "last" time to communicate with my family.  Yes things cross my mind like, will I come back?  Will I get sick?  Will an international situation arise and shut down communications and access to the US.  There's a verse in the Bible that talks about "taking your thoughts captive" and I choose not to dwell on all of the "what ifs."  In Atlanta my flight was over an hour late leaving and I know I only had a 50 minute layover in Amsterdam.  There is nothing I can do except sit back and relax.  On this leg, the gentleman next to me was in constant conversation with his buddy who was sitting in the aisle and never opened the door for conversation with me.  I opted for a window view on all my flights; there is just something special about the perspective from a plane looking down on this beautiful planet.  I followed the flight tracker until we hit Norfolk, Virginia and headed across the ocean and was able to enjoy about 4 hours of sleep.  No fear, for "thou art with me"...even if I don't make my connection.

Snow Covered Swiss Alps

Red Desert Sand of North Africa

When we landed I quickly ask the agent "where is Flight 9609?" He replied, "you're okay, but you will need to run!" So run I did and at the boarding gate, they said you will make it but your luggage will not!  It really wasn't important as long as I was on the plane.  I had overpacked the heavy bookbag I was carrying with 2 days of clothes and all my essentials.  What a blessing on this flight that I was able to sit with a retired colonel, Shelby, from Texas who goes to Uganda to train men to fight Somolia.  Now daylight and 6 hours ahead of US, the scenery from the plane was spectacular.  Because he had flown this leg many times, he was able to point out the snow covered Swiss Alps, beautiful mountain ranges north of the Mediterranean Sea and then into North Africa where the terrain changed to light red dessert sand.

When we made our descent into Enteppe, my prayer continued to be, dear God, remind me that every soul matters, every minute is one less minute until I return.  By God's grace, I've made it!  I'm landing in Uganda!  We landed at 9:20, the air was hot, humid and stale inside the airport.  Customs, Visas, Missing Bag reports all took an hour  and a half (thank God for the Colonel who walked me through all of this) and I had no way to communicate to Kyle and Patti that I was tucked away downstairs in this airport.  Would they think I missed my Amsterdam connection?  When I finally came "up", one of the first voices I heard was Patti shouting from "outside the airport" "PATTY" - what a relief!  Wow!  I am in Uganda!

On the Eve

There has been a whirlwind of activity since the doors flung open wide for me to serve in Uganda.  Tomorrow afternoon, I set out for my journey across the ocean to a country I’ve never been to, to serve a people that I don’t know.  I’m so excited I can hardly stand it.  I’m apprehensive about the unknowns and yet it’s the unknowns that I am drawn in to.   In our church, Jimmy and I are privileged to be in a “Life Group” of couples that meet weekly outside of church to share life together.    These couples have walked with me each week of preparation and send me with support, soccer balls, camera and a computer that will be left for the orphanage’s use.   But the sweetest thing they brought was tonight as they all stood and prayed over me with tears and affirmations.   These words will linger in my heart during my journey, prayers of protection, prayers for connections, prayers of shining my light brightly in dark places, prayers to adapt quickly and prayers to see the beauty and the color among poor and poverty conditions.

Because of your monetary support, the orphanage headquarters in Texas was able to print 100 T-Shirts for the children and staff and purchase office supplies all of which I will be toting to Uganda!  Because of your sweet emails, notes of encouragement, txts and prayers, I am going in the name of all of you!  I hope to be a servant, I hope to reflect God’s love, I hope to make a difference in some way and I hope I’m never the same.

Kyle (far left) and Patti (far right)

The plan is for me to arrive late on Saturday night and I understand I’ll be worshipping with 1000 African Christians on Sunday morning and I can’t begin to imagine that.   I’ll be meeting up with Patti (Tay’s Grandmother) and Uncle Kyle who have now been there over a week and have relayed to me the suffering they have seen but also so full of joy over the children in the orphanage and the opportunity to wash clothes, help with homework, bath and read Bible stories to these precious Children.  My flight schedule is at the bottom if you are interested in praying for me as I journey there and back.  Please pray for my family, Jimmy, Tyler and Taylor Anne that their lives will be steady and stable as they continue to do the daily things needed to be done here on the home front.  So thankful that they are all behind this “crazy” mom who had a dream.  Keep praying daily for me as you think of me in Uganda!  I can’t wait to share all of it with you.  Love, Patty

Fri, 13FEB	DEPART	ARRIVE
DELTA 1349 ECONOMY (X)	CHARLOTTE 5:00pm	ATLANTA 6:20pm
DELTA 74 ECONOMY (X)	ATLANTA 8:11pm	AMSTERDAM 10:50am **Sat 14FEB
Sat, 14FEB	DEPART	ARRIVE
DELTA 9609* ECONOMY (X)	AMSTERDAM 11:40am	ENTEBBE 9:50pm
Wed, 25FEB	DEPART	ARRIVE
DELTA 9318* ECONOMY (X)	ENTEBBE 11:30pm	AMSTERDAM 6:05am **Thu 26FEB
Thu, 26FEB	DEPART	ARRIVE
DELTA 133 ECONOMY (X)	AMSTERDAM 8:40am	DETROIT 11:35am
DELTA 1330 ECONOMY (X)	DETROIT 1:50pm	CHARLOTTE 3:39pm

**Arrival date is different than departure date.

*Flight 9609 Operated by KLM

*Flight 9318 Operated by KLM