Welcome to my blog about my missions trip to Uganda!
I am working on adding music, but in case I dont get that figured out by the time you are looking at this, I wanted to put these two songs on this blog (maybe you can youtube them and play them in the background to get the effect I was going for :) ):
Power of Your Name - Lincoln Brewster and Darlene Check
Surely children weren't made for the streets
And fathers were not made to leave
Surely this isn't how it should be
Let Your Kingdom come
Surely nations were not made for war
Or the broken meant to be ignored
Surely this just can't be what You saw
Let Your Kingdom come
Here in my heart
And I will live
To carry *Your* compassion
To love a world that's broken
To be Your hands and feet
And I will give
With the life that I've been given
And go beyond religion
To see the world be changed
By the power of Your name
**The power of Your name
Surely life wasn't made to regret
And the lost were not made to forget
Surely faith without action is dead
Let Your Kingdom come
Lord break this heart
And I will live
To carry *Your* compassion
To love a world that's broken
To be Your hands and feet
And I will give
With the life that I've been given
And go beyond religion
To see the world be changed
By the power of Your name
Jesus Your name
Is a shelter for the hurting
and Your name
Is a refuge for the weak
Only Your name
Can redeem the undeserving
Jesus Your name
Holds everything I need
And I will live
To carry Your compassion
To love a world that's broken
To be Your hands and feet
And I will give
With the life that I've been given
And go beyond religion
To see this world be changed
By the power of Your name
And I will live
To carry Your compassion
To love a world that's broken
To be Your hands and feet
And I will give
With the life that I've been given
And go beyond religion
To see the world be changed
By the power of Your name
The power of Your name...
That song was a lot of the reason I felt called to go to Africa and feel called to serve in Christ's name!
The other song is I will Follow You - Chris Tomlin
Where you go, I'll go
Where you stay, I'll stay
When you move, I'll move
I will follow...
All your ways are good
All your ways are sure
I will trust in you alone
Higher than my side
High above my life
I will trust in you alone
Where you go, I'll go
Where you stay, I'll stay
When you move, I'll move
I will follow you
Who you love, I'll love
How you serve I'll serve
If this life I lose, I will follow you
I will follow you
Light unto the world
Light unto my life
I will live for you alone
You're the one I seek
Knowing I will find
All I need in you alone, in you alone
In you there's life everlasting
In you there's freedom for my soul
In you there joy, unending joy
and I will follow
I want to always seek Him first and follow His calling. It has worked out pretty well for me so far!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Watoto Church
The first Sunday we were in Uganda, we were able to go to the Watoto church in Kampala. It was one of the most beautiful buildings in the whole city!
We were told to bring our dancing shoes, and they weren't kidding!
The service was incredible, and it was so fun to worship God by singing, dancing, shouting, and praising with no inhibitions! They go all out! The church had reserved the second row for us, and they took time in the service to thank our group for coming to serve the village of Bbira. Gratitude was shown to us constantly throughout the week, and it was so refreshing to see people so thankful for God working through others!
The following Friday night, our group went back to church to check out an event the church was putting on for students at University: your future is so bright, you better put your shades on. The event was awesome - there was dancing, worship, talent shows, speakers, etc. The only thing is, it started at 5, and we left early at 9. It was great but LONG!!
We were told to bring our dancing shoes, and they weren't kidding!
The service was incredible, and it was so fun to worship God by singing, dancing, shouting, and praising with no inhibitions! They go all out! The church had reserved the second row for us, and they took time in the service to thank our group for coming to serve the village of Bbira. Gratitude was shown to us constantly throughout the week, and it was so refreshing to see people so thankful for God working through others!
The following Friday night, our group went back to church to check out an event the church was putting on for students at University: your future is so bright, you better put your shades on. The event was awesome - there was dancing, worship, talent shows, speakers, etc. The only thing is, it started at 5, and we left early at 9. It was great but LONG!! 
Monday, September 12, 2011
The Children of Bbira
One of our first authentic African experiences came with the chance to meet the kids of Bbira. We went there after the church service at Watoto Church. We were told we would get to eat a traditional African meal with a family there and hang out with the kids for a few hours. This was the first glimpse of the place we would be working all week. I couldn't wait to get off the bus and meet/play with the kids!!
These were the girls in the house that I ate with. I found out after lunch that only two of the girls actually lived there, the other two (one not in this picture) had just followed me in and wanted to eat with me. The whole village is one big family, and the mom of the house was more than fine with the extra mouths to feed in her home! The homes in the village typically have a mom, four boys, and four girls. They call each other brothers and sisters, and if you were to ask them if they have a dad, they would look at you crazy and say OF COURSE! God is my daddy!! They KNOW this to be true and it is evident in how well He takes care of them that He cares so deeply for each of His children!
This is Mum Joyce. She is the mother at the house that Brooke, Don, and I ate in. She is so sweet and generous and was so thankful for us being there. She fed us as many helpings as we could eat of:
It was delicious!! There were potatoes, meat, beans, bananas, tortilla-like chipati (I think), and posha (similar to rice). This next picture is probably my favorite from the whole trip:
After dinner, Mum Joyce had the little girls sing for us:
and the older boys taught (well, tried to teach) us how to dance!
They couldn't stop laughing at us, so we didn't get too far :) I tried again a little later:
The children were not shy. They came right up to us as we got there. The younger ones latched on right away, and the older ones were very friendly and great conversationalists. This young man below came around our group quite often and answered a lot of our questions. It was very evident which children had been on tour with the choir before because their people skills were incredible!
Mark 10:14b
Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
These guys loved having their picture taken, and I am all about the silly faces :)
Alvin and John quickly became my buddies, and they took my camera around after I took this picture and took a bunch of pictures for me! Note to self: Alvin and the Chipmunks is not widely known in Africa. I think I scared Alvin when I whipped out the ALLLLLVVVVVVIIIIINNNNN!!!
These were the girls in the house that I ate with. I found out after lunch that only two of the girls actually lived there, the other two (one not in this picture) had just followed me in and wanted to eat with me. The whole village is one big family, and the mom of the house was more than fine with the extra mouths to feed in her home! The homes in the village typically have a mom, four boys, and four girls. They call each other brothers and sisters, and if you were to ask them if they have a dad, they would look at you crazy and say OF COURSE! God is my daddy!! They KNOW this to be true and it is evident in how well He takes care of them that He cares so deeply for each of His children!
This is Mum Joyce. She is the mother at the house that Brooke, Don, and I ate in. She is so sweet and generous and was so thankful for us being there. She fed us as many helpings as we could eat of: 
It was delicious!! There were potatoes, meat, beans, bananas, tortilla-like chipati (I think), and posha (similar to rice). This next picture is probably my favorite from the whole trip: 
After dinner, Mum Joyce had the little girls sing for us: and the older boys taught (well, tried to teach) us how to dance!
They couldn't stop laughing at us, so we didn't get too far :) I tried again a little later:
The children were not shy. They came right up to us as we got there. The younger ones latched on right away, and the older ones were very friendly and great conversationalists. This young man below came around our group quite often and answered a lot of our questions. It was very evident which children had been on tour with the choir before because their people skills were incredible!
Mark 10:14b Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
These guys loved having their picture taken, and I am all about the silly faces :) 
Alvin and John quickly became my buddies, and they took my camera around after I took this picture and took a bunch of pictures for me! Note to self: Alvin and the Chipmunks is not widely known in Africa. I think I scared Alvin when I whipped out the ALLLLLVVVVVVIIIIINNNNN!!!
| After lunch, we were able to just spend some time with the kids outside. We played a lot of football (soccer), which they LOVED because all of the big mzungu (white) guys we brought were hilarious and most of the boys there just ran circles around them :) We also just got to play around and interact with the kids. I really wish we had stayed on the same property as them or at least have been able to spend more time with them! |
James 1:27a
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress...
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress...
Saturday, September 10, 2011
The Construction Project
The main purpose of our trip was to build a classroom building at the Watoto village of Bbira. We found out that we were building the fourth classroom to a four-classroom building that other groups had started. We were excited to get to see a building to its finish! We worked with a local crew that taught us how to lay bricks on the first day and helped us through the rest of the project throughout the week. Each day of work started with prayer and singing thanks to God for all He has given us. The local workers were definitely an inspiration and reminder that we need to keep God front and center of EVERYTHING that we do. It is easy to forget that sometimes.
They had a very strict schedule we had to follow: We took a half hour break at 10, whether we wanted to or not (most of us did not want to)
and then a full hour for lunch at 1. If it rained, forget working! They said American groups always get there and want to just fly through and put the building up really fast. We didn't disagree. After the first day, we had laid six layers of brick and had to stop there.
During the second day out there, we put the windows in place. This was how they held the windows up while the bricks dried.
After the second day, this was our classroom:
The kids were in school while we were there, and many times, during their breaks, they would come up to say hi to us and thank us for being there and building a classroom for them. They were all so sweet!
The local workers said they would stay there all day if they could but that they had to be in class. They had to literally chase them back to class a few times!
It was amazing to see how much the children valued their education there. I peeked in the windows when I could and talked to a lot of the kids during their breaks, and Watoto schools are doing something right with educating these kids - we could learn something from them!
The students are very smart, they have so much self-discipline, and they have hopes and dreams that they not only WANT to accomplish, they KNOW they will accomplish!
These girls were hilarious. I ate lunch with them one day, and they told me all about their school and themselves. They laughed at me a few times because I had eaten one of their traditional banana dishes plain (it wasn't supposed to be eaten plain, nor was it very good that way), and they showed me how to eat it the right way! They were so genuinely sweet, generous, grateful, and funny! They also shared with me how certain students have the position of a Christian Leader. Their job is to make sure all the students are doing their devotions every day and acting like good Christians. LOVE IT.
Watoto villages also have a good system of discipline in place. Ivan was tardy for class one day, so he had to cut grass for a few hours. He showed me how and let me help him for a little bit!
The third day, I helped Ruth strike the brick towards the end of the day (Don had to get the high ones for Ruth), and that became my job for the fourth day.
We knew we were not going to get to see the complete final project (they have to get professionals to do the roof and the archways), but this is what the classroom building looked like inside:
And outside:
and once the professionals get in there, it will look like this!
The last day, we got to dedicate the building to the kids. This was incredibly touching. We praised God by singing and dancing and then laid our hands on the wall and prayed for the kids who would be touched by this classroom. All of us had felt like we could have done so much more while we were out there, but the pastor and other members of the crew and organization put it into perspective for us. Every classroom seats nearly 50 kids at one time, and with several different classes going on all day for (hopefully) many years, we have built a classroom that will give thousands of God's children a Christ-centered education!
I am so thankful that we were able to help build this classroom, and, who knows? I may end up teaching in it one day! We will see what God has planned for me :)
They had a very strict schedule we had to follow: We took a half hour break at 10, whether we wanted to or not (most of us did not want to)
and then a full hour for lunch at 1. If it rained, forget working! They said American groups always get there and want to just fly through and put the building up really fast. We didn't disagree. After the first day, we had laid six layers of brick and had to stop there.
During the second day out there, we put the windows in place. This was how they held the windows up while the bricks dried.
After the second day, this was our classroom:
The kids were in school while we were there, and many times, during their breaks, they would come up to say hi to us and thank us for being there and building a classroom for them. They were all so sweet! 
The local workers said they would stay there all day if they could but that they had to be in class. They had to literally chase them back to class a few times!
It was amazing to see how much the children valued their education there. I peeked in the windows when I could and talked to a lot of the kids during their breaks, and Watoto schools are doing something right with educating these kids - we could learn something from them! 
The students are very smart, they have so much self-discipline, and they have hopes and dreams that they not only WANT to accomplish, they KNOW they will accomplish!
These girls were hilarious. I ate lunch with them one day, and they told me all about their school and themselves. They laughed at me a few times because I had eaten one of their traditional banana dishes plain (it wasn't supposed to be eaten plain, nor was it very good that way), and they showed me how to eat it the right way! They were so genuinely sweet, generous, grateful, and funny! They also shared with me how certain students have the position of a Christian Leader. Their job is to make sure all the students are doing their devotions every day and acting like good Christians. LOVE IT.Watoto villages also have a good system of discipline in place. Ivan was tardy for class one day, so he had to cut grass for a few hours. He showed me how and let me help him for a little bit!
The third day, I helped Ruth strike the brick towards the end of the day (Don had to get the high ones for Ruth), and that became my job for the fourth day.
We knew we were not going to get to see the complete final project (they have to get professionals to do the roof and the archways), but this is what the classroom building looked like inside:
And outside:
and once the professionals get in there, it will look like this!
The last day, we got to dedicate the building to the kids. This was incredibly touching. We praised God by singing and dancing and then laid our hands on the wall and prayed for the kids who would be touched by this classroom. All of us had felt like we could have done so much more while we were out there, but the pastor and other members of the crew and organization put it into perspective for us. Every classroom seats nearly 50 kids at one time, and with several different classes going on all day for (hopefully) many years, we have built a classroom that will give thousands of God's children a Christ-centered education!
I am so thankful that we were able to help build this classroom, and, who knows? I may end up teaching in it one day! We will see what God has planned for me :)
Friday, September 9, 2011
The Bulrushes - Watoto Babies
This was definitely the place we did NOT get to spend enough time. Our itinerary had us slotted for one hour at Bulrushes, which is the baby home in Kampala. Watoto named it the Bulrushes because Moses was rescued from the Bulrushes and brought up in the palace, and they want to do the same for the babies they take in. This is where babies are brought and stay until they are two, and then they will go to one of the other villages. Our guide told us there were baby detectors on the bus, so they would know if we had snuck one in our backpacks to take home with us. Otherwise, I probably would have come home with a few!! They are absolutely precious!!
This is the main room in the center of the baby palace where the kids can play or sit in their high chairs. The system they have in place is incredible - the ladies who work there feed, change, and love on 50 babies all day, every day. We got to help with the feeding while we were there :)
Cedric was happy once I picked him up and started talking to him (and feeding him, of course), but this was how I found him:
The babies all seemed so content, especially when they were given any attention. I am so glad I was able to see the baby Watoto that I sponsor. It is very clear that the babies are in great hands. God is doing such awesome things through Watoto!
Psalm 139:13-14 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. 
This is the NICU for the babies who come in sick. Many of them have AIDS or other diseases passed on from the mother. Many of them were found in dumpsters or left for dead on the side of the road. They stay in the NICU until they are healthy enough to join the rest of the babies.
This is one of the long-term volunteers who is there from Australia. She is there for six months and is a full-time volunteer at the Bulrushes. This is DEFINITELY something I am looking into for the future.
SO precious!
Some day, you may see another picture similar to this one. God has put it on both our hearts to adopt!
Unfortunately, I had spent most of our allotted time with the younger babies, that I was only in the 2-year old room for about 5 minutes. I hated saying goodbye to this little sweetheart.Psalm 127:3 Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him.
If you would like to sponsor the Baby Watoto, it is $35/month and goes to such a great cause. Unlike the older kids, when you sponsor Baby Watoto, the money goes to all the babies. When they turn 3, the children get individual sponsors. All sponsorship information can be found on their website: www.watoto.com, or you can let me know if you are interested, and I will get you set up with them!
Safari
Watoto realizes that most of the people who come over to Uganda to serve do not get to see the same kinds of animals and wildlife back home as they can while they are in Africa, so they offer several different excursions to participate in after the building project is completed. We opted to do a safari, and we got to see God's beautiful, AMAZING handiwork up close for two days!
This is Murchison Falls on the Nile River. It is absolutely incredible. The majesty of God just radiates from the power in the water, and seeing the rainbow (second picture) was just another reminder of God's love for us!
We saw the Falls from this angle the first time and then from the actual Nile a couple days later.
Apparently, the falls are so strong that if a fish goes down them, it ends up in shreds. The guides said the crocodiles all hang out downstream from the bottom to gobble them up.
As soon as we approached the safari site, we were greeted by baboons and elephants. None of the animals seemed too bothered by our presence and would get surprisingly close to our vehicle.
We also saw water buffalo,
monkeys,
antelope,
hippos,
warthogs (which they said are so mean and aggressive - probably because they are pretty ugly),
many different kinds of birds,
and, what I had been SOOOO excited to see in real life, giraffes!!
As excited as I was to see the giraffes, I don't think anything could have been much better than the KING OF THE JUNGLE! We approached a thicket (side note: off-roading in a bus - AWESOME!), and couldn't see anything. We asked our guide what he was doing, and he said to look in the thicket because there was a lion in there! We were within ten feet of a male lion! He was hard to see at first, and as soon as we realized what we were looking at and how close we were, we were pretty glad he was taking a nap. He did eventually wake up (can you find him in this picture??)
but luckily, he wasn't hungry :) That is what we thought, at least. Come to find out, the female actually does all the hunting and just brings the food back to the male who sleeps all day! Here she is - check out her guns!!
Do not make her mad!
Genesis 1:25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
This is Murchison Falls on the Nile River. It is absolutely incredible. The majesty of God just radiates from the power in the water, and seeing the rainbow (second picture) was just another reminder of God's love for us!
We saw the Falls from this angle the first time and then from the actual Nile a couple days later.
Apparently, the falls are so strong that if a fish goes down them, it ends up in shreds. The guides said the crocodiles all hang out downstream from the bottom to gobble them up.
As soon as we approached the safari site, we were greeted by baboons and elephants. None of the animals seemed too bothered by our presence and would get surprisingly close to our vehicle.
We also saw water buffalo,
monkeys,
antelope,
hippos,
warthogs (which they said are so mean and aggressive - probably because they are pretty ugly),
many different kinds of birds,
and, what I had been SOOOO excited to see in real life, giraffes!!
As excited as I was to see the giraffes, I don't think anything could have been much better than the KING OF THE JUNGLE! We approached a thicket (side note: off-roading in a bus - AWESOME!), and couldn't see anything. We asked our guide what he was doing, and he said to look in the thicket because there was a lion in there! We were within ten feet of a male lion! He was hard to see at first, and as soon as we realized what we were looking at and how close we were, we were pretty glad he was taking a nap. He did eventually wake up (can you find him in this picture??)
but luckily, he wasn't hungry :) That is what we thought, at least. Come to find out, the female actually does all the hunting and just brings the food back to the male who sleeps all day! Here she is - check out her guns!!
Do not make her mad!
Genesis 1:25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
AMAZING
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