Uganda Trip: Day 6

Day 6 we loaded up in our vans and headed to Calo Me Lare to spend the day with the kids there. We had so much fun reading books, making crafts, playing games, and doing activities all based around the theme of "Daniel in the Lions Den".

 

I got to spend time with Anna, the girl our family co-sponsors through Project Hope Worldwide, which was a great thrill for me to finally meet her in person. She has an amazingly sad story before moving into Calo Me Lare (which you can read about here) but she is now well taken care of and is a happily thriving young woman of God. She showed me around her house and was excited to show me where she sleeps...

I was happily surprised to see this bulletin board on the wall displaying photos of the girl's sponsors. I love that we can develop a relationship with them half a world away! We love to send Anna letters and small gifts and we especially love it when she writes us back!

After lunch, we were split into small groups and each member of our team had about 4-5 kids we were responsible for. This was my favorite part of the day because Anna was in my group along with four of her friends. I taught them how to play Candy Land, an American favorite that I wasn't so sure would go over well in Uganda but they caught on pretty quickly! ;-)

The kids from our church wrote letters to all the children living at Calo Me Lare so we put them in little goodie bags for the kids along with candy, stickers, and Zany Bandz. I gave the girls in my small group their bags and they looooved them!

Before our trip, I painted a big hopscotch game on a painter's canvas drop cloth. I pulled it out during our small group time and taught the girls how to play. Pretty soon other kids were joining in on the fun. I left it for them so hopefully it's still getting lots of use! ;-)

The rest of the day was spent playing outside with the kids. The $2.50 frisbees I bought at Target were a huge hit! ;-)

Super fun day with the kids!

Uganda Trip: Day 5

We got up Sunday morning, loaded up in our two vans, and went to Bunga Bunga Church - the church that is held at Calo Me Lare. The opening worship time was amazing. I loooove Christian African worship. It's so free and beautiful. I especially love to watch the children sing and praise God. It's so uninhibited and pure - brings happy tears to my eyes.

Lyndon Becker, one of the founders of Project Hope Worldwide, went on the trip with us and brought the message to the attendees that morning. While he spoke, the kids went to the community building at Calo Me Lare and had their own service there. Some people from our Oklahoma team led the kids in singing then the lesson was given by Cami Flege. (Cami and her husband, Andy, are from Oregon and help run Calo Me Lare.) Church is open to anyone in the community so there were lots and lots of people there. It was a great time!

Later that day, we went to the Lira market and looked around...

Ordered yummy smoothies at Sankofa Cafe...

Then we had down time so I spent it at the hotel gardens reading a book. So pretty, peaceful, and quite there - one of my favorite places to hang out during our stay...

Uganda Trip: Days 1-4

After two days of traveling, we finally arrived to our hotel in Entebbe, UG, the same town we flew into.

The next morning, my friend, Rita, and I left our Oklahoma team and went to visit a babies home in Jinja. The kids were so sweet and welcoming. The director, Sharon, has done amazing things for those in the communities of south Uganda. She has a big heart for children and it shows in all she does. Here's a few pics from our visit at Arise and Shine Babies Home...

At one point, we heard "strange" bird noises and looked up and hundreds of bats had filled the sky and the upper part of the trees. Many were gone by the time I got my camera out, but the bats kinda took us aback. Don't see that everyday ;-)

  

 We had an amazing dinner at Two Friends Guesthouse and Restaurant...

We stayed the night at the Arise and Shine Guesthouse...

After our visit to Jinja, we hired a driver to take us back to Lira to meet up with our team there. Francis comes highly recommended by many families that have adopted in UG and I can see why. He was great company and knew the roads of Uganda very well. It was 8 hours of "fun" - bumpy roads, crazy driving, and going to the bathroom in "interesting" places. A bit of a culture shock for Rita as it was her first time to Uganda ;-)  We did get a flat right before sundown but Francis changed the tire quickly and we were able to make it to our hotel in Lira safely!

The rest of our stay in Lira was at the Margaritha Hotel. I was pleased that it had working toilets and good pillows - it's the little things in life! ;-)

In store for tomorrow - Bunga Bunga Church. Love African worship!!!

We're Back From Uganda!

Hello friends and family! I just returned from our trip to Uganda this past Wednesday night and it was AmAzInG!!! I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to go and so appreciative of everyone that helped me raise money for my expenses. For all my blessings, I am eternally grateful.

Funny how my life has come to this point. Five years ago I would have never imagined our family would be involved in work in Africa and adopting from Uganda. But my faith is in God and I believe with all my heart that His ways are good and always best. I've learned to follow the Holy Spirit's promptings and to rely on Him - even when it's not part of "my" plan.

Photo Credit:
Justin Becker

I think we sometimes get so comfortable with our lives that we forget that there are hurting people around us and abroad that we can be a blessing to, and in turn we are blessed. I believe we are all called to "step outside of our box" and to reach out to others. That doesn't always mean in a third world country, either. There's lots of hurting people here in our own town. If we just take time to search out needs, there is always an area that we can be of service in. I think doing for others is also a valuable lesson to teach our children, as well. Today's kids are brought up in a take-take world and not many are taught to give, and to give sacrificially. So much true joy can be found in doing for others and taking our eyes off of ourselves.

I was so scared the first time I went to Uganda. I cried and didn't want to go, but I knew God was calling me. So many "what if's" kept popping up in my head and before I knew it, I was making my calling about me and not about Him. Going to Uganda had nothing to do with me and I had to be humbled and realize that I was going to do God's work. People keep telling me that I'm brave and they are proud of me for going when in reality, I'm not. My strength totally comes from God and He has taken away my fears. This second trip to Uganda is a total testament to that.

Photo credit: Justin Becker

It will take me a while, but I'll gradually add pics and videos from our trip here on my blog. If you've ever thought about going on a missions trip but a thousand excuses come to your head, please listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. If He has called you, He will equip you and provide a way for you to go. The experience can be truly life-changing and you never know who you might be robbing a blessing from by you not going. Go with God!

Bon Voyage!

So, the day is finally here for us to leave on our missions trip to Uganda! The time has passed so quickly! I don't know that I'm really ready spiritually or mentally but I'll have a lot of time to think on our two-day flight there. I get a little teary eyed thinking about everyone that has helped me get to this day - from a sweet friend that hosted a garage sale to help me raise money, to the donations collected from our homeschool co-op, to the friends that ordered crafts from me, to the childhood friend and the college roommate who both sent me checks out of the blue. God is good and He definitely provided.

I'm really looking forward to the trip but the day or two before I leave is always the hardest. Of course, I'll miss my friends but I'm reeeeeeeally going to miss my family. Next to God, they are my life, my purpose, my reason for living. I imagine we'll all be pretty busy the next few weeks, the time will fly by & we'll be together again very soon.

So that's all for now. I hope to have internet while I'm there but if not, I'll update when I get back. You know I'll have lots of pictures to share!

God bless! :-D

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and hope." ~ Jeremiah 29:11

 

War Dance - Documentary

According to Wikipedia... "War/Dance is a 2007 American documentary film written and directed by Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine and produced by Shine Global's Susan MacLaury, a professor at Kean University, and Albie Hecht. It was nominated for the 2008 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and received the Emmy Award for Best Documentary and Best Cinematography in 2010.

The film centers on three children - Nancy, a 13-year-old choir singer; Rose, a 14-year-old dancer; and Dominic, a 14-year-old xylophone player. They are members of the Acholi ethnic group, living in the remote northern Uganda refugee camp of Patongo, which is under military protection from the Lord's Resistance Army, a terrorist group that has been rebelling against the government for the past two decades. In 2005, the camp's primary school won its regional music competition and headed to Kampala to participate in the annual National Music Competition. War/Dance focuses on three of the eight categories: Western choral performance, instrumental music, and traditional dance, where the students perform the Bwola, the dance of the Acholi. Over the course of three months, the film's creative team observes the three youngsters as they prepare for the event and gain their confidence enough to have them discuss the horrors they have experienced and express their individual fears, hopes, and dreams."