My Ugandan Life....

Sorry its been so long, but life here gets crazy! We have a pair of dentists from the US running a clinic for our boys and people in the community this week. I was not prepared to become a dental assistant, but that is what my job is. Its kinda fun, and also exhausting, so every night I get done and go strait to bed. My job with A.P.I never seems like work to me, so this must be what it feels like to those less fortunate.

Last week, we took in a 7yr old boy named Yahyah. I was super looking forward to posting a nice blog just like the one David got. Yahyah (maybe I talked about him before) is so broken. He does so many drugs, and until I met him, I had never seen true hopelessness in someones eyes before. He breaks my heart because he is a really wonderful kid. When we took him in, he had an almost immediate turnaround. He would chase the dog around and act like a puppy (such a kid thing to do) and he would rollerskate ALL day. He loved getting hugs and spending time with the aunties and uncles- everything looked good. Two days ago however, he ran away. We are not sure why, and when we went to find him, he hid from us in the slums. It breaks my heart that God provided such a good chance for him, and that Yahyah was so happy, but Satan used this broken world to entice him back into a broken life. Please be praying that Jesus works in his heart, and that Yahyah comes home!

I do have a story of praise though :) Last Friday at programs, we found one of the boys there, Richard, who was so sick. He is a little mentally impaired (I think, and so did the doctors) and he mistook a soda bottle for a bottle of acid. We don't know how much he drank, but he was in bad shape when we found him the next day. Me and my friend Eddy rushed him to the hospital (yes, being in a third world hospital is as bad as you'd imagine) and stayed with him for two days. Late on Friday night, with his tongue totally burned and crying of pain even on morphine, the doctors told me he may not make it (he was throwing up his stomach lining). I was terrified, and all I could do was hold his little hand a pray like crazy. God is amazing, and healed this precious boy. Yesterday when I saw him, Richard was totally back to normal. I love that kid, and I love Jesus!!

I come home a week from Friday, and I am getting really nervous. I think the shock of being back in America is going to be the hardest part of this whole experience, and I really have to trust that God is going to get me through it. For those who don't know, I am officially on staff with A.P.I. I am getting ready to send in my application to Global Training Network so I can start raising support for my life as a missionary. My plan is to finish school, and come back to Uganda. I want to spend 4 months in Uganda, then 2 in the US, and just repeat this cycle so that I am not in Uganda ALL the time, just most of it. I have learned more Luganda than I ever could have guessed, and even dream in it almost every night. I am going to continue learning when I come home, so that when I come back in December I will know even more (did I mention I am coming back December 1st? I can't remember...). I feel so at home here, and it amazes me that saying "I am a missionary in Uganda" feels so easy. The street kids are the most amazing children I have ever met, and God breaks my heart for them in new ways ever day. I cannot imagine my life without them in it now. My life is like a puzzle, and God is slowly filling in the pieces- I just love watching each one fall into place.

Your name is like honey on my lips,

Your Spirit like water to my soul,

Your Word is a lamp unto my feet,

Jesus I love you, I love You

Feels Like Home

This week at camp has been amazing so far, and its only the first full day. For those at home who can picture me, imagine me doing these things...

Swimming in Lake Victoria. Jumping off the dock with 10 little kids. In the shallow part, teaching them to dogie paddle and how to float (an excellent exercises in trust!)

Lounging in the grass, watching the kids that I adore so much play endless football, my hair loose and my face warmed by the sun.

Watching the sun set over the lake, marveling at how a sunset can be so many colors. Then after it gets dark, standing out on a veranda in my sweatshirt, watching a lightning storm over the water (breathtaking).

Singing and dancing to African music by a campfire on the beach. My kids are all around me, and we are laughing and praising Jesus is a totally fun African way!

I am pretty sure that in all of those instances, the look/ word to describe me would be "pure joy". Its a joy that comes from Jesus Himself, and I know this because my headache came back full force yesterday (oh well...). But there is still no place in the world I would rather be. God gave me a deep love for my family, friends, and Davis. But if home is where the heart is, then I truly have two homes. Uganda and these kids have completely captured me- my heart sings with joy.

Joy for my Creator who gives all. Joy for the wonderful, supportive family I come from. Joy for the new adventures life is bringing me. Joy for Uganda and its beauty. And joy for my precious little boys

Camp Dembe

Okay people, sorry its been so long! Life here got buys, and then I got knocked out for a week with a wicked migraine headache, but now I am back :) This week is a little different than usual. I am in Entebbe, getting ready for summer camp. There is a team of college students from Point Loma in CA that have been planning (all year) to run a camp for the boys in our home and the boys at another home called African Hearts (who also work with street kids). Me and Gina are going to be camp counselors along with the 6 other Americans, and 6 Ugandan staff members. We are going to have about 50 kids. Camp Dembe (Peace) as we are calling it, is at the zoo! We are staying in dorms and so far it has been an adventure. I have been here two days, the kids are not even here yet, and already I've had so much fun. We had a bonfire on the beach, took a night walk through the zoo (the lions were all awake and I got to pet a hyena!!). Today, I held a baby crocodile, scratched the back of a rhino, and fed a baby monkey my breakfast (there is a "tribe" of monkeys that live naturally in this area, so they join us for mealtime hoping for scraps). Its going to be a fun week- I just know it

My group of campers is going to be mostly boys from our home, as well as a few from African Hearts. I, along with another guy and two Ugandan helpers, am leading the 15/16 yr kids. In my group are some of my favorite boys from the house, and I am looking forward to getting to spend some different/quality time with them. I am also just excited about camp; I LOVE being a counselor for RCP, and was really bummed I didn't get to do it this year. Little did I know that God would still be providing me with a fun camp experience.

Two nights ago, I called home crying hysterically. I was so exhausted from my headache, and so emotionally worn down from a lot of things that have happened here recently. I also had some hard personal stuff back home, which didn't help. On top of all that, I only have a few weeks left here, and although I am coming back in December, its going to break my heart to leave. All of that combined kind of lead to an emotional meltdown, and I was telling my mom that I did not know how God was going to pull me out if that pit, let alone get me through this week at camp (where I need to be 110%). Jesus is amazing though, and He never lets me down. At my lowest of lows, He took me away from everything. He provided me with a beautiful environment, and relieved me of my migraine. He gave me new and amazing friends, and together we are enjoying a lot of laughter. I feel refreshed and excited for what is to come. God is wonderful- have I ever said how deeply I love Him??