So this is probably going to be my last post before we open Joseph’s House since we open in just 3 days. I promise to take lots of pictures and give a long post about how that goes :) Its going to be a day I remember forever- a day I’ve been looking forward to most of my life. Because of this, I am having trouble sleeping. I lay awake and pray for my kids and think about what Monday will be like, and how its going to completely flip my world upside down in the best way imaginable. Tonight as I lay awake, I am writing to you all.
This week has been a time of great preparations. We got our house keys on Saturday, but couldn’t start moving things in until yesterday. But I am determined to open by the 22nd, and so we had to start buying things a.s.a.p! Yesterday we bought the beds and mattresses. Today we (me, Eddy and Sam) bought EVERYTHING we needed to open the home... yes everything. It took forever, shopping for an entire house in an African market, but we got it done. After hours of buying, we moved it all to the house, and set to work preparing for the kids to come. I washed the whole house (walls, floors, windows, veranda). We set up our store room with food and cups and plates. We put the mattresses and sheets on the beds, then added the mosquito nets.
My super favorite part of the day was putting together the boys cases (trunks with all their things in it). I took great care giving each boy the clothing that fit his individual spirit and personality. They also got new shoes, toothbrushes/paste, jelly (like lotion), combs, towels, and some other things that I am forgetting right now (it is 1AM and its been a long day). I put all of these things in their cases with love, imagining them coming home in a few short days and opening them for the first time. They will also be coming home to sofas, a TV, bookcase with plenty of books, coloring books, leggos, blocks, as well as “care packages” on their beds (including letters from me and Abby, and candy). When my mom comes in two weeks, they will also all be getting teddy bears and a lot of other fun things. They will be coming home to a lot of wonderful things, all of which were all picked with the hopes of giving 5 boys a childhood that they have never had.
At one point Eddy, Amy (who helped after we started unpacking at the house) and Sam had all gone to get more supplies, so I was alone at the house. Our home is beautiful by the way. Its big so there is plenty of space, but small enough to feel like a home. We have a big compound (fenced yard) with lots of trees and grass. Our neighborhood is peaceful and quiet, and very Ugandan... I've missed living in a Ugandan neighborhood and am already enjoying listening to the slow bustle of African life outside our gate. Its outside town enough to be really green, like I said its a slow and peaceful suburb. Its an incredible feeling to be completely aware of God’s presence in a place, and I know God dwells in Joseph’s House. His love and joy surround it. So while I was alone, I was sitting in our large grassy yard enjoying the total peace of the place. I was just praying and praising the Father for giving us such a wonderful home, and so many blessings. To be starting the home, and able to do it in such a short time. I know God wants these kids off the streets with the same urgency that I do. Anyways, as I was sitting in the grass, I was looking around and imagining how different it will look & sound in just a few days. Yes peaceful, but not quiet. Yes joyful, but with trials. But full of life! I can see my kids playing in the yard, or on the veranda. I can see us sitting at the table eating dinner, or doing devotions in the living room. I can imagine reading to them under the shade of the palms in our yard. Its so close, and there is still so much to do, but it will be amazing.
Tomorrow, our cook Harriet (who was one of the ladies in our Hope House) and her two little kids will move into the garage, which is separate but attached to the house (for the record, in Uganda garages are mostly used as rooms because nobody actually has cars). Tomorrow we are also interviewing a teacher, who will home-school the boys, and is the only staff member we have yet to hire. On Saturday I am moving in to the house, and will do the final prep. On Sunday, I am taking time to fast, rest and pray. Pray over each boy, over Monday, and over the next few weeks which will be rocky. Sunday afternoon we will find each boy, and tell them to meet us at the clinic in Kivulu on Monday at noon.
Monday, I will be waiting at the clinic in the morning. When the boys are all there (hopefully they will get there by noon, but they are street kids) we will have them all bathe and put on new clothes. We will then sit them down and tell them about the home, and about why God wants them off the streets. I will tell them that they have been on the streets a long time, and that their Father never forgot about them. Because He loves them, we want them to come into our home. I will then go back to the house and wait for them, while Eddy and Sam (the two J-House uncles) will take the boys out to eat. I want them to eat a TON of food, so that after that day, they never need to be hungry again.
When the boys walk through the gate on Monday afternoon, I want them to have very full bellies. I want them to be in new clothes, and all clean. I want them to know they are HOME. This is forever, and they are safe. I want them to walk in the door, and feel peace at the beautiful place that God has given us. I want this dream to come true, and so does Jesus. If you have the time, we would really appreciate your prayers in these specific things over the next few days...
PRAYER REQUESTS
-That we would find Enoch, as he is still missing.
-That the sponsorship money would continue to come in. We have enough to open, but it would be good to have a bigger safety net and to bring in a 6th boy.
-That all of the boys would remain safe until Monday.
-That God would be preparing their hearts for then, so that they are all willing and ready to come home.
-That God would give me and our staff an abundance of wisdom and patience as we learn how to parent these traumatized children.
-That once the boys are home, God gives them steady hearts and stability so that they can stay there.
I know our Father is the ultimate provider, and through Him we can do all things. He hems us in, behind and before. I cannot wait to post my next update, and tell everyone about the beginning of this home that God has been preparing.
This week has been a time of great preparations. We got our house keys on Saturday, but couldn’t start moving things in until yesterday. But I am determined to open by the 22nd, and so we had to start buying things a.s.a.p! Yesterday we bought the beds and mattresses. Today we (me, Eddy and Sam) bought EVERYTHING we needed to open the home... yes everything. It took forever, shopping for an entire house in an African market, but we got it done. After hours of buying, we moved it all to the house, and set to work preparing for the kids to come. I washed the whole house (walls, floors, windows, veranda). We set up our store room with food and cups and plates. We put the mattresses and sheets on the beds, then added the mosquito nets.
My super favorite part of the day was putting together the boys cases (trunks with all their things in it). I took great care giving each boy the clothing that fit his individual spirit and personality. They also got new shoes, toothbrushes/paste, jelly (like lotion), combs, towels, and some other things that I am forgetting right now (it is 1AM and its been a long day). I put all of these things in their cases with love, imagining them coming home in a few short days and opening them for the first time. They will also be coming home to sofas, a TV, bookcase with plenty of books, coloring books, leggos, blocks, as well as “care packages” on their beds (including letters from me and Abby, and candy). When my mom comes in two weeks, they will also all be getting teddy bears and a lot of other fun things. They will be coming home to a lot of wonderful things, all of which were all picked with the hopes of giving 5 boys a childhood that they have never had.
At one point Eddy, Amy (who helped after we started unpacking at the house) and Sam had all gone to get more supplies, so I was alone at the house. Our home is beautiful by the way. Its big so there is plenty of space, but small enough to feel like a home. We have a big compound (fenced yard) with lots of trees and grass. Our neighborhood is peaceful and quiet, and very Ugandan... I've missed living in a Ugandan neighborhood and am already enjoying listening to the slow bustle of African life outside our gate. Its outside town enough to be really green, like I said its a slow and peaceful suburb. Its an incredible feeling to be completely aware of God’s presence in a place, and I know God dwells in Joseph’s House. His love and joy surround it. So while I was alone, I was sitting in our large grassy yard enjoying the total peace of the place. I was just praying and praising the Father for giving us such a wonderful home, and so many blessings. To be starting the home, and able to do it in such a short time. I know God wants these kids off the streets with the same urgency that I do. Anyways, as I was sitting in the grass, I was looking around and imagining how different it will look & sound in just a few days. Yes peaceful, but not quiet. Yes joyful, but with trials. But full of life! I can see my kids playing in the yard, or on the veranda. I can see us sitting at the table eating dinner, or doing devotions in the living room. I can imagine reading to them under the shade of the palms in our yard. Its so close, and there is still so much to do, but it will be amazing.
Tomorrow, our cook Harriet (who was one of the ladies in our Hope House) and her two little kids will move into the garage, which is separate but attached to the house (for the record, in Uganda garages are mostly used as rooms because nobody actually has cars). Tomorrow we are also interviewing a teacher, who will home-school the boys, and is the only staff member we have yet to hire. On Saturday I am moving in to the house, and will do the final prep. On Sunday, I am taking time to fast, rest and pray. Pray over each boy, over Monday, and over the next few weeks which will be rocky. Sunday afternoon we will find each boy, and tell them to meet us at the clinic in Kivulu on Monday at noon.
Monday, I will be waiting at the clinic in the morning. When the boys are all there (hopefully they will get there by noon, but they are street kids) we will have them all bathe and put on new clothes. We will then sit them down and tell them about the home, and about why God wants them off the streets. I will tell them that they have been on the streets a long time, and that their Father never forgot about them. Because He loves them, we want them to come into our home. I will then go back to the house and wait for them, while Eddy and Sam (the two J-House uncles) will take the boys out to eat. I want them to eat a TON of food, so that after that day, they never need to be hungry again.
When the boys walk through the gate on Monday afternoon, I want them to have very full bellies. I want them to be in new clothes, and all clean. I want them to know they are HOME. This is forever, and they are safe. I want them to walk in the door, and feel peace at the beautiful place that God has given us. I want this dream to come true, and so does Jesus. If you have the time, we would really appreciate your prayers in these specific things over the next few days...
PRAYER REQUESTS
-That we would find Enoch, as he is still missing.
-That the sponsorship money would continue to come in. We have enough to open, but it would be good to have a bigger safety net and to bring in a 6th boy.
-That all of the boys would remain safe until Monday.
-That God would be preparing their hearts for then, so that they are all willing and ready to come home.
-That God would give me and our staff an abundance of wisdom and patience as we learn how to parent these traumatized children.
-That once the boys are home, God gives them steady hearts and stability so that they can stay there.
I know our Father is the ultimate provider, and through Him we can do all things. He hems us in, behind and before. I cannot wait to post my next update, and tell everyone about the beginning of this home that God has been preparing.
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