March 8, 2013
Newsletter #7
What do you do when you grow up in an orphanage and then when you become an adult you see babies who are orphaned or have no hope of a future due to their dire circumstances - you open up a babies home. That is exactly what Damali did several years ago. There was no formal business plan, no foundation or grant funds to set up operations, only a need and someone willing to step out in faith to fill it.
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress..." James 1: 27a
I first met Damali years ago when she was a young girl at GSF. Now she is a grown woman of great faith who has a babies home, is married and has a 6 week old baby girl. There is a staff who help care for the over 20 babies under the age of 2. The Sonrise Babies Home is an amazing place full of God's love & happy babies who otherwise would have been discarded or abandoned and left to die.
Jeff & I have been able to reconnect with several of the young adults who were only young children when we first came to Uganda in 2000 and they are amazing. Their love of the Lord and the ministry work they are doing here is a testimony to the love shown them through dedicated missionaries who were willing to leave family & home to follow God's call to serve others. Their faith in God is humbling and inspiring.
"And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life." Matthew 19:29
We also went to visit my 2 Ugandan boys, Aaron & Adam. Aaron attached himself, physically, to me in 2000. Very soon thereafter both boys had a special place in my heart. As happens sometimes, they were brought to GSF when they were about 6 months old, very sick and near death. For the first 12 years of their life it was thought they were orphans when in actuality they have a mother, siblings, and an extended family. They were resettled with their family & since that time I have remained in close contact. They will be 17 years old on June 10 - a tenuous age, especially here, at they are nearing a point of having to make some decisions regarding their future. Please pray that they will be diligent in seeking God's will for life and that He will guide them in their decisions.
My continued contact with the boys would not be possible with out David, of course he is also one the amazing young adults who grew up at GSF. He has helped me over the years in many ways when it comes to the boys, their education & their family situation . The boy's mother is very gracious and thankful for the help, as she is unmarried, and has 4 children. Today she presented us with a beautiful rooster as a thank you gift. As much as we would have loved for her to keep the rooster & use it for food for her family - to refuse the gift would have been a great insult, so....we left with a rooster in the trunk of the car. Since Jeff & I have no desire, knowledge, or need to prepare & cook a rooster we passed the gift onto David for him & his family. Since today is Woman's Day, a national holiday here, we told him to tell his wife he picked up dinner while he was out :)
Please continue to pray for Jeff's mother & my father. Both continue to have health problems.
Praising God for His gift of salvation & the privilege to be here serving Him!
Cindy
Friday, March 8, 2013
Thursday, March 7, 2013
March 7, 2013
Newsletter #6
As our friends & family on the east coast being to start their day, we have just made our way back to the flat (apartment) we are staying in after a full day in town. The morning started off with a wonderful breakfast with Keith & Lisa at Terry & Deborah Nester's house, missionaries here from Roanoke VA. Then it was off to town to go our separate ways for the day.
Jeff went the the flat to hang out, while I headed to the crisis pregnancy center (this is a ladies only center). The group for today consisted of 7 young ladies, under the age of 19, 2 were pregnant & 5 had infants ranging from 6 weeks to 6 months. In a society where girls and women do not have a voice & are often not afforded education or training, to be a teen mother is especially difficult & life threatening for both mom & baby. Add to that the communicable diseases that spread rampantly here their odds of survival are very low. The focus of the center is to provide Godly support & encouragement so that mom & baby are able to stay together, be healthy, & have a start for their future, such as continuing with their education. I was so impressed with the program as they have a holistic approach - physical, emotional, & spiritual.
As the moms started coming they were greeted by Sarah & Rachel, served a cup of tea & some samosa's (similar to a small pizza pocket, but filled with beef & vegatables), & then given their individual journal book to record their thoughts, prayer needs, & answered prayers. Each baby is weighed & temperature is taken. There is a quick assessment of the mom & baby, for example are they sick. All of this information is recorded to the center is able to track the health & needs of the moms & babies.
After tea there is a program. Today Sarah taught on TB & HIV - what it is, how it spreads, prevention & treatment. The girls has lots of questions, as often happens here due to the lack of proper education on such topics. Then it was time for a devotion from the Bible.
There were several things that really stuck out to me. The relationships that these young ladies are forging with each other provide a support system they normally would not have.They were so relaxed, laughing & talking to each other, playing with each others babies. They had a sense of hope for their futures. They were engaged and anxious to learn & understand the teaching. What a blessing for them & their beautiful babies!
"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; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes say my unformed body; all the days ordained for me where written in your book." Psalm 139:13-16
The need for such work here is so great. This was so evident later in the afternoon when I got a call that one of the young moms, who had gone to the hospital 2 days ago to deliver, baby died in utero today. Sarah was there at the hospital to purchase the required items for surgery (yes, you have to purchase your required items for treatment BEFORE they will treat you) then they were preparing to take Vickie to surgery to remove the baby. Such situations here are very life threatening for the mother. Please keep Vickie in your prayers.
Jeff met me in town & we meandered about some looking in the various shops that line Main Street. We had friends coming to meet us for lunch. Little did we know we would have several wonderful reunions! Richard & Godfrey came by - we have know them since our first trip in 2000. They have grown into wonderful young men. It was great to hear about their lives and what God is doing in and through them. Then our "expected" guest arrived, Pastor Samuel & Bruhan "Bull" from Pallisa. We have know Samuel & his parents since 2001 & have worked with them on several occasions over the years. Bull & Jeff instantly formed a close bond in 2010 while we were working in Pallisa. Bull has such a love of the Lord & is studying at seminary here - when he is not in school, he is preaching. We had a wonderful lunch catching up on everything in each other's lives and talking about what the future holds. It looks like Jeff & I will have to be back in 2015, not that I would not be back several time before then, for Bull's graduation.
God is good - all the time! All the time - God is good!
Blessed to be here! Praying you have a blessed day!
Newsletter #6
As our friends & family on the east coast being to start their day, we have just made our way back to the flat (apartment) we are staying in after a full day in town. The morning started off with a wonderful breakfast with Keith & Lisa at Terry & Deborah Nester's house, missionaries here from Roanoke VA. Then it was off to town to go our separate ways for the day.
Jeff went the the flat to hang out, while I headed to the crisis pregnancy center (this is a ladies only center). The group for today consisted of 7 young ladies, under the age of 19, 2 were pregnant & 5 had infants ranging from 6 weeks to 6 months. In a society where girls and women do not have a voice & are often not afforded education or training, to be a teen mother is especially difficult & life threatening for both mom & baby. Add to that the communicable diseases that spread rampantly here their odds of survival are very low. The focus of the center is to provide Godly support & encouragement so that mom & baby are able to stay together, be healthy, & have a start for their future, such as continuing with their education. I was so impressed with the program as they have a holistic approach - physical, emotional, & spiritual.
As the moms started coming they were greeted by Sarah & Rachel, served a cup of tea & some samosa's (similar to a small pizza pocket, but filled with beef & vegatables), & then given their individual journal book to record their thoughts, prayer needs, & answered prayers. Each baby is weighed & temperature is taken. There is a quick assessment of the mom & baby, for example are they sick. All of this information is recorded to the center is able to track the health & needs of the moms & babies.
After tea there is a program. Today Sarah taught on TB & HIV - what it is, how it spreads, prevention & treatment. The girls has lots of questions, as often happens here due to the lack of proper education on such topics. Then it was time for a devotion from the Bible.
There were several things that really stuck out to me. The relationships that these young ladies are forging with each other provide a support system they normally would not have.They were so relaxed, laughing & talking to each other, playing with each others babies. They had a sense of hope for their futures. They were engaged and anxious to learn & understand the teaching. What a blessing for them & their beautiful babies!
"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; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes say my unformed body; all the days ordained for me where written in your book." Psalm 139:13-16
The need for such work here is so great. This was so evident later in the afternoon when I got a call that one of the young moms, who had gone to the hospital 2 days ago to deliver, baby died in utero today. Sarah was there at the hospital to purchase the required items for surgery (yes, you have to purchase your required items for treatment BEFORE they will treat you) then they were preparing to take Vickie to surgery to remove the baby. Such situations here are very life threatening for the mother. Please keep Vickie in your prayers.
Jeff met me in town & we meandered about some looking in the various shops that line Main Street. We had friends coming to meet us for lunch. Little did we know we would have several wonderful reunions! Richard & Godfrey came by - we have know them since our first trip in 2000. They have grown into wonderful young men. It was great to hear about their lives and what God is doing in and through them. Then our "expected" guest arrived, Pastor Samuel & Bruhan "Bull" from Pallisa. We have know Samuel & his parents since 2001 & have worked with them on several occasions over the years. Bull & Jeff instantly formed a close bond in 2010 while we were working in Pallisa. Bull has such a love of the Lord & is studying at seminary here - when he is not in school, he is preaching. We had a wonderful lunch catching up on everything in each other's lives and talking about what the future holds. It looks like Jeff & I will have to be back in 2015, not that I would not be back several time before then, for Bull's graduation.
God is good - all the time! All the time - God is good!
Blessed to be here! Praying you have a blessed day!
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
To Jinja we go :)
March 6, 2013
Newsletter #5
We left SOG early this morning to head south to Jinja, where Jeff & I will spend the next 5 days. The saga of "a day in the life of a missionary in Uganda" continued today as Keith realized several hours into our drive the brakes were still not right. No worry we did have the emergency brake as a back up. While this may be a hard concept to wrap your mind around....sometimes it is just better to press on, with the situation bathed in prayer, than to pull the plug on what God has called you to do. Needless to say we made it safe & sound to Jinja. Keith has done an awesome job of getting us where we need to be, when we need to be there, despite all the the vehicle issues.
We did stop off at the Chobe Safari Lodge for breakfast, which is about 2 hours south of Gulu & located on the Nile River. After turning off the main road we made our way through a part of the game park to the lodge. There were a few giraffes, wort hogs, & monkeys spotted, plus many deer (Jeff was wishing it was deer season & he had his gun with him). As we approached the gate the guard was waving for us to stop several yards back...then we saw it....a big elephant munching on the large bush just to our right - Awesome! He finally finished his breakfast then meandered across the road, right in front of us, to start munching on another large bush. After a wonderful breakfast over looking the Nile with hippos swimming about, we continued our drive south (with the unreliable brakes).
Tomorrow I will attend a morning session at a crisis pregnancy center Carolyn Jasobsen, a dear friend, has started. The objective of the center is to provide Godly support and encouragement to keep young unwed mothers together with their babies. It is amazing to see the progress made so far and the impact she is having on these young mothers will have an eternal impact on not only the moms but the infants that other wise would have be at risk of abandonment and/or death.
The rest of our time here will be spent with friends here getting caught up on their ministry work here & how we may continue to support them through prayer & with teams.
Good night :)
Newsletter #5
We left SOG early this morning to head south to Jinja, where Jeff & I will spend the next 5 days. The saga of "a day in the life of a missionary in Uganda" continued today as Keith realized several hours into our drive the brakes were still not right. No worry we did have the emergency brake as a back up. While this may be a hard concept to wrap your mind around....sometimes it is just better to press on, with the situation bathed in prayer, than to pull the plug on what God has called you to do. Needless to say we made it safe & sound to Jinja. Keith has done an awesome job of getting us where we need to be, when we need to be there, despite all the the vehicle issues.
We did stop off at the Chobe Safari Lodge for breakfast, which is about 2 hours south of Gulu & located on the Nile River. After turning off the main road we made our way through a part of the game park to the lodge. There were a few giraffes, wort hogs, & monkeys spotted, plus many deer (Jeff was wishing it was deer season & he had his gun with him). As we approached the gate the guard was waving for us to stop several yards back...then we saw it....a big elephant munching on the large bush just to our right - Awesome! He finally finished his breakfast then meandered across the road, right in front of us, to start munching on another large bush. After a wonderful breakfast over looking the Nile with hippos swimming about, we continued our drive south (with the unreliable brakes).
Tomorrow I will attend a morning session at a crisis pregnancy center Carolyn Jasobsen, a dear friend, has started. The objective of the center is to provide Godly support and encouragement to keep young unwed mothers together with their babies. It is amazing to see the progress made so far and the impact she is having on these young mothers will have an eternal impact on not only the moms but the infants that other wise would have be at risk of abandonment and/or death.
The rest of our time here will be spent with friends here getting caught up on their ministry work here & how we may continue to support them through prayer & with teams.
Good night :)
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