A Crazy Week

I hardly even know where to begin to describe this week. I will apologize in advance for the stream-of-consciousness assortment of thoughts that will undoubtedly be this post!

The week started a bit rough for Team Gulu as Simon tragically lost his brother. We all went to the burial on Tuesday and it was rough. The service was very different than any funeral I have ever attended. It lasted a couple hours and included a sermon (not eulogy) on the story of Dorcas and a sermon on speaking in tongues. I couldn’t understand most of the words, but the pain that the family was obviously feeling made my heart really sad. I can’t imagine what they’re going through. Please keep them in prayer through the upcoming weeks and months!

There is a lot to be thankful for this week. First, we have a new sister in Christ! Adjok (pronounced a-JUCK) Monica, one of the moms we work with, accepted Christ in Sunday. You can physically see the difference in her smile, her disposition, everything. Everything about her screams, “I now have joy in Christ!” I am continually thankful that the Lord allows me to witness and be a part of the work He is doing here in Uganda! Words can’t describe the excitement of seeing her beautiful smile!

Second, Mama Ochira (the mom who has been in the hospital with TB and AIDS) is doing wonderfully. I saw her on Saturday after not seeing her in about two weeks and she looks amazing! Her lips are full, she’s getting a little meat back on her bones, and she just seems happier…awesome. The nurse said we need to bring her food more often because she’s now eating multiple times as day – definitely a good issue to have! We brought her an avocado since it’s pretty high in fat and are hoping she enjoyed that. Chrissy took a picture of her and showed it to her children (who haven’t seen her in the 3 months she’s been hospitalized) and they were SO excited that she is doing well.

The week also included a LOT of car trouble. In the past week, we have gotten flat tires twice on the side of the road. We have also overheated twice, causing breakdowns on the side of the road. And, we have slid off the road and gotten stuck in mud, even with 4-wheel drive. Rainy season is definitely here and that means that the roads go from bad to worse as soon as it rains! We are working on selling the vehicle and purchasing something a little more driving-in-the-African-bush-worthy, but cars are extremely expensive here, particularly ones that can handle the driving conditions that we experience each day. It makes me thankful that boda-bodas are here if they are needed!

Lastly, several have asked about ways to help the children in particular. Right now, I would say the best way is to sponsor a kid! It’s $30 a month and that provides them with school fees, uniforms, shoes, supplies, medical care for them and the family as needed, 5 meals a week, after-school tutoring, and Saturday Club (like Sunday school with a meal and games) each week. There are currently 57 kids in the sponsorship program and the goal is to be up to 100 by the end of the year! Since all of the children live in poverty, to qualify for sponsorship a child has to be orphaned or come from a single-parent home. There are a couple of exceptions, but the vast majority fit this criteria. If you’re interested, you can visit: http://www.ecmafrica.org/269849.ihtml or http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?v=info&ref=search&gid=168868880760. The children I work with are from the Tegotatoo Project. And if you sponsor a kid, I promise I’ll give him/her lots of hugs and send you pictures of your child!




This is Paloya Mercy. Isn’t she gorgeous??? This is one of the girls I talked about in the “Handshake” post that walked home with her arms around my waist. She’s a total sweetie! Please ignore the extra hand – African kids are just like American kids when it comes to taking pictures. They LOVE to be goofy!