So today at Caring Heart started out with worship with all the children, teachers, and many people from the village. By the end of worship we were all dancing and jumping around singing "Jesus is a winner". It was precious and hysterical all at the same time. After worship we played outside with the children while waiting on the buses to bring us the beds. Two soccer balls, some jump ropes, three frisbees, and bubbles made for great fun for the almost 600 orphans.
I couldn't believe that I was playing frisbee with a group of 45 girls, and they were all getting along! At one point, I heard squealing and turned around to see all the youngest ones chasing bubbles around like they had never seen them before. It was amazing! The whole village had come today to see the beds being delivered. There were women and their babies and older men all awaiting the arrival of the beds. When the trucks pulled up with bed frames stacked way over the top, all the people began cheering and screaming.
Before we unloaded all the bedframes, we had a ceremony with Pastor Paul, all the villagers, and all the orphans. We sang again and danced together. Then Pastor Paul asked the village people to bring gifts to our team in appreciation for what we were doing for them. It was very humbling to have the local women present us with bananas, avocados, sugar cane, and other fruits. Some even brought money. It was like the woman in the Bible who brought her offering to Jesus in the temple despite her poverty and need. Then they all lifted their hands up to the Lord and all prayed out loud over our team. It was so moving! After this moving ceremony, we began unloading the beds. Many hours later, more sweat than I even knew I had, and more dirty than I knew I could get, we had all the beds in the formerly large empty room where these precious children had been sleeping on the floor. How wonderful to think that tonight they can sleep off of the floor and with protection from the mosquitoes. I've never seen people be more thankful and appreciative for gifts! Their sweet smiles and hugs were enough thanks for me!
One song that has been on my mind while we are hear is Steven Curtis Chapman's song "Yours". I have a brand new appreciation for these words and wanted to share them with you.
"I've walked the dirt roads of Uganda. I see the scars that war has left behind. Hope like the sun is fading. Their waiting for cure no one can find. I hear the childrens voices singing of a God who heals and rescues and restores. And I'm reminded every child in Africa is YOURS."
Thank you for your prayers and encouragement on this journey! You are a part of it with us!
Rebecca
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Day 4 July 23, 2009 BED DAY!!
Today is the day that we all have been eagerly waiting for....the delivery of the BEDS!! Because the beds were late getting to the first orphanage we only we able to assemble beds at Caring Heart and tomorrow we have a full day of assembling beds at Africa Greater Life. Caring Heart has 2 dorms, male and female. In each room we placed 25 bunks fully equipped with two sheets, a blanket, and mosquito nets. While we were making the beds the children were eagerly looking through the windows in anticipation of sleeping in their new beds. We were also fortunate enough to place beds in the teachers quarters for a total of 14 bunks. Today was awesome!! God has blessed each one of us for the opportunity to share God's love with all of these children today! Tonight the children will finally get sweet sleep!!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Uganda.....here we are!
Day one is in the books and our team is about to descend upon the dining room for breakfast and the beginning of day two. Only God knows what's in store. Before yesterday we thought we'd be blessed to minister to 450 Ugandan children growing up in two orphanages. Turns out we are blessed with over 700. Wow.
This is a massive effort. We ask that you continue to join us in the task ahead. Actually, we plead with you to join us. We cannot do it without you.
Right now we need you to consider what lies ahead of our team and our ministry and stop to pray for anything that comes to mind. It doesn't matter if you are a frequent pray-er or have never prayed. Just talk to God about what you think of. And, if you would, we ask you to send our blog address out to all your friends to follow. Or, you can even post it in you FB status to let as many people as possible know about what is, and what will be, happening.
I want to show you pictures of the two orphanages we're working with just outside of Kampala. The first has more than 120 children, 9 widows who help care for them and about 30 beds (with practically no mosquito nets). The second has 305 (or, as we learned yesterday...600) children and just 8 beds (no nets). I think that's all I need to say about that.
I love looking at this sweet little girl's photo.
A bedroom.
This was the image that broke me. This is where the sweet children and the widow sleep. In a quiet moment this past January, with God and while standing before these precious ones, I felt certain Sweet Sleep's ministry in Uganda would begin in this very room.
These are the precious children who sleep in the "bed" above.
Today....we can't wait to share it with you. Thanks for reading, posting your encouragement and for your advocacy and prayers!
See you in the next blog,
Jen
This is a massive effort. We ask that you continue to join us in the task ahead. Actually, we plead with you to join us. We cannot do it without you.
Right now we need you to consider what lies ahead of our team and our ministry and stop to pray for anything that comes to mind. It doesn't matter if you are a frequent pray-er or have never prayed. Just talk to God about what you think of. And, if you would, we ask you to send our blog address out to all your friends to follow. Or, you can even post it in you FB status to let as many people as possible know about what is, and what will be, happening.
I want to show you pictures of the two orphanages we're working with just outside of Kampala. The first has more than 120 children, 9 widows who help care for them and about 30 beds (with practically no mosquito nets). The second has 305 (or, as we learned yesterday...600) children and just 8 beds (no nets). I think that's all I need to say about that.
I love looking at this sweet little girl's photo.
A bedroom.
This was the image that broke me. This is where the sweet children and the widow sleep. In a quiet moment this past January, with God and while standing before these precious ones, I felt certain Sweet Sleep's ministry in Uganda would begin in this very room.
These are the precious children who sleep in the "bed" above.Today....we can't wait to share it with you. Thanks for reading, posting your encouragement and for your advocacy and prayers!
See you in the next blog,
Jen
If you want a little glipmse at how AWESOME our God is, just take a gander at this statistic: 1 day in Uganda=0 mosquito bites for Kelsey!! :) (for those of you who don't know me this is a BIG deal because usually I am the first to be bitten and the last to stop itching!) Here's a couple of other stats just in case you're interested: # of times Meghann has verbalized her excitement about the fact that the driver is on the other side of the car and that they drive on the other side of the road=1,000 and counting, # of sandwiches "lost"=1/2, # of sandwiches found=1/2, # of times being winked at=1, # of times being blown kisses to=2, # of girls to rub the makeup off of my face and put it on theirs=2 and finally # of kids who have willingly left Stuart to come sit with me=2 :) (haha)
(insert smooth transition into next topic here)___________
(insert second smooth transition into next topic here)____________
I never cease to be amazed by the difference certain actions, that to us seem so insignificant, can make in the lives of the world's orphaned and abandoned children! Today, while sitting among the mass of children that God has allowed us to come and serve this week, I began to notice that every time I would make eye contact with one of the kids and smile at them they would smile to themselves while looking away bashfully. After experiencing this response several times it kind of clicked with me and I realized that they responded this way because of 1: nervousness and 2: they weren't exactly sure how to respond. Through this realization I came to another one: These kids are constantly up against hundreds of other kids to win the attention, even for just a split second, of their care takers. Because there are so many children the care givers' attention can't be focused on just one thing, they must focus on countless different things all at once! It is likely that many of the kids have rarely, if ever, had the undivided attention of someone and the opportunity to be singled out and made to feel special. That's what the simple action of making eye contact and smiling and waving to them did for these kids, it gave them a moment to feel special, noticed and loved. I have no doubt that these kids are loved by their teachers (who are absolutely FABULOUS by the way) but I also have no doubt that it is close to impossible for them to focus completely on one child and givehim or her the undivided attention that he or she so deeply longs for when there are hundreds of other kids always around longing for the exact same thing!
-Kelsey Drennan-
(insert smooth transition into next topic here)___________
So, today was the first day for us to meet all of the sweet sweet children that we will be working with all week! I think that I speak for the whole team when I say that our hearts melted instantly the moment we pulled through the gate to the Caring Heart orphanage and were greeted by a massive mob of children singing "we are so happy, so happy to see you here!" x25 :) All of the children and teachers and the directors of both Caring Heart and Africa Greater Life were SO welcoming and made us feel right at home! I can't wait until tomorrow when we get to see all of their precious faces and bright smiles!
(insert second smooth transition into next topic here)____________
I never cease to be amazed by the difference certain actions, that to us seem so insignificant, can make in the lives of the world's orphaned and abandoned children! Today, while sitting among the mass of children that God has allowed us to come and serve this week, I began to notice that every time I would make eye contact with one of the kids and smile at them they would smile to themselves while looking away bashfully. After experiencing this response several times it kind of clicked with me and I realized that they responded this way because of 1: nervousness and 2: they weren't exactly sure how to respond. Through this realization I came to another one: These kids are constantly up against hundreds of other kids to win the attention, even for just a split second, of their care takers. Because there are so many children the care givers' attention can't be focused on just one thing, they must focus on countless different things all at once! It is likely that many of the kids have rarely, if ever, had the undivided attention of someone and the opportunity to be singled out and made to feel special. That's what the simple action of making eye contact and smiling and waving to them did for these kids, it gave them a moment to feel special, noticed and loved. I have no doubt that these kids are loved by their teachers (who are absolutely FABULOUS by the way) but I also have no doubt that it is close to impossible for them to focus completely on one child and givehim or her the undivided attention that he or she so deeply longs for when there are hundreds of other kids always around longing for the exact same thing!
So, I guess all of that goes to say that if the only thing I accomplish this week is making a child feel special and sharing God's love with him or her then I will be 100% satisfied because the love that I have for each and every one of these precious children here in Uganda comes from one source and one source only: the God that created them! and even though we have to leave in a week, He will still be here and His love that He allowed the team and me to to express to these kids will still be here and if there is one thing that will never fail them it's the love of God, our Father and theirs! I'm going to leave you with 1 Corintians 12:3-8 because there is no better way to describe the love of God than that!
-Kelsey Drennan-
there seriously is way too much that could be said just about our first day at the orphanages -- not to mention the trip here...wow. since everyone else will be blogging and blogging their little hearts out with words, i figured i would contribute a little eye candy to give you a bit of a taste of what today was like in uganda.
Cutie Pie Chaos - VALERIE
Valerie, here. Using Stuart's identity to sign in as mine is not working.
Our first full day in Uganda and what a day! We took a whirlwind tour of the city of Kampala, outlying areas, and two orphanages. It was a day filled with overwhelming experiences and images. The city is a hustling, bustling metropolis filled with merchants, storefronts, honking cars making four or more lanes on a road built for two, with bicycles and motorcycles screaming by on either side. And then there's the dichotomy of the city: people nicely dressed for the most part, all seemingly chatting on their cell phone contrasted against a backdrop of sheer poverty and need. The people are beautiful. The shiny ebony tone of their skin, their smiling eyes and welcoming voices.
We pulled up at Caring Heart this morning, the first of our two orphanages we're visiting this week, and were welcomed by a throng of children running to meet us as we pulled into their driveway. With windows down, the soft melody of a song I can only assume they made up just for us, flooded our van. "We are SO happy...so happy to see you here today...We are so happy...to see you...here today. So happy!"
After confirming with the director, we realized the sheer number of kids we were dealing with and had to reassess our game plan. For the 350 orphans we were expecting, the actual number was closer to 500-600. We spent a lot of time loving on these guys, cuddling, trying to learn names. Lugandan was overwhelming the spoken language here so we relied heavily on translators and the teachers to help us communicate. Following introductions of our team to everyone and then a song and dance program from them for us, we broke out into smaller groups. While half of the place was outside, getting fresh air and playing games, the rest stayed inside the meeting hall and worked on an arts and craft project.
After saying our goodbyes and loading on the van, we continued on to Africa Greater Life this afternoon. Again, the welcome mat was rolled out for us in the form of tiny faces and huge smiles. At this orphanage, the number of children present met our expectations of roughly 100. They, too, took us into a meeting hall and entertained us with beautiful music and hypnotizing dances. We shared in worship and then again, broke out into smaller groups to spend time getting to know our kids. I don't think any team member walked around with a free hand or arm the entire time.
It was a long, hot, hard day but oh so rewarding. Our only prayer is that these children and the people who care for them on a daily basis will see in us - in our expense and effort to get here, in our hugs and handshakes, in our presentations and games and arts & crafts projects - that there is a God. A God who created each one special and unique. Who knows their names. Who has not forsaken them. This is just one way for Him to say "well, hi there."
Our first full day in Uganda and what a day! We took a whirlwind tour of the city of Kampala, outlying areas, and two orphanages. It was a day filled with overwhelming experiences and images. The city is a hustling, bustling metropolis filled with merchants, storefronts, honking cars making four or more lanes on a road built for two, with bicycles and motorcycles screaming by on either side. And then there's the dichotomy of the city: people nicely dressed for the most part, all seemingly chatting on their cell phone contrasted against a backdrop of sheer poverty and need. The people are beautiful. The shiny ebony tone of their skin, their smiling eyes and welcoming voices.
We pulled up at Caring Heart this morning, the first of our two orphanages we're visiting this week, and were welcomed by a throng of children running to meet us as we pulled into their driveway. With windows down, the soft melody of a song I can only assume they made up just for us, flooded our van. "We are SO happy...so happy to see you here today...We are so happy...to see you...here today. So happy!"
After confirming with the director, we realized the sheer number of kids we were dealing with and had to reassess our game plan. For the 350 orphans we were expecting, the actual number was closer to 500-600. We spent a lot of time loving on these guys, cuddling, trying to learn names. Lugandan was overwhelming the spoken language here so we relied heavily on translators and the teachers to help us communicate. Following introductions of our team to everyone and then a song and dance program from them for us, we broke out into smaller groups. While half of the place was outside, getting fresh air and playing games, the rest stayed inside the meeting hall and worked on an arts and craft project.
After saying our goodbyes and loading on the van, we continued on to Africa Greater Life this afternoon. Again, the welcome mat was rolled out for us in the form of tiny faces and huge smiles. At this orphanage, the number of children present met our expectations of roughly 100. They, too, took us into a meeting hall and entertained us with beautiful music and hypnotizing dances. We shared in worship and then again, broke out into smaller groups to spend time getting to know our kids. I don't think any team member walked around with a free hand or arm the entire time.
It was a long, hot, hard day but oh so rewarding. Our only prayer is that these children and the people who care for them on a daily basis will see in us - in our expense and effort to get here, in our hugs and handshakes, in our presentations and games and arts & crafts projects - that there is a God. A God who created each one special and unique. Who knows their names. Who has not forsaken them. This is just one way for Him to say "well, hi there."
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
4, 3, 2, 1
We're here!!!! 4 countries, 3 flights, 2 days and 1 happy team! We had a safe and uneventful arrival in Uganda, including an unexpected stopover in Rwanda which apparently was just part of the regular flight plan, that no one told us about :) We are just now nestling down for the night under our mosquito nets! We are tired but overall in good spirits! Can't wait to meet our kids in the morning. I am so looking forward to meeting people here. I want to know their stories, ask them their history and hear about their lives. Uganda suprisingly reminds me of Moldova in the summertime. Smoke from trash fires and factories filled the sky tonight and even though it's cool, it's still muggy! Bumpy roads, crazy drivers... so far it's what I pictured. Rich and poor living right across the street from one another. Tonight in our devotional time, Hannah asked us to think about the one thing we wanted God to accomplish this week in and through us. Statistics tell us that when we write our goals out, we are that much more likely to see them accomplished. So we've written our God sized goals out, traded with a praying team member and are expectantly waiting to be awed by our God. This is what I've been waiting for. To Him be all the glory. Sweet dreams... more to come! Amy
Finally Arrived and Already Inspired
Hey everyone! Meghann Searcy here! Wow! What a trip this has been so far! After about 30 hours of traveling with an hour bus ride at the end (insert minor bus trouble here), let's just say that our team has had some good bonding time already, and we have only just arrived in Uganda. We met up with our out-of-state team members in Newark: Whitney, Kendra, Angie, Melissa, and Mike. Our team is great and I think we are all going to be able to work together to truly make a difference in the lives of these children. While we haven't yet met the kids we will be working with, I would like to share with you an entry I wrote in my journal:
I have just witnessed something miraculous. As I was sitting on our last flight, waiting to take off to travel the last hour from Rwanda to Uganda, I was feeling sleepy and irritated, ready to get off of this plane and get to bed. I noticed that behind me, Tory Wolf was speaking to the woman seated next to her. This woman will never leave my mind. As I began listening in (probably rude) on their conversation, I was shocked by some of the things I heard. This woman was the mother of 20 children, only 2 of which were blood-related to her. She told us that she had been rescuing children from the streets. Her own children are 20 and 24, but these rescued children range from ages 1-11. Her most recent rescue was a little boy. He was found in a bush at one week old. And he was HIV positive. She was contacted by the police and agreed to take him in, "hoping to simply have a proper burial," she told us. The little boy, now called Moses, is living healthy and is HIV negative. "He is a sweet boy," she said. This is only one story. When we told her we thought she was incredible, she replied with, "It's not me, it's the Lord." She also told us that "this is not an orphanage--it's a home. I have no intention of letting them go when they reach a certain age." This is one woman. One woman with an inspirational story of how the Lord can use anyone if we only allow Him to. That is why I am in Africa. I pray that the Lord uses me to do incredible things. Now as I sit here, still waiting for the plane to take off, I am more grateful for what I have and more energized for the week ahead. Thank you, Lord, for letting me meet this wonderful woman.
This was such a wonderful experience for me and it was only on the plane. I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for us the rest of our time here. Thank you all so much for your prayers! We look forward to sharing all of our stories and picture with you when we get back! Love to everyone at home, Meghann Searcy
I have just witnessed something miraculous. As I was sitting on our last flight, waiting to take off to travel the last hour from Rwanda to Uganda, I was feeling sleepy and irritated, ready to get off of this plane and get to bed. I noticed that behind me, Tory Wolf was speaking to the woman seated next to her. This woman will never leave my mind. As I began listening in (probably rude) on their conversation, I was shocked by some of the things I heard. This woman was the mother of 20 children, only 2 of which were blood-related to her. She told us that she had been rescuing children from the streets. Her own children are 20 and 24, but these rescued children range from ages 1-11. Her most recent rescue was a little boy. He was found in a bush at one week old. And he was HIV positive. She was contacted by the police and agreed to take him in, "hoping to simply have a proper burial," she told us. The little boy, now called Moses, is living healthy and is HIV negative. "He is a sweet boy," she said. This is only one story. When we told her we thought she was incredible, she replied with, "It's not me, it's the Lord." She also told us that "this is not an orphanage--it's a home. I have no intention of letting them go when they reach a certain age." This is one woman. One woman with an inspirational story of how the Lord can use anyone if we only allow Him to. That is why I am in Africa. I pray that the Lord uses me to do incredible things. Now as I sit here, still waiting for the plane to take off, I am more grateful for what I have and more energized for the week ahead. Thank you, Lord, for letting me meet this wonderful woman.
This was such a wonderful experience for me and it was only on the plane. I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for us the rest of our time here. Thank you all so much for your prayers! We look forward to sharing all of our stories and picture with you when we get back! Love to everyone at home, Meghann Searcy
Uganda Team Has Arrived in Kampala!
Our Uganda Mission Journey Team has arrived safely in Kampala! It's close to 11pm in Uganda, so our team is grabbing their luggage and headed to their team house where they'll get settled and get some rest after 30 long hours of travel.
This is Sweet Sleep's first trip outside of the country of Moldova - this team is full of trail blazers! Please remember to pray for our team as they serve and follow them here on their blog at http://sweetsleep.blogspot.com.
This is Sweet Sleep's first trip outside of the country of Moldova - this team is full of trail blazers! Please remember to pray for our team as they serve and follow them here on their blog at http://sweetsleep.blogspot.com.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Uganda Team On Their Way!
This is the Nashville delegation of our Uganda Team on their way to Kampala this morning. They met up with more team members in Newark and our on their way to Kampala through Brussels. We'll keep you posted and let you know when the team has landed safely in Uganda. Stay tuned for updates!
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