Team Picture

We finally have a team picture to post!

Front (L-R) Nate, Laura, Sue, Angelina, Tim, Emily, Tom

Back (L-R) Gerald, Paul, Peggy, Sherry, Marie, Moses (bus driver), Glen, Barry, George, Mike

Laughter

Today was a day of fun!  Well, for some of us....others continued to work where their gifts are needed such as on the roof.  We began our day with vacation bible school where the children learned the phrase "God is with us".  They made journals where they can write prayers, thoughts, daily activities, and anything that is on their mind.  Laura and Sherry shared times in their lives where God was present with them.  Vanilla was placed on their wrists as a reminder that we may not be able to walk physically hand in hand with Christ, but the smell reminds us that He is always with us wherever we go.  We ended our VBS time with prayer for each individual child.  This was a powerful moment.  To call to God and pray by name for each child while holding their hands was amazing.  You could feel the Spirit give words to you as you prayed different prayers for so many children.

Bookshelves

Roofing Project

Sherry was so excited that they remembered the bible verse from our previous lesson!

Carrying the "Arc of the Covenant" - Relay Race!

Vanilla to remember that God is with us

Our shadow is also a reminder that God is with us with every move we make

Prayer 

The afternoon was spent teaching the children many games that we brought with us to leave at Agape.  For hours we taught and played Cranium, Go fish, UNO, Monopoly, Jenga, Snakes and Ladders, Checkers, Speed, and so much more.  They loved every single minute of it.  

THANK YOU for sending these items with us!

Many have never seen a puzzle

I was able to talk with one girl who has been at Agape for three years now.  She told me about her parents dying when she was six years old and that no one was there to take care of her.  She did not have food.  She did not have clothes.  Then, the Lord sent William to her.  Her exact words "now I have everything!".  She has brothers and sisters at Agape, food, clothing, a place to sleep, a dad in William, and the Lord has provided all of this for her.  She gives every credit to Him.  It is amazing to see the faith she has and the way she is continuing to grow in her understanding and love for Christ.  I know this story resembles many others at Agape.  Please continue to pray for the children of Agape and the children of Uganda who have lost their parents to AIDS and have no one to care for them.  We are now very aware of this...what will be our response??

Thanks for your continued prayers.  We can feel them and need them!  Much love from all of us.

Progress

The last two days at the orphanage have consisted of lots of WORK!  We've primed and painted ceilings and walls (4 coats!) in a soon to be computer room that the government mandates for the orphanage.  The men have bravely climbed on top of structures to secure and continue working toward completing a roof on the new building.  We've moved bricks and sticks, made bookshelves, and we are exhausted!  However, it is totally worth it.  The children are in school for most of the day beginning at 8:00 and ending around 5:00.  They have a break for snack (porridge) and lunch (rice and beans) during the day.  When the children see us working they ALWAYS say "well done" with a bright white smile.  They are so excited about having a bigger room to live in and a place to eat.  Their faces lit up when they saw the painted computer room and the talk of having computers to use for school work caused them to be so excited.  Did I mention that they love school??  Because they do.  

One of the hired workers working on the building professed faith in Christ today and wants to be baptized.  Praise the Lord!!!  

The children are doing their best to teach us phrases in Luganda.  It brings a lot of laughter to everyone as we try to copy what they say, remember it, and use it correctly.  Paul Joseph has taught them the southern word "ya'll" which they are beginning to use often.

We are excited about a full day tomorrow with the children.  We were able to bring some board and card games with us for them to keep, so we plan to teach them how to play.  Sherry is going to lead us in another day of Vacation Bible School....much to anticipate!  

I believe that many of us are still trying to figure out the best way to love these children.  It is easy for us to hug them, hold their hands, laugh with them, etc. but I know we have so much more we want to share and talk about with them.  We can see the beauty in their hearts and long for them to continue down the path the Lord has brought them to now.  

I hope that the previous blog post from Mike was a good insight to how others are feeling about this beautiful, yet heart-breaking place.  You can also check out the following blogs for other thoughts:

http://livinggratitude.blogspot.com

http://agape4uganda.blogspot.com

Hope to be able to post pictures again tomorrow!

Uganda

The Lord woke me up shortly after midnight and I began to think about what I am seeing with my eyes. He told the prophet Habbakuk to write his vision down on a tablet and make it plain so that a herald could run with it. When I was in college,  I studied journalism and have never used it. Now I will endeavor to record what I see with my physical eyes so that you my readers may see through my words and maybe your part is to run with it. Some of the SIFAT staff visited one of the many medical centers here in Mukono. They had a large space but their medical equipment consisted of 1 needle. If medicine could e obtained, which is slim at best, everyone is given a shot with the same needle. We all know what happens then. There are no aspirins, no Tylenol, no vitamins, no bandages, no alcohol, no no latex gloves, no means of providing tests to diagnose their condition. This is everyday existence for the average Ugandan. If they had soap and clean water many disease could be prevented. There are few opportunities for them to receive any eyeglasses or any type of vision care, same with dental care, and on and on. The young girls need sanitary napkins. Seems like a simple thing to provide.  The list is endless. Every need can't be met. There is not enough money to fix their situation. There are no excuses. We can't help them all but we can make a difference in the lives of a few and trust God to multiply our meager efforts. This is only one place in millions of places around the world, but I have sen this place with my own eyes and I hope some of you can see it through my words. I sat in the airport at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia surrounded by a multitude of people from many parts of the world. As I sat there I kept thinking how could God love each and everyone of them equally despite all their differences and uniquenesses? I was overwhelmed by what I saw. I don't have many answers, only lots of questions and the assurance that love covers a multitude  of sins. It is easy for us to be cynical and simply write people off and dismiss any concern for our fellow man. We Americans are a nation of spoiled, self-absorbed people yet at the same time we lead the world in charitable contributions. I don't understand the dynamics of that. I don't care about your political affiliations but I can't help but admire the elder George Bush telling us to be a point of light and JFK admonishing us to ask not what our country can do for us but what we can do for our country. Both were calls to action. Sherry and I use to teach the children that you know when someone loves you not by what they say but by how they treat you. Are we going to love our global citizens?

Mike H.

Rejoice!

"God is good...all the time.
All the time...God is good...cause that's His nature WOW!"

This is a saying we heard throughout our day at Agape Orphanage.  It is hard to sort through thoughts and put into words the emotions and feelings of today.

Refreshment:  How awesome it was to have a full nights sleep.  So thankful for REST!

Joy:  We arrived at Agape this morning to faces of pure joy.  I, along with the rest of the team, find it hard to believe that people would be running and jumping up and down to the sight of our faces.  But, that is exactly what happened.  Our bus pulled up and a swarm of children ran to the door.  Most of us didn't know how to react other than to wave, cry, and embrace the hugs and love of the children.  You could feel the presence of the Lord.

Praise:  We spent our morning in worship...very real worship with our God.  Hands were raised, a mix of American and African voices filled the air, and our Lord was praised!  Many of the Agape children shared poems, thank you's, and songs.  Nate shared with us about responding to Christ's call in our lives, the feast He is inviting us to, and how our actions should represent our response to Christ.  I'm not sure that we've ever done as much singing as we did today.  We also completed our first day of Vacation Bible School where Sherry discussed with the children how "God is real", they made buddy bags, sang songs, and played tug-of-war!  Success!

 Celebration:  Everyone at Agape celebrated with a feast of food for lunch.  This meal contained a variety of foods from fresh fruit and rice to hot sweet bananas and "beef".  For the children of Agape, this is one of maybe three meals they will have each year containing meat.  They piled their plates full and enjoyed every bit of a well needed meal.  Their smiles couldn't be hidden if they tried and of course they were thankful.  Our day ended with a dance party celebration...something that EVERYONE loved.  Children from the surrounding villages joined us and we danced and danced to live African music.  I hope you can picture all of us on this team trying to keep up with the children...it was a beautiful sight!

Reality:  The reality is there is much need in Uganda.  There is beauty.  There is laughter.  There is hurt.  There is hunger.  It is very difficult to understand how our lives can be so different and why this is in our world.  However, we can rejoice in knowing that people such as William have given their life to help children survive in a place such as this.  We can rejoice in our time here and all of you praying for this place daily.  And ultimately we rejoice in knowing that one day this will be no longer and we will live in His Kingdom!

This was today...

"Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!

Serve the Lord with gladness!

Come into his presence with singing!

Know that the Lord, he is God! 

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, 

and his courts with praise!

Give thanks to him; bless his name!"

Psalm 100:1-4

Hello from Uganda!

I am happy to announce that we made it safely to Uganda!!  It is Saturday night and saying that we are exhausted is an understatement.  It was a very long day consisting of lots of movies, minimal sleep, and watching two sunrises!  We've been welcomed with open arms and lots of love so far and look forward to seeing the beautiful children of Agape tomorrow.  Due to heavy eyes and slow internet, this post will be very short and without pictures.  However, they will come soon!  Continue to pray for us as we begin this wonderful journey of letting Christ's light shine in many ways.  We miss all of you!

Final Count Down!

This week has been crazy, but more importantly exciting as we look forward to heading to Agape orphanage.  It started with a packing party in Scottsboro with some of our faithful team members.  They worked, packed, talked, sat in the dark, and packed some more to fill many pieces of luggage to the exact weight amount and with the most needed items for the children at Agape.  

One member of our team, Nate, left on Tuesday morning to make his way to Uganda to spend a little extra time in the surrounding areas.  He made it safely and is planning to visit the slums of Kampala tomorrow.  The rest of us continue to run around picking up last minute items all the while trying to rest before meeting up with each other at 4:00 AM in Atlanta to make our way overseas.  Should be a cheery and chatty group!  

We can't adequately express our thanks to each of you for your support and prayers for this team.  Please continue to lift us up over the coming weeks and for our work to be the Lord's work.  As our brothers and sisters, celebrate freedom today not only for our country but also in the one who calls us His.  

"So Christ has truly set us free."  Galations 5:1 

Continue to check this blog for (hopefully) daily updates and pictures on what we are doing, how we are serving, and how the Lord is working in our lives and the people we will grow to love in Uganda!