A Day With UNICEF

   Yesterday was an amazing day. I got to be apart of all the work that Unicef is doing in Uganda. I have a close friend who is the director of Unicef's supply. So I got to be with her and watch all that goes on. In the beginning of the day I sat in a meeting with a few of the directors. I listened to how they worked out problems they were having and I watched as they figured out even more ways of helping the children in Uganda. It was just a great opportunity to be able to sit in and listen to all that goes on in Unicef. 

   After the meeting was over, I went to lunch with a few of the people. We again talked about different elements of Unicef's help in Africa. They also asked me about my work in Tororo. It was so cool to be able to discuss with them all that I have been doing at Smile Africa. They seemed very interested and pleased with all the work that has been done. 

   We then went to an innovation lab where they designed the Digital Drum, which has been recognized  by Time Magazine as the one of the top 50 best inventions of 2011. This Digital Drum allows for children to have internet access in schools and youth centers in rural areas. The picture below is the first generation prototype of the Digital Drum made out of a oil drum. 

   It was such an honor that I was invited to go visit all their warehouses. I had a great time. I learned so much by just listening to what they were saying. I will be traveling with Shanelle and the UNICEF team all day today and tomorrow. I never thought that my trip in Uganda would include a visit to refugee camps with UNICEF. This is going to be so awesome. 

"Thank you Jesus for this opportunity! I am so excited to be with Shanelle and the team. Thank you for continuing to grow me. I pray that you will keep us safe in our travels. I love you! Amen."

A Call To Action

   I want to thank you all so much for reading my blog and going on this journey with me, and it's still not over yet. It has been an exciting journey, with both hard and joyful moments. By you reading my blog it is as if you too are touching the lives of these children. I am so grateful that you all take time out of your busy day to read my blog and be apart of what God is doing in Uganda...but now...its time to do something. 

THIS IS A CALL TO ACTION!

   You have read and even seen the struggles that face Smile Africa and the children there. What God is doing in Smile Africa is so amazing and I believe that there is even more that can be done. I have talked to you all about the babies. Right now we have 5 babies...Ruth, Eric, Joshua, Moses, and Caleb. All 5 of these babies and 2 teachers stay in one room that is attached to our clinic. WE NEED MORE SPACE!

   God has put it on my heart to build a baby home. I believe that we can do this. Can I do this by myself? NO! I need your help. By building this baby home it will allow Smile Africa to register as an approved babies home, which will allow them to care for more babies. Right now, we have reached our limit in the small room that we use. The day we picked up baby Caleb from the police, they told us that there were 4 more babies that had been abandoned or abused and needed a place to go. WE HAD TO WALK AWAY FROM THEM! We did not have the space, so we could not take them. That was the most heart breaking thing that I have ever had to do!

   If we had a babies home, we would not have to walk away from babies that need us. There are babies even now that are waiting to be placed in a home where they can be looked after and loved. Will you please help me? I am asking you to give what you can. 

   To build this home it will cost $15,600. That means that if 312 people give $50...THE BABY HOME IS BUILT. For one person, that is a lot of money, but if we all work together, then we can do this. Please go to www.smileafrica.org. There you can donate whatever is on your heart to give, as well as read more about the baby home and Smile Africa. I believe that we can do this. I have faith in us as a family to raise this money. Let's all give what we can and watch what God does. If you want to see the world change, then you need to BE THE CHANGE that you want to see. 

   Will you help me give abandoned and abused babies a new chance at life? Will you be the hands and feet of Jesus? Will you help me change the world?

www.smileafrica.org

   

The Inspection

   Yesterday was a very long day. I was at Smile Africa from 9am to 6:30pm. Pastor Ruth told me that people were coming to inspect Smile Africa and my work in the babies room. I wanted to make sure that everything was in the best shape possible when they arrived. I got to Smile Africa early and I went straight to the babies’ room. When I entered the room I found one of the girls that worked there, mopping the floor. I was happy to see that they were already starting to clean the room. This girl was cleaning the floor with such detail so I asked,

“You must have heard the news about the inspection?”

   She laughed, nodded her head and continued mopping. I too got down on my knees and started scrubbing the mats to make sure that everything looked crisp and clean. I even arranged all the toys to line up. Everything looked so orderly. Then to make it even better, when the people arrived to inspect, all the babies were asleep in their cribs. Well, all the babies except Caleb, who was strapped to my back.

   As they walked through Smile Africa they wrote down things that we need to improve on and things that we did well. I walked with them through Smile Africa and listened to the comments that they made. Then they finally made their way to the babies room. I was nervous at what they were going to say. They looked around the room…and no one said a word. They wrote things down and they walked out. I was worried. I was wondering why they didn’t say something. Then once we went outside the room, one of them said,

“That room is very well done! That has to be one of the best, and most well done elements of Smile Africa. I am very impressed with this room.”

   I was so excited! I was happy to hear that the thing that I have been working really hard on, was a success. After our meeting, they thanked us for all our hard work as a team at Smile Africa. They also said they look forward to seeing what else we are going to be doing at Smile. I shared with them some things that I was thinking for our babies. I told them that I wanted to build a babies home and I told them where it would be and how it would look. They gave me their permission to continue my work in that area and told me that they looked forward to seeing the final product.

   It was a long day, but it was worth it. We all learned a lot that we could improve on, but we also got more motivated to making Smile Africa even bigger. This was a hard, but exciting day.

“Thank you Jesus for allowing the inspectors to come. Thank you for opening their eyes to the work that we are doing at Smile Africa. I pray that we will take the suggestions and advise and make Smile Africa even better. I pray God that you will continue to help Smile Africa and make it grow even bigger. I love you! Amen.” 

A Family Dinner

   As I was walking to Smile Africa yesterday morning, I was listening to music and praying. I always feel better when I pray to start my day. I want to invite God to guide my each step as I walk through the day. As I arrived at Smile Africa I got the best welcome from Caleb. My sweet boy is getting stronger and stronger. Although he can't run, he really tries and it's the cutest thing to watch. As I was hugging Caleb I walked to the office. I said hello to all the teachers and the staff and I began walking back to the babies room. As I was walking away, Michael invited me to his home for dinner. His mother was in town and so they were going to have a big dinner with her. I gratefully accepted his offer.

   Once I got back to the babies room with Caleb, I helped feed some of the other babeies. Before I knew it, it was 12:30pm. That is the time that I usually go and get Caleb's lunch for him. As I walked out of the door, Caleb began to cry. I realized that I was not going anywhere without him today. So I picked him and he went to get his food together. This boy was holding onto me so tightly. I let go of him and he was still holding on! I got his food and we went back to the babies room. I took of his clothes, to avoid mess, and sat him on the mat. I usually just give him a spoon and he feeds himself, but this time I decided to feed my baby. 

   Once lunch was over I bathed him, brushed his teeth, and put him in his crib. That used to be a big challenge. I needed to train them all to just lay quietly in their cribs until they fell asleep. We are only going to get more babies, so we can't hold everyone until they fall asleep. Caleb got pretty good at that. So I put him in his crib, sang him a song, and began cleaning the babies room. 

   Finally it was time to go. I walked with Michael and his mother back to his home to get ready for the dinner. I was babysitting Michael's son so the mom could finish getting ready. It was so much being there with everyone. I have made so many friends in Tororo and I love spending time with them.

   Once the dinner was over everyone shared stories of how they met their spouse and funny stories while they were in college. I sat there and listened to everyone and enjoyed my time with my family and friends. It's times like these that I totally forget that I haven't lived here my whole life. If you ask them, they have known me since I was just a kid! Well, that's how they make me feel.

"Thank you Jesus for family and friends. Thank you for the love that I got to experience today. Thank you for always showing up and being apart of every discussion here. Thank you for the innocence and the purity that is around every conversation that is had. I pray God that you will bless my family and friends here in Tororo. Keep them all safe. I love you! Amen."

Swim Day

   Yesterday morning I was in the babies room. I spent the whole morning changing diapers and playing with little Caleb. I was trying to teach him to share. It is the hardest thing that Caleb is learning. He gets so frustrated when he can't have all the toys in the room, so I was trying teach him to share. Although it was not a pretty scene, we got through it and we made a little progress. That progress being, when I gave a toy to another child in the room, he didn't scream. PROGRESS!!

   After that, Pastor Ruth finally came to Smile Africa to have a few meetings. I sat with her in the office for those meetings and helped speed things along. One of those meetings we had to have was dismissing the worker that was flirting with 16 year old girl. That was a pretty hard meeting to get through. It made everyone upset. We did not want to let this man go, but our first priority is the safety of the children. So we said good-bye to him.

   The room was very quite after that meeting. Then Pastor Ruth said, "Maybe we should go swimming today instead of next week?" It was a great idea! We called a friend to come pick us up and I took my children to go swimming. They were so excited. Bogere and Betty had never been in a pool before. When I put their new swimsuits on them there eyes got big, they were so excited! They could hardly wait to get inside that pool. 

   When Bogere got inside the pool he just started laughing. I have never heard him laugh so hard! Then he said, " I've never seen so much water!" It was so cute. I was attempting to teach them how to swim. They both could not believe what happening. I carried them across the pool as they laughed. It was so much fun. Their reactions totally made my day. I put Bogere on my back and I swam with him holding on tight to my back. My little boy held on tightly as I took him through the water. We had the best time together. Pastor Ruth took pictures of us playing in the pool and she just laughed at these children and their reaction to everything that was happening. It was wonderful to have some time with Bogere. I had missed him all weekend. So we got to have some one on one swimming time together. It was perfect.

   Once our pool time was over, the adults packed the bags up and got ready to leave. When I looked, Betty and Bogere were playing on the swing set. I just looked at them and smiled as they talked to each other and laughed. They were so happy. I was so glad that I could give them a great day like this, they deserved it. I have never seen such big smiles on these children. They whole way back to Smile Africa they were smiling and telling each other about what just happened. I love Betty and Bogere so much. 

"Thank you Jesus for this wonderful day with my children! Thank you for all the fun that we had! I pray that we will continue to have great days together. Thank you for all that you are doing in the lives of my children. I love you! Amen."

Count It As Pure Joy

   Yesterday I was too weak to do anything, so I had to stay at the hotel and rest. The night before I was very sick. I was throwing up all night and I felt terrible. So I wasn't able to go to church. I stayed at the hotel so that I could feel better.

   I really miss Bogere. I didn't see him on Friday because he went to the clinic and Saturday and Sunday I didn't go to Smile. I am really missing that boy. I thought about him a lot yesterday. I was just praying that I would feel better so that I could see him today. I know that he will be at Smile, so I'm looking forward to hugging him.

   While I was at the hotel, getting better, I spent time with Jesus. When I am not feeling well, time with Jesus makes me feel better. It makes me feel like I am not alone. My devotional said,

"When your mind is occupied with thanking Me,  you have no time for worrying or complaining. If you practice thankfulness consistently, negative thought patterns will gradually grow weaker and weaker. Draw near to Me with a grateful heart, and My Presence will fill you with Joy and Peace."

   In the midst of worrying and stressing about the situations facing me, I forgot to thank God for all the good things that were happening. Which is normal, I'm far from perfect, but if I had kept my eyes on Jesus, then the problems surrounding me would not have looked so big. I am even supposed to rejoice with the bad things that are happening. That might be pushing it! While I was thinking about all that I was going to have to do to handle some of the negative situations, I remembered that in God's word it says to rejoice and give thanks even in the bad times. I am supposed to count it as joy. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." James 1:2-3

   So I stopped worrying for a second and I thanked God for all that was troubling me. Can I just tell you...that was not easy! You know when you're taking medicine that you know is good for you, but it taste terrible? So it's hard to swallow and you make a bitter face? Well that is how it felt. I'm just being honest. Thanking God for my stress was not my idea of a good time. But I did it anyway, and I felt so much better. God took the load off me. Not only that, it gave me room to grow in my faith with Him. 

   I have learned so much being here in Tororo. I have never felt closer to God. That doesn't mean that you need to come to Tororo to feel close to God. It means that wherever you are, wherever God has you, thank him for ever trial that you face. Something that I learned from Chris Caine is...the God that was faithful then, is the same God that is faithful now. When you are having a problem with your children, God will be faithful. Remember when you didn't have children and you prayed for them and God was faithful then? Well that same God who gave you these children, will be faithful now! Trust Him!

"Thank you Jesus for always bringing my attention back to you, no matter the circumstance. Thank you for helping me get closer and closer to you. I pray that I will continue to have this same attitude toward the trials that come my way. I love you! Amen."

Discouragement

   Throughout my stay here in Tororo, I have stayed very strong. Of course there have been moments when things were very hard. I had moment of heart break and anger, but I have not been discouraged...until yesterday. Somethings that happen in life are out of our control. You can try to do everything that you know how to do to fix something, but that still may not work. That is when you are not to be discouraged, but you should call on God. 

   I did not go to Smile Africa yesterday. I started off my day with trying to help a young girl. Pastor Ruth and I were trying our best to help this girl not destroy her life, but no matter what we said, it went in one ear and out the other. This 19 year old girl has a 2 month old baby. The decisions that she makes don't just affect her anymore, so it was urgent that we try and save this girl's life, so that we can also save the life of the innocent baby.

   It can be so annoying when you are trying to help someone, but they refuse your help and chose to hurt themselves. The longer the conversation went on, the more frustrated I became. I had said all that I could possibly say and it seem to do nothing. Pastor Ruth looked me with annoyance as well. Finally, the meeting was over.

   Then we also learned that a worker at Smile Africa was doing what he wasn't supposed to be doing. This 26 year old man was flirting with one of our girls that stay at Smile who is 16 years old. I am so proud of this girl for telling me and Pastor Ruth. I told her over and over again how proud I was of her. It was important that she tell us something like that. This man is supposed to be protecting and counseling the teenagers at Smile, not fall in love with them. Pastor Ruth and I thanked this girl a lot and sent her back to Smile. We were going to handle this situation on Monday. 

   After that, I felt discouraged. If anyone were to ask me who the best Ugandan worker was at Smile Africa, I would have said it was that man. I trusted him so much. So I felt a little betrayed and hurt. Both of these situations made me feel discouraged. Then to top it off, I was throwing up all last night. I felt terrible and alone. I just wondered where God was in all of this. Then I took every thought captive and I prayed. When things don't make sense, when life seems unfair, and you can't find God in a situation...PRAY! You might not find all the answers, but you'll find peace.

   I prayed and prayed and God filled my heart with encouragement and peace. I just love God! I know that no matter what situation that I am faced with, God will give me the strength I need to overcome it. 

"Thank you Jesus for filing my heart with joy and peace. I pray that I will handle each situation that is thrown at me with grace and wisdom. Thank you for giving me strength to overcome each obstacle. I love you. Amen"