I'm so excited for my friend Jade! They found out last week that they will have a baby arriving in less than 2 weeks!! Wow!! So excited for their new addition.
http://inaweofyourgrace.tumblr.com/post/21584676307/baby-metz-is-coming-in-less-than-two-weeks
Monday, April 23, 2012
Thursday, April 12, 2012
A Perfect Injustice
This is one of the harder post's for me to write.
We met a couple that was adopting from the babies home that Madison was from and they worked for an organization called A Perfect Injustice (API). API is an organization that works with street children. Their name comes from their belief that street children are a perfect example of injustice. On Monday, Wendesday, and Friday they do a street program in the slums for the boys. They do a school lesson, a Bible lesson, feed them, tend to any injuries, sometimes the boys get to bathe and sometimes they get a clean, new pair of clothes. (the clothes they are wearing are usually the only clothes they have)
Street kids are incredible. Most of them have become residents on the streets due to an abusive home or death of their parents. Once on the street, they hide in the slums because the police don't often visit the slums. When the police are around, they will either beat the kids or pick them up and take them to prison. The boys go hungry, get body lice, are forced to bathe in sewage water, do drugs (to keep hunger at bay), and the smaller boys are sexually traumatized by the older boys. Childhood is robbed, and they never get the chance at a 'normal' life. Somtimes they collect scrapes of metal and sell it to make a little money so they can buy food or water. When I say they make some money I mean maybe 10-25 cents for some scrapes. A little boy when we were there made 300 shillings selling scrap. That is nothing. 2,4000 shillings is equal to one dollar.
We were able to help with their street program when we were there. We were told before visiting to be careful how we touched the boys since every one of them had been raped at some point (usually everynight unless they could find a safe place to sleep/hide). We were told they met in a church in the slums. Let me tell you about this church. There were two walls made of metal sheets and a roof. That's it. There was a bumpy dirt floor. They laid down a blue tarp for the kids to sit on. It broke my heart looking at all these precious boys and knowing (trying to wrap my mind around) the kind of lives they have and the abuse they have suffered. I got to met each one as I wrote out their names on some tape (at the end they give us the tape and in exchange they get food).
So, first they have a lesson. The boys are so eager to learn. If you ask them how many of them want to go to school, they would all raise their hands. After the lessons we played games with the boys. They were so fun! Their smiles lit up their faces. I enjoyed this time with them. Then they had a full meal of rice, beans, and samosa's (yummy!).
After the boys are seated, they start (and end) each lesson with "God is good all the time and all the time God is good" I believe that to be true and I trust God...and I know people question this because I have had the same questions...how can these boys believe that God is good when night after night they are abused, they are abandonded by their earthly fathers, they seem to have no hope...and yet...GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME. Abbey, the founder of API, has done some awesome work with some of these boys, they DO have hope, they are shown healthy love, God brought the people that I met to Uganda and placed a love for these boys on their hearts....God has not abandonded them. People might ask, how is God good when His children are sufferring like this....I don't have all the right words to say to answer these questions, I'm not eloquent. We live in a broken world, but He has NOT abandonded them, God is good all the time and all the time God is good.
I found out, about two weeks after arriving home, that one of the boys we met, died. This broke my heart to read about. He was climbing on a roof, looking for metal scrapes, and fell off and was impaled by some metal sticking up. He was about 13 years old. API was able to find his family and when they were contacted they said they did not care and did not want to know anything about him and would not be attending any funeral. He died alone, not knowing the love of a earthly mother and father. This breaks my heart!
I have said in other post's that there were 3 songs going through my head while in Uganda. This is the third song:
"Never Once" by Matt Redman
"Standing of this moutain top, looking just how far we've come, knowing that for every step You were with us, kneeling on this battle ground, seeing just how much You've done, knowing every vicotry was Your power in us, scars and struggles on the way, but with JOY our hearts can say, NEVER once did we ever walk alone, never once did You leave us on our own, You are faithful, God you are faithful...carried by Your constant grace, held within Your perfect peace, never once, no we never walk alone...every step we are breathing in Your grace...God you are faithful!!"
These boys are not alone and they are not forgotten.
We met a couple that was adopting from the babies home that Madison was from and they worked for an organization called A Perfect Injustice (API). API is an organization that works with street children. Their name comes from their belief that street children are a perfect example of injustice. On Monday, Wendesday, and Friday they do a street program in the slums for the boys. They do a school lesson, a Bible lesson, feed them, tend to any injuries, sometimes the boys get to bathe and sometimes they get a clean, new pair of clothes. (the clothes they are wearing are usually the only clothes they have)
Street kids are incredible. Most of them have become residents on the streets due to an abusive home or death of their parents. Once on the street, they hide in the slums because the police don't often visit the slums. When the police are around, they will either beat the kids or pick them up and take them to prison. The boys go hungry, get body lice, are forced to bathe in sewage water, do drugs (to keep hunger at bay), and the smaller boys are sexually traumatized by the older boys. Childhood is robbed, and they never get the chance at a 'normal' life. Somtimes they collect scrapes of metal and sell it to make a little money so they can buy food or water. When I say they make some money I mean maybe 10-25 cents for some scrapes. A little boy when we were there made 300 shillings selling scrap. That is nothing. 2,4000 shillings is equal to one dollar.
We were able to help with their street program when we were there. We were told before visiting to be careful how we touched the boys since every one of them had been raped at some point (usually everynight unless they could find a safe place to sleep/hide). We were told they met in a church in the slums. Let me tell you about this church. There were two walls made of metal sheets and a roof. That's it. There was a bumpy dirt floor. They laid down a blue tarp for the kids to sit on. It broke my heart looking at all these precious boys and knowing (trying to wrap my mind around) the kind of lives they have and the abuse they have suffered. I got to met each one as I wrote out their names on some tape (at the end they give us the tape and in exchange they get food).
 |
| The ages of the boys start around 6 or 7 and go up from there |
After the boys are seated, they start (and end) each lesson with "God is good all the time and all the time God is good" I believe that to be true and I trust God...and I know people question this because I have had the same questions...how can these boys believe that God is good when night after night they are abused, they are abandonded by their earthly fathers, they seem to have no hope...and yet...GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME. Abbey, the founder of API, has done some awesome work with some of these boys, they DO have hope, they are shown healthy love, God brought the people that I met to Uganda and placed a love for these boys on their hearts....God has not abandonded them. People might ask, how is God good when His children are sufferring like this....I don't have all the right words to say to answer these questions, I'm not eloquent. We live in a broken world, but He has NOT abandonded them, God is good all the time and all the time God is good.
I found out, about two weeks after arriving home, that one of the boys we met, died. This broke my heart to read about. He was climbing on a roof, looking for metal scrapes, and fell off and was impaled by some metal sticking up. He was about 13 years old. API was able to find his family and when they were contacted they said they did not care and did not want to know anything about him and would not be attending any funeral. He died alone, not knowing the love of a earthly mother and father. This breaks my heart!
I have said in other post's that there were 3 songs going through my head while in Uganda. This is the third song:
"Never Once" by Matt Redman
"Standing of this moutain top, looking just how far we've come, knowing that for every step You were with us, kneeling on this battle ground, seeing just how much You've done, knowing every vicotry was Your power in us, scars and struggles on the way, but with JOY our hearts can say, NEVER once did we ever walk alone, never once did You leave us on our own, You are faithful, God you are faithful...carried by Your constant grace, held within Your perfect peace, never once, no we never walk alone...every step we are breathing in Your grace...God you are faithful!!"
These boys are not alone and they are not forgotten.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Babies home
We stayed at the babies home that Madison is from. There were a couple of kids that stole our hearts! Such beautiful children! It was so hard to leave some of them.
"Orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend they're not real before you hold them in your arms. But once you do, everything changes." David Platt
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| Loved this precious little boy! |
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| This little boy and girl were best friends. The little girl...well lets just say she was adorable!! We loved her! (the boy is just the cuttest. Thankfully he has a family trying to get him home.) |
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| Look at that snotty smile :) |
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| This little stinker was cute, but he tried to bite me every time he saw me! |
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| Oh.My.Goodness!!! This little girl...Every time I saw her she was on the floor crying, having a fit... every.single.time! But then, I started picking her up, spending time with her, and playing with her and she was the cuttest, giggliest little girl! Such a cute smile! LOVED her!! |
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| She just stole my heart :) |
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| This precious girl NEEDS a home. She has special needs, but she is the sweetest little girl. |
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| Here is the little man again. I just want to kiss that precious face! OH.What.A.Cuttie!!! |
"Orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend they're not real before you hold them in your arms. But once you do, everything changes." David Platt
Monday, April 9, 2012
Amazima
One of the first things Tim and I did (besides ride a boda boda :) ) was go to Jinja and visit Amazima. Amazima does a saturday feeding program for about 200 kids. They gather and sing, hear a Bible lesson, play, eat, and then each child gets a bag of supplies for their family. Tim really enjoyed hearing all the kids singing in Lugandan. It really is music to the ears. :) When I went there in 2010 with Lindsay they were just starting the play ground and now to see it finished and kids playing on it was so neat.
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| Where they meet for singing and Bible lessons |
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| all the beautiful kids |
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| this kid really knew how to play the drums |
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| the completed playground |
Katie Davis started Amazima and it is really a great organization. Find out more about her from her blog, Kisses from Katie or by reading her book with the same name. :)
Friday, April 6, 2012
Flash mob in Uganda :)
While we were going to Garden City one day for lunch a flash mob broke out in the parking lot.
If you look closely you can see me and a few team members a few times in the video. :)
http://youtu.be/KimZ61PsESg
If you look closely you can see me and a few team members a few times in the video. :)
http://youtu.be/KimZ61PsESg
Monday, April 2, 2012
Love in Action
Jade's husband put together this video of our womens trip (the first part of my trip). Hope you enjoy. :)
http://vimeo.com/39626789
http://vimeo.com/39626789
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Kwagala Beauty Parlor
Some of the girls from Kwagala went to school to learn to do hair and opened their own salon. We had the opportunity to help the girls decorate their salon. Kelsey told us that it is not a legite business until it is painted several bright colors, so we bought some paint and started painting. The girls were so fun to hang out with.
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| some of the ladies got their hair done first |
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| and the painting begins |
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| what do you do if you don't have a the right kind of ladder or a wall to put it against???... |
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| You hope the person holding it up is strong enough :) |
I'm so glad we were able to help them a little.
What wonderful ladies!
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