One More Thing

Copy and paste the link below to view the girls from Grace Fellowship Orphanage singing "He Is the Lord."  This was one of my favorite moments of the trip.  I hope it works...if it doesn't, someone let me know and I will try to troubleshoot it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg5crM5k9iE&feature=email

So Thankful!

I said I wasn't going to blog tonight, but I just got off the phone with a friend and had to share what God revealed to me through the conversation.

This has been in front of me all week and I have seen it, lived it, and breathed it, but until it came out of my mouth I didn't feel it.  Without a doubt I realize that I was brought here to be of service to God's people, but I had a very great lesson to learn in the meantime.  While the lessons have been many, the greatest one of all is that my faith in Jesus Christ is to be the cornerstone of my life. 

I have received so much praise for my "faith" by committing to go on this trip and in the last ten days as many of you learned about the work that is being done here.  However, just as the sacrifice was not mine, the praise is not mine either.  I have had faith in Jesus for a lifetime now.  I was raised in the church and have been basically a good person all my life.  I read my Bible and I pray, I know I love God and I know Jesus Christ is my Saviour, but what was put in front of me over the last week made me realize that I go to great lengths to manage my faith, when my faith should manage me.

For the past week I have been around people who have absolutely nothing.  I have seen naked babies walk around in the blazing sun, children beg for food, and families live in conditions that I wouldn't subject an animal to.  I was reminded today that while their physical conditions are so great, that my focus was to be on their spiritual condition (thank you Sarah...).  So having thought back over the course of the week, I was struck by how the physical bodies may have been weak and battered for so many, but the spiritual bodies were so strong.  Many of the Christians here have nothing but the faith of Jesus Christ and that is what gets them through days of no food, no clothes, and no rest.  They know that one day they will be delivered and I think they are fully aware that it may not happen on this Earth, but it shall come to pass in Heaven.

I did not have that type of faith until I came on this trip (and I know I still have a ways to go).  I had faith, but faith that is convenient and comfortable.  Jesus never said being a believer in Him would be comfortable or accommodating in the least and I have worked to manage my faith and make it comfortable throughout my life.  Meaning that I have not wanted to step out of my comfort zone to express my faith, meaning I have not been willing to face opposition, ridicule, poverty, loneliness to demonstrate my love for Christ.  Before this week, if I was taken out of my nice home in Inverness, my car, my closet full of clothes, and all the other excess of my life I don't know if I would have had the spiritual maturity and ability to maintain my faith.  Because my faith was not my cornerstone, it was just a piece of the pie.  Going to church was a piece of the pie, Bible study and choir practice was a piece of the pie - along with all the other pieces of my physical life here on this earth that make living a faithful life a little easier.

I have spent the past week with people whose faith is their cornerstone.  It is their bread and water, it is the clothes on their back, and it is their for hope for tomorrow.  I speak not just of the Ugandans, but many of the people on this mission trip with me (Pastor Richie and I have joked around a lot this week, but he has ministered to me in more ways than he will ever know).

So as I prepare to leave tomorrow and I think about Thanksgiving Day, I am thankful that my faith has been brought back to the center of my life.  I want Jesus to be all I need in my life (and I say that knowing that one day I may have that test).  I was with a woman today in a village who answered "Jesus is my husband" when she told me she was not married.  She was older and probably too old to be married now according to her communities opinion, but she still had faith.  Husband or no husband, food or no food, good days or bad, her faith was her cornerstone.

I have never been this candid about anything in my life before as I have in this blog and I know that it is not me doing it.  There is great work to be done, in the lives of others and in our own lives, and to do it the way He sees best, our faith must be our cornerstone.

Victory Is Mine!

Yesterday was another incredible day.  We ministered in the village where Pastor Nelson was raised.  Everything went very well and was I ever stretched, having to stand in the hot sun for several hours as we taught our women's lessons.  I was looking around trying to figure out how I could quickly construct a little mud hut, but to no avail.  However, God got me through it - two shades darker, a little dehydrated, and dripping wet, but He got me through it! 

I had the chance to play with the children yesterday and that was a treat.  They played at the carnival and unfortunately we are running out of supplies, so the carnival ended a bit early and we had to improvise.  So what did that mean?  Christmas carols, gospel songs, dancing, running in circles....you think it, we did it!

There is a man in my group by the name of Pastor Larry.  He is an African-American (we are the only two African-American's from the US on the trip) and pastors a church in Atlanta.  He truly has a heart for this place and everyday is like the first day for him when we leave to minister in a village.  He was committed to teaching the children some songs and they loved it.  We taught them "Victory Is Mine" and put hand motions to it.  They caught on so quickly and were so attentive.  I could just imagine them going back home to their parents and to school singing this song and ministering to people in their village!  

We also taught them a little remix - it was hilarious!  After they sang a chorus of "Victory is Mine" (Victory is mine, victory is mine, victory today is mine!  I told Satan, get thee behind....victory today is mine!), Pastor Larry taught them to say "pump it up, pump it up, pump it up," while they raised the roof!  They just laughed and laughed!  Imagine being surrounded by about a 100 little black faces just smiling at you - it was precious, they were like little angels.  

The children here are very smart and to be able to teach them a whole song in ten minutes was quite impressive.  I had the pleasure of leading "Father Abraham" and "Jesus Loves Me..."  It's sad I had to come across the world to be able to lead a song (I hope my choir director reads this...).

The ladies in the village cooked lunch for us and we ate in their church.  It was another wonderful meal and I just couldn't help but feel blessed that God chose me to have the most incredible experiences this week.  However, I know it has all been for a reason - to change my heart and my mind about service and devotion to His people here, at home in Birmingham, and around the world.  It was to plant a seed in me that will change my life forever.  The change has been extraordinary - every minute of being here I have been changed.  We have one more day left, which makes me so sad.  I could honestly stay a few more weeks.  I have a feeling I will be back though...

Happy Thanksgiving!  We will be eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch today, so someone eat a little turkey and dressing for me!

A Long, Hot Day...

Today was the hottest day it has been here so far and I am drained.  I am not going to post anything tonight, but will probably blog some tomorrow morning.  I did want to post some pictures from the day though.  Enjoy.

What Can I Say....

I am continuously amazed at how beautiful this place is.  To say it is breathtaking doesn't quite do it justice.  Today we rode up to a village in Mawasaki, which was about two hours outside of Kampala.  We were on a mountain side and as far as you could see were little communities nestled into the valleys.  Again we were greeted with so much love and affection.  Ugandans are so kind and hospitable and in a way that is so genuine.

We were in a smaller community today and so there was a sense of a little less chaos among us all.  Our first two mission sites had so many people that there were some moments when we all felt a bit overwhelmed - but in a good way, because we all have the desire to touch each and every person we see.  Looking at these children makes you want to hold them, seeing the elder women makes you want to sit down and have them say anything to you because you know it is all wisdom, being around the brothers of the village makes you want to hear the stories you see in their eyes when they welcome you into their homes.  I thought to myself today that the people I have seen in each of the villages we have been to will be the first in line when we get to heaven, and that will be alright...  Their possessions are so few on this earth, but heavens gates will be bursting open for them.

What I am also in awe at and very thankful for is the bond of our mission team.  We have all come together in a way I didn't think possible.  I was a little unsure of being across the world with people I didn't know prior to arriving here.  One of my best friends, Sarah, was to come with me on this journey, but before we left she found out she is expecting her second child.  Of course selfishly I thought, well now who I am going to have to talk to (other than her husband Tripp who is our team leader and who has taken very good care of me by the way), but when people are gathered together in love and in the name of the Lord, we are a family that was created with no regard to differences. 

The personalities of everyone are so wonderful!  Every few minutes I am laughing on the bus and listening to someone's life story.  Every night we have a recap meeting to discuss our day and one of the men of the group, Pastor Richie, told everyone tonight how much he just loved us all.  You have no choice but to love people when you see them get sick, ride on a hot musty bus with them every day, and escort them in the jungle to go to the restroom in a dirt hole, but most of all, love is unavoidable when you are around the type of love we have experienced here in Africa.

I had another "first" in my life today....I stood on the equator!  We stopped at the equator and took our pictures and did a little shopping.  I have adored the palm leaf weaved mats the women sit on here and I bought one today to bring home.  They use them in worship, around the house, and I have also seen them used as play mats for their babies.  I broke down and bought a hat today as well...the tan I am getting here is starting to get a bit out of control.  I also purchased a palm leaf bag that many of the women here use to carry around their goods for the day.  I still have African coffee beans, a drum, and a traditional dress on my must buy list before our trip is over.  We will be visiting the Nile River on Friday (can you believe that??) and I am told there are plenty of souvenir opportunities there.

I will hopefully be posting some video footage tonight from the Grace Fellowship Girls Orphanage.  As you watch it, I ask that you be in prayer for what God is doing in the life of Pastor Nelson here in Uganda.  He has started a girls and boys orphanage and several churches here that are a staple in many of the villages.  Four Corners Ministries is the only ministry from the United States that supports Pastor Nelson's ministries in this way.  While we have done much since we have been here for his ministry and the people, the need is still unthinkably tremendous.  I know many of you reading this blog were an integral part of my getting here to Uganda through your funding and prayers.  I hope though, through my words and pictures that you see the sincerity of my heart when I speak on behalf of my family here in Uganda, and stress to you that the need far surpasses what we can do here in ten days - perhaps even in ten years.

The sacrifice of giving is not ours - it was Jesus Christ's when he gave his life on the cross.  We loose nothing when we give, but gain much.  Proverbs 22:9 reads: "A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor."  I have been blessed to not have access to the local news at home, CNN, or read the headlines of newspapers over the last week.  I have not heard anything about the US economy, bailouts, and how people aren't shopping.  I am in a place where the economy is so unstable and almost nonexistent to the point where it is not even a topic of conversation, but a way of life.  I am in a place where no one is bailing out the children who walk around sick with disease, with open sores on their feet from having no shoes, and who have nothing to eat.  I am in a place where shopping for pleasure is not even a concept - a place where women bow down to you and weep because you have given them a tube of toothpaste and a toothbrush. 

No the sacrifice is not ours, but it is the privilege of being able to give that we should be thankful for.  So I ask you as my friends and believers that you please log on to www.4cornersministries.org and make a donation to sponsor a Ugandan child or make a general donation to support Pastor Nelson's ministry efforts here.  Be sure to note that you would like the money to be directed to Pastor Nelson in the comments field.

I was thinking that I have taken some great pictures since I have been here and wouldn't it be special for people to receive these pictures for Christmas presents and the news that a donation was made on their behalf to support the people here in Uganda?  I would be more than happy to coordinate that with anyone who would like to make donations and receive a picture of life here to frame and give to their loved ones.

Please don't close out of this blog and say, "well someone else will give so I don't need to."  The need is too great to rely on someone else to stand in the gap for you.  Take a minute, look around, turn the water and lights on in your house, open your refrigerator door, pull out anything you want to wear in your closet, take out medicine in your cabinet, flush your toilet, look at the degrees on your wall, the car in your driveway and then think about what you would do if it all went away - or better yet, think about if you never had any of it to begin with.  Then maybe for a brief moment you will have a glimpse of what life is like for many here in Uganda.

More pictures...

I can't sleep!  I am going to suffer in a few hours when it is time to get up.  By the way, Uganda is 9 hours ahead of Alabama.  So it's 2 in the morning!

I am still playing around on the computer and thought I would include some more pictures.  These are a few of my favorites from yesterday.

The Up-Country!

I am posting twice in the same day, so I can get caught up on my days, so this one will be short.  Today we went to the up-country!  It was exactly what I thought Africa would look like!  Beautiful green scenery, traditional villages, animals....  I must admit that for the first time since I have been here I got a little scared when we arrived.  It was the true elements - mosquitoes, ants the size of your head, snakes....I wasn't quite sure how I was going to handle it, but God continues to show up.

Now I am not an outside type of girl and I have probably spent more time outside here, than I have in all my life.  I am not one for runny-nosed children, holding naked babies, sitting on the ground, going to the restroom in a dirt hole, and purposely walking in the rain, but I will have you know that I have done it all in Uganda - especially today and with no complaints! 

The village we were at today was about an hour away and it was a miserable ride for me.  It was the first time I have been really sick since I got here.  It was just motion sickness, but the warmth of the bus and the rocky terrain of Uganda made me a little unsure of how I was going to be today.  However, I shortly got over it when we reached our destination.  When we arrived and got off the bus, the children came and bowed to us - that broke my heart.  No one has ever bowed to me and I certainly didn't feel right with them doing it.  However, it is a tradition for them that was most likely instilled in them through British influence.

We had a welcome service in the church (four posts and a tarp, with a few wooden benches) and got right into the ministry classes.  The women's class was successful again and these women also had plenty of questions.  They wanted to talk a lot about marriage and their relationships with their husbands and they were also very open discussing their bodies and health.

What was really special today was that the women in the village prepared us an incredible lunch!  Now, for the past several months I have been worried about becoming ill from the food and water here, but it is something how God just took that all away so I could be more effective during this trip.  We had pinto beans and rice, cooked bananas, chicken, pork (I think...), cabbage, peppers, beef, and some kind of peanut dish.  There was more, but by the time I got most of that on my plate there was no more room for me to add anything else...so I just went back for seconds!  It was all so delicious and we had no choice but to eat it because they stand their and watch you eat (Reminds me of my grandmother..).  We were comfortable eating in the village because the women had previously been taught to boil their plates and utensils and cook the food thoroughly.  We ate in a little mud house (which is where I taught my lesson) and just enjoyed a wonderful meal.  I definitely had another "I can't believe I am in Africa" moment.  I was doing what I have always thought I would only experience through the television - I was sitting in a dark, wet mud hut, in the jungle, after a hard rain, eating lunch with an African village....perhaps the best dining experience of my life.

First Day on the Mission Field

Our first mission field day was Sunday in the inner city of Kampala, and I was so nervous!  I was charged with helping lead the women's ministry class and I was to talk to the women about taking care of our spiritual and physical bodies.  To be honest it was really my first time ever leading any type of ministry efforts for adults, so I just kept having the feeling that I wasn't prepared.  Many of the people on the mission team have done this a dozen times and come from a different church environment than I do, so I was anxious about what they would think of my lesson too.

However, let me go back to the beginning of Sunday....we went to church at Grace Fellowhip Church where Pastor Nelson is the minister.  To give you a visual, imagine heaps of trash, raw sewage, animals, and debris everywhere - not to mention dirt (Uganda is a very dusty place...) and in the middle of it are four posts, with no walls, and a tin roof - that is Grace Fellowship Church.  They welcomed us in and were so excited to have us in their worship service.  It was typical black folks church too - long...  But it was so special.  The children danced for us and as soon as I can edit the video I will post it on the blog so all can see.  The dancers were all girls except for one little boy who stole the show!  I thought the day before that he must have been a girl when I saw them practicing at the school, because in most of the klans here little girls are chosen to be tribal dancers.  However, he was selected to be a part of the group and he is actually the leader although he is the youngest - I am assuming it is because he is male.  Anyway, at the end they pulled me out of my seat and put a rooster feather wrap around me and I danced with them (and the whole church laughed...).

They sang several songs, danced some more, sang, danced some more...and then one of our team members, Brother Wayne, preached.  The whole time I couldn't help but look around at the environment I was in - it was poverty at a tragic level.  Children with no clothes on, no lights, no running water and it was all in a very urban, polluted setting.  I was intrigued though because I don't think I ever really thought about the urban "inner city" part of Uganda that I would see.  This was still in the city where there are stores and shops, but the area we were in was where the poorest of the poor lived.  And as I think of that, what amazed me is that from what I could see, the majority of the people in the church still got up and paid their tithes.  All of them praised God and thanked Him for all His blessings.  They are so passionate when they pray and they take the act of prayer very seriously.  They get on their knees, stretch their hands, and the church spends about the first thirty minutes of service getting the people ready to pray, to ensure that everyone's heart and minds are where they need to be.

After the service we had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on the bus and waited until the church ate their lunch to start our ministry classes (Four Corners provided the church with lunch and gave everyone bags of rice, flour and beans to take home).  To give you an idea of what we are doing each day - the team is all divided into groups and we have a men's and women's ministry class, a children's carnival, a medical team, and prayer/evangelism walkers. 

My women's ministry class was packed!  There were about 100 women and they were ready to learn.  My other teammates, Christy and Angie went first and talked to the women about letting God lead their marriages and how to share Jesus Christ with their children.  And then I was up...I could sense that they were not understanding why this Black woman was with all these White people, so I decided to break the ice so they would feel comfortable with me.  I told them a little about myself and my family and I told them that I was the first person in my family to come "home."  They just laughed and clapped and stood up and said welcome to me.  I knew we were on the same playing field then.  I told them how sometimes we dress up in African attire at our church and we do dances just like them - they thought that was so funny...

God really showed up while I was teaching, because while I was prepared, there were questions and topics they wanted to discuss that I never dreamed that would talk to me about.  My initial impression of African women was that they would most likely be more reserved and would not be open to talking about their bodies and health too candidly, but was I ever wrong!  My lesson was framed around 1 Corinthians 7:24: Do you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your body."

We talked about general hygiene (bathing, brushing your teeth, washing your clothes, etc.) but the women were also very interested in natural family planning, we taught them how to conduct breast exams, and how to be more in control of their bodies by being educated about them.  We also talked about the dangers of germs and bacteria and how they can avoid some simple illnesses by being more sanitary.  And of course we talked about hair and skin - they wanted to know what kind of moisturizer I used and if my hair was real!  Throughout the lesson though I always tried to tie it back in to how we must clean and maintain our physical bodies daily, just as we must do the same with our spiritual bodies.  That just as we wash away dirt from our bodies, God washes away sin.

At the end of the class each woman got a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a tube of hand sanitizer.  You would have thought I had just wrote each of them a check for a $1,000.00.  They were just that thankful.  Before I left they gave me a beautiful paper wrapped green and purple necklace and bracelet. (And of course I cried....)

I am in Kampala!

Hello all from Africa!  I have been in Uganda for three days now and already I am dreading leaving on Friday.  There aren't many words to describe the range of emotions I have experienced here, but it's kind of like waking up on Christmas morning every day!  I can't sleep at night because I am so excited about what the next day will hold.

A little background: We arrived Friday night after about 18 hours of flying.  We stopped in Amsterdam and it was snowing and very cold, and the whole time i kept thinking to myself "I am in Amsterdam...."  We didn't leave the airport, but it was amazing to be there and get off the plane and immediately hear all these different languages and so many different looking people.  It made me realize how limited my world is in Birmingham - and now I have an itch to travel the world (get ready Daddy....)!  The flights had about 200 people on them and we had great meals and it was quite comfortable.  I watched movies, read, and talked to my team members - by the time it was over I think we all felt like we had known one another for years.  

Touching down in Africa Friday night was quite surreal.  It was dark and dark in a way that I have never experienced.  There were no lights at the airport - the pilot just put the plane down in the dark basically (Praise the Lord...I was a little nervous...).  When we got off the plane it smelled like Africa!  I have heard people say that Africa has a distinct smell and it does.  It's not a bad thing, but something that kind of jolts  you and makes your senses more aware.  It is almost like God's way of saying, ok you are in a special place now, so it's time to really take it all in.  Every time I walk out of the hotel I have that experience...

We spent our first full day here just doing some sightseeing and we went to the Kasubi tombs where the kings of Uganda are buried and I got a little information on the current King of Uganda and his son - might be looking them up before I leave....  We then went to a girls orphanage that is led by Pastor Nelson here in Kampala.  That was the first experience I had with the children here.  We pulled up and the girls ran out and started laughing and clapping.  They literally started hugging us so hard that we were all trying to keep our balance to keep from falling over.  There were about 30 of them and they were all so incredibly beautiful.  Most of the little girls here have very little hair and I always thought it was because they shaved their heads, but it is because it just doesn't grow much because of the lack of nutrients they have. So to look just into their eyes and into their smiles was hypnotizing.  

The girls showed us their rooms and they were so proud to have us there.  They sang a song for us called "He is the Lord" and it gave me chills.  It was the most innocent and sincere act of praise that I have ever seen.  They love the Lord so much and when you look around it seems like they have so little, but then you stop and think, no they have the world's riches because of the immense faith they have in God.  It was just great to be able to love on them and hug and play with them.  They just sang and danced the whole time we were there...

I am going to run now because I need to get ready for the day.  I am actually starting on my second day in the mission field, so I have some catching up to do to get you all caught up.  Please keep me and the team in your prayers...we are all healthy and happy!  We are all one big family now, which is great because it makes me being so far away from home a little easier.

Stay tuned....