Visiting Hope Children's Home

The last few days have been very busy...Our team of 14 arrived yesterday all girls except one guy! Haha. We are so excited to have them here and we are expecting God to do amazing things in them and through them!

Today we took the team to visit Hope Children’s home and it is always so much fun playing with the children! I love my life!

Also below is a video of us delivering a crib to a pastor in the village that just had twins and it began to pour down rain on us. It is hilarious! Check it out!

Bed for twins-Ugandan Downpour

Life for a Ugandan is difficult

Here in Uganda, the poverty and the need is so great that it can be quite overwhelming. When driving down the road, you see small, one bedroom houses, with several people living in them, children with tattered clothing, without shoes, and women cooking over a small fire outside their homes.  The houses are so small that most everything is done on the outside of the home.

In the market, you see several vendors next to each other all competing and trying to make a living by selling the same jewelry, craft items, clothes, and produce, that they all worked so hard to make or grow and in return the income is so small.

In the city, you see children, babies, blind and disabled people coming up to your car window begging for money for food. It is difficult to look pass them as they come by your vehicle.

Living in Uganda and seeing this kind of poverty every day, is still so hard to comprehend that this is what life is really like for the people here since there situations are so extreme.

In America, it is so easy to get caught up in our own life and your own troubles and forget about the rest of the world and we don’t realize what they are facing each day. Also, we are not used to seeing dire situations on a regular basis in America but here in Uganda, these people are faced with death, sickness, disease, starvation, and extreme poverty every day!

Since the need is so great, our desire is to reach out in love one person at a time. There are many ways that you can get involved and partner with Show Mercy so that together, we can make a greater impact by investing into people’s lives by giving them the tools and resources they need to change their situation.  

One way you can partner with us is through sponsorship. We met a little boy named Joseph on Saturday, at our “Say No to Hunger” program that is in need of a sponsor.  He is about 7 years old and is a total orphan that lives with his grandmother. He currently has a skin infection and jiggers under his toes.

It is because of people like you, working together that we are able to make a difference! Please visit www.showmercy.org for more information on how you can get involved and help bring change in someone’s life!

Photos from our "Say No to Hunger" Feeding

Seeing with the a New Perspective

 I have recently become friends with a little girl named Shamila. She is a sweet little girl who suffers from HIV, aids. I have visited her home a few times since I have been here in Uganda. Each time she has been somewhat shy and reserved and didn’t show much emotion. After spending a little time with Shamila, I instantly loved her! I began to feel God’s heart for her and all the love that He has for her!

That evening, I realized that Shamila is potentially the next world changer and future leader here in Uganda! My heart filled with excitement but also sadness, to know that Shamila is currently sick and her future is uncertain. I believe God WILL heal her and she WILL transform her nation!

On Saturday, we attended our “Say No to Hunger” feeding program where we provided a meal and a fun bible lesson about creation.  I was so excited to see Shamila there!When I first greeted her, she was a little shy and then in a few minutes she grabbed my hand and stayed at my side. I began to watch Shamila's we interacted with some of the children and she was giggling and laughing with the other girls. Later on she was singing and dancing and was so full of joy!

This was the first time I had seen her smile and laugh. It really touched my heart to see this precious child who is sick and unsure of what tomorrow holds, so full of joy!

All I had to give to Shamila was my time and my love, but it seemed so small! I realized that sitting and loving on these children is not small at all. You never know how your love and kindness is making an impact in someone’s life!

There is a quote from Mother Teresa that says:

“Be kind and merciful. Let no one come to you without coming away better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, and kindness in your warm greeting!”

We were able to bring some hope and joy into Shamila’s life and for that, I’m so grateful! Thank you so much for your partnership! It is because of you that we are reaching out in love and helping to change this little girl’s life!

There are more children like Shamila that are in need of sponsorship. Please visit www.showmercy.org to make a difference in a child’s life!

Life in Uganda

It is crazy to believe that I have been in Uganda now for a little over a week and I absolutely LOVE it!! I am fully adjusted now to the time change and I’m starting to get into the flow of things. 

I have been staying busy getting organized around the house and preparing for our Awaken2Love team that is coming in a couple of weeks. We also just had two of our interns arrive a few days ago!

A Few of My Favorite Things in Uganda…



I am enjoying being here in Uganda so much! A few of my favorite things have been waking up to the sun shine, hearing the birds sing and the rooster crow each morning, going into town and seeing all the children come running out of their homes waving and yelling “Muzungu Muzungu” (which means white person or westerner), driving into Kampala, seeing all the crazy driving, the beautiful sunsets and all the adorable children everywhere!

Beautiful Sunset

Some boys came to our car window

Birthday Celebration…

On Saturday, we went to visit the Children at Hope Children’s Home to celebrate the children that have June birthdays.  We had a special party with popcorn, soda and watched the Disney movie, “The Incredibles” It was so much fun getting to celebrate with them and to see all the children again!  I really adored sitting with my friend Grace and listening to her laugh and enjoy the movie!

Passing out popcorn

Grace and I



 



Becoming Domesticated…

Those who know me, know that I am not very domesticated…well that is already changing! I have only been in Uganda for a little over a week and I have already made banana bread, banana muffins and homemade bread all from scratch and this is just the beginning!  I am really proud of myself  J and it has been really fun learning how to make different things! By the time I get back to America I will know how to cook, clean, and be able to kill all kinds of bugs…then I will be a step closer to becoming a good little wifey for my future husband someday. Haha

We got a puppy!!

On Sunday we got a little 9 week old German Shepard puppy that we will have as a guard dog for the Field of Dreams. He is so cute and his name is Zeek! J

Leadership Training…

With our interns, we have been going through some leadership training, teachings and studying the word each morning. It has been so good and encouraging!   Our number one focus is to spend time with God first before anything else and receive from him, so then we can be full and pour out to others! Then we will see breakthrough in the lives around us and truly be able to affect this country!

Visiting Some of the Children…

Yesterday we went to visit some of the children in our sponsorship program. The children were so sweet and were so happy to see us. We first visited Justine and Alex and brought them some new shoes. All the children in the village were crowding around and wanted to be apart.

Justine with mysunglasses and Alex

 

Village kids crowding around the door

Then we went to visit Shamila and her aunt, Margaret. Shamila is in our sponsorship program and she has HIV.  Shamila is so sweet!  As, I was sitting with Shamila Lori got to pray with Margaret and led her to Jesus!!  Praise God!

Shamila and I

Margaret and Lori

 I am so excited for what God is doing here and I am reminding myself to not discount the small things and to find God in everything and each day that I am here!