reflections from Uganda

We are back in the U.S. Actually, a little sad to be back. We love our families and friends but God is tugging at our hearts to plan the next trip to visit our friends in the land far away.

We will definitely stay longer next trip.

We laughed, we cried, we prayed, we served, we gave it 100% to develop relationships and to try to portray even a small glimpse of what gives us joy. In the end, we grew together as a team and we grew spiritually. We each came back with a bigger reality of what matters. In Uganda, we learned about love, joy, sacrifice, trials, suffering, heartache, and hope. And yet, another trip reveals that the team members going to serve get much, much more out of it than those we are going to help. We come back stronger, more joyful and a clearer picture of God's path for our lives. Perhaps we are going to get helped. That makes much more sense.

To Africa,

with LOVE.

A day at Canaan Children's Home

Today was a hard day.

Not hard because it was physical or tiring. Hard because it was a day tha touches the heart, tugging at every heart string. There are over 100 children at the orphanage they call Canaan Children's Home. Their ages range from a little under 2 years of age to 18. Their stories are hard.

Esther was sold by her parents because they needed money. She is a teenager that has faced trials that most people do not encounter in a lifetime. Canaan faces financial hardships. To survive, their money must be spent on food, school uniforms and staff. There is no money for female monthly supplies. Esther said that today was one of the happiest days for her because we delivered suitcases full of sanitary napkins. Imagine being a 16 year old girl living in an orphanage and there is no money for monthly sanitary supplies. No money and no person to go to for help. Esther has had to endure the trials and pains of abandonment, rape, poverty, fear and sadness. She should not have to worry about monthly sanitary supplies. We should help out with that problem.

Robert is 6 years old. He was found over a year ago rummaging through garbage for food on the streets. His parents are dead and there is no person to care for him. He was taken to Canaan where they welcomed him with open arms. Robert now runs around the playground laughing and blowing bubbles. He loves to dance and will break out on request. Robert deserves to be a happy little boy. Canaan is making that possible.

Peter is always looking out for his two year old baby brother. He has learned at a very young age to parent his siblings. Peter is only 10 years old. Peter is too young to be responsible for two siblings. I do not know their story yet. I only know that they look out for each other because at very young ages, they have had to. This is not what God intended.

A few young men have been rescued from the LRA. Most of the girls at Canaan have been molested, abandoned and raped. Most of the boys have been abused. All of the children have been neglected. All of the children have been given a second chance. We must do what we have been called to do: to help orphans in their distress. HEAL will continue to partner with Canaan Children's Home. This is one orphanage that we will visit annually and assists in any way that we can.

It is easy to sponsor the little ones. What about the teenagers that have been rescued from sex trafficking? We must help them. We must help John and Samuel and Mary and Patience. They desire to be a doctor, a lawyer, a nurse and a teacher. They can be anything they desire through Christ and we have to be active in helping them reach their full potential.

I'm excited about the team here. They have shown the orphans a light. The light of Christ is revealed through them and the boys and girls that they have developed a relationship with have felt their brightness. They have been given a glimmer of hope. The team delivered suitcases full of children's vitamins, crocs shoes, and female sanitary pads. Mostly, they delivered hope.

Today was a hard day. Some days just have to end with a good cry. Today is ending with a cry out to God.

Stories from Jinja

Our team has fallen in love with the people here. We want to share about some of the sweet relationships that have taken place.

Steven (known as Mweh-Ruh) is 8 years old. He is autistic. He lives at the Amani Baby Cottage. He has stolen our hearts. He jumps up and down when we enter the gates of the orphanage. When he is not clapping and dancing because he is so happy, he is running up to us to hold him. The Amani Baby Cottage does not have to keep him. At age five, they move to a different orphanage. This child is loved and cared for and the mommas in the orphanage are "Jesus in the skin" to him. Because he is so loveable, another volunteer is starting a special needs orphanage to house children like Mweh-Ruh. God has shown up in him, and the people that serve him. God is looking out for His children like Mweh-ruh.

Twins at Amani: Pray for the father of the twins. He works hard and visits his children. While visiting them, he sees their mother in their eyes. She died at childbirth. He is hoping to find help so that the twins can return to his home. He loves his children. There are so many instances that children are in orphanages and have caring families. While some may look at it as sad, Amani chooses to look at it as an opportunity to help a family out. They are working with this dad to help him achieve this goal. While the best situation is for all children to remain with families, this is not the the result most often achieved. This will be one situation that will end wonderfully. There are over 145 million orphans and only 250,000 adopted each year. We have learned how thankful we are that there are orphanages that not only help children get adopted, but help families get back together. H.E.A.L. Ministries will help out with this orphanage's feeding program through the sales of t-shirts and wristbands over the next six months. When we return in July, we hope to not only serve but return with supplies and money to help out.

Momma Alicia lives in the village. She has a dirt floor hut and outdoor kitchen. Her family lives in huts close by. She represents many widows. It is not only a struggle to survive in the village but for a widow, it is much harder. Momma Alicia has reminded us that God and family are the most important part of life. Her simple life has reassured us that God is not only in everything but over everything. There is no amount of money that can change anyone's relationship with Him. Momma Alicia has shown us how we should treat each other. She has shown us love. She has shown us God.

Thomas is a Christian boat guide. He takes tourist around the Nile River and teaches about the history of the river and the Ugandan people. When I asked him if we would see monkeys along the banks he said "if you believe that we will and God chooses". He always smiled and always wanted to please us. He told us stories about the Nile River and the people that live there. His stories revealed how proud he was of his native land and the people that reside in Uganda.

God chose to show us monkeys that day and Thomas reminded us to always rely on Him even in the little things.

Our team had one day of relaxing and it was quite a wonderful day to be able to take a boat ride in the Nile River. We ate lunch downtown Jinja and then relaxed at the guest house. We have learned the value of time in Uganda and we have learned that from the people here. We are hoping that when we return home this time, we won't forget all that we have learned about God, His people, and the values of family and relationships.

Wax Slum Area in Jinja

Our team had the pleasure of visiting the slum area near the Amani Baby Cottage that is called the Wax Village because it is near the Wax Factory. Many of people that live in this area either work at the factory or fish. We passed out candy that the children called "sweeties" and they walked with us around the village to look around and see the fishermen bringing in the fish at the end of the day. We started out as a group of about 15 and ended up with about 70 in our group because of the children that would join us as we passed them! It was so much fun! Momma Maggie (works at Amani) took us around and showed us her neighbors. It was a great experience for the team to see how a vast majority of Africans live. The children were so excited to see "mzungu" which means white person. They started yelling "mzungu" as they saw us approaching and soon the entire village knew we were there. We were welcomed. It was a humbling experience and the team really had to process it all at the end of the day. Or try. We can't really process everything that we take in during a 24 hour period. There will be months of processing. We serve, we look, we pray and we wonder exactly what all God is up to by having us here. There are some on the team that are already asking to return with the July group. This makes me happy because I know that God is at work in stirring up a passion for His people of Africa. Helen was also one of our guides that we have grown close to at Amani. For dinner that night, she took us to a street vendor to purchase breakfast buritos that they call "rolexes". It was delicious and one of our favorite meals. They are made with eggs, cabbage and chabati.

The next day we were able to have crafts with the toddlers at Amani and they were so cute and quite good at using their hands. We made mosaic rainbows out of construction paper with them since we have been creating Noahs Ark in the playroom. I'm posting some pictures for you to see how creative the babies are!

After a morning spent at Amani, we were on Budondo Village. One of the mommas at the cottage lives there and it was an experience that will be always be treasured by everyone on the team. They are welcoming. Spending time with each other is an important part of their day. Each home that we visited in the village was made of mud and sticks in some manner and they brought out their best benches and cloths for us to sit on. Each family wanted us to sit inside their home with them for a few minutes. We took fruits and vegetables and American peanut butter! They were so appreciative of the food but mostly, appreciative of our time. To have so little, they have so much. They know far better than us the most important things in life. The families all live next to each other. They care for God and family and close friends. The outdoor kitchens were shared by several families. They look out for each other. They sit outside and talk to each other. The children would take a lollipop and ask if they could deliver one to each family member. They know the true "front porch" mentality. We have forgotten that in America. Here, we are remembering what matters.