Dancing and JOY!

We had a very fun Sunday that started out at Pastor Andrew's church that HEAL Ministries works with.  The Harpeth Hall team worked with the children during Sunday School teaching them about Noah's Ark.  The team members acted out the animals with the children that would have gone on the ark.  What was so amazing to the team was the children's behaviour.  First of all, there are usually about 50 children in a confined area sitting quietly.  The children are so eager to learn and obedient that it usually surprises our teams.  Why?  Because we are not used to seeing children so eager to learn, so ready to please.  Here, education is a luxury and desired by all.  Every team member was hugged and loved on by the children that walked to church from the Masese area.  During worship, every team member had a child on their laps or a child sitting next to them holding their hands.  The church welcomed them and asked them to go up front to greet everyone.  Relationships here are very important and this team has developed many friends.

After church, the team got to experience a village dance in Masese.  One of the mama's from Amani Baby Cottage took us to her home.  They got to experience another home and see how the mama's live.  She was so proud of her home and wanted every member to go inside.  It was an honor to Mama Santa and an honor to each of us to be invited.

Then, the team experienced the village dance which was so amazing and fun and full of laughter.  The best part, the girls all joined in with the locals to learn the dance of this culture.  What was so amazing about this to me:  Nobody said no and acted like it was an embarrassing task, instead they joined in and made the local women feel loved by joining.  It blessed my heart to see women that I have become friends with here in Uganda joining forces with the young ladies here from America and crossing all language barriers through dance.  The ladies dancing and laughing together could not carry on a conversation together but through dance and laughter they were speaking a language of love.  What a blessing to witness!

After the village dance, the team got to experience a boat ride on the Nile River with a tour guide named Moses.  That in itself is a story to be told!  Moses rode the team around Lake Victoria to see all the native birds and then we got out to see the source of the Nile - where the Nile starts at the ZERO mark and the springs are underneath where the Nile starts.  The Nile is the longest river in the world and runs north.

We all discussed God's beauty from the day and everyone loved the church, the dance and the river ride.  We could see God through the people.  We could see God through the dance and laughter and we could see God through the beautiful scenery.  While God is everywhere with us at all times, it sure seems a little clearer here in Uganda.

A JOY to serve!

Our team woke up this morning and walked from the Surjios Guest House to the James Place.  The James Place is the location that HEAL Ministries has secured so that programs can be developed for the women and children in our programs.  This place will train women in health & safety, Bible, sustainability, farming, money management and life skills.  We will also host a kids club program on the week-ends for the kids in the slum nearby and the street kids.  We will work closely with the Crisis Pregnancy Center of Jinja and assists with the problem of teenage pregnant girls that have no home......many have been forced into prostitution and once pregnant become outcasts in their village.  We hope to help these women figure out the next step, train them and walk alongside them helping them to see that they can keep their babies.

The team worked on the grounds pulling weeds all morning.  They actually enjoyed it!  The girls were laughing and talking, listening to music while making the James Place look awesome!  I'm so thankful for their attitudes and hearts.  These are 16 - 18 year old girls that chose to travel to Uganda during their winterim experience and they are receiving much more than they bargained for.  They are receiving a glimpse of the reality of how most of the world lives.  And they are accepting the challenge and digging in (literally today) to see how they can help.  It is a little comical to walk up and see the Ugandan scaffolding created to put a new window in a team room upstairs!

Pulling weeds is not the "ideal" project but the girls saw their project complete and what a difference it has made.   They also assisted with Magdalene (a lame single mom in our program) as she did our laundry.  Her beautiful baby boy (John Jacob) was being passed around from girl to girl.  In one morning, he received 9 new "auntees" loving on him and playing with him and it made my heart smile to see these young ladies from America loving on a lady and her son that have come a long way.  Magdalene lived under a cardboard box last year and today:  she is a leader among her group at the Crisis Center.  She thrives to show others that no matter what circumstance one is in, HOPE is always there because Jesus is always with us.  The team is paying this beautiful young lady to wash our clothes.  That may sound simple but to Magdalene, it means food on the table.  It means milk and baby food and diapers for John Jacob.  It means she is seeing Jesus in these girls that have traveled half way across the world as she sits and scrubs their clothes smiling and watching them play with her son that she chose to keep.  And the girls on the team are seeing Jesus through Magdalene.   Through her servant's heart and smiles as she works.

After the girls had lunch, we all crammed into the matatu (Ugandan taxi) and drove to the village of Buziika.  There we visited my sweet friend Fazirra and her six children.  It is very humbling to see how a typical Ugandan family lives in the village for the first time.  Her humble 8 x 10 hut with a dirt floor was neatly picked up and welcoming.  It was also humbling for me to see how far Fazirra has come in the last year.  She is the lady that so many fell in love with reading the blog about her transformation (she converted from Islam to Christianity) and her son Shafikke.  Today, she surprised me as she was so excited to introduce me to a new girl.  This young girl is about 13 and has a baby and Fazirra has learned that we all have responsibilities in helping with orphans and widows.  She has taken in this new "daughter".  Now, her humble home has 8 children living in it instead of the 6 that I left her with a few months ago.  Fazirra has taught me more about Christ and LOVE and HOPE than I could ever teach her.  She taught the girls a very valuable lesson today too.  We can all reach out and lend a helping hand.  We can choose HOPE.  And we can pass that HOPE on to others much more easily than we sometimes choose to believe.  The team was so excited to deliver the bags of food that we bought on the side of the road for Fazirra's family.  The bag of food costs about 10,000 shillings which is about $3.00 and will feed her family for a few meals.  

We then visited the Canaan Children's Home in Buziika which is always a favorite spot for teams.  This ugandan run orphanage is unique but today, most of the children were on holiday.  There were only a few teenagers on the property and 2 of the smaller children.  The team still was able to see what Canaan is all about and visit the dorms.  

We have a fun day planned tomorrow after church and I'm excited for them to see a village dance and ride a boat in the Nile River.  Moses (this is seriously NOT made up) will take us for a boat ride in the Nile River.  How many people get to say that in a lifetime?  

LOVE responds and LOVE acts

It is very rare that a team of 11 arrives in Uganda, on time, with all 24 pieces of luggage.  We count that as an example of how awesome this adventure is going to be!  As we exited the Entebbe airport, the Harpeth Hall team of 9 young ladies, along with Dee Anne Proctor and myself, were beyond excitement for the next few weeks.  I teared up as I returned to my adopted country and in the words of a 5 year old little girl, "Mama Tina, you are home".............I am home.

The passion that this particular team has already developed in a short amount of time can only be a gift from above.  The team drove the 3 hour journey silently through Kampala, through the villages, through the rain forrest and into Jinja not knowing what to expect.  After being here five days, they have come to know that Uganda is a beautiful place with beautiful people.  My heart is full of joy as I watch their eager hearts fall in love with the land that God has blessed me with.

The first stop was a visit to Masese, a slum in Jinja with about 5000 people.  85% of those people are abandoned women and children.  The girls on the team expressed the joy and love that they found upon entering Masese.  The women and children in the programs of HEAL Ministries greeted us with singing, dancing and praising the Lord.  They were excited to see that God answered their prayers and their overwhelming excitement was contagious!  As the women expressed their praise in the Luganda language, I saw how each team member:  Abbie, Brennan, Alexis, Liza, Kayleigh, Claire, Sarah, Maddie, Becca, and Dee Anne saw Jesus first hand through the eyes of precious people they were becoming friends with across the world.  Across the world, traveling through airports, sitting on planes for 18 hours, and then landing to drive another 3 hour journey to discover this:  LOVE responds and LOVE acts.  That is what this team is receiving and giving:  LOVE.  Love expressed through people that are living with HOPE.  LOVE expressed from poverty and little means to a team of blessed young ladies from America.  And that is how God does it.  He takes HIS people and bonds the most unlikely ones together to reveal the true meaning of life on this planet:  LOVE.  LOVE that can only be fully understood through the LOVE of Jesus Christ.  LOVE that shows that we are only different by birth location and all the same in that we all need the ONE that gives us meaning in life.  LOVE that does laundry for two hours to serve people that God unites them to.

The team also spent two days loving and serving Amani Baby Cottage.  This was an easy task.....to LOVE on the babies from birth to five years old and to assist them by painting the preschool.  While I always am quick to point out that a team does not need to travel around the world in order to get an orphanage painted because quite frankly, locals could do it much quicker and maybe even better.  But God uses HIS people and calls them to a land out of their comfort zone because HE wants us to respond and act.  And that is what this group of girls are doing.  They are loving on children, they are serving and cleaning and painting, they are responding to the call that has been placed on their hearts and they are acting out of this LOVE that they are discovering in a land of red dirt across the world.  They don't care if they are jet lag or have dirty feet or blue paint all over them, or that they have to wear culturally correct clothing with skirts to their ankles.  They are here to respond and act and I'm pleased to be a part of their experience.  

The girls have all seen and caught the vision of HEAL Ministries.  They see the need to respond to orphans and widows, abandoned women and children, the defenseless.  And I'm excited to see what God does which each single one.  I watched the girls each laugh and play with the children and listen intently to the "mama's".    They are intentional in every step of the journey with no complaints.

 Tomorrow they will work at the James Place for HEAL Ministries assisting us in cleaning it up to get ready to open all the programs.  They asked me if they would get to see the women from Masese walk into the James Place for the first time because they are now just as excited for these treasured women as I am and just as excited as the HEAL board is!  What a joy - to be a part of a team that experiences the "first" of many programs walk onto the property that God has ordained for HEAL in Jinja, Uganda.

Starting the year out with an awesome team!

2013 is going to be a great year for HEAL Ministries!  God is leading us into an exciting journey in Uganda and the Harpeth Hall Winterim team of nine juniors and seniors will start our year out with a bang!  This group of girls has been preparing for this trip since the beginning of the school year.  Their four months of preparation has not only prepared them for what to expect but has also prepared them to open up their servant's hearts.

They have worked very hard at raising funds, collecting crocs, collecting sanitary pads and clothes for all the children that we visit in the orphanages and slums.  We have also been very blessed with different people in the community and across America sending shoes, clothes and sewing dresses of all sizes!  How fun it is to see the body of Christ all working together for children and women on the other side of the world!  The Harpeth Hall team will be leaving on Monday and will be carrying 23 pieces of luggage over!

Please follow our journey so that you will know how to pray for us.   We are requesting prayers for traveling mercies, no sickness, safety and that God will reveal everything to us in a clear way.  That we will see Jesus in the faces we serve and that He will shine through us!

Harpeth Hall Winterim 2013.......Stories DEFINITELY to be continued!

A new direction....a new message from the Founder

HEAL Ministries was birthed out of pain and love.  God used the trials in my own personal life to show others that He is still in control and that He uses all things to glorify Him.  HEAL Ministries' focus has always been orphans and widows, abandoned women and children.  In 2007, Heal Ministries was founded to launch teams throughout Central America, Africa and inner cities in the U.S.  We focused on orphans and widows and based the ministry on James 1:27.  We developed fast relationships with various orphanages all over the world.

In 2011, God made it very clear that the new direction and focus would be Uganda.  We listened and we responded.  We started sending teams to Uganda only in 2012 and I relocated to Uganda to learn all that I could learn about what God wanted us to do.  My son, Trey, also relocated to Uganda as God was calling him to this new adoptive land we have grown to love.  The HEAL Ministries board of directors faced trials in 2011 and we all made a decision to follow God's calling and His ministry no matter what.  Today, the board has reshaped the ministry in a positive direction and I have been refined in the process.  The board has worked so hard on the new vision, new direction, new logo, and new website and I am so pleased.

Uganda has a special place in the hearts of all involved with HEAL Ministries.  I am able to do what God has called me to do as the Director of Missions because He has given the same passion to all the board members that are able to carry out all board duties.  They work very hard at making sure that everything is done to the highest integrity and to honor God.  I get to work in the field, love on orphans and widows, abandoned women and children and receive teams.  While some think that I have given up alot, I would disagree.  I get the easy job.  I get to go and serve and love on people that are so fun to love on in Uganda and I get to live in the land that God has chosen for me for such a time as this.

The teams have always been the heart of the ministry.  There is no doubt that short term teams make a huge difference in the lives of those being served.  Usually, the ones that are on the teams have such life changing experiences that they can not even understand the depth of their impact on others.

God is shaping the ministry.  He is changing things according to His plan, not mine, not the boards.  It is a very exciting time in the ministry.  Some have asked about my health.  It is no secret that I have battled cancer the last three years, however the cancer does not define who I am in Christ.  I am wise with healthcare and treatment and listen to my doctors as to what I should do.  I will continue to serve faithfully until He gives me further instruction.  Until then, I'll serve Uganda with love and I pray that God will continue to pour out this passion into others to complete His will.  God will use me for as long as He desires and He will replace me when needed because it is definitely NOT about me.

After surgery in mid August, I'll have a few months of recovery and rest and then return to Uganda in January.  There, I'll return to my easy job of loving on the orphans and widows, abandoned women and children.  I am blessed...

Missing Uganda...

Molly Bibb was one of the team members this past summer that had the opportunity to serve in Uganda.  She is an example of how a family has been drawn to a land that she knew nothing about.  Why?  Because her teenage son went there a year before on a HEAL mission trip and wanted to see what all the excitement and talk was about.  This is what she discovered.....

Molly's journey in her own words....
Serving in Jinja, Uganda with HEAL Ministries this past summer was life changing.  Between helping with the orphans, painting an abandoned mom's room, sharing an art activity with the mothers in a malnourished program, and attending a Bible study in the slums with moms and children, we all enjoyed a broad range of rewarding experiences that immersed us in the local culture.

Here is the amazing thing.....in the short time that HEAL Ministries has been in Jinja, it was awesome to see the progress that has already been made.  God's message is being received with enthusiasm and hope.  Women in the slums that were competing for food and shelter are now supporting each other.  They care for each other's children when needed and are attending to the sick.  They are learning to become a family with each other because of what they have learned through HEAL.

The preschoolers in the orphanage sing about Jesus and are learning to read and write at just 3 and 4 years of age!  The young mothers that wanted to give their babies up for adoption are now choosing to raise their own with the help and education they are receiving from Tina and the Crisis Center.

Through the efforts of HEAL, lives are changing.  Not only the lives of those we served, but also for those that go to serve on the teams.  As a team member, we are forever changed to think about others first, to think about how we can make a difference in the future.

Now that we know the problems.........we can NOT ignore them.  Jinja is a beautiful place with beautiful people!  We were greeted with warmth and appreciation for our help and we can NOT wait to return so that we can serve these amazing people again and learn about God's love along the way.

Team Reflections from June Olin.....

Wow!  We hit the ground running. The first day in Uganda, we visited a slum area called Masese. We pulled up in our van and saw more filth, trash, and sickly, dirty, impoverished children than I could have imagined. Many children had no underwear on, none of them had shoes and they had sores, bloated tummies, torn clothes yet they smiled and crowed around us as if we were celebrities.

I don't have enough hands, arms, or body to give them all the love they needed and yearned for. We all had children in our arms and had them hanging onto our legs and hands. I was more overwhelmed than I have ever been in my life. I didn't cry(which I fought as hard as I've ever fought) because I knew these babies just wanted love and so desperately needed all I had and then some.

Every member of my team jumped right in and was holding, loving and playing with the children. We gathered around in a large circle with the two hundred plus children and played games and sang. Shortly thereafter, Tina asked me to join her and a local pastor to minister to the 70-80 women. They sat under the trees and listened to Tina talk to them about encouraging each other. She asked them to start memorizing scripture, all the while the local pastor interpreted all she said.

She introduced me to the women and told them we were coming back on Friday and I would be teaching them on healing. She then asked me to pray. I have never prayed while having someone interpret. We had arrived at 3am and bed at 4am after traveling 26 plus hours and here I stood in a slum in a village just 8 hours later praying for these Ugandan women and singing and dancing to the Lord.

How surreal....our Father really does love all the children...red, brown, yellow, black and white... they are precious in His sight.  Jesus loves the little children of the world....and I'm His child too!!!

I have gotten a glimpse of what it's like to be loved and adored...without conditions...no matter what I've done nor who I am...these children just plain and simple......love......with an absolute kinda love.  Soooo cool to get such a tangible sense of Gods love toward us through the free loving of an impoverished child. They are teaching me everyday how to love my Father's way.

‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’  Matthew 25: 40