July 21 Wednesday My Fathers House

Leaving Return was a hard thing to do!! There were some children crying because we were leaving. I felt so sad, wishing I could have spent the day playing w/ them and lovin on them. Now, we were heading to My Fathers House,a couple of miles down the road. I was so excited to be able to give school supplies to them. I was the most excited about giving them the parachute. Sarah and I had a conversation after I signed up for the trip about how other groups had taken parachutes w/ them to use to play w/ the kids and then have left them there. I was so excited because I had a huge one that I had gotten at a Yard Sale years ago and we had only used it a couple of times. I had decided I would take that w/ me.  Awhile after this decision, we got an email that shared some needs of the places we were going. On My Fathers House list were mainly school supplies and one of the things listed was a parachute. I was so excited and felt like God had given me yet another confirmation that I was truly suppose to go on this trip and He had a plan and a purpose for me. So, with that all said, giving this parachute to My Fathers House was something I was anticipating for months. I felt some sort of connection to this place before I even got there. Oh, how I wish we could have been there longer!!! But our short time there was ever so sweet!!!!

 First, we went to meet Rebecca.I cannot help but think about what Marge had shared during our presentation at church about our trip. Marge talked about what one person can do. The amazing servants we met along our journey were just people who were "one person" w/ a passion and a leading and acted in obedience to the call on their lives to be Jesus' hands and feet in the life of the orphan. To learn more about her story go here to my friend and co leader of this incredible trip ,Kari Gibson's blog.  :0) Also, go here and here to learn more about Rebecca and the ministry of My Father's House.And then please come back though you might want to stay there and hang out.
As we entered Rebecca's home not only were we welcomed so warmly by Rebecca and  the other people that she serves w/  she calls her family but on the walls were  posters  made by the children, welcoming us. We were invited in for some wonderful goodies and were blessed w/ such love and hospitality. Mama Maria served us fresh pineapple and mango juice. After being sick for most of the day and not eating all day , this was so refreshing!! 

One of our unforgettable memories for our team happened here. We asked if we could use her restroom. She then asked, " Will it be a short call or a long call,or how we like to call it an international call?" LOL She had two bathrooms ,one for each of the two. The rest of the trip those were terms we used quite frequently. haha 

After our refreshment , Rebecca asked us to walk to the school w/ her because the children were waiting for us there. So, we walked through the village, which in itself, was such an amazing experience .

 As we were walking , we came across a unique way of filling a pot hole.Never before,have I thought to be thankful for the roads we have here in PA. Usually, I am complaining about them.

I still have not figured out what this is. If anyone knows please let me know!!

Here are just some of the sweet things we saw on our walk.The kids were just so excited to see us . They would run to greet us,usually w/ these excited words, "Mzunga, Mzunga." Then some of the children would grab our hands and walk along w/ us. 

I will never forget when we came upon a bunch of these cows in the road. I must confess that I was scared. Look at the horns on that thing!!!!! 

As we continued walking through the village, we began to hear the most beautiful sound of children singing. I cannot even write this w/ out crying, even now,5 months later.This is the post that hung me right up. How in the world can I describe this??? I can't!!!!! The children were lined up on both sides of the road. We were to walk down the middle to get to the school. I think I can speak for my whole team when I tell you that as soon as I entered and saw their faces close up and heard their precious voices singing" Welcome to Africa" ,the tears just fell down my cheeks.I was completely  overwhelmed w/ such a welcome.  After I shared this story w/ some, they made the comment that they felt like they were treating us like royalty. No, honestly, that is not what it felt like at all. Hebrews 13:2 says ,"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels w/out knowing it."   Romans 12 :10-13 says 

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; 

not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 

rejoicing in hope,persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, 

contributing to the needs of the saints,

practicing hospitality.

Now, I am no angel but their show of hospitality ministered to me in such a way that I have really evaluated myself in reference to these scriptures. This is one of the ways that Africa has changed me.  The people there really take these scriptures to heart and I experienced this at every place I went.  We have so much to learn from the African people in the way that they love others and put others before themselves.( Well, I know I do. They have so little and give so much of themselves)  This moment will forever be engraved in my mind and will forever be grateful that i got to be part of this. Oh, and it does not stop here.

When we got close to the end of their line, one of the children would come out of the line and take our hands and lead inside of the school  and to our seats. The school was decorated w/ streamers, balloons and a banner and filled w/ sweet praise and worship from these precious children.

 The children led the worship. Their worship leader was  a young girl of about 12 years of age. I don't think I have ever seen someone worship w/ every thing w/ in them before. You could see her love and thankfulness for Jesus all over her face. The children sang from their hearts w/ such passion. Some had tears streaming down their faces.

We found out later that 3 of the girls had been raped a couple weeks before and contracted HIV. There they were praising their Lord w/ grateful hearts and such joy. I am blown away!!! "Oh Lord , may I live my life filled w/ joy and at rest w/ you,always aware of the many blessings that are mine because of you. May I always praise you even in the storms." 

In the middle of our time of worship, it began to rain. It was so loud as it came down on the tin roof. As some of us sat there w/ thoughts of ,"Oh, no it's raining," The kids sang and danced w/ greater joy. We found out that tradition says that if you have  a guest in your home and it rains, it means a blessing. It had not rained there for 3 months and the rainy season had not started yet. The children were so excited and jumped and played in the puddles.

I was able to give out all of the school supplies w/ the children piled all around me filled w/ excitement. It was a special time for me and I could hardly hold back my emotion as I handed Rebecca the parachute!! I hope to return someday and I hope I can spend more time at My Fathers House. The time was short but oh so very sweet!!!! After the rain stopped, we got back on our bus and headed to Canaan Children's Home.

July 21 Wednesday Return Ministries

This is our second day at Return. This si Returns Papa. I LOVE this shot!!! My team member, Carrie took this. If I have this right ,he is Pastor Samuels Father and this is his home where the children of Return live. What a sweet man  and you could see that he was greatly respected!!!

Last night, I went to bed w/ a headache and this morning I woke up sick. We were suppose to be out of the Sophie Hotel so there was nowhere I could have stayed to rest. *sigh*We were going to Return  again and breaking up into groups and doing some organized activities. I was so disappointed that I was sick. I ended up sitting under a tent out of the sun. There was a little girl who came and sat by me while she colored in her new coloring book.It was so sweet. I was too weak to even take her pic. :0( A little boy came over to me . He was not content to just sit and color. He kept getting into my bags etc. I handled it well but seriously, I had no patience. He finally saw that I was no fun. I am sad to say that I was glad which led to me feeling pretty bad about it and then some tears. It was only day 2 and I was unable to serve and I do not know about you but there is only one place I want to be when I am sick and that is HOME!!! That caused some tears as well. Amen for sunglasses!! LOL Thankfully , I did not get sick again but I just felt lousy. I had the wonderful opportunity to have Daniel , Pastor Samuel's brother pray over me. It was such a blessing and probably the most beautiful prayer I have ever heard. To know my team was praying for me as well brought me great comfort!! Here are some other shots of our time spent at Return:

There, now you can see Cynthia!! She was the one who brought the body glitter. :0)

Here is Kevin. The one who reminded me of my brother. He always made me laugh!!!

This boy was up front w/ the group of children that sang and led us in worship the day before.He worshipped w/ such joy on his face. It was such a blessing to watch!!

I enjoyed this little guy so much!!  When I first saw him, I was drawn to him because he seemed so quiet,maybe even sad. Not to mention that he was just adorable. But, I have to say ,when the music would start, he reminded me of Jonah!!!! LOL He got right down out of whoevers lap he was sitting on  and he would get down and bust a move. Boy did he have some moves!!!!

Here is a another shot of the first little boy I took a picture of in Africa. He melts my heart!!!

This was such a fun memory. This was the first time I was able to see my teammate, Vit in action. When I think of Vit I think of alot of things but one thing I think of is a book by Dr. Seuss, Mr. Brown can Moo. :0) " Oh the wonderful things Mr. Brown can do. He can go like a cork .....Pop Pop Pop Pop. He can go like horse feet.... Klopp Klopp Klopp............Mr. Brown can do it. How about you??" Vit had such a way w/ the kids and he needed no props. He entertained just by using himself.He had many tricks up his sleeve. Just before I shot this, He was putting his hand and fingers up tohis chin and making a pop sound w/ his finger. The kids were amazed and laughing as they were trying. I feel so blessed to have spent time w/ him. I have never met a man w/ such a gentle spirit but yet so adventurous. He has jumped out of a plane 298 times. He wanted to get to 300 before our trip but he had to pack. LOL

Ok, this still makes me laugh right out loud!!!! After my time at Return being all sick, I was so greatful for this time of laughter. Hearing Marge's laughter made it so much more funnier because at first I was not sure if I should laugh or not. LOL My sweet friend, Sarah, was holding a little punkin and she fell asleep. All of the sudden, a warm feeling swept over Sarahs lap. Yep , you guessed it. The sweet little punkin wet herself and Sarah. Sarah decided that her bladder was emptied and would continue to sit loving on her and letting her sleep. Welll, the bladder was not empty after all and she wet on Sarah 2 more times. The third time it ran down Sarahs leg and into her shoe. LOLOL Now, that is what you call a servant!!!

Part of our group shared skits and songs w/ the kids. It was a great time with lotts of laughter!! I can't explain what it sounded like or felt like to sit and hear these childrens giggles!!!! Afterwards a dance party broke out!!! This time I was thanking Jesus for my big camera.I heard my team members saying." I can't believe I am dancing in Africa!!" i still was not trusting my stomach so I covered my face w/ the camera . ;0) I did have a good time watching.

I decided to end on this note.LOL This last picture is of our fearless leader Kari Gibson aka Mama Ki Ki. This is a picture of a servants heart. LOL Do you see the pain in her smile???

July 20th Return Ministries Part 2

Only 15 children live here at Return but there were about 200 children from the community here today. They were all excited to see the Muzungu. That is what they call white people. When we went to shopping in Uganda, I saw a shirt that said " My name is not Muzungu. " I am kicking myself for not buying it. I almost forgot what my name was while in Uganda. I am exaggerating. LOL But whenever children would see us walking on the road they would run to the road yelling muzungu,always happy to see us. Not so much w/ the older children but usually all it would take would be to make eye contact and say hello and you would get a smile. This first day at Return really opened our eyes, I believe,to so much!! These children just wanted our love. You could not get too far w/ out someone wanting to be held on your lap.

To have this little one fall asleep in my arms was so special. At that moment , I knew I was right where I was suppose to be.

                                       I know this was a very special moment for Marge.

You could tell that these children were so desperate for love and for our attention. It broke my heart but it also gave me confirmation and felt so blessed and honored to be there and share God's love w/ them. It was a little overwhelming at times but I was in awe of it more.

 This is what I mean by overwhelming. I do not know if you can see her or not but my teammate, Cynthia, decided she would get the body glitter out for the children. It reminded me of a couple of things. #1 ~ When the pinata is finally broken open at a birthday party & #2 The very first concert I went to and what it was like trying to get to the front of the stage. I actually ended up in the middle of a fight  and got punched in the face. LOL

I was holding this pumpkin pie and some of the girls were coming over and putting glitter   on her face. So , I had to get a picture. She was so precious and so beautiful! I worried about her when I was holding her; wondering if she was sick. So many of the children came in their fanciest clothes. It was such a humbling experience.

It was so funny to me that the children I was drawn to the most and that were drawn to me were boys. My husband and I joke that if we were to have more children we take a chance of having more boys. He tries to use that to keep me from wanting more children. Now, don't get me wrong , I love and enjoy my boys but they are crazy. LOL Every place I went there seemed to be one boy who spoke pretty good English and would come along side of me and help me to understand what everyone around me was saying. It was the sweetest thing and I have to say that boys are so much fun!!!! I was blessed beyond words by boys. I wish I could have brought them all home w/ me!! This was my boy at Return.:0) I am so sad to say that I cannot remember all of the names of the children who have made their way into my heart on this trip.I have their pictures and will treasure them. The Lord knows their name as I pray for them.

July 20th Tuesday Return Ministries

Finally , the day was here that I would be doing exactly what I came here to do and I knew it would all be worth it and once I got to Return Ministries and love those children ,it would be so much easier to get my eyes off of self.  We all gathered together for a late brunch and got to meet Pastor Samuel. He shared with us what the Return Worship Center is all about. His goal is not only to care for the children but to change the lives of families and transform the community through Sharing God's Love.He runs the orphanage w/ about 15  children  but reaches out to the community as well.His definition of what an orphan is  really made me think differently. Being an orphan is a condition of the heart.Children who have parents can still be orphans because they are lacking love. He does not consider the children in this home as orphans.:0) You can find out more about this ministry here. Here is a shot of Pastor Samuel and his family. What sweet, sweet spirits!!!!

After a very long and exhausting couple of days, driving up to Return Ministries was exactly what I needed. So many children were lined up at the gate to greet us. They were cheering and clapping!! It was such a wonderful welcome. Return had tents and chairs set up for us. As soon as we got there, the children sang for us. It was so special to see these children worshiping w/ their whole hearts!!!! Nothing holds them back.  What a blessing to see Pastor Samuel playing the keyboard that some of the members from our team were able to donate.

After they were done singing, we were able to just play and love on these children.They LOVED the camera!! I totally saw what Dad was saying about taking disposable cameras.  They would not have loved those as much, though, because their favorite part was to  see their picture after. Here is one of the very first shots I took at return.

                           This is the shot I took after I showed him this one.

 Unfortunately, I missed the shot when his smile was the biggest!! It brought tears to my eyes. I found myself wondering if it could have been the first time that he saw himself. This is what I saw every time I saw him after that. He wanted me to keep taking his picture. :0) I am pretty sure a big junk of my battery dying happened on this day. I would put the camera away and then try to sneak it out . Once I would take one pic ,children would swarm. LOL It was very fun!!!

July 19 Monday

What a long couple of days but we finally made it and were in Uganda. We just needed to get our bags and get to the Sophie Hotel. There, some of us stood at the baggage claim waiting and waiting and waiting to see our bags. You guessed it, some of us did not get our bags. There were some wonderful teammates who were really fighting for our bags and working on getting those back to us. At that point , I knew that the men on our team were going to take care of us. It was such a nice feeling despite that our bags were not there and I had to go leave w/out any of those comforts I was looking forward to when I got to the hotel.  When we got to the hotel I found out out that there was only 2 to a room and that I would not be rooming w/ Marge and Sarah.I was already ready to fall apart and then my roommate and I were escorted to our rooms. Our room was not in the main building and it was pitch black outside. I must confess that I was really concerned about my safety. I am a ninny so I don't know if it was just me or not but it truly did not feel right to me. Then my roomie and I went into our room and all I am going to say is that it was nothing that I expected and I had a break down. Poor Emily! She had never met me before and there I am bawling. She was wonderful BTW!! I could not have asked for  a better person to be with. She was so sweet and I felt so comfortable w/ her. We talked and read some scripture together. I was able to settle down and eventually fall asleep.

July 18 On the Plane

By the Time we got to Dulles Airport, I was already homesick and exhausted. I called Guy David in tears and asked him to come and get me. LOL   We came the night before and spent the night in Newark. We got up and I believe we got to the airport at about 8, caught our flight around 10 , and then once we got to the airport in Dulles we had a 9 hour layover. Oh and if you only could have seen Marge, Sarah and I trying to get all of this heavy luggage where it needed to be. There was a scene on the escalator that I am sure if someone was video taping it we could have won  a million dollars on AFV. I still laugh every time I think about it!!  The time spent at Dulles Airport was so long!!!!! I had no book w/ me and was depending on the Ipod where I had downloaded " Wild Goose Chase" by Mark Batterson. We had charged the ipod before I left and for some reason it was already drained and I did not even use it. So I decided I would get out my little computer and go on facebook, etc. Well, I could not sign in to anything even though it kept saying I was connected. So much for technology and I was faced w/ the fact that if I was not able to use them here in the states then the chances I would be able to use them in Africa was slim and I began to struggle. The day before I left, I downloaded skype at the suggestion of my Aunt and was so excited knowing that if and when I could get  online I would be able to talk to my family. Now, I was faced w/ the thought of not being able to talk w/ them while I was away again. That and  NO BOOK!!!! Yep, I just wanted to go home!!! I love my husband dearly  but if I ever go on a trip like this again , he is not going to be around when I pack. I wanted to pack a book , my hairdryer and some makeup. He kept giving me the guilt trip as we were struggling keeping the weight at 50 lbs for one bag and I had already decided that I would go over on one and pay the $50 extra but was struggling keeping that bag at 70 lbs. He would say say, " Hmmmm, would you rather take that stuff or donations for the kids?"  School supplies are so heavy!!! even trying to keep my carry on at 15 lbs was a struggle as I was stuffing crayons and chalk into it. Now , though I have to say I wish I would have left a couple more boxes of crayons and chalk and taken at least my hair dryer.  Those who know me ,know that I am no diva but boy did I have some real bad hair days and yes, it bothered me (embarrassed to say) !!!!!! To top it off, something happened that brought out just about every insecurity I had and I so longed to be home  w/ those who knew me,knew my heart, knew my struggles, and loved me despite it all.At that moment , I was even more grateful that Marge and Sara were there w/ me!!! I just kept praying and reminding myself that I did not want to let anything hinder me from being used fully by God and reminding myself that it was not at all about me!!!!

                      We soon met the whole team and started to feel a little more at ease. I could tell right from the start that this was an awesome team!!!! Everyone was so friendly  and helpful!!! I started to relax and get excited!!
                     Marge and Sarah made sure I got a window seat and I was so happy!!! Here are some shots from my flights:

                

I am Home!!!

Good Morning  all!!!! After a very long day of flying, I along w/ Marge and Sarah are home!! When we got to Dulles we had a 4 hour layover and then a quick flight to Newark  and then I would see my husband.I was counting the hours.  We were so close but so far away. First , we had a delay because they were doing maintenance on the plane. I wasn't sure whether to feel good or bad about that. Then they decided to put us on another plane. Good thing because  the other plane only had one propeller working.  We got on the plane ,it started moving and then it stopped. We were told that we did not have the okay to take off because there were other planes circling and waiting to land at Newark due to bad weather. After awhile, We were taken back to the gate and had to go back into the airport. We waited there for about another hour and were loaded onto the plane. We thought ,"Ok, now we are out of here." We were so anxious to see our families!! No such luck.  We got on the plane ,got into our seats and were given the "Psych." We seriously thought the pilot was joking when he said  that we could not leave after all. We were then given the option to get off and seek out renting a car  or staying on and waiting to see if  we would be able to leave. Once you got off of the plane you could not get back on. This was the closest  thing to a breakdown I had the whole time I was on the trip. ( I think;0) ) It was close to a temper tantrum, I must confess. To top it all off I was in that last seat right by the bathroom and let's just say  who knows when the last time they did lavatory servicing was. I sat there and cried because I was so frustrated , because I so wanted to see Guy David, because the smell was making me sick and because I was so embarrassed of how I was acting and what I was feeling. The stewardess ended up bringing a bag of coffee back and putting it into the bathroom. It did help. This was after I tried to move to a different seat once others chose to get off and was told I could not. That's when the temper tantrum almost happened.  I am so ashamed but in my defense ( Though I feel there really is none) I felt done a couple of days before  and just kept fighting through and kept saying to myself, " It's not about me." I failed once I got to America and it truly makes me feel sick!!! I expected  a clean smelling plane, I expected to  have a flight actually go smoothly once I got to America etc. etc. So , I felt like a spoiled brat and I cannot believe I have shared this with you!!! I pray that I get to a place that it is never about me like so many of the amazing people I met in Africa.
               I can't even explain how good it felt to finally land in Newark and to walk through those gates to baggage and see my husband standing there.I had waited for one of those amazing hugs he gives for so long!!!! I love him so much and I don't think I was ever so happy to see him in my life!!!! It was a such a long night  but so good. I cannot share about my trip w/ out tears. I prayed that the Lord would break my heart for what breaks his and he did. And now , I am so overwhelmed and wondering how I will put it into words and right now I just can't. I am going to take a day  and then plan to share here one day at a time. I am sad to say that I forgot to take my camera battery charger so I will need to get pics of Ethiopia from my new friends. What an amazing team I went w/ BTW!!!!!! God could not have sent me w/ better people. I was blessed beyond my expectations!!! I seriously liked every single one of my teammates and one of them reminded so much of my brother Ryan. He had the same kind of humor so I laughed alot. What a comfort it was to me!!!!! Thank you, Kevin!!!! Hopefully it did not freak you out too much that I kind of adopted you as my brother for the trip!! LOL
              Thank you so much for all of your prayers!! I felt them in a huge way!!!! Thank you to all of you who helped make this happen for me!! I was right where God wanted me !! There were times I questioned but God was so good. How funny that I say that like I am surprised.At those times when I was anxious about my safety etc. I would just remember how far God had already brought me and how he just kept working things out making it possible for me to even go on this trip and this verse kept coming to my mind ; Philippians 1:6 And I am certain that God , who began the good work within you,will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. NLT
             I am now heading for another cup of coffee and hopefully will be able to share some of my pics w/ my family. Guy David took the day off to be w/ me!!! And I am so grateful as I am pretty much an emotional wreck!!! It is so weird to be here,to sleep in my bed, to flush the toilet paper,to hear my washer going, to see my clutter piles...all while thinking of my friends in Africa who have so little in things but have such joy of the Lord. We will never forget the children that we asked where their home was and they would point up to the sky and say,"It is in Heaven w/ my Father!!" Most of these were orphans and some had HIV or were sick in other ways. Never have I witnessed such a joy  and a love for the Lord!!!