Thursday, November 28, 2013

IF ONLY...

…. I could get her face out of my mind.

I know very well that I cannot possibly help every needy person I meet in Uganda.

But this one



I just keep seeing her so vividly before me

Her smile

Her testimony at church on the first Sunday back after weeks and weeks spent in the hospital 
about how God had saved her life as she had almost died of Aids-related sickness.



She was radiant

and hopeful.

Yet

I am told that she is no longer living here.




She is a burden and not welcome anywhere really

as she needs care
(being lame and not able to work with her hands)

and she wants to die
 (she told Praise).

ARE YOU SERIOUS?!

NO WAY!

Not Rose!

the wheelchair you can see broke on a recent visit to church

She is young

Beautiful

Precious

LOVED by her maker!

He has a HOPE and a FUTURE for her!



FLASH-BACK

Exactly 3 years ago

On my first visit to Uganda


and her fate face also wouldn't let me go

until I put action to my compassion and

RISK to my FAITH and PRAYERS




FAST-FORWARD

to this past visit:

She came RUNNING to me when she saw me from a distance

Hugging me

Bringing me a small gift

And saying OVER and OVER again:

"I am so happy!!
My children are so happy!!"

Radiant, smiling, and ever so grateful!

She is now a seamstress,

has a sewing machine,

a job,

lives in a decent place

Her children are looking great



She's got HOPE

and prospects for a bright future for her and the children.

OHHHHHH - my heart was SO ENCOURAGED

and grateful for God's provision

that flowed through a couple of people who cared!!!

And for those of you who have been following my blog,

Remember Lydia?

This is her!


Back to Rose:

I'll never forget the last time I saw her.

We dropped her off after church.

She was looking at me with pleading eyes

Asking me if I could please somehow get her crutches

So that she could work in the garden to grow food.

She also told me that she didn't have any food at all……


Now what am I supposed to do with THIS?

Anybody want to pray with me?

I KNOW that God must have a plan that will not only involve Rose being accepted and cared for, 

but also living with dignity!

I don't have an answer.



Will you pray with me for this precious

not forgotten woman that has nobody in this world except for God?

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

What's the big deal about toilets anyways?


Today is WORLD TOILET DAY!

JIPPEEEEE!
(never before knew such a day existed….)


BUT

there's a REALLY GOOD reason for it:


DID YOU KNOW

that 40% of the people on our planet

don't have a toilet to use?


This is not just an inconvenience.

It is one of the biggest causes of death for children.

Not having access to a toilet causes more children to die 

than AIDS, malaria and measles combined,

and this problem is easily fixable!



All it takes is education and building toilets.

These are the temporary long-drop toilets at Praise's Home - NOT sanitary!
the cubicle on the right is meant to be for showering, but not usable yet
AND - this "toilet" (really only the one in the middle)
is also the only one getting used by all of the 158 students of Praise's school!


If you want to make a donation in honour of World Toilet Day

so that proper toilets can be built at Praise's Home,

email me for details
(email address on the right side bar)

THANK YOU FOR CARING

for these little ones!




some of the school kids on morning break

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Something to think about...

Thought provoking quote I read while in Uganda,

next to a picture of an African child:

"If you've come to help me,

You are wasting your time.

But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine,

then let's struggle together."

This is SO true!

We DO need EACH OTHER to enter into our divine destiny

and it's not 'US' helping 'THEM'

but US walking and struggling

TOGETHER

like Praise's children expressed so well in their little song.



 

Sunday, November 10, 2013

JOY!!!





Words cannot express what I feel when I look at this photo of a 

mother and daughter

reunited…

after a LONG time.

Just because somebody cared!





And what a blessing the mother is also for  

 the other children - and Praise!

WOW - GOD

is all I can say!

THANK YOU - THANK YOU - THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday, November 3, 2013

NEWS-FLASH!

The mother of little S

 - see this post and this post

is already with her now

 - in the village - 

also caring for some of Praise's other little ones!

This is REALLY REALLY GOOD NEWS!!!
I am SOOOO THRILLED!!!!