What does window-cleaning have to do with health and well-being? (Part 2)

 

If you haven't read part 1, please go back and read that first.😉

Feeling I had no choice, I got to work to implement the naturopath's plan of action to heal my leaky gut.

After a few weeks, something surprising happened that 

CHANGED EVERYTHING !

My dear hubby, the paramedic who isn't exactly the type to encourage natural remedies, went out of his way to ask a neighbour (YWAMer) we had known for a while about some products she had been taking.

Crazy thing is that she had been in and out of our house as she has been Shayden's support worker. And yes, she had shown me the products she was taking, even giving me some to try. 

But I wasn't impressed when I looked at the ingredients. Figured they weren't worth the money. Yes, they may be good, I thought, but too pricey for me. I felt I was getting all the necessary nutrients through my healthy nutrition and supplements I pieced together from various sources.

 Plus the way they were being sold was through network marketing, a HUGE RED FLAG especially for Rich, who wanted to stay as far as possible away from that!

So I never even told Rich about them, not even trying to convince him that they might be able to help me.

So I got a HUGE SURPRISE when he recounted our friend's story with these nutritional supplements!

I HAD NO IDEA OF HER JOURNEY!

Kinda felt embarrassed that I had never bothered to ask, yet she had been around our family for quite some time.

I then found out that she had also struggled for years with leaky gut, terrible immune system and way worse than me: horrific migraines that stole her sleep 5 nights out of 7. She wasn't even able to lay down due to the throbbing pain!!! Her quality of life was horrible and she was losing weight, just like her mother, who had passed away very young from similar ailments.

She had been to doctors, naturopaths, chiropractor.... You name it, she had tried it, meticulously implementing all she needed to do, including all the things I had been recommended and a myriad of supplements.

Had they helped her?

NO! 

YEARs of trying to improve her health and lots of money had slipped through their very meagre bank account without any of it working. She would get slight temporary relief every so often but always felt that something was missing to balance out her body and allow it to heal.

UNTIL SHE WENT TO SWITZERLAND FOUR YEARS AGO.

During a furlough in her home-country, an osteopath friend recommended these products to her. 

She only rolled her eyes and rejected YET ANOTHER SUPPOSED solution to her problems. After all, NOTHING she had tried for years had worked! Surely these simple powders made into drinks to be consumed morning and night wouldn't either.

When her friend insisted and asked if she would take the products if she was to gift her a 3-month-supply, she agreed and started taking them, not really expecting any results.

AND THAT'S WHEN HER LIFE STARTED TO TURN AROUND!

After the first month, while she wasn't able to notice a change (yet), her husband, who had also been sceptical of yet another promised cure, told her 

"Whatever it is that you're taking there, never stop, cuz THIS is how I want you to be."

It took over a year of taking the supplements, but she got 

COMPLETELY HEALED 

and is now enjoying an amazing life with great health and energy! 

(even her hubby is taking the supplements and feeling great - both 60+)

WHAT ABOUT THAT?!!!

Surprisingly to me, Rich didn't waste any time making an appointment with her and her hubs for us to be properly introduced to the products and to sign me up.

When I later asked him WHY he had done that, knowing fully well that our budget wasn't actually able to handle the financial cost of the products, he told me that he just had pity on me as he has seen me struggle for so long, doing everything in my power to get to better health and it wasn't working. 

He figured that we'd end up spending the same amount of money for continued treatment with the naturopath and implementing her plan as paying for these yummy 'juices' that were so easy to use and actually seemed to WORK, containing 1.5kg of high quality vegetables and fruit plus much more in the daily dose!

And when I questioned him about his VERY STRONG dislike for anything having to do with network marketing, he just said, "If it was an American company, I would totally stay away from it, but since it's from Germany, I trust that it's good."

BAM!

(I guess I can dare to write about this, as he is American)

JUST LIKE THAT is how I started on this incredibly journey of regaining my health.

God had whispered to me in March that this year was going to be the year of my healing, and I am WELL ON MY WAY, already feeling 

ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC, FULL OF LIFE, ENERGY, VITALITY, GREAT NERVES AND MOOD, FOCUS AND I HAVE NEVER SLEPT SO WELL AND DEEPLY!

The immune system topic will obviously have to be observed over time, as even in the past, I would have several months without sickness at times. But I am 100% convinced that my leaky gut is healing and my immune system is on the way to becoming FABULOUS.

How do I know?

From COUNTLESS testimonies I have read and heard from people testifying to their immune system (and a myriad of other ailments) healing itself with these supplements! 

To get back to what window-cleaning has to do with health and well-being, I am sure that God has led me to something that WORKS, not only for me, but I believe it works for most, if not all people. As it is pretty much just giving our billion of cells the daily nutrition they actually need and crave, and don't get with our diet, healthy as it may try it to be. And once they do get that, it's AMAZING what the body does: it heals itself!

So, as much I would LOVE to learn about a system to REALLY clean windows WELL from anybody that might know the solution, I feel compelled to share my incredible and life-changing discovery with as many people as possible.

Trust me, not because I want to make money through this, but to ACTUALLY HELP people, for who these products might very well be as life-changing as they are for me.

I wish I had found out about them years ago!

Contact me if you'd like to know more. More than happy to chat!

What does window-cleaning have to do with health and well-being? (Part 1)

I have just tried to clean my windows.

Once again.

Have been doing that for about 34 years, 

I guess since I got married and had my own place to take care of.

And once again, I am not really happy with the results.

Yes, they are kind of clean now.

But only kind of.😩

Was just thinking that if ANYBODY OUT THERE was to find a really effective way to clean windows, I WOULD WANT TO KNOW ABOUT IT!

SERIOUSLY!!!

Please contact me if you have.🤗

Well, when it comes to being healthy and fit, I have also been searching for about the same amount of time.

Oh no - wait!

I wasn’t actually seriously searching for solutions for my poor immune system until I had my 4th baby at age 40. 

Not only did I have to lay on the couch for the entire pregnancy as I was just too weak to do anything, I just couldn’t get my health and energy back after the birth and subsequent move to New Zealand from our home in French Polynesia, where we’d been living the previous 14 years.

That’s when I first started taking supplements.

Really expensive ones that somebody recommended me at a market here in NZ.

I was really grateful to have found them, with generous friends in the USA financing them as we had no money for anything more than survival.

But - as much as they helped me - they were too expensive to maintain. I felt bad for our friends to have to put out so much money month after month.

That's when my search for something else began.

Anything

That would bring back my health.

Long story short: 

Nothing really worked.

While I regained reasonable energy little by litte, my immune system was still shocking!

I would come down with any and every virus making the rounds.

A problem I’ve had since childhood.

When I knew that I was going to be traveling back and forth to Uganda to follow my life-long dream to make a difference in the lives of orphans and vulnerable children, I knew I HAD TO DO SOMETHING to boost my immune system!

I didn’t want to be sick just prior to or during one of my short trips.

I needed to be in the best physical shape possible.

Went to see a naturopath and did what she recommended:

No sugar, no gluten, no dairy and lots of supplements.

For about 1 year, this worked quite well and I found myself pretty healthy.

But I have to admit, embarrassing, I know🤦🏽‍♀️, that my self-control disappeared as soon as I was doing a bit better and dairy and sugar were back. Not nearly as much as before, but still obviously too much…

And the supplements were just more than we could afford long-term, so they also got ditched.

Enter more sickness…

I started eating the Trim Healthy Mama way early 2013.

I wanted to be healthy - and the trim also sounded good as menopause was messing with me and making me gain weight. Out with the sugar, baby (at least mostly)!

BUT

 

Sadly, eating this healthy way didn’t do the trick for my immune system.

It was ridiculous!

Even during our covid lockdown in 2020, while I stayed home, I managed to come down with a cold.

Don’t ask me where I got it.

It seemed that I was producing the colds myself.

Arrghhhhh😩

As covid was actually starting to make the rounds in NZ in early 2022, I had made sure I was in my very best possible physical shape.

Eating only healthy foods, no sugars, dairy and gluten.

Taking supplements,  getting rest and sunshine.

I felt I was ready and armed for covid and when 2 family members got it, I didn’t try to stay away from them.

Figured I might as well get it and get it over with, since my immune system was surely as strong as it had ever been and I was feeling great.

WRONG!!!

I got it worse than the rest of the family, in spite of me living a lot healthier than them.

And afterwards, it felt like a bomb had gone off in my body.

Allergies from decades ago resurfaced.

My very fragile sleep that I had just managed to get to a decent place, was completely messed up again and I was struggling to sleep.

Energy levels were poor and not improving with time.

I wasn't able to shake the ongoing cough and cold symptoms.

It was so annoying!

I self-diagnosed myself with long-covid.

I had learned that the treatment for long-covid was antihistamines, which suppress the immune system.

I felt helpless as I would have been stupid suppressing my already compromised immune system, right?!

Besides this, my digestion had been less than ideal for a few years and even though I did all the 'right things', it wasn’t working properly.

As much as I was trying to be frugal, not wanting to spend money on seeing a doctor or naturopath, I realised that I really DID need to pay attention to my body and figure out what was wrong.

After all, I had heard that the gut is closely related to health. I have learned since then, that 80% of the immune system comes from the gut. The gut is our second 'brain'. It is CRUCIAL for health!

Enter a naturopath that diagnosed me with leaky gut.

The cure?

Eat 9 cups of (preferably organic) veggies, plus home made bone broth, Sauerkraut, Kombucha and Kefir DAILY!

WHHHAAAAT????

I felt like crying when I came back from that appointment.

😭

How in the world was I going to be able to accomplish this sustainably?

I felt overwhelmed by what it was going to take to get me healthy.

It would be all-consuming to implement her plan.

NOT what I wanted to spend my days on!

(read Part 2)😉

ONE LAST POST...

 ... about Maisha Africa on this blog...

I just can't help myself, though I already let you know that I moved the ministry posts to a new blog,

BUT

After all, this isn't just ministry, this is family:

Watch this short clip I put together to celebrate the 10 years since Praise and I met.

To be fair, I've got to say, though...

 
... that what Praise and I have been able to accomplish in the last 10 years with God's help and the help of MANY around the world, wouldn't have been possible nor half as beautiful had it not been for her other half, Moses.

Truth be told, I actually met him before I met her!

YUP!

Just the day before, but hey, that counts, right?!

😏

During my stay with the large Ugandan family I shared about in my last blog-post links, there was ONE young man who really stood out to me.

He seemed so alive, joyful, kind, respectful, outgoing, polite and peaceful. 

His posture was a reflection of what I picked up from his spirit: tall and straight.

But what touched me most about him was the way he was relating to the many children and leading them in their evening devotions.

WOW! Just WOW!!!

He was very soft-spoken and gentle with them, but intentionally ushering them into the beautiful presence of God and directing their mix of praise, worship, testimonies, sharing of memorized Scriptures as well as a message with great sensitivity and care.

JUST SO BEAUTIFUL!

I WAS IMPRESSED!!

When Praise confided to me some time later that she had started a relationship with a young man, I was OVERJOYED when I found out it was him - Moses!

FANTASTIC, I thought! He's the perfect man for her - and SOOO good with children!!!

The two met in that family home and without stealing their story from them, let me just say that Moses was so impressed with the 10 children that had been with Praise and were now in the family he was with, that he got curious and wanted to find out WHO had raised them. 

She sure must be a VERY SPECIAL LADY!

The rest is history!

They got married in January of 2014.

And since 2016, he and Praise have been co-leading the ministry.

You can read more about his back-ground here.

While she's the visionary leader, he's the administrator.

They complement each other so well.

Love God and people so well - together.

A match made in heaven!

And did I say that he's a great father to all the many children they have?!

April 2018 with the youngest adopted baby :

So, here's a cheer to you, Moses!

I know you don't drink alcohol, I know, I know,

but let me salute you and raise my virtual glass of champagne to you

(there've got to be some perks to doing a virtual celebration, aye?!😉)

CHEERS!

Praise's and my 10-year-celebration is yours, too!

I honor you for being brave enough to marry a woman with 40 children

😮

and stand up against culture and join her in her ministry

(rather than the other way around, which is a MUST in your culture).

Yebale nnyo, Moses!

Love you so much and am very proud of you!

Praise, the children and the ministry are blessed to have you.

And so am I.

This way? For reals???

If somebody had told me way back that the main way through which God was going to use me to help orphans and vulnerable children was THIS WAY, I' m not sure I would've believed it to be possible.

Imagine with me for a minute:

God was going to answer the desperate prayers of a single Ugandan girl for somebody to help her care for the orphaned/abandoned children God had entrusted her with.

photo taken in 2011 at Uganda's Prayer Mountain - months before we first met

He was also going to answer the passionate prayers of a red-haired German girl since her childhood, now in her forties and living in New Zealand, begging God to allow her to make a difference in the lives of exactly such children.

Her main game as a little girl was to pick up abandoned 'babies' from the 'streets' and care for them.

  

He was then going to move heaven and earth arrange unbelievably incredible divine circumstances to make them meet, connect and form a relationship that was going to fulfill both of their dreams and bring about His purposes for the redemption of many suffering children.

There wasn't going to be an impressive international organization set up.

(A local NGO had already been started and is still the umbrella for the ministry).

This was going to be based on ONE THING:

RELATIONSHIP!

They were going to be 

 💛Mother and daughter 💛

FAMILY!

Though they were only going to actually be in the same country/place for an average of 10 days each year, God supernaturally knit their hearts together in such a deep way that the difference of culture, upbringing, age, and the distance of thousands of miles would not compromise their bond - and their ministry together.

(for the record, most such relationships between Ugandans and Westerners don't last long)

UN.BE.LIEVABLE - REALLY!!!

And now

EXACTLY

10 years

one decade

3,650 days

87,600 hours

5,256,000 minutes have passed since the day they first met!

* September 1rst, 2011 *

A day you can read about here and here.

Thank God for technology and the internet!!!

After countless hours on video calls

some visits in New Zealand and Uganda

lots of

 talking

laughter

misunderstandings

tears

forgiveness

building trust

fun

conflict

hugs 

prayers

building a ministry together

travelling together

ministering together

with - at times - all hell breaking loose to destroy their relationship.

GUESS WHAT???

THEY MADE IT!!!

WE made it!!!

Our relationship is in an amazing place right now, despite the fact that we haven't seen each other in person for almost 2 years now!

Has it been easy?

NO!

Has it been worth it?

YUUSSSS!!!

We've had to push through SO MUCH

had plenty of reasons to give up time and again

But by the grace of God - here we are - celebrating

since the day we first met! 

Right here:

And these are our last couple of photos together, taken during our Zambia and Rwanda trip in November/December 2019:

I look back and catch myself musing:

How could God possibly be so clever to think of such a strategy for loving His suffering little ones?

That He would add this exquisite creature to my life,

and gift us with a unique and special relationship

as the key to the fulfillment of both of our dreams?

With both of us living on opposite sides of the world and hardly seeing each other?

How incredibly creative and lavish of Him!

What an absolute GENIUS!

My heart is deeply moved just reminiscing while I'm writing...

😭

💙💚💛💜💙💚💛💜💙💚💛💜

We were going to do celebrate this 10-year milestone in style!

Big time!

Richard was even going to travel back to Uganda with me for the occasion.

BUT

At the moment, travelling to and from Uganda is pretty much impossible - thanks to covid.

😭

So - here we are - left with the only option of some kind of virtual celebration.

And celebrate we will, right Praise?!!

Let the virtual celebration begin!

For each year together,

I'll put up a post on Facebook with some memories - for all to see.

And voilà: the first one!

😊

God made us family and co-workers.

Our hearts made us friends.

Nkwagala nnyo, Tendo!

Love you big, Praise!

💓

New blog started - check it out!

Hey, I felt it was time to start a blog specifically to tell Praise's story, 

intertwined with current events of Maisha Africa. 

There is SO MUCH happening at the moment.

Check out the blog here - and follow the story!

It is unfolding daily.

The time Praise stole a chicken

Well, technically, it wasn’t HER who stole it, but...

...what’s a big brother to do if little sis cries uncontrollably and persistently, begging to eat chicken?!

After all, it was 

Christmas Day! 

Tantalizing scents of delicious chicken being cooked on charcoal fires all around were making her mouth water like crazy.

Praise REALLY wanted to also indulge in this very special and extremely rare treat! 

She was going to turn 6 the next day. But nobody even wasted a thought on that. 

Remembering birthdays wasn’t exactly part of the culture of the day.

Survival? Yup, more like it! 

However, 

Christmas was - and still is - a BIG DEAL in Uganda!

So here was Praise, the youngest of 7 children and the only girl. How in the world were her brothers going to make sure her little heart wouldn’t be broken today? 

There was no chicken, the ONE special food that was a MUST for Christmas in Uganda. 

Not only that. 

It was worse. 

There was NO FOOD AT ALL!

While the children spent most of their upbringing with their grandmother, there were certain times when they knew they weren’t welcome at her home. Because of their step-aunty. 

Christmas was one of those times.

The aunty was the one who had built the grandmother’s home (photo see last blog post), and she was going to spend the special day with her mother. 

Sadly, she did not like Praise and her brothers and made sure they knew it. 

So, off they scadoodled to their mother’s tiny rented room.

Their brave mother had banded together with a bunch of other people and hired a truck to take them deep into the village. 

The mission? 

Fill up the truck with bunches of bananas that were then destined to get sold in Kampala for Christmas. 

This was her industrious attempt to provide her children with a meal worthy of Christmas.

Unfortunately, things didn’t turn out as planned. The truck broke down. 

Even worse, their mother had no way to contact the children to let them know. 

We’re talking pre-historic-cell-phone days.

So, imagine the distress of the brothers: 

Not only did they have to deal with their crying sister that they didn’t want to disappoint, but they were convinced that their mother must have died. Why? Because she was meant to have already come back days ago and there was no news from her at all.

With so much grief and death being a part of their tender lives already, 

this was a pretty realistic conclusion.

So, here were the brothers, convinced that their mother had died.

And it was Christmas.

There was no food.

No chicken.

Just a crying little sister.

(Her primary worry wasn't so much about the mother having died.)

She just wanted to eat chicken. And she wanted it now!

When all of a sudden

A chicken happened to flutter into their room!

Well – well – well, thought one of the brothers. 

If that isn’t the solution to our dilemma... 

Before anybody had a chance to put their thinking caps on to decide what should be done, the chicken was killed and getting transformed into – you guessed it: Christmas dinner! YAY!!!

Praise was overjoyed!

But her joy didn’t last long.

The owner of the chicken apprehended them, realising one of her chickens had escaped and hadn’t made it back alive.

Uh – ohhhh…. Trouble!

Before they knew it, they had been dragged to the Local Council (L.C.) – equivalent to the police.

Accused of theft, Christmas was looking grimmer by the minute.

BUT – and aren’t you glad there was a BUT?

The L.C. – instead of punishing the children for their theft – rebuked the neighbour for being so heartless with the children. 

Seeing that they were without food, she should have let them get away with keeping the chicken. 

Not only that. She got told to go home and give them some other food to complete their Christmas dinner.

All is well that ends well.

Christmas was saved!

A satisfying meal tickled the children’s tummies – and souls.

Praise was smiling from ear to ear.

And their mother made it back home a week later.

Tables turned - and more!

It was the darkest hour of Praise’s young life.

Her beloved grandmother, the one who had mostly raised her, had died.

All 20+ children/teens, most of them orphaned by AIDS, were chased away from the small 1-bedroom-home they had shared with their grandmother.

actual room - now destroyed

What now?

Where to now?

Praise's world - as she knew it - had collapsed.

She felt like fainting of despair.

Her grief was unbearable.

And hopelessness engulfed her.

What was going to become of her?

Her past 14 years on this earth – in one of Kampala’s slums - hadn’t exactly been a bed of roses (unless you’re just looking at the thorns).

But at least she'd had a shelter at night.

Yeah, bodies squeezed like sardines (and worse), 

covering every square inch of the humble abode.

But nonetheless safety.

She had just recently encountered the life-changing love of Jesus and joined a church.

So, first call of port?

The church – 'course.

She started sleeping there, together with several other young people without homes.
And if there was food, she would eat there, too. 

But many times, there wasn’t. 

Hunger was an old companion - all too familiar.

😞

A lover of music, Praise had joined the worship team at church.

The leader of the worship team and her husband, one of the pastors, had an open home.

They would meet there often, worship and pray,

sometimes all night,

and (at times) eat,

if they had food.

Usually runny porridge. 

Other times just hot water, in an attempt to ease the relentless hunger pangs.

Life wasn’t easy for this couple, but they shared the little they had.

One evening, Praise asked if she could stay at their home, since she was freezing at church.
(yeah, believe it or not, it can get cold, especially at night - even in Africa!)

And that was the beginning of her stay with this young couple.

"We had 6 youth from church. The church would just forward them to me. We were like a referral home. They would just tell them, 'go to Pastor Brutus'.

My worry was so much about the young girls. Because this is a slum area with drug addicts around. I cared so much because I didn't want the young girls to get raped. So I said, let them come here. At least they are well protected, even if we don't have anything to eat."

-  Edith -

They were like family, had wonderful times together, and didn’t even mind all that much if they had to go to sleep hungry – all of them – on the days when there was no food. 

But they had God, love, and one another.

It was from their home that Praise was soon going to launch her ministry with street kids.

Bringing them in, asking for them to sleep there instead of her,

while she offered to sleep back at the church.

 Secretly feeding them through their back window.

actual window

But that's a story for another day.

If you can't wait, you can read up more on Maisha Africa's website or on our facebook page.

One comment I will add now, is that Praise stood out from all the other youth the couple was helping, I was told. 

Curious how?

She was so passionately in love with Jesus.

And she kept herself pure and undefiled of the world and its pleasures.
Unlike most of her peers.
(well done, Praise! Proud of you!👏😍)

Fast forward to March/April 2020. 

Enter Covid-19. 

Oops, no, let me back up first. 

During the days when Praise struggled so much just to survive, watching her siblings/cousins engage in different shameful activities for their survival, she held on to God for dear life.

One time, she heard him whisper to her:

“What you are going through is temporary. 

There will be a better tomorrow and you will be of a great help to others.”

Listen to this song Praise wrote a few years ago about her story, if you'd like to understand better.

Okay now,

since Covid-19 has brought with it an extremely strict lock-down in Uganda, 

many people have been struggling BIG TIME to survive.

Pastor Brutus and his wife still live in the same simple rental home in the same slum 

(yes, dreaming of their own home one day). 

I recently visited them and long behold, 

they haven’t stopped reaching out - beyond their means - to care for the vulnerable. 

19 years later, not much has changed. 

Meet a little one they recently saved from abandonment and starvation and took on as their own.

Edith's small business has suffered since she took him on, as he's needed so much care and attention, but she humbly and joyfully carries on, trusting God for all of their needs.

You'd never guess his age. He is slowly healing in their loving care.

With the lock-down shutting down all non-essential businesses, 

many families in their community were immediately plunged into utter despair. 

Imagine living day-to-day, no reserves, no fridges and no income.

And you are told to stay at home. 

Pastor Brutus’ heart was deeply burdened for his community.
He cried out to God for help. 

He had no clue how God was going to answer.

Well, totally unexpectedly to him

 through the generosity of some of you friends (see my last post),

 Praise has been able to pass on funds for him to provide much-needed food to the most vulnerable in his community, including his own family (not easy for a pastor to survive when church is shut down – at least in Uganda).

God is using him MAJORLY to relieve the suffering of MANY and he is OVERJOYED!

What about that, my friends?!

God does hear the cry of the desperate.
(in this case, Praise, years ago)

He restores what has been stolen by life’s unfairness.

But not only that.

 When He intervenes, he’s not just restoring what was lost

 – but there is restitution – 

with 'interest'!

😀

In the past month, Praise 

– in partnership with us – 

has been able to reach 8 suffering communities!

The one she grew up in, yes.

Plus 7 others.

An estimated 2,500 people (500 families) have received food.

And more are being fed each day.

Many repeatedly - depending on the need.

snapshot of our 'secret mission', as distributing food isn't allowed.

Through that girl that once was in desperate need of help.

Tables have been turned for Praise - for Pastor Brutus - and MANY are benefiting!

THAT is what GOD can do!

Hold on, dear friend, if you happen to find yourself in a tricky situation at the moment.

Tables can turn at any time. 

Hold on. 

Keep the faith!

And as far as the needy ones we may be reaching out to today, 

investing into their education/food/survival?

Never underestimate what your sacrificial love can achieve!

You might think you are helping a needy person. And you are.

But one day, that needy person may just be the one helping you.

In some unexpected way.

And possibly not just you - but MANY more!

JUST.MAYBE.

I have a hunch firmly believe- and I've witnessed glimpses of it already - 
that many of the ones being helped now will become world-changers!

Honestly – my eyes are now ‘leaking’…. 

In AWE of God’s goodness and care.

He NEVER ceases to amaze me!