This is NOT poverty.

1/7/13

8:45 am

     I woke up feeling like a new person this morning. I woke up before my alarm, got ready, and went outside to read my bible. I read John 1-4 before it was time to go down to worship. Again we sang Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing- it just fills me up every time. Joshua, who lives here as an orphan at 20, gave the message this morning. He shared Proverbs 11:25 and shared that it is by giving that we gain. He held his hands out wide and said one hand is where we receive gifts from God and the other is where we give gifts to others. If we never give, our hand for God's gifts will never be open to receive. I love that analogy! He said we need to give and not count the cost, which is something I need to work on. It reminded me of that "My Own Little World" song that says "I throw a 20 in the plate on Sunday, but I never give til it hurts." 

      After worship, Teresah came up to me and gave me a little book called God's Love for Man. In it, she wrote "To my beloved Abby/ Trouble: Exodus 14:13, Philippians 4:4 & 1 Thessalonians 5:17. I love my fellow trouble. Thank you so much for your beautiful photos. Dear I love you very much. Thank you for choosing me to be your friend I will always pray for you. May God bless you and keep you safe. Take this my little gift for you. I love you. Trust God. From Teresah." I am so touched. These children give the best gifts. They are truly from the heart.

     We ate breakfast after worship, and I sat with Tighe and talked about giving things up for Christ. It was good to talk to someone who has been where I am and has made it happen. Randy shared some scripture from Exodus 20 about not taking God's name in vain. He said that while that verse is applicable to cursing, it also has to do with our commitment to follow God. He doesn't want us to ever divorce or stray from Him. We can't claim his name in vain. I love that! Very thought provoking. I don't want to do anything halfway anymore. He said to always remember that there is "love behind the law and grace behind the grief."

     We are headed to Haven of Hope this morning to love on some sweet little ones. As we left, Teresah was waiting by the bus to tell us goodbye. She hugged me and told me she will miss my smile and my nose and my face and my hugs while I am gone. So sweet. My heart melts a little bit with every hug and every smile. I am so thankful for these children and their God-given joy. This is NOT poverty...AK

Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. Exodus 14:13

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:4

Pray continually. 1 Thessalonians 5:17

1/7/13

3:30 pm

     Africa is very humbling. I am dirty, sweaty, smelly, sunburnt, and my nails are a MESS. I haven't taken a warm shower in two weeks and I'm convinced they are lying about not having ice- they just misplaced it where the hot water heater is supposed to be! I haven't worn makeup in days. All of my creature comforts flew out the window when we arrived in Entebbe. And yet, I am closer to God than I ever have been. Despite the poverty and heartbreaking situations we see every day, there is hope in this place! The African people have an unshakable faith. When hope is all you have, you have all you need.

     This morning we headed to Nakuru to exchange money and buy some supplies for the ministry we visit romorrow. The city was a whole different ball game. I noticed again the lack of a middle class here. Extreme wealth right next door to cardboard home slums. There is no in-between. The city is a little more progressive, and I saw more white people than I have seen since the Amsterdam airport (like five). We went in the mall to use the restroom, and had to pay for toilet paper because there is none in the bathrooms. I still find that so odd, I can't wait for a normal amount of TP in my life!

     When we arrived at Haven of Hope, there was already a team of white people there. Uh, what?! It was SO awkward because there were more adults than children. The VO team eventually won out (of course) and the others returned from whence they came. We played with the kiddos and got to hear their story. 27 children live in the home- all no older than 11. They are doing pretty well as a ministry- all the kids have sponsors. A friend gave Conrad $100 to give to them, and when he did, Nelly broke down crying and said "we needed money to get the children's school uniforms TODAY and we didn't know how we were going to afford it! God is faithful." Wow. I see so many miracles every day here. Faith is powerful. These things do not happen by chance.

     On the way back from Haven of Hope, we saw like 15 baboons just chillin in the road! Whaat?? In case we forgot we were in Africa. There are cows, goats, ducks, and chickens everywhere I look. But there are also children sleeping under shade in the streets. It's a hard thing to process. I wish there was more I could do... AK

City life!

HAHAHAHA I love this picture... it really was awkward when we first got there! Can ya tell?

But then we found some cuties to love on!

And it was just fine!

HAHAHA look at that face! This is Paul.

Baboons!

1/7/13

10:15 pm

     This afternoon was pretty relaxing. Sara, Katie, and I all napped in me and Sara's double bed for about an hour. Then Sara and I went to the girls dorm and played Santa- we left pictures on every bed. So fun. The kids LOVE pictures and were so so touched. It was so sweet. I hung out with sweet Catherine and our favorite 5 year old/ goat impersonator- Immanuel. I'm going to miss these kids so much. Catherine has stolen my whole heart. I just can't get enough of her. I sat on the floor with the small kids during evening worship. Nahashon preached about casting our burdens on the Lord: 1 Peter 5:7 and Psalm 55:2. We sang "Cast Your Burdens- lifte Jesus higher higher" and it ahs been stuck in my head ever since! 1 Peter 5:7 is my favorite verse, and I was feeling very anxious yesterday! I love when I feel like sermons are tailor-made for me. Pastor Benson told us that cast means to THROW our burdens onto Jesus, not just place them in his lap. Get rid of them and give it all to God. I needed to hear that. :)

     After worship, we went up to eat and had some quality girl time in Katie, Leah, Linda, and Carla's room. Chelsea has a book called "Ask Yourself" which is essentially a would you rather kind of game! We had tons of laughs and discovered that Katie types with her toes, Carol used to suck her big toe, and Tiffany has peed the bed...RECENTLY! My team is chock full of a bunch of weirdos and I LOVE IT! I'm going to miss them so much... AK

BAHHH. So cute.

They loved their pictures from my home!

Baby Catherine.