To be held.

One of the things that was actually really hard for me when I came back to the states after last year's Uganda trip was the lack of physical touch. Here kids are always crawling on top of me, Auntie Sara speaks to me while hugging and faces almost touching, momma monica's arms are always around me and every morning when i drop the kiddos off at school a mob of kids tackle me when I come through the gates. There are little physical boundaries between friends and almost no boundaries between family. I love it. Its weird because I used to be a very to myself, hands in my lap kind of person and my best friend from 2nd grade can attest to this! But Uganda forces you to touch and to break down walls. At API there are filthy boys covered in dirt and smelling bad from not showering in weeks but I feel nothing holding me back from reaching out an hugging them. The thought doesn't even cross my mind. I find myself putting my arms around perfect strangers asking "how are you doing?" I don't think I realized how much it is good for my soul to be held.

Apparently Collin is the same way :) he has Autism and he longs to be held. He will literally run up to my lap and force my arms around him to hold him to feel the pressure on him. But then at the next minute he will be trying to force himself out of my grip so he can run up to something else and play with that for a second or two before running back.

This is how I am with Jesus so much. I am searching and seeking to be close to Him, to be held by Him to feel Him all around me and be comforted. Then when I rest in Him for a while it feels so good but i'm constantly being lured away from His grip by other things which i think will satisfy me but only lead me back to His lap.

I want to tell Collin to just be still and rest and wait. If he would just let me hold him we both would be happy. But he keeps yanking and pulling away.

I love the song that says
"I want to sit at Your feet,
Drink from the cup in your hand,
Lay back against you and breathe,
Feel your heart beat.."

This is what I desire. Closeness with the Lord. I want to KNOW Him. I want to crawl to his lap and lean against Him. He is the only true comforter. And it would please us both if I would just sit still and rest with Him.

Sanyu bubble baths

At sanyu today the kids had bath time! they each got in their buckets and soap suds and just played around for half an hour! Auntie Kailey put a bubble beard on her chin and made all the kids laugh hysterically. 
I got the best Sanyu pics so far!

mom found a few friends too!

electricity probs

So funny story...
We all went to the "saloon" which is actually the salon (idk why they call it saloon but my mom was seriously worried when all the kids were like We are going to the Saloon NOW!). So we all went to the salon and everyone got they're head shaved (excluding me and mom) because school was starting the next day. Emma was the last one to get his done and unfortunately the power went off before they could get the last little triangle off. Poor emma was so upset! it was a long walk home for him because everyone was laughing and making fun but when we got home monica worked her magic and now he looks just like the rest of my shiny headed children :)

Contentment

If you cant tell I'm super behind on blogs because I've been really busy the past two weeks! Mom is back home and doing well and I'm doing ok here too just WE MISS HER A LOT!  Before she left I asked mom to write about what The Lord has been teaching her.

A word from mom:


As I have contemplated what God is teaching me while I'm here in Africa, I think the biggest thing is being content in ALL things.  You never know if you are going to have running water or not, you don't know how long you will have power, so you just live in the moment. Your meals are prepared for you and so is your schedule so if you don't learn contentment in the process, it will be really difficult to be here.

 I think that our sinful nature is to be discontent.  Even Paul had to LEARN contentment. "For I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am in."  James writes that the lack of contentment is the basis for most of our relational conflicts. "What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members.  You lust and do not have; so you commit murder.  And you are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel."

The children at Rafiki Home have had some pretty rough backgrounds.  To listen to them pray is very humbling.  They thank God for their food and the person who prepared it, for the gift of life, for the day, etc.  They do a lot more "thanking" God, than asking God.

I know I'm not complete in my education on contentment, but Uganda has taught me a lot about what attitude we should have at all times!

Purpose

A word from Mom:

We visited Katalewa again…the rehab center. We had a good time playing with the kids and even saw some progress in them making choices while we were there. It is apparent that they are not given choices. We had to teach them how to do it. The occupational therapist there asked if he could talk to me. We spoke for almost an hour. He had a lot of questions about how to work with kids with particular disabilities. He wanted to know how I had run my classroom in America and from what I had see here what would I change. It was a great conversation! I think we both were encouraged that we both had the same values about kids with disabilities. His plan is to go to the UK and receive more education. He would like to come back to Uganda and open his own school and to do it the right way for the kids! When I finished the conversation I felt like this conversation was God ordained! I came to Uganda for this-maybe even this conversation! God continues to amaze me with His provision and Faithfulness!!

Jaja laura Rocks!

Jaja means grandma in Luganda and since the rafiki kids were my kids last summer and this year too that would make them my mom’s grandkids! Plus we wouldn’t want them to get confused with AUNTIE laura coming in June! I just love hearing those little voices yelling “jaja rawra” early in the morning tying to get mom’s attention. They adore her! I think Joshua is getting really attached to her…literally! He wouldn’t let go of mom’s hand the whole nature walk the other day!

Anyways I wanted to just let the world know that jaja laura is pretty much the bomb. And I don’t know what I’m going to do without her when she goes home in a few weeks!

PS. Jaja rides a boda with style!!

 

good times

I love all of the chances with Rafiki to get to go out into the community and serve alongside awesome ministries but I really really enjoy just hangin out with the kids in the home too. Sometimes on ministry days I can’t wait to get back home to see our kids and play with them for a few hours before bed time. This week as their last week before school starts so it as so nice to have time with them and to do activities and love on these kiddos who mean the world to me.

Joshua, Joel, Don and Oscar

Annet

Oscar

Emma

thankful regardless

Days like today happen a lot in Uganda.  Days when you have one thing planned and all figured out but them almost not of it happens at all.  Even still we can have joy because He is working all things together for the good of those who seek Him.  Today we actually planned out all we were going to do last night and event wrote it out!  HaHa!  Things never go as planned so that was a kinda silly thing to do.  What did end up happening today was fun!

We went on a nature walk with Moses and played “steal the bacon” in a field with the kids and did races!  The kids were so tired on the way back but they slept so well at nap time!

Our activity time was about having perspective.  When we see just a single puzzle piece we can’t know what the big picture is.  This is like when we see our tiny lives and think there is no way I can impact anything but God sees beginning, middle and end so He has everything under control and knows everything that will happen in our lives even we can’t figure out why we are in a certain situation or when we feel like everything is meaningless.  Mom was in charge of the puzzle activity and I taught the verse Ecc . 11:5  

“As you  do not know the path of the wind or how a baby is shaped and formed so you do not understand the work of the Lord the maker of all things”

Then the power went out. Running water has been off for a few days now but no water AND no power can be pretty frustrating. So we ate by candle light and played games in the dark. Jerom had a really high fever and finding meds and taking temps and everything for him was just inconvenient in the dark.

My roommates can tell you that I have the worst eyesight in the dark! I’m always tuning lights on and opening windows if its too dim! Just imagine how much complete darkness disorients me!

When kid’s devotional time finally came around they sang a song I haven’t heard in a loooong time it goes “Jehovah e lift you higher, Jehovah you gave me…Carol” and then carol comes into the middle of the circle and dances for a little while then we went through each of the kid’s names. So then I realized something. I realized that He gave me each of these kids he gave me all my family friends and those I love so if he doesn’t give me electricity or running water when I pray for it I still have so many reasons to be thankful.