Christmas at GSF

There are going to be a lot of pictures on this blog because I know you all want to see more of these adorable faces! 

Christmas was a wonderful time here at GSF!! It was very different than any Christmas season I had gone through before though… I went to no shopping malls bustling with people with Christmas music playing overhead, there were no houses with Christmas lights, and no holiday programming on tv. 

However, this Christmas was filled with love, family (even if its not by blood), laughter, excitement, and most of all Christ! 

A lot of our children were home with extended family for Christmas, so we had a much smaller group of kids than normal here to celebrate with. Our Christmas Eve service was a wonderful night of singing, a story about the meaning of a candy cane, and Silent Night by candle light. Hearing all the children's voices come together and praise God… Children that you might at first think should be sad around this time, or not joyful… But no! These children are so thankful and so joyous! They quickly answer the reason we celebrate Christmas- because Jesus was born! 

Most of the lovely girls! 

Dayna, the other AIM nurse, Richard my man, and Sam! 

Silent Night by candle light. So beautiful!!

After singing, each child received a stocking full of snacks, a new shirt or dress, a water bottle with a flavor packet, and small toys! Even the toddlers handed us their chips or popcorn right away so we could open it for them to enjoy! 

Helping the toddlers open up their stockings

Daniel and his chips from his stocking

Christmas day started with a wonderful brunch and gift exchange with the other missionaries. After some rest, we prepared to pavilion with all the gifts to be handed out that day! All the children, workers, and missionaries gathered together for a delicious traditional Ugandan lunch. We ate matoke (an unripe banana mushed up like mashed potatoes, this is one of my favorite Ugandan dishes!), irish (what irish potatoes are normally called), rice, beff (killed here at GSF!), pork (raised and killed here at GSF), and chicken. I'm getting over being picky about the meat here haha It was all very delicious! 

Yummy meat! 

After the delicious lunch, each kid received their gifts! I'll just let you see all the adorable pictures :)

Daniel and Micha infront of the Christmas tree

Some of our special boys- Sam, Matthew, Micha, and Elijah 

Me and my man Richard

This is my Ugandan little brother, Eric! If I could adopt a little brother, he would be it!

Richard opening his new motorcar!

All the kids opening their gifts

Efrance and her new baby doll

One of the other girl, Alana

Lily and her new doll (picture courtesy of Eddie, my photographer haha)

Even though I was away from loved ones, it was a wonderful Christmas full of new experiences and fabulous people! 

Adoptions, Baptisms, and (almost) Burials

Adoptions:

GSF does do adoptions to US families. Although there are not many Ugandan laws about adoption (which will be changing very soon), GSF is very strict on who they allow to apply for adoptions. You most have a personal connection with someone at GSF, be a very strong Christian family, and a great match for the children that are available for adoption. Many of our kids are no available to be adopted because one parent or family member still has rights that they will not relinquish, even though they cannot care for the child. 

I have had the privilege of getting to know one of the families that just went through the adoption process for Annett, a 4 year old girl here at GSF. Chris and Star had already begun the long adoption process here in Uganda when I arrived at GSF 5 weeks ago. After a long and detailed process on the states side, the process seems to become even more uncertain here in Uganda! After a few weeks, Chris had to return to the states to take care of their other children, while Star stayed here to continue the process and get to know Annett even more. It was such a blessing to have Star part of our team! She is an amazing women of God and handled all the uncertainty of the adoption with such faith and patience. Her dedication to letting Annett get use to being with her in her own time was so incredible! Annett is just a little more reserved then many of our children, so it really took pursuing by Chris and Star to make Annett become part of their family. All of us, Star included, were able to see a better picture of what it is like for us as Christians to be adopted by God, to become children of God. We are not always easy to love, but God continues to pursue us even when we a stubborn. 

"But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" John 1:12

Star and Annett, her new daughter!

Baptisms 

It was a big day on Friday for seven of the children here at GSF, many of the villagers, and ME!! The village church that we are a part of held baptisms on Friday in a near by sugarcane field. The entire experience really made me feel like I was living in Africa. We piled two vehicles full of kids and adults, and I mean like kids were on top of the van, sitting on the hood, hanging out the back, etc haha We drove about 20 min into the middle of a sugarcane field where canal/ditch/rivers had been dug. We had to stop this vehicles about 50 yards before the ditch because the road kinda became a river. The place for the baptism apparently had stronger water that day then days before. It took three men to help do the baptisms just to make sure people didn't wash away! Seven of our GSF children and about 20 villagers had decided to be baptized and had attended the classes and interview. It was a beautiful sight to see all theses people outwardly dedicate their lives to Christ. The very first person to be baptized was a jaja (grandma) that almost got swept away by the water! So happy for her! 

So, before even coming to Uganda I was thinking a lot about my own baptism. I was baptized in the Methodist church during 7th grade confirmation by being sprinkled with water. Although I knew Christ at this time, my relationship with God really changed when I was about 21. Thats when I was really changed by Christ and started to grow in my relationship with Him. I have thought about being rebaptized after this change, but was never really sure. However, everything just really lined up and I knew God was giving me the opportunity to be truly baptized here in Uganda! So this past Friday, I was baptized to  outwardly show the amazing things God has done inwardly! It was an amazing experience and I feel so blessed to have the opportunity publicly declare my faith.

"Go therefore and make disciples of  all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28: 19-20

The drive to the baptisms... oh yeah, those are people on top of the beast! We fit them wherever we could!

The baptism site... good thing I put sunscreen on that day!

Pastor Sam speaking before baptisms began

Joel, one of our older boys, getting baptized 

I'm getting baptized!!!! (See more pictures of all the baptisms on Facebook!) 

(Almost) Burials

Although it was a sad time, I had an amazing lesson in Ugandan culture this week! Two of our primary school student's mom and our maintenance worker's wife passed away from advances AIDS on Friday. I got to know the younger of the girls, Patience, a lot during my first few weeks here due to a finger injury and her HIV status. She is such a sweet girl! So on Sunday at church the pastor announced that the burial would be a 4pm in the village. I wanted to go love on Patience, so I went Julianna, our head of the house mothers. We took a very short boda ride to the next village over, then walked back into the village through the forest. There were probably a hundred or more people all around a few of the village houses, eating rice and beans, and just sitting on the hill. First off, I was the only muzugu (white person) there and one of the really little kids screamed and cried when she saw me haha Apparently I'm not the only muzungu she's afraid of though haha After only a few minuets of Julianna speaking in Luganda to some of the other people there, she said we had to go because a riot might be breaking out! It took a lot of questions, but I finally figured out the whole situation…let me explain:

When a man marries a women here in Uganda, he pays a bride price to the girls family. If that price was not paid (as it was in this situation) when the woman dies, the women's family has the right make the man pay to have to women's body taken back to her families village to be buried. This is not a cheap process. Also, the family sometimes takes the children away from the father, since they do not recognize that he has rights over the children. In this case, the man does not have enough money to pay the transportation for the women. Also, all the people here that knew her really want her buried here! So apparently the women's family was threatening to cut down trees and burn the houses if the man, who went into hiding from the family and took the children, did not pay the price. So to get far away before any cutting,burning, or fighting started, we quickly left! 

Some of the people who knew the family are mad about the situation and others are saying that is was always to be expected when the wife passed away since he never paid the bride price… so interesting!! As of Monday, 4 days after the death, there has been no change…still waiting on someone to give in. 

Please pray for this family, especially the two girls that lost their mother. It must be hard enough to lose your mother, and so much worse to have all this confusing and fighting over her body. 

Other wonderful pictures:

Funny face time with Solomon... mean face!

Homemade chips and salsa all from scratch! Who thought the first time I would learn to make tortillas would be in Uganda?! 

Staff Christmas party! Lots of singing and dancing!

Prayer requests:

Patience's family, recovering from the death of her mom

Continued health for Richard

Safety for all the children going to visit family for the holidays. Pray that they would return safely home to us!

My health...nothing bit yet, but I'm fitting a nasty cold! 

Thank you for continuing to read my blog and support me! 

Everlasting Joy

In this post I want to share about a few specific people here at GSF and talk about an amazing thing God has been reminding me of!

Nurse Ruth is the Ugandan nurse on staff at GSF. She has worked there about 5 months, and started when another AIM missionary was there. She is 23 years old and from Kampala. She has an amazing memory about all the children and their medical/social history! It is very impressive! Sometimes we do have different opinions about when to give medicines, and which kinds, but overall it is such a blessing that she is here! On our down times we talk about culture, our walk with God, about our boyfriends, and laugh at the cute kids :) It blows my mind when I realize she is just a year younger than me and how different our lives look... She lives in staff housing at the orphanage without electricity, washed her clothes by hand, cooks in a pot outside, and does not own any form of transportation. However, she is always so put together! Ugandans really like to look "smart", or well dressed, with whatever is their very best clothing. I'm learning from her to be a harder worker in life... how often do I complain about doing laundry when I have a washer and dryer?! How often do I take for granted my microwave, stove, and fast food?! So thankful to have a friend who I can work alongside with at GSF!

Nurse Ruth and little Teddy from the babies house

Now time for you to meet two of our special kids! Moses is a teenage boy with special needs. I have never met someone with a better smile! He was seems so happy and loves to interact with you! Every time I come by he likes to pat right next to where he is sitting and say "here! here!" He loves for you to sit by him and he loves to look in my nurse purse haha I gave him a pen and paper one day and he went to town! He likes to play with Matthew, another little boy with special needs. He definitely brightens up my day whenever I see him! 

Moses

Lily is a teenage girl who lives in house 3. She also has a wonderful smile! She loves to ask how you are and likes to hold your hand. You can always find her just hanging out with the younger girls, playing, painting nails, or swinging. I love the hugs she gives whenever I see her! It really makes me feel loved :)

Lily

So, as I have said before, I am learning to enjoy each moment, and whatever it brings even though it might not be what was planned. I realize that that is not coming from myself, but from Jesus. To make me even realize it more, during our Wednesday night devotionals, we listened to another part of a John Piper series that spoke on the pleasure of God. He talked about the fact that only the only true, everlasting joy can come from Christ. That God wants us to be so joyful in him, that he gives us HIS joy! We cannot do it on our own, and obviously God knows that. God desires for us to be truly happy, truly joyful, so he guarantees it by giving us his own joy!

John 15:11 

These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

John 17:13

But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

Romans 15:13

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit

Matthew 25:23

His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.

(you can read the whole parable to get the full understanding)

How thankful I am that my joy can not only be in Christ, but my joy is Christ's! My joy is not dependent on my circumstances, my health, my money, my life... my joy is dependent on Christ, and He never changes.