Because He Said Go: 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: