The End Has Come

Well, I'm back in Texas… I've been avoiding this realization for about 10 days, but I finally decided to give in and admit it! I cannot describe how much I miss GSF… All the kids, the aunties, the other missionaries, the beautiful campus, boda rides, being outside most of the day, the rainstorms, all the farm animals all around, the kids, the kids, and mostly the kids! 

Some of our older boys just being boys!

Many people are asking, "So, how was it?" I don't even know how to encompass the last six months in one answer- amazing, wonderful, life-changing! If I had to do it all over again I would in a heart beat. I would take the lonely days, missing Justin, missing friends and family, missing daily comforts, the stressful nursing days, watching sickness and sadness, and everything else! The greatness of the 6 month experience heavily outweighs the hard parts. Honestly, the hard parts probably taught me the most about God and reshaped the way I think about daily life!

God opened my eyes to many things while in Uganda. Things about His holiness, His strength, and many things about his desire for His people. The Ugandan's dependency on Christ is outstanding! I quickly saw that my dependency grew when comforts, security, and my culture were stripped away. I realized that often I first think "oh I can do this!", rather than turn to Christ. Turning to Christ always provided more comfort, peace, and hope than any fix I would have had anyways! I pray deeply that my trust in Christ above all else would not fade as my comforts and resources return!

God also opened my eyes up to the power of living intentionally in conversations, friendships, activities, and all of life. It was easy there to structure my day around what would help me show the love of Jesus most, or how can I bring up a conversation about truths someone needs to hear. God had to take me out of my daily routine in America to show me how much more he had planned for my life! With the goal of glorifying Christ in every daily action, its amazing the joy He fills you with and the opportunities to share Christ that fall into place. 

My realization of the hope that Christ provides was also renewed during my time in Uganda. I saw unbelievable sickness, evil, hurting, and overall despair everywhere I turned while there. However, the people who had found Christ had such joy and hope despite everything else! Christ in their lives didn't take the daily struggles away, didn't take the hardship away, but their minds weren't set on the trouble of this world. Their minds were set on their glory in Christ! My joy and hope in the newness that Christ  brings was renewed! 

I am excited to encourage others in their desires to have a worldly impact for Christ. My hope is that people in the church would have a heart and desire to reach the nations for Jesus, particularly those who have no access to the gospel now. I desire that pastors and church leadership would be prepared to send and care for those going. International missions is much greater than just the people working on the field. It requires a team of fellow Christ followers to help send and help encourage along the way! I am excited for the hearts that Christ is stirring at this very time! 

Justin and I's goal is to do longterm overseas missions together. We are not certain on where yet, but just praying daily that God point us in the right direction. My heart longs to be back at GSF, it longs to be back in another culture. I ask that you pray for my transition back. I get married in 88 days- yikes!! I've jumped back into a life of wedding planning here. Sometimes I avoid thinking about GSF because it hurts too much… I pray though that the memories will remind me of the wonders of God I learned while I was there, and spur me to live more intentionally here. 

God is not a different God in Uganda. His church is not suppose to be a different church in America then in Uganda. Details of daily life might look differently in different cultures, but the Bible does not. God calls each of His children to love Him first and to love others, no matter where you are in the world. My experience in Uganda did strength and widen my view of God, and I pray that it continues here as well! 

Thank you all so much for coming along on this journey with me. I have been overwhelmed by the amount of encouragement and help I've had at every step! My walk with God doesn't stop here, and neither will this blog. There won't be as many cute pictures of kiddos though :( 

If you'd like to know how you can help GSF please email me at JulieMatthews8@yahoo.com 

Or please check out the sponsorship blog. GSF couldn't run without people just like you!  Each child at GSF needs roughly 3 sponsors to make GSF run. Being a sponsor means a relationship with this child. You get to send letters, gifts, encouragements to the child and they send you personalized letters back! I've seen the program, I know how much the children are impacted by their sponsors. Often the children ask to pray for their sponsors as well! Even if you're a little curious please check out the blog or email me for more information! I can tell you about each cute little kid at GSF!

http://gsfsponsorship.blogspot.com 

I'll leave you with a few more adorable pictures of my goodbyes!

      

Baby Joshua and his fat cheeks!!

              

Isma has the best smile and laugh!

My little man Richard- he will always have my heart!    

Brian- He has a huge heart for God!

Paul and Jeremiah, sweet quiet boys!

The beautiful Sophia, Joan, and Viola

Grief and Joy

I wanted to share some moments of rejoicing with you along with some moments of grief. 

This past week was a very tough and very eye opening week. A few months ago our administrator noticed a girl that went to school at GSF who seemed very malnourished. Alice was 12 years old, but very thin and had large swollen like cheeks that indicate malnutrition. Immediately when I saw her I agree, and urged our social worker to help the family get medical and nutritional help. Everyone at GSF agreed and sought help for her and her family.... Fast forward a few months to this past Tuesday. It was 5 pm, and near the end of the working day. I get told that our administrator is going to take a school girl into Rippon Clinic (our clinic of choice in Jinja). Alice and her mom show up at the offices and I immediately recognize this poor thin girl from before. However, today she can barely walk, her hands and feet are swollen (more indications of malnutrition) and she has a severe cough. She looks frightened and in pain. I ask what has been happening?! She got help from GSF to be admitted to the local hospital a couple of weeks ago and no one from GSF has heard anything since. They has assumed she has been helped and returned to school. Today, however, leaders were informed that she had never come back to school and word was that she was doing very poorly. We asked the mother what happened at the local hospital but she has no papers and did not know what had been done for her child. Sadly that is very common... healthcare workers don't explain very well and culturally families do not ask questions about the care being given. 

So with no medical information we take her to Rippon and luckily get xrays and blood work done... which required some begging because it was the end of the day. Our main doctor we associate with was there and took quick action to evaluate her. It was soon thought that Alice has severe TB and malnutrition- two problems that only make each other worse. She was admitted and I was assured that she would be in good hands. The doctors view was that with treatment she "would be just fine". Since Alice's mom was there and she was not under the direct care of GSF I tried not to butt in too much... I was not her nurse, she did not need me to play mom/nurse...her mom was there and she was in the care of the best facility we have found in Jinja. Basically, I tried not to step over boundaries that I could only because I am mzungu (white/foreigner)... I tried to trust the system. 

I called on Wednesday for an update and was informed more tests were being done but she was doing ok. I thanked the doctor for his care and said I would check the next day. Sadly, I never got the chance. I was informed through a text from the doctor only a few hours late that Alice had died. Poor sweet Alice had not made it to another night. Due to a violent (yet treatable) illness, lack of food (when is the last time you have actually had a lack of food?), and lack of adequate healthcare (I have more to say on this, but have chosen not to do it online!), this 12 year old girl did not get the chance to grow up. 

Please pray for her mom and siblings. I know they are grieving greatly during this time. Please pray for our trust in God when we feel out of control with the medical care here...it is a daily battle we fight. Please pray for wisdom, compassion, and dedication for all the health care workers in Uganda who are providing medical care to children just like Alice. 

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.

Revelations 21:4

Now for two stories of JOY!

A couple of posts back I talked about a little boy named Innocent who stayed briefly at our babies home. His mom return after being gone for over a month and promised to take care of her children again. We helped return Innocent and his brother Charlie to their home. GSF helped provided spiritual and marriage counseling for the husband and wife. 

Well, good news!! They are doing wonderfully! The family is part of our weekly feeding program and attend the local village church so we are often able to see the boys. Both are doing so well! They are growing nice and fat :) Here is a before and now picture of Innocent. The one of the left is on his first day at GSF, and left is just last week! He is a happy boy in a loving family again! 

Mark, age 26, is a tailor at GSF. Ten years ago Mark was in a car accident and lost both his legs above just right above his keens. Mark has used a wheelchair for those 10 years. He use to get himself to work everyday down a long dirt road with hills... it took him about 30-40 min each morning. Prosthetics are not common in counties like Uganda due to their high cost. However, one generous person donated money to help mark get two prosthetic legs! For two months Mark stayed at CoRSU, a rehab hospital about 2 hours from Jinja. It was a very long process but now he has legs!!! He is still using two crutches to help him walk, but they have confidence what with time he will go to one and then none! When Mark returned to his home in the village most people did not believe it was him... he was standing!!! It was so amazing to watch this process. Mark is a very strong man of God and will definitely use this opportunity to help spread God's love! 

First steps on his going home day!

The "workshop" crew, Mark, and I

These men really didn't want Mark to leave. He has made friends! 

Thou wilt make known to me the path of life; In Thy presence is fulness of joy; In Thy right hand there are pleasures forever.

Psalm 16:11

With Man It Is Impossible

I write this blog as I am sitting in SAS Clinic in Kampala. I spent last night here with sweet little Richard who is having problems due to his sickle cell. There were not rooms available, so we stayed in a clinic room all night... I got very little sleep.

This is just an addition to the very stressful week. I'd like to share some of the stresses of life over the past few days here in Uganda. I'm sharing because I want to explain what I have been learning and how God is using it to grow me!


Maria

Two little sweet children were brought the GSF last week. Their mother had recently died and the father is unable to take care of them at this time. Maria is 1 year 4 months old. She is VERY malnourished and has a horrible cough. When we took her to the clinic they said she probably has tuberculosis. Although very common here, TB is not something you want to mess with! We knew right away that she was potentially very contagious and needed to be moved from the baby's home. So, we got a daughter :) Dayna, the other nurse, and I began to care for this poor little girls 24 hours a day. She slept in our rooms, we spent 5-6 hours a day just trying to get her to eat, we cleaned up many reusable soiled diapers! The hardest part was that no other children could be around Maria, so that meant one of us had to be in the house at all times with Maria. We need have much needed help from a couple other missionaries, but it was definitely our full time job!
Were we exposed to TB? Maybe....hopefully not...please pray for us! She has officially been diagnosed and started on treatment. We have high hopes that she will be a happy healthy baby once we fatten her up and her treatment starts to work! Because it was impossible for either Dayna and I to be home at all time during the month she will be contagious, Maria was moved back into the baby home but in her own little isolation room. We plan on taking her on many walks...while wearing our masks :)

     

                 

Chloe

Chloe is an amazing 12 year old girl here at GSF. She has a very joyful spunky personality. She also has asthma! She started having a bad asthma attack this week. We have everything we could need to treat her asthma though so we have been able to manage her here. However, this attack hit on an already busy day when I was the only nurse at GSF! Multiple breathing treatments done, an IV placed, multiple IV medications... medicine giving, reassessments done, brainstorming the next best thing to do when there was no improvement... it was a little hectic! It is definitely I different feel that my days in the ER where you have to have a doctors order for everything! Good thing I was paying attention anyways and (mostly) felt confident about what to do next.  She is doing better but still receiving medicine! Luckily we had some time to goof around in-between treatments :D

                           

Tiny Rose

Tiny Rose is our most special of our special needs children. She is not able to speak or move her body purposefully due to cerebral malaria at a young age. She has to be fed by her Auntie and coughs much during feedings. Wednesday night we were at a team dinner when 2 girls ran to the house and out of breath said Nurse Julie come, Tiny Rose is choking! So we all take off sprinting towards her house in the dark! That was my first sprint through GSF thank goodness! Hopefully my last! She was coughing very badly when I arrived but was able to breath. We put her the best position to help her stop chocking on her small bite of food she just took. After a while she was ok and we all calmed down! That experience definitely shook up some nerves! 

Other quick glimpses into the week:

-A youth team of 23 teenagers from FL arrived this week so minister to GSF and the surrounding villages

-Katie, a missionary that lives with me, has had malaria this week and has been very sick 

- Another younger missionary has had some sort of bacterial infection this week

- Ruth, the Ugandan nurse, was home for 5 days for her Easter break so we were down one nurse  

-The toddler house has been a continuous problems of malaria, mumps, and then Richard who became very ill starting on Tuesday. That has ended with us sitting here admitted in Kampala

- On wednesday I took our 4 children to monthly seizure clinic which takes about 4-5 hours.

Ok, so you might get the picture by now... I was stressed and often overwhelmed this week! God has been stretching me and teaching my greatly throughout this time.  Ultimately I have been reminded that we are not in control. Although we try and control every situation, never wanting to make one mistake, or miss one good idea, we can never be perfect! We can never make everything go exactly the way we want it to. This week it was medical problems that were weighing me down. Sometimes its making decisions about the wedding and my future...sometimes I try and control how certain conversation will go with family, friends, or co-workers. We will never have complete control, but God ALWAYS has control! If we just turn to him with every step, every decision, every anxiety, then He will help us carry that burden and direct us where to go next. God reminded me of a few verses this week that really stuck out during this stressful time:

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for his name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me. (Psalm 23:1-4, ESV)

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:27, ESV)


We might feel like we can't survive one more hour, day, week, month...and we can't. Not alone at least. But with God, all things are possible.  

Each One Has A Story

Many of you wonder how all these children end up here at GSF. Each of their stories are very different! Some are true orphans with no mother or father living- they died from AIDS, boda (motorbike) accidents, mothers died in childbirth, etc (all true scenarios from our children here). Some only lived with one parent and that parent was unable to care for the child due to finances, living conditions, age/immaturity, job, or mental illness. Many had been living with rajas (grandmothers) or aunties who were trying to care for the children because parents had died or just couldn't care for them on their own. Sadly, some children are here because their parents simply refuse to take responsibility and care for the child even though they have the means… the child is simply unwanted. 

Here are two stories about our newest additions to GSF

Charlie and Innocent's Story

Our social worker knew of a family that lived in a nearby village who was in need of some help. There were 6 children ages 1-13 being cared for by a dad and jaja (grandma). The mother had run off about 1 month before hand due to family troubles. The father was recently in the hospital for a long period of time and had a large medical bill to pay. The family was out of money so the father went out everyday to look for odd jobs while the jaja worked out in the fields for food. It is very very common for elderly women to still be digging in the fields daily for food/work. The two youngest children had become very malnourished and sick due to this situation. The family wanted help! 

So I had the amazing opportunity to do a home visit with our social worker. This meant an hour walk through the village to their house. This is a walk made weekly or more by this family to attend church or to visit GSF. I sat in their small mud house and assessed each kid- lifted up their torn and dirt lined clothes to look for rashes, assessed their shoeless feet for jiggers (small insects that burrow into the skin), and checked each one for malaria. The older 4 children were happy, smiling, and healthy despite some coughs and URIs. The younger two presented with malaria, dehydration, and malnutrition (seen mainly by their edema and very light colored hair). Within 3 days the decisions was final and Charlie and Innocent became our newest children! Their father and jaja were very thankful for the care that would be provided their children. 

Usually thats where it would end. We would fix their malnutrition, provide a great loving environment, and as the children got older it would be assessed weather or not they could return to their father if he desired to provide the proper care. However this story took an unexpected turn! Two days after the children's arrival to GSF, their mother returned home after being gone for over a month. She was NOT happy to find that two of her children were gone!! After about 2 weeks of many conversations with the leaders at GSF, marriage counseling being set up, proven repentance for her absence and renewed dedication to her family, the two children were able to be returned to their family in the village! This is a happy ending. We pray that families desire to be together, desire to take responsibility! Yes she left on her own, but forgiveness and help to move forward are a must here! We keep a close watch on that family and their progress. It is a beautiful thing to know that God is working in their marriage, in the children, in their entire lives! God's grace and mercy can make all things new! 

Innocent and I in the babies home 

Ivan's Story

This little boy has won a special place in my heart… hours upon hours of sitting with him in waiting to be seen by a doctor make good bonding time :)

In late January a mother and her son appear at the GSF offices. She is from a nearby village and has heard of GSF from family. She shows us her little boy Ivan and in so many words says, "Here please take him." Ivan is a little over 2 and has a large spinal deformity. It can't be missed. There is a large hump in the middle of his back that makes him bend at about a 45 degree angle. His mother says he was not born like this, but rather the deformity started around 9 months of age and has only worsened. The worst part- she never took Ivan to see one doctor or one nurse. Only witch doctors. The roughly 20 scars on his back, the mark of a witch doctor, show this to be true. This story broke our hearts. Yes medical care can be expensive, however there are free hospitals in Jinja so there is no excuse! 

At first we really did not want to take Ivan in, but rather help the mom seek medical care. We arranged and paid for Ivan to visit CoRSU, the best orthopedic hospital in Uganda. Once there the doctors diagnosed Ivan with spinal tuberculosis, a condition where the spine is infected with TB and pus begins to eat away at the vertebra. This causes spinal masses and deteriorating use of the lower extremities. Luckily Ivan still have fully functioning legs, but it would continue to grow worse without treatment. The doctors prescribed the routine 8 month TB treatment of 2-4 medicines daily. 

Ivan resting on a toy because he is not able to sit on straight on his own. 

You can slightly see the spinal hump in this picture 

Sadly, even with these answers and help Ivan's mom did not show interest in taking care of Ivan herself. We knew we must take Ivan in for at least 8 months to make sure he got his daily TB medicine (every day is crucial!). However, the discussion was why would GSF send Ivan back to somewhere he is not wanted… So for now, Ivan is ours for good! And what a blessing he has been to have around! 

Ivan's spinal deformity will most likely never improve, but will not get worse once treatment is started. 

With better nutrition, physical therapy, a walker, and lots of love we are hoping to see wonderful improvement in Ivan! We are also praying that one day there might be spinal surgery in his future to fix the deformity…. but right now its only a prayer! 

Ivan and his infectious smile :D

Playtime while we wait to go home after a day of doctors 

Blowing kisses! 

These are just two stories about children here at GSF. There are hundreds more. I feel so blessed that I am able to play a small part in some of these stories! Please pray for these 3 children and their families! None of this work could be done without the sovereign grace and love of God! 

Nursing in Uganda = Learning Patience

Well I have been here in Uganda for almost 4 months now... how quickly the time has gone!!

Over these 4 months I have had a WIDE range of nursing experience. I wanted to expand on some of the highlights and frustrations of learning to be a nurse here in Uganda!

A few weeks ago  one of our little boys Sebastian had to have his third cleft palate surgery. We went to the best orthopedic and rehab hospital in Uganda- CoRSU. At first I wanted to be the one to stay overnight with Sebastian in the hospital. However, we decided it was best for a house mom to stay with him, and I would come during the day and help educate the house mom on being great as a hospital caregiver. Once I got to CoRSU, I was actually relieved about this decision... I knew many of the differences about Uganda hospitals, but this was even more extreme than I thought. Let me highlight some interesting parts about Ugandan hospital stays:
-Most of the time no food is provided to the patient or caregiver- caregiver is responsible for getting food
-At CoRSU, food was provided but to plates/cups/silverware, and you went and picked it up in a big line
-Most of the hospitals do no provide private rooms- it is a large ward with many beds. Sadly, the children's hospital in Jinja is so crowded that most of the patients even share a bed. This also means shared bathrooms and washrooms.
-Sheets (even for the patient) are often not provided and must be brought from home
-Nurses very rarely do assessments- only doctors
-While waiting fir Sebastian's surgery we set outside of the theater (operating room) building on a bench with about 10 other people waiting for surgery. They called patients in once someone else was out of surgery. We waited on a bench outside for over 5 hours before the surgery took place.
- In the Jinja Children's hospital (government funded) when they run out of IV tubing supplies or such, the parents actually have to leave the hospital to go buy the supplies in town on their own.

These are a few of the shocking differences we have found... Now don't get me wrong,  the American health care system is far from perfect! However, working in an amazing children's hospital in Fort Worth for over 2 years definitely set my standards for health care high! The people here are not surprised by these things either- they do not know differently.

Through this frequent struggle of learning how to operate in the health care system here in Uganda, I have grown tremendously. I am learning better patience,  grace, flexibility, reliance on God (not the healthcare system), communication in stressful/frustrating situations, and reliance on God (yes, again, I've learned a lot of it!)

If you are in America, be thankful for the parts of healthcare you take for granted. It might be frustrating waiting for an hour at the doctor or sitting for a few hours in the ER waiting on test results. But at least we are sitting on comfortable chairs, or probably have a private room with a TV. Again, not everything is perfect or even great in America healthcare... but you have no idea how extreme the difference is between the healthcare the average person in Uganda receives versus the average person in America.

All of this is to say that ultimately, our trust can not be in hospitals (Ugandan or American), doctors or nurses, medicine and treatments... God says he is bigger than all of that. All of our health and life is in His hands.

That people may know, from the rising of the sun

and from the west, that there is none besides me;

I am the LORD, and there is no other.

I form light and create darkness,

I make well-being and create calamity,

I am the LORD, who does all these things.

(Isaiah 45:6-7 ESV)

Having some fun with the adorable Sebastian before surgery

Outside of CoRSU hospital. This is where the families can dry their clothes (because many people only have outfits for a couple of days) and relax outside for the space

Sebastians hospital bed and the bed next to him (notice the urine bag of the other patient) The house mom was placing her straw mat on the floor to have somewhere to sleep at night. 

A view of the of beds next to Sebastian's

American Ugandans in Rwanda

So last weekend Dayna and I had a forced vacation :) Due to the slow immigration office process over the holidays, our work permits have not gone through yet. Since our visas we received upon entering the country expired at the end of three months (February 3rd), we needed to leave Uganda so we could obtain new visas when returning.

So, we planned a trip! It was very last minute. It was only about 10 days from hearing that we needed to leave the country until we boarded a bus to Rwanda! We picked Rwanda really just because it was close, and free to enter :)

We took a 12 hour bus ride to the capitol, Kigali. The bus ride was interesting... honestly, the actual bus was in better condition that I have guessed it would be. The 5 hour drive before we took a bathroom break though, was a little difficult! We survived though, and were picked up late at night in the taxi park by a driver from our hotel.

It was strange to adjust to another culture. We had finally become comfortable to Uganda... we can speak a tiny bit if Luganda, we know how to pay with shillings, we are use to driving on the left side, riding bodas with two people and no helmets... Now all the sudden people were speaking french, driving on the right side, and we had to convert Uganda shillings into Rwanda franks. Also, their bodas all require you to wear a helmet (which they provide) and only allow one person... It was crazy!! We definitely felt like we were Ugandan when we were there haha Ok, still American, but now with some Ugandan thrown in :)

Kigali is beautiful!!! Don't get me wrong, Uganda is beautiful too. However, Kampala, the capitol, is an absolutely crazy busy dusty dirty loud city. Its fun and vibrant, but so overwhelming. Kigali though was organized, calm,  and taxis and cars actually stopped for you to cross the street (something completely unheard of in Kampala). The entire city shuts down on the last Saturday of every month for city wide cleaning. Residents are to stay on the property and beautify it!

This is especially amazing considering the state of Rwanda only 19 years ago. If you don't know about the Rwanda genocide, it is definitely something you should learn more about. It is horrific... It, along with the many other genocides in history, are true reminders of the brokenness of the human race. Here is an except from the Human Rights Council:

"In 1994, Rwanda’s population of seven million was composed of three ethnic groups: Hutu (approximately 85%), Tutsi (14%) and Twa (1%). In the early 1990s, Hutu extremists within Rwanda’s political elite blamed the entire Tutsi minority population for the country’s increasing social, economic, and political pressures. Tutsi civilians were also accused of supporting a Tutsi-dominated rebel group, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). Through the use of propaganda and constant political maneuvering, Habyarimana, who was the president at the time, and his group increased divisions between Hutu and Tutsi by the end of 1992. The Hutu remembered past years of oppressive Tutsi rule, and many of them not only resented but also feared the minority."

Then, in 1994 over the course of approximately 100 days, 800,000 men, women, and children were killed. Almost all of these deaths were from the Tutsi population. At the same time, thousands of Hutu were murdered because they opposed the killing campaign and the forces directing it. 

Most of you reading this were alive during this massacre. Have you heard of it? Did you know? Before  coming to Africa I barely knew of this incidence. I never learned about it in school... The movie "Hotel Rwanda" is one of the only reasons this genocide is well known to some in America. You should watch the movie if you haven't seen it. And remember, it is not just Hollywood....it all really happened to real families, to an entire country, less than 20 years ago. 

There is now a wonderful genocide memorial center in Kigali. It was very disturbing, but very informative. I was glad we were able to visit this site, and realize about all the tragedy that exists around the world. There is no way to really understand how many people were involved in this genocide, and many others around the world, and still think the human race is "good at heart". Think about how many people had to say "yes" for these killings to occur...

What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
“Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not known.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

(Romans 3:9-20 ESV)

BUT don't worry.... just keep reading


But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
(Romans 3:21-25 ESV)


Praise God for His love!!! 

Blessings and Adventures

Wow, its been an amazing two weeks full of amazing blessings and adventures!

First, let me tell you about the engagement :D

Two weeks ago Justin, my boyfriend at the time (hehe) landed here in Uganda. We were so excited about two weeks together full of service, fun, and travel. The second full day Justin was here we went with a small group of people to a restaurant along the Nile River where someone was bungee jumping. Justin, myself, and one of the teenagers, Eric, from GSF took a walk down to the banks of the Nile. Little did I know I was helping set up the perfect moment for an engagement hah I asked Eric to take a picture of Justin and I, and then when I turned around, Justin was down on one knee with a gorgeous ring proposing!! It was the most beautiful site, along the banks of the Nile River. I was so excited!! It has been so amazing that 10 months ago I met a man and talked about missions to African in our first conversation. Little did I know that God was weaving together an incredible path that would lead to an engagement in Africa less than a year later! It has been evident from the beginning of this relationship with Justin that God had brought us together and is directing our path.

 


Justin and I were able to have many adventures during his two weeks here. It was so so nice to actually take some time away to explore Uganda and enjoy a few days with away from the clinic. I absolutely love my work here, but a few days to reenergize really does the body good :)

ATVing
We were on a ATV Safari one night through Ugandan villages and along the Nile. We were able to see so much more of village life and the dam along the Nile River. We finished the night with a true Ugandan meal at one of the houses in the village. It was a fun adventure with many people from GSF.

Safari

This was a quick but amazing experience! We jam-packed three days full of animal and nature seeing craziness! haha Justin and I traveled with another engaged couple- Casia, another missionary at GSF, and Michael whose last name is actually Pearson (just like Justin!) So we referred to ourselves as the Pearsons during out travels :) We were able to see some many of God's amazing creations! Rhinos, giraffes, elephants, hippos, crocodiles, warthogs, baboons, chimpanzees, and a lion!! It was so humbling seeing God's creations all living in harmony as God created... Elephants, hippos, and warthogs all right next to each other down by the water. God is so creative! So many colors of animals, such beautiful creatures! We were also able to hike up Murchison Falls, a massive and powerful waterfall along the Nile River. So beautiful!

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?

Tell me, if you have understanding....

Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,

that a flood of waters may cover you?

Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go

and say to you, ‘Here we are’?...

Can you hunt the prey for the lion,

or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,

when they crouch in their dens

or lie in wait in their thicket?

Who provides for the raven its prey,

when its young ones cry to God for help,

and wander about for lack of food?

(Job 38:4, 34-35,39-41 ESV)

Murchison Falls 

In front of all the hippos! There were tons!  

During the hike to the top of Murchison Falls

We saw a lion!!! We were soooo close

The mom and baby were not shy... they ran feet away from us as we waited for the ferry 

Besides just getting to spend time with Justin, the biggest blessing over these two weeks was watching Justin love on all the little kids! It was so wonderful to just sit and play with the kids. He quickly shared my love for each and every child here...so much so I think he would have packed a few if he could have gotten away with it! God definitely used this time to grow our desire to do longterm missions together! I am very excited to see everything that God has in store for us down the road. 

Seddie, an adorable 4 year old we loved on a lot!

Being overtaken by toddlers!! They all wanted some love.  

Seddie having a serious conversation with Justin :)

I am so grateful for everything I experienced over these past two weeks. Its been a time of rest, rejuvenation, adventure, growing together with Justin, and growing towards Christ. Thank you for all the prayers, thoughts, and well wishes towards Justin's trip here and our engagement. So thankful for such amazing support! 

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

(Philippians 4:4 ESV)