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)

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!