Heart of God East Africa

HGEA Prison Ministry: Broken Chains – The Story of Susan … “my body will be hanged but my life is in the LORD.”

2011-08-30T10:04:00.000-07:00

The woman about whom you are about to read is named Susan. Susan in on death row in a women’s prison.
In order to protect her and the ministry the name of the prison is being withheld.
She is very dedicated to the Lord. As you will read this wasn’t always the case.
Susan was involved in the murder of her husband. She says that her husband didn’t have enough trust in her, he could not make decisions over his trust in her without the counsel of his mother. Susan became frustrated and felt the need to claim her right as a wife. Things got progressively worse, they were fighting nearly everyday.
One fateful night, things would change forever in the course of Susan’s life. Her husband came home and they began fighting. They fought almost the entire night. Susan felt that her life was in danger and so she plotted to kill her husband. Susan was not a believer and made her decision based on two reasons.
Number one, she wanted to end her misery. Number two she knew she would benefit from the riches of the family.
She devised a plan with the house maid and they killed her husband. They made the claim to authorities that they had been attacked by gangs. Investigations were made and she was found guilty of her husbands murder.
Susan has been in prison for the past twelve years. Five years ago, Susan had an encounter with God. She confessed her guilt of murder, she poured her heart out to Him and the LORD had mercy on her.
Susan has since that time become the praise and worship leader in the prison. She witnesses to the other women.
She is condemned to hang in November 2011. She is not afraid of her judgement because she knows that “my body will be hanged but my life is in the LORD”.
Susan claims, “the LORD allowed me to come here that I may know HIm, so I know I will not die here”.
Susan recently sat for her senior 6 exams and passed. She is now enrolled for university classes.
When you look at Susan, it’s hard to believe her story. She sings and worships God with a love like no other. She is not what you would expect to see of a woman in prison about to be hanged.
When our team ministered inside this prison in June 2011 and found the news about Susan’s sentence it broke our hearts. She radiates Christ and sings with joy in her heart. This is a woman whose chains have been broken!
Susan’s favorite scripture is “He turned my mourning into dancing” Psalm 30:11.

Life Transforming Prison Ministry, Saphan Muhanguzi

‎"A Divine Purpose - The Story of Justine" A prisoner's perspective of grace in the midst of great trial

2011-08-30T09:44:00.000-07:00

My name is Justine and I’m from the western region of Uganda.

I was a business woman dealing in onions and passion fruit. One day my friend and I were in a taxi. I met a brother in this taxi who was a Lt. in the Army. I hadn’t seen him in a long time. We talked and talked. He catered to my needs along the way, buying me food and other items. We had gone a long distance, nearly 100 miles, when he told me that I should probably get out. I was near home. I told him that no one would buy the merchandise I had with me here. He insisted that he did not want me to see what was going to happen. I didn’t know what he meant. I did not suspect that he could do anything bad.

As we continued the journey he told the driver to stop. He said that he wanted to have a short phone call.

The driver explained that this particular area was not safe, there were armed robbers along the road.

He insisted the driver stop. When he got out of the taxi another man in the back did the same.

Suddenly, both men pulled out pistols. The driver and passangers were told to get out of the vehicle and to strip down.

In a very short time everyone was completely naked, except for my friend and I. We were told to get back in the taxi.

As we entered the vehicle, another taxi had passed by on the opposite side of the street. Unknowing at the time, the vehicle saw what was happening and went for help. The men got back in the vehicle and headed toward Kampala.

After about 15 miles the police caught up to our vehicle. The men noticed the police approaching. They parked the vehicle and ran into the swamp. When the police finally reached the vehicle with my friend and me inside, they had begun helping us, suspecting that we were victims.

Within a few minutes, the group of people that had been robbed reached our vehicle. They wanted to tear us to pieces. This confused the police. These passangers began to explain that we were a part of the robbery because we had talked with, and eaten with one of the suspects the entire trip, and that we were not stripped and left on the roadside.

We were arrested, and after a few days we were taken to court. I admitted that I knew one of the robbers, that he had been a friend of mine. I explained to the court that my friend with me was just a victim of circumstance. She did not know either of them. She was released. Because I knew the robber and was in the vehicle at the time of the robbery, I was considered an accessory to the cime and was condemned to death. The year was 1992.

There were so many of us in the condemned section. So many were executed at one time that I remained there frightened and alone.
I too was given my execution date and when the day came, I was told that my file was missing.
It was shortly afterwards that a group of preachers came to the prison, found me alone and told me about the saving grace of Jesus Christ. That day I received Christ as my personal savior. Suddenly, I had Hope.
One of the circumstances of my imprisonment was that no one knew where I was. My husband, children, friends, and relatives thought that I must have been killed. As the time passed, the grief stricken family and friends all gathered for my funeral.
In 2008, my husband remarried. I would find this out later.
Also, in 2008 a woman came to the prison to do interviews of woman and air them on her televison program called “Untold Story”. I was interviewed on her program. This is how my family realized that I was still alive. No one including my husband and children believed it was me. Only one of my daughters said, “this is my mother!”
In Africa, prisoners are typically denounced by the family. I was no different. I had no visitors apart from the occasional brethren that would visit the prison. Then one day God brought a friend to me. I call him dad even though I am oder than him. His name is Pastor Saphan. He began visiting me every Thursday. He brought me meat to eat after going without for seventeen years. He cared for me, ministered to my needs, and I felt loved once again.
During my seventeen years in prison I have read the Bible many times. I would pray to God day after day. One night, the Lord told me that I’m not going to die in prison. I was here for a divine purpose. He said that he would bring people here and that I would minister to them. They would accept Him and be released, but I would remain here. And, indeed the Lord has done it so, many times. Praise God.
A miracle came in 2009. I had a meeting with Saphan and he rquested that I pray and fast for a few days, that the Lord was going to pardon me. I did it, and after a few days the government declared that it was going to pardon all the prisoners that had been incarcerated for long periods. I was to be one of them! I was taken to court, not knowing what would happen. I was told that my release date will be in May 2013. I look at the days remaining as a few weeks to go. I have one challenge and that is where will I go after I’m released.
Pastor Saphan has promised to take me to his home. I am wondering if I will be a burden to him since I am now very old.
I trust that my God that opened prison doors for me will make provision for me. I thank everyone that is praying for me, and has helped in my provision during my time of distress that God will bless you.

“So if you are suffering according to God’s will, keep on doing what is right, and trust yourself to the God who made you, for he will never fail you.” I Peter 4:19 (NLT)

Life Transforming Prison Ministry, Saphan Muhanguzi

The Secret Place

2011-08-13T10:55:00.000-07:00

Today is Sunday, it's our day of worship services. Yes, services. We will all split up into five groups, head out to different churches and worship among the people, Gods people.
For me, I can't help but think of the scripture in Psalm 91:1 "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."
This comes to mind as we have new team members this year. Sure, we're going to church and there should be no fear in worship with God, but the fact remains we are in another country. The fear doesn't stem from worshipping God, it's in the wonder of how others worship God and where we fit in. Will it look like our worship? Will it sound like our worship? The answer is an emphatic NO.
If we are to look again at Psalm 91 we will see that our home is in Christ, our worship is in Christ. The comfort and safety, security and love are all found in Him. Today, we would each experience that even though we are in different worship services in a different country. It's surely going to be an amazing day!

My group would head to Royal Palace Ministries, led by Pastor Steven Onanuma and his wife Roselyn. In our group was myself, Sommer, Sean and Cassandra. As is typical in Ugandan churches, guests are escorted up front to a place of honor. It's quite a humbling experience. Pastor Steven opened with greetings, introduced the elders of the church and then allowed us to introduce ourselves. I gave a short greeting and word from the Lord. We were asked if we would mind going out to the children's church and visit with the children. This was a first for me, and I wasn't quite prepared for it. I know I should have been, but nevertheless I wasn't. We introduced ourselves to the children and then sang some songs with them. It's amazing how your mind draws a complete blank when you're in a position to think quick. The kids sang a song for us, and then we were escorted back into the church.
Once inside the church Pastor Steven asked who would give the message today. I thought Cassandra said that Sean was prepared to give a message. I asked him if he was ready, he was not. In fact, he was quite surprised by the thought, and so was Cassandra. I'm not sure why I was sure she told me that, but at any rate Sean accepted the request and stood before the congregation. Cassandra and I were praying as he began, and it was as if the Holy Spirit fell on Sean. He gave a powerful message out of Romans. Pastor Steven was taking notes and the congregation hung on every word! I could see Cassandra was overcome with emotion at her husband giving such a powerful message. It was fantastic!
Pastor Steven thanked Sean for his message and told us and the congregation that he was taking notes and planned on giving an entire days sermon on the message. Praise God!
The choir came up and performed songs and danced for us. Let me tell you, these people ( a new term for Ugandans, since they call us "you people") know how to praise, sing and dance at church! The energy, and the Spirit is all over the place! Even the walls seem to breathe in and out with praise!
There was tithe and offering during the service. It's not like our typical American tithe. The people in the village bring what little money they have, and place it in the tithe basket. Those that don't have money bring an offering to the Lord in the form of crops and/or livestock. Today a woman brought a chicken in. The legs are bound with string and the chicken placed on the floor (alive) near the offering basket.
More songs of worship and praise were sung, and suddenly the strings came loose on the chicken and we had a chicken on the loose inside the church. It's pretty funny and cool at the same time. I wondered if I brought a chicken to our church on Sundays and placed it in the offering plate if it would be as honored as it is here. Sadly, I doubt it.
We had a time limit (oh sure!) for our time at service today and so were told that when they offer to feed you, politely decline to keep on time. In Africa we move on a different time schedule. African Standard Time. "We are never late, only delayed."- Pastor Steven.
As we waited for the other van to come back and pick us up, we toured the school and ministry. We also tried to find some of the students that our HGEA Kids Club sponsored this year. The kids club has children in America do different forms of fundraising to sponsor a child a school. They raise $60 and a child is sponsored for an entire year at Royal Palace School. We had seven children receiving certificates and tshirts today! We were able to find two. The others would be in the school on Monday. We would have to return another day to visit the others.

Andrew and Alfred holding their certificates and tshirts

The boys father is extremely grateful for the support!

We walked down towards the land that Pastor Steven was able to purchase from an offering given to him three years ago when we visited. He shared his vision of building a church and school on the land. The land the church is currently on does not belong to the church. We stood on the ground and prayed over the vision that God has for it. That everything according to Gods will would be done!

The Land that God provided for Royal Palace Ministries

We went back inside the church to wait for the other van to arrive. It's now according to our watches (American Standard Time) about fifteen minutes late. Our concern was over two baptisms that would be happening today at another church. Sommer and Emily are scheduled to be baptized.

As we waited we were surprised by women bringing in plates and bowls of food to our table. OH NO! Remember, we were to decline politely...no chance of that now! LOL I told Roselyn that we had baptisms today and that we would only have time to eat something small. She told me that in Africa when someone serves you food, it's rude to not eat all that is served. OH MY! The table was loaded! There were only four of us! So, we proceeded to fill our plates and eat. Roselyn also told me that Americans don't know how to eat, only taking this and that. We should take some of everything. It was by far the BEST meal we had eaten since we were in Uganda. We ate and ate, and waited and waited. We were somewhat relieved to hear the van pull up!

Roselyn and pastor Steven commented that it would be rude the leave the food, and that it would be best to invite the others in to finish eating. OH MY!
So, the other team came in to eat. The look on their faces was priceless! They had just eaten!! LOL So, now. as not to be rude would eat again.
We have to remember that Ugandans don't have the luxury of leaving food when they're not hungry anymore. They eat everything as not to be wasteful. Something Americans have the terrible habit of doing everyday!
Not only were we served an extravagant meal, but they also loaded up our vehicle with fruit and produce. They knew we would be heading to Mbale today, and wanted to make sure we had food. Food they needed for themselves! It just nearly brings me to tears thinking about it as I write this.
There literally was NO room for us in the van because of all the food. The other team had brought food as well. The Ugandans are so giving, even though they really don't have it to give. What a sweet blessing!

Royal Palace Ministries

We loaded the two teams back in the van and headed back to the Prime Hotel.
The others arrived from their churches and we loaded the vans with our luggage. We would head to pastor Ruth's church for the baptism. Scott was going to perform the baptisms for Emily and Sommer.
Scott was there all morning. He went by himself to the church and gave a message to the congregation. He then had lunch with the pastors while he waited for the rest of the team.

Getting ready to load up for Mbale

This is NO easy task. One Van specifically for luggage!

We are now loaded and ready to head to the church for a special service! Sommer and Emily would be baptized at Tororo Pentecostal Church, led by Pastor John. It's a large church, probably the largest in the area. Pastor John gave a message about Baptism, and songs of praise and worship were sang. Because water is not easily provided for this type of service, there were many Ugandans that were told during the Sunday service to come back if they felt led to be baptized. There were over twenty!

Praise, Worship and Baptism

The baptismal is a large pit in the floor of the stage area behind the pulpit.

Baptistery

Due to the depth of the baptistery and the amount of water we could find. The water level was only enough to have them sit and lay back. It was enough for total submersion. Scott and an associate pastor of the church would perform the baptisms. Scott barely made it back from lunch...surprise! "TIA" This is Africa! ;)

Emily prepares for her baptism

Sommer and Emily embrace with happiness!

Sommer is baptized

Over twenty Ugandans lined up for baptism! This woman is baptized and happy!

Emily, Scott and Sommer

It's no secret that today was a day to glorify the Most High God! As we load back in the vans and head to Mbale, we are all praising God and just taking in all that He has allowed us to experience so far. The trip is exceeding and abundantly full of Gods goodness, God's mercy and grace! We praise Your Name that we have a permanent abode and residence in You.
If you've not found this secret place and your heart is desiring to know and find it. Contact me so I can share with you how to find it! I'm praying for you right now <3

Strength in The Moment of Temptation

2011-08-07T18:44:00.000-07:00

Temptation. The word alone sounds tempting, doesn't it. Temptation. It's something we all face daily. No one on earth is above it. There is however, One that can help us to overcome it.

"The Father...shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever." John 14:16

Today we are headed to the Youth Center in Tororo to hold our Youth Rally. Funny thing about our American language used in East Africa. They don't always have the same definition. When you hold a rally in Uganda, in their translation it means a protest or uprising. So, today we have changed our schedule to include a Youth Conference. The theme for the conference is "Tough Times, Strong Savior".

We arrive slightly delayed, "TIA". The youth are all inside, singing and dancing upon our arrival.
The team heads in straight for the stage. There are about a hundred youth inside.

We all introduce ourselves, then toss out twelve beach balls and crank up the music. The kids are jumping and yelling, swatting balls around the room. The energy is going!

This would be a day of stretching and growth for some of our team members. When we share our testimony we are sometimes tempted to keep quiet. This would be true for many Christians. The enemy wants nothing more than to condemn us of our past and keep us from giving God glory for setting us free. Today, we are setting free the bondage of condemnation!

Keegan shared a message of going through tough times with a relationship he was in. He has found victory through this trial and his message was a blessing to many. The amazing thing about sharing a message or testimony is that it makes you real. It makes others see that they aren't the only ones going through difficult times.

We played games of Cookie Face, jump rope contests, and Fix the Banana. Cookie Face was a race to see who could get the cookie that is placed on their forehead moved down to their mouth, without using their hands, the fastest. It's not as easy as it looks!

Fix the Banana was a game that had a message to it. Two teams came up front and were instructed to wait for the go, then peel the banana and cut it into pieces. Go! And they're off! The teams were peeling and cutting the banana as fast as they could. Ok, now what?

Bryan then asked them to take the banana's and put them back together just as they were before they started. What? They looked at him very confused. "Go ahead, take the banana pieces and place them back in the peel and put it back together again." he said.

Blank stares and confusion were all he got. He looked at one of the girls and said, "you can't do it, can you?" and then he proceeded to eat a piece of the cut banana! The kids laughed hysterically. Then he said, "wow that banana is really good, you want some?" roars of laughter filled the room as he ate some of the other teams banana as they were trying desperately to put it back together.

Finally, he brought it home for them. Sometimes in life we do things that can cause everything to change, and things can't go back to the way they were. When we're tempted in life (and we will be) we need to really think about the consequences. When temptation is too great, we need to pray and ask Jesus to help us!

We had a message that followed this on purity by Andrea. Sexual temptation is a tough subject but one that needs to be proclaimed boldly! She did an amazing job! Then she followed it up with a poem.

Sharlyn and John did a skit on a young couple starting to date. Sharlyn and John have two married sons and grandchildren. They had the kids (I should say John had the kids) in stitches. It was really cute!

After the messages we invited the youth who felt led to come up front and pray a purity prayer in front of their friends and teachers. Anyone that came also got a small ring to wear. They all charged the stage! I pray that if even one had a pure thought of being obedient, that it was worth the rush!

I found out a couple days later that Andrea almost backed out of doing her message. She didn't feel like she would be an effective teacher. The enemy was again tempting her to disobedience! Thank you Jesus for overcoming this obstacle for her!

Abriana and Cassandra sang a song called "This Little Light of Mine".

We had testimonies shared by Julie, Kaleb, Sommer, Abriana and Bobby. Most of them were difficult to share. They were messages of tough times! Times of temptation, hardship, and sin. The types of messages that God loves to get the glory from! And He did!

Abriana shared how she was diagnosed at three years old with cancer. She was in the hospital having treatments. She remembered many visitors and her family close by and praying constantly for her. She said she remembered her grandmother being in the room with her praying. She said, "grandma do you feel it?" Her grandmother asked, "feel what?" "The rain" she said, "the rain". Her grandmother didn't feel any rain, but Abriana felt something on her like rain. The next day the doctors told her parents that they couldn't find any signs of cancer in her body! She was instantly healed and has been cancer free ever since! She graduated high school this year!

The team did a skit that we thought might be too much for the youth in East Africa. They might not understand fully what's going on. Sylvia and Christy held signs on both sides of the stage that gave brief descriptions of what was happening. By the end of the skit, the kids were screaming, yelling and praising God! Pastor Ruth was in tears. She said it was the most powerful skit she'd ever seen. She said, "these children know, these children know" and couldn't utter another word...I sat with tears in my eyes with her!

We dove right back in with fun and energetic songs! Had to bring it back up and so it was!! Let the fun begin. Had a jump rope contest and loud music...yes it was on!

We broke for lunch. It was time to learn to eat Ugandan style for some team members. Oh, its not easy and yes, it's messy!

After lunch the Ugandan youth ministered to our team. It's an great way to experience East Africa culture through dance, skits and testimonies. Can I tell you, "kids are kids no matter where you live". I will say they have us beat on the dance skills! These guys and girls can move!!

The girls below are actually in a competition for best national school dance team. I say we get this the to US and start an exercise video. Makes my shoulders ache just watching it! LOL

This team was from Royal Palace ministries. Watch these two guys! They know how to move!!

We ended the program with a salvation message by Scott. There were probably about twelve kids that came up on stage to accept Christ! He kept asking, "is there anyone else?" probably about three times he repeated this, until he was sure and then they all prayed together. This is why we do this. God calls us here to be vessels and tools to help others that they might know him. That they might see that temptation is everywhere, all over the world. That even so, Jesus can help them over come temptation and live a life that's pleasing and glorifying to him! Praise your name!!

We ended the day feeling God all over us! What a great day!
We got to the hotel early and were able to shower and get cleaned up before dinner! That was a treat!
Sommer was crying at the youth rally towards the end. I asked her what was wrong and she wouldn't tell me. When we got to the hotel she told me. She said when Scott as asking if there was anyone else that wanted to recieve Christ, she felt like she should go up. She didn't and was feeling guilty. She had always thought she was saved and a Christian until today, until she'd experienced all that God had allowed her to see up to this day. She asked me, "what should I do mom? Is it too late?" I grabbed her hands and she prayed for Jesus to come into to heart right then! Oh, it's never too late!!!

Lot's of highs tonight at dinner! Thank you God for this wonderful ministry of yours!!
Thank you God for a wonderful day!

A Message From Prison

2011-08-06T07:22:00.000-07:00

I received this message today from Christine Birt. Christine came to Uganda at the age of 49. She felt God calling her to prison ministry and has lived there ever since. I believe she said its been about 16 years now serving God!
As I mentioned, she ministers inside a men's prison in Mbale. She's seen God move in powerful ways. Just last week she sat with a man who was very ill. He didn't make it through the night, but was able to pray with him before he went to be with the Lord.

Sharlyn and I were able to meet with Christine on the last week of our trip. She brought items that the men had made for us to look at. The men make baskets, jewelry and other wares in an effort to help support themselves. They're quite good at it.

Below is the recent email I received from Christine. I hope you are blessed by it!

Dear Denise,

Praise God, at last I have managed to upload these pictures. It has taken about 6 hours. Internet is slow, twice it has cut off completely. The joys of the mission field.....

The pictures are of me handing over the beads to the OC Mbale Government prison for craft work, and to help the prisoners gain skills that will help to support themselves on release. I am taking carrots weekly for one prisoner whose eyes are needing these vitamins, and minerals. I took a large bottle of orange squash for one who has been in sick bay for months with a mental problem which manifests itself with loss of memory. I prayed for him on Wednesday. Another one in sick bay was ready to be saved - give God the Glory. Another received Jesus as his Saviour at the end of the Discipleship teaching on the same day.I have bought coloured manila papers, and silver papers, and clear varnish to help with the craft work. I usually buy some sugar and soap every time I go. I have had a request for a vacuum flask. Also I buy any medicine that is not available in the prison. Sometimes I pay for Xrays. The are still hungry for Bibles.

Thank you for praying for me. I feel that something oppressive has lifted off me, I found that I was laughing yesterday and realised that I had not laughed properly for many months.

My radio discipleship hour went exceptionally well this week. We could feel the anointing on us. So many people are listening, and many send messages of appreciation.

I have been given the money for an air ticket to go to the UK for October. Pray that my dual citizenship papers will be through before then, and that I will have my Ugandan passport, as well as the British one.

You are a blessing to us in Uganda.
Much love in Jesus,
Christine.

Craft Supplies

Christine handing supplies to the O.C. of the Prison

A Never-ending Home

2011-08-05T23:09:00.000-07:00

Today we have several different ministries going on. The men will hold their second men's conference, and the rest of the team will visit the karamojong orphans of Smile Africa Ministries.

I had some excitement today at the Prime hotel. It came in the form of electricity! My expectations were quickly shot to the ground as I plugged in my hair dryer only to find that it barely blew air. I have no idea what God is doing, well that's not true, I know exactly what he's doing. Did I have to like it, no.
I resigned myself to the fact that I just wasn't going to do my hair on this trip, and that was it. Yes, I know it sounds vain. It is.Plain and simple, and that's the condition of my hair the past few days..plain and simple.

Sommer was on the balcony and I could hear her talking. When I came out of the bathroom I saw her talking over the balcony with Bryan and Kermit who were down on the lower level driveway outside. They had asked how my hair dryer was since we now had electricity. Her response, "it isn't. It's not working for her". Bryan asked her to give him the dryer. She grabbed it and hung it down two stories, over the balcony for him to look at.
He told her he was coming up. Within just a few minutes he flipped some switches, exchanged some of my electrical adaptors and had the dryer working! Kermit grabbed the dryer and began drying my hair. It was hysterical. He is not a hair dresser, nor does he know how to use a dryer. My hair was flying in the front of my face, around the back and sideways! It actually was on super turbo mode! Almost too powerful. LOL It was a Kodak moment to be sure!
I was now able to do something with the mess that was called hair on my head for the past 4 days. I was to say the least, thankful to Bryan and to God for the favor shown me today.

We met in the dining area for breakfast, devotional and numbers this morning. Cassandra gave a great devotional. Our numbers were all still pretty high, nothing under a six today. Mine, I will say was a ten simply due to the fact that I had a working hair dryer.

For some this was the day they had looked forward to from the beginning of the trip. The day they would minister to the children of Smile Africa. A day to show those despised in their own culture that someone loved and cared about them.

The vans came to pick up the women and take them to Smile Africa. They would return to pick up the men.
All the men would head to the men's conference. The whole men's team including the youth would go. Those not speaking would come back to Smile Africa to minister to the kids. The exception would be John, as he was heading up a CPR class at Smile Africa.

As we head to Smile Africa, there's a lot of anticipation about which children would still be there from last year, and which might not. The karamojong orphans arrive each day on foot at 8:00am. The age range is one year, to eighteen years. The majority walk a minimum of three miles and carry siblings on their backs. Many are street children, some are cared for by relatives but those numbers are few, and some considered extremely high risk, now reside at Smile Africa.

Children carry siblings to get food each day

I'm reminded of this verse, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." Matthew 8:20

When Christ had his ministry on earth He had no home, but His home in heaven will last forever. These children suffer in many ways, the same way Christ did. They are despised among their own people. They, for the most part, have no place to lay their heads, no place to call home. This makes our ministry to them of even greater importance. Some how they MUST know that God has a special place for them, a place they can eagerly anticipate, and an assurance of a permanent never-ending home that lasts throughout eternity!

Sharlyn and John held a CPR course for the teachers that work at Smile Africa. John is a licensed EMT. They were so eager to learn a skill that would enhance their job skills and knowledge of how to take care of someone in distress. With over four hundred and twenty children at the compound each day, you can understand the importance of a class like this! They spent all day in training and were each given a certificate of completion. What a blessing!

CPR training

Jan and I took a tour with Pastor Ruth around the compound. God is blessing her efforts in supporting the children. There is a baby room, a girls room and boys room. These are children considered high risk and are allowed to stay at the compound over-night. Aside from the babies, the older kids go off to school and return at the end of the day.
Pastor Ruth's mother also resides on the compound. She is happy and healthy now!

Babies asleep in their cribs..yes these are cribs

Jan and I are asked if we could minister to a young woman who has come to see Pastor Ruth. Pastor Ruth ministers to the local women and widows of Tororo. This woman had a vision and wanted to discuss it. Pastor Ruth filled us in on her dilemma. Her baby had died. She had a vision while walking that God had told her he was going to resurrect her baby. She was convinced it was going to happen. Her baby died three years ago. We sat with her for over an hour. We shared scripture and Jan had great compassion with stories of having lost babies too. We can only hope that seeds of faith were planted, and that Truth would fill her mind.

Jan, Rachel the woman who lost her baby and Ruth

The men and youth arrived at the compound around lunch time. The team helped to serve the children. Rice and a banana was on the menu today. In fact, it's the menu everyday, minus the banana. Pastor Ruth works with a group called Feed my Starving Children. They provide a rice supplement. It's a rice type food with added nutrients. It's not the most appetizing food, but it's food provided by God. Pastor Ruth told me of a man that came to Smile Africa and as he watched the children be fed, he began to put down the food she was feeding the children. She was in tears. She said, "my brother, this food may not be suitable by your standards, but it's provided to all these children by God. If it weren't for Gods provision through this supplement program most of them would starve to death. To tell me you despise what God has provided, is not acceptable to me." It's no surprise I was in tears at the end of this story.
A great lesson to us. Don't condemn what God provides, it could be a matter of life or death to the recipient. It shed a new light on my view of what they were eating. A meal sent by the King.

Morning Porridge (rice milk)

After lunch, the kids were separated into groups. In one group they would hear a story called "The parable of the King", a story about being the son or daughter of the King. Another group would make crowns of paper, stickers and jewels. The third group would sing songs, and the fourth group would play a game of prince, prince, King. ( a revised version of duck duck goose).
You would say that the idea was grand! The execution, not so grand. The children had a hard time understanding the story, and once the rest of the group saw those beautiful crowns, it was over! LOL
Suddenly, all they wanted was a crown! And why not, they are after all sons and daughters of the King of Kings!
They LOVED the crowns. From the youngest to the oldest! So, each group re-grouped into crown making. It's quite overwhelming to have four hundred small children, and large children clamouring around you to make a crown. Some coming back as crowns disassemble and want them put back together again. If you've not had the experience of this type of "organized chaos" before, you could lose your cool quite easily.
We are not here to lose our cool. We take a deep breath and pray for Gods direction, wisdom and eagerly anticipate the end of the line of children waiting for crowns. LOL

Loving their crowns!

Pastor Ruth sits and admires all the sons & daughters of the King!

Sean had some soccer balls for the kids. All I can say is WOW! They love new balls. They love to play!

Soccer Time!

As our time grew shorter, we still had clothes to pass out to the children. Verda Reeves has a dear friend that donated over four hundred dresses and shirts to give to the children. They were so excited to get their new clothes. It looked like a sea of rainbow colors!

A rainbow of colors and new clothes!

The men's conference is going well, and just about over. In fact, David was one of the invited men. He came from Nairobi Kenya to attend. He had emailed me prior that he was going to deliver a gift to me. I was surprised to see that he had. He brought Kenyan Tea. We talked about his ministry in Kenya. We are praying where God will lead. He has invited us to visit his village!

David, myself and Sommer accepting the tea

Our last event on the agenda today was to visit the widows shop of Smile Africa.
This is where we can purchase hand made items from the widows. It can take quite a bit of time. There are so many things to look at!

decisions, decisions!

We finally start to head back to the hotel. Because we now had the entire group at Smile Africa it would take two trips. The men had all joined us from the conference.

It did take a while for everyone to arrive back at the hotel. The driver that dropped the first group off took a detour before picking up the rest of the group. LOL It was late and not too funny by the time they arrived.

We all headed to dinner and debriefing of the day. Bryan and Scott spoke about the men's conference. It was successful. About one hundred men attended. They listened to the messages and ended in question and answer sessions. The men have deep legitimate questions. Many are family related. They all received a copy of John Pipers book "God is the Gospel"
The video below are the men at conference eating without utensils (something common in Uganda). David from Kenya sits and fellowships with them.

Shari and John shared about the CPR class. They were still pretty excited about how enthusiastic the teachers were to learn and how appreciative they were to get their certificates.

As we shared our High/Low moments, it got pretty intense. Some of our team members had difficulty with what they experienced at Smile Africa. It's with good reason. These kids are in a sad state. Even though you see their smiles in the pictures, they live in pretty horrific conditions. Most of them, no all of them are filthy. Many of them have AIDS/HIV and take ARV's. Some can't get the medicine and don't make it. They get one meal a day, and as stated above, to our standards it's not acceptable. We have to remember though, that as Pastor Ruth said, God has provided for these children. We can't condemn what He's provided. We can however be called into action to add to the blessing. Now the children receive fruit once a week. With prayerful consideration we can do more. We just have to be obedient to what God asks of us. If he cares for the sparrow, the bird considered to be the lowest of all the birds, he cares for the karamojong more!
To God be the Glory!!

Heaven is a Permanent Home

2011-08-04T13:03:00.000-07:00

This morning we would leave Entebbe and head to Tororo. The drive is about four to five hours, depending on traffic, stops, etc.
We've had some great experiences while in Entebbe. The relationships that have already been built from past trips, and the new ones that we made always make it difficult to leave. You build a spiritual bond, and that bond is great.

Sommer and Alex pose with hats and purses. Alex was hysterical!

Michael and Sean at the men's conference

Some of the team being goofy in the gardens..what did they see? Heaven?

This bond makes leaving comparable to leaving a "home" and moving to another. Saphan, our director of prison ministries puts it this way, "when you go, you leave a big gap for us". The "gap" is felt in the heart by our team, those that we've all grown to love, and by experiencing the work of God together. When you come together for Gods mission, his purpose, and you all experience the intensity of God in relationship together, you can't help but love one another in a new way! The family of God.

This sparks another thought in my mind, to the scripture that says, "In my Father's house are many mansions...I go to prepare a place for you." John 14:2

When we travel in and throughout East Africa spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, he is always ahead of us preparing the hearts of those he has called to himself. It also makes me think of the quote by Bishop Ryle who said, "Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people, and they that enter shall find that they are neither unknown nor unexpected."

I don't know about you, but that really stirs my heart. Not just for me, but for those that we meet along the way, those hearts that are called by Jesus. He's already prepared a place for them, for us. We aren't even aware that when we accept Christ for the first time, we are not strangers to him and we're not unexpected! Our mansions have already been prepared. Those we minister to in East Africa, already have a room prepared in the Father's house. So, no matter where we are, which "home" we visit, He has already gone before us, he knows us intimately and has prepared a home. Amazing!

Pastor Steven from Royal Palace Ministries and George's brother arrive to pick us up. Again, we would need an extra vehicle for our luggage. We load up and head out.

It wasn't long before we would pull over. The van in front of us has a flat tire. It was heard said from someone inside the vehicle, "thank God it's only a flat and not someone shooting at us!" Can you imagine? You're driving along and hear a BANG! Your first thought is that someone has shot at you! Oh, Lord. Praising Him that it's only a flat tire.
The team inside begins to exit the vehicle and move to the side of the road. This would entail climbing down a ditch and back up to the road side farthest away from the vehicle.
While waiting, those of us in the van behind hear tires squealing and horn honking. A semi-truck nearly missed the vehicle in front of us! Another God stop! How many times had he protected us from things we hadn't even seen. Preparing a way for us, and us so unaware!

Yes, God is AWESOME!

see the black skid marks? A near fatal accident!

We praise God for his mercy and safety over a near horrific accident! John is way down the street in the photo above. He is standing where the semi first laid on his brakes trying to avoid hitting the vehicle in front of us. You can also see how close to our vehicle those marks are! WOW!

We all decide to exit both vehicles and go the far side of the road. You can see in the photo also that it's not a real busy road. By our American standards of traffic anyway.
Our thoughts are that it's going to take some time to fix this flat. It was about ten or fifteen minutes and we're ready to roll again. These guys know what they're doing and get the job done!

We pass the Nile river and are now nearing chicken on a stick! It's a must stop for our team each year.
I can say that for those that have never experienced it, it's frightening. For those of us that have, we sit back and watch the faces of those that haven't and remember our first experience. LOL
It's quite an experience! But the chicken is worth the scare. Yes, it is scary. Tons of Ugandans surround your vehicle with chicken, meats, vegetables on sticks. They open your window and thrust their goods inside, all begging you to buy their items. Our new word of the day, "Saagala". This means, I do not like it, or No. It was quite funny watching the faces of Ugandan people when we would use this phrase. They would smile and say, "mzungu's say Saagala".
I can say from experience that each year the vendors get a a bit more bold in their techniques. One vendor harassed Emily by asking her why she wouldn't share her chicken with him. Eventually, you have to just shut the window and doors and go!

chicken on a stick vendors, with water and meat sticks

now THIS is chicken on a stick!

The Nile River

On the road again.. We're now closing in our destination! Tororo Uganda.

We also stop along the road to see the baboons. They weren't out and about too much this year.

These baboons are pretty accustom to humans around them. The Ugandans walk the road they inhabit.

Wild baboons on the road

These guys are pretty big!

Tororo Rock!

Finally we see it! Tororo Rock! We're almost there. I can't speak for everyone, but I can speak for myself that when I see this rock I feel as if I'm almost home. Tororo is home to me in Uganda. But as I stated prior, anywhere we are in Christ, we're home!

colorful dresses of Ugandan women

We reach the hotel and get ourselves all checked in. This is no quick process! We have a team of nineteen people in this group. Some of our team members are still in Mbale. Oh my gosh! They're still in Mbale.
Good grief, I forgot our men! How embarrassing!
I get a call from Mary asking me if I had arranged a ride for Bryan and Kermit to Tororo. I told her no, that they would be coming for the men's conference. She reminded me that the men's conference was in the morning. Oh my! Mary had arranged for her driver in Mbale to bring Bryan and Kermit to the hotel. The upside (if you could find one) is that Mbale is only about forty-five minutes to an hour away. They would arrive in time for dinner!
Oh, how I would have loved to leave this part out of my blog! LOL

Bryan and Kermit...how could I forget these guys!! LOL

Dinner is set up for us in a private room. A buffet fit for a king! As I sit and watch the team, I can't help but get a lump in my throat. No, it's not because I forgot the guys, although it could have been!
Despite some differences, and there are differences. This team is comprised of people from Ohio, Iowa, California and Texas. All different upbringing, backgrounds, like and dislikes, but all here for one purpose, His purpose.
We debrief the trip to Tororo. For most the lows are overall about the long drive, except for Kermit who said his low was because I forgot them, LOL, the highs are for what awaits the team in the coming days, as we set up "home" here in Tororo.
No matter where we live, where we "come" from, if we are in Christ our roots are the same! Heaven is a permanent home!
To end the night, some of the team set up camp in one of the rooms and begin the start of "Mafia" (a card game).

Tomorrow... another men's conference and a visit to Smile Africa!!

Ye shall be Free indeed

2011-08-02T21:48:00.000-07:00

"If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." John 8:36

Today we would yet again visit prisoners. As we make our way through the morning routine of breakfast and our daily number, one can't help but imagine what the number would be of those locked in Ugandan prisons. It also gives us pause to think about how one can have freedom and still be a prisoner of sin, while those in prison who know Christ can be more free than his jailers. Glory to God!
Today, would probably be one of the most spiritual days that we would witness so far. Not only in the earthly realm, but the spiritual as well. Be sure to note "so far", we are by no means at a stand still in spiritual days.

We all loaded in our taxi's and headed out to the prison. It was quite a long journey. The prison was much smaller in comparison to that of Luzira. It was also a mixed prison. Men and women resided here. While I had somewhat anticipated speaking again to another group of women, I hadn't anticipated that men would be included.
Would the message I gave previously in Luzira be effective with a mixed group? It would have to be. God inspired that message, and I felt pretty good about giving it again. There would also be an invitation/salvation message given. Aaron was asked if he felt comfortable giving this, and while he wasn't prepared, he was willing to do whatever God would have him do.

Saphan letting Aaron know that he would give a salvation message.

We asked if we could take photos inside the prison, and as expected we were turned down. There is a real fear that photos taken inside prisons, or slums, and anywhere you would see injustice or poverty in extreme degree's would be used or exploited for the gain of those taking them. It's obviously been done in the past.
While our intent is not to exploit, we still must abide by the rules.

The huts you see below are where the prison guards and their families live. We were told that more than one family can live inside each hut. You can imagine if these are the guards quarters, what the prisoners live like.

Living quarters of Prison Guards

We entered inside the prison and were escorted into a small area. There was a table and 4 chairs on a lifted area and chairs that lined the sides of the room. I'm not comfortable sitting up front, and yet as director I know this is where I go. Never gets easy!
Saphan and Aaron sat up front with me and the rest of the team lined the walls. The women were brought in and sat up near the front. There were six women, two were visibly pregnant. One was who we came to minister to specifically, and would visit her family afterwards.
The story is she had been near the scene of a crime. When they had gone hut to hut looking for the suspects she made a comment that she hoped they would find who ever committed the crime. That night they stormed her house and took her from her mother and children and charged her with the crime. She had twins, another child and was pregnant. Her family had no means of getting her counsel or paying to have her released. She's been in prison ever since.
The men were escorted in, probably about seventy of them. Their physical conditions were not good. Many of them were very thin, clothes torn and not in good health. There was a marked difference in how these prisoners looked, compared to those at Luzira.
I gave a message to the prisoners, very similar to the one I gave in Luzira. I was a little more comfortable this time around, even having men in the group. I'm not sure why, but God really pressed on me to share that even though they are in prison, God is still with them. He still shows favor on those who believe and can use their captivity for good, just as He did with Joseph. I went on to tell them that Joseph became second in command of Egypt when he was finally released. While they may never become second in command of their nation, they have something much greater! Many of them feel like they are looked upon as garbage, but those that know Christ are so much more...they are sons and daughters of the King and there is NO higher calling anywhere, even inside a prison.
Aaron was next and gave a wonderful message of salvation. He is such a powerful and yet gentle speaker. Once the messages were over, the prisoners were asked if they would like to receive Christ and if so, would they stand. Twelve men and women stood! They made professions of faith right then. One of the women in front accepted Christ, she was pregnant. God, please touch her life!
A sheet was passed around and the prisoners were asked to put their names on so that follow up discipleship could be done. There were sixteen names on the list, seven of them were Muslim. While we didn't see them all stand, we know that hearts were changed, and professions were made. Glory to God!!

We handed out some baby clothes to the pregnant women. They were so excited. We had extra new Testaments to give to the prisoners, but they would be delivered another day.

As we exited the area a prison guard approached me. She asked me to pray for her grandson who was struggling with illnesses. We prayed together. My eyes closed, hers open for obvious reasons. But what a wonderful moment!

We loaded back in the van and then headed to home of the woman I first spoke about.
First off we would stop and pick up Saphan and Alex's daughter Hannah. Then we would stop and purchase corn meal, beans and rice to take to the grandmother. The team jumped out at the market and while they were out someone bought a bag of chipatti, wonderful, yummy chipatti!

Alex and Hannah

We started back off on a regular road, then split off onto an off road, and ended up so far back in the jungle that the van was actually on a path made for motorbikes or foot. The villagers had actually taken machete's and cleared much of the brush so we could reach the home we were searching for.

deep in the jungle....

We found the home and "jaja" (grandma) was so happy to see us. We were able to give her food for the family, toys and clothes for the children. Some of them had probably never seen a "mzungu" (white person) before and so they hid off under a hut. When they were approached with gifts, they bowed down to accept them. This is a very humbling experience... no one should bow to anyone but God!

We spent quite awhile with the family. The grandmother was so overwhelmed by our visit that she knelt down on the ground and gave her testimony. She told us that her life has been in turmoil since her daughters imprisonment. That she felt like waves were tossing her to and fro and that she felt lost. But, today she knows that only God has shown favor on her. It could only be God, that would bring Americans this far and so deep into the jungle to witness to her. She asked for God to forgive her sins and to come into her life at that moment! It was incredible!

I am feeling so blessed on this trip and so grateful for the team that God has chosen to be here!

We actually had another family that we were to visit. Saphan had come to me and said, "my sister, it's getting late and we shall just pass by the next family, is that ok?" Well, it was late and we had been driving for so long, that I felt it was ok to pass by this family. Maybe could visit another day. So, we passed out the rest of the items we had to this family and loaded back inside the vans. It was at that moment that Saphan told me it would only be a short distance to the next family. Uh, what? I thought we were passing by it. Well, little did I know that "passing by" meant we were going to stop there. We now had no gifts to bring, we just passed them all out. A great example of language barriers and communication problems.

We ended up not stopping at the next house. Those people were waiting for us.. praying that God would comfort them.

The video below is our trip out of the jungle. You can see spirits are high!

Our next stop was to Abby's house. She is the older sister of Alex, and helps out with the prison ministry. We stopped for a "by the way" at her house (a snack and refreshment). Her home was very nice and she treated the team to a wonderful, refreshing, "by the way". Lot's of fresh fruit, and roasted corn, and the coveted bottle of soda.

refreshments at Abby's

In Uganda it's expected to have certain formalities at gatherings. Usually the host or hostess gives a testimony and the guests give a blessing to the home. Abby gave her testimony and told us when she became a believer, and welcomed us to her home. Her husband was also present and greeted us as well. He however is not "yet" a believer, but supports his wife in her efforts.

The team started noticing little faces near the gates. Children wanting to see the "mzungu's". Sean and some others went outside the gates and began passing out candy to the kids. Needless to say, there was soon a great gathering of children outside the gates!

children outside Abby's gate

We had a long day! After our refreshments we loaded back in the vans and headed back to the hotel. Tomorrow we would have a day of travel to Tororo, so that meant packing tonight!

Sommer had asked about riding a boda (motorbike) from about the first day we arrived. Saphan kept insisting each day that I allow her to experience this. My answer was always, NO. The boda drivers are crazy! They drive so close to other vehicles that they are nearly hit all the time.

Tonight, Saphan told me, "I must let her ride." He would take full responsibility for her, and to let it be a surprise. So, as we neared the hotel there was a road that would be "safe" for her to ride on. I don't know why I said yes..but I did.

We stopped the van. Saphan went to her van and told her that she was going to ride the boda. She was shocked, surprised, and a little scared. She asked if Bobby could ride with her, and Saphan said, "yes". Pretty soon, almost every person was out of the vehicle and on a boda! They would all ride doubles up the hill to the hotel. It was priceless to see all their faces. It had been an emotional day for everyone, and this was sure to bring their "highs" up at dinner!

Scott & Emily... Kaleb and Sean on bodas!

Summer and Bobby on a boda!

Yes, I can say that Sommer's best day was today..she told me so. LOL

We can also say that for some special people today, "jaja" and the prisoners, that their freedom in Christ was to be celebrated as well!

As expected there were no lows tonight at dinner, and for most the highs were celebrating the freedom found in Christ today and a special boda ride!

Thank you, Jesus for allowing us to experience your freedom!

In the Garden with God

2011-08-02T08:16:00.000-07:00

Today we would head out the botanical gardens to hold our men's and women's conferences.

It's another day without electricity, and I'm about to lose it. My hair is a mess and no way to fix it. God is humbling me. I woke up at 4:30 and started thinking about the day ahead.

I sat in the dark, and got everything ready for the day, including giving Kermit the money he would need as he and Bryan headed to Mbale today. Kermit and Bryan were going ahead to Kings Primary School to start the electrical work. Something you should know about the dark in East Africa, it's DARK. There is no getting your eyes accustomed to it, you can't see your hands in front of your face. I used my cellphone to give some light in the dark!

We all met for breakfast. Each person, as was typical, gave their number of how they were feeling for the day. One being the low and ten the high. Most everyone in the group was a seven or higher. Christy and Sylvia were fives. Christy had to call her husband for prayer because of the rash on her feet. It wasn't getting better and she was really beginning to worry. It looked like red spots to begin with and now they were meshing together like a bruise. Sylvia was initially a higher number and then at the thought of missing Jerika & Noah dropped. We're all missing family at this point, and it's hard.

As is typical in Africa, our drivers were late. The team dubbed an initial for all the things that happened in Africa. "TIA" this is Africa. It did work out though, as we were able to be there when Mary & Alwyn arrived to pick up Kermit & Bryan. So happy to see them. They brought a couple of ladies from the UK with them. Mary and Alwyn are the founders of Ezra, and original owners of Kings Primary School.

The roads to the botanical gardens were crazy! But not as crazy as our ride to the hotel yesterday. When we arrived at the botanical gardens we were met by a large group of monkeys. Everyone was so excited. The drivers stopped, the team got out and took photos.

Monkeys at the botanical gardens

The team can't resist taking pictures of the monkeys.

Saphan, our director of the conferences that day came down from the hills near us and told me, "these monkeys have done a very bad thing", there are people waiting for you at the conference and the monkeys have delayed us." Whoops! So, we loaded back in the taxi's and headed to the awaiting visitors.

When we arrived there were 6 men, and 12 women. I could tell Saphan was nervous of the low attendance.

Mid-way though the women's conference

As we began, the men and women trickled in. Most of them were arriving on foot, from near and distance villages. We shared messages, testimonies, scripture and songs. The theme for the women's conference was 3V, Proverbs 31 women, Virtue, Value and Victory. I shared my personal testimony before the women. My talk was on the proverbs 31 wife and mother, and also victory over strongholds and emotional bondage. AS if it wasn't difficult enough, I shared my testimony with my daughter Sommer present. She was visibly upset. All I could do was apologize for what she would be hearing. I believe God used that testimony to help her understand what I had been through, and also gave her knowledge of how powerful and mighty God is to pull me from the pit I was living in!

Many of the women in East Africa are very aware of oppression. They're still living with the idea that men are rulers over them and their households. Many of the men beat their wives, and also have multiple wives. The message we were sharing with these women hit home for many of them. The men in the men's conferences would also share a message on these same subjects, just as it applies to them. Most of the questions were on family issues. What the wife/husband are responsible for within the family and how God directs their actions and behaviors.

Some of the questions that the men ask are, "my wife isn't listening to me, is it ok to beat her"? These are serious questions to be dealt with in a Godly perspective.
For the women, they want to be loved and cherished. It's not common for the African husband and wife to show public displays of affection, at all. No hugging, no hand holding, nothing. The only time there is intimacy at all is in the bedroom, and that isn't what women would call intimacy by any means.

The men's conference at the gardens

Another emotional testimony came from Emily. Her testimony was about receiving Christ on our last trip. She had told me last year that she never cried, nothing ever moved her to tears. I watched her during that trip, and she was right. Something had blocked her emotions to all she was experiencing. Today, however, during her testimony the tears fell like rain. Christ had cracked the barrier around her heart and allowed her to feel and show emotions that had been locked up for so long. Praise you Jesus! I don't think there was a dry eye in the group!

Andrea shares with the women

After the lunch both teams of men & women came together and Scott closed the conference. Scott is our minister of evangelism for Heart of God International. He's a gifted speaker with great passion for the people of Africa and God.

Lunch: Beef, Greens, Rice, pineapple & bananas

Total turn out was over 100 men and women by the close of the day.

The men received ties and new testament's, and women received tote bags, jewelry and new testament's.

women received a tote and New Testament

The team was able to wander the gardens and get to do some bonding. I'm glad this trip had more exciting and fun things for them to experience. They headed down towards the monkeys, to giant ant hills and to a wall of huge spiders...eek! And I am talking HUGE!

standing in front of an ant hill..and the ants were BIG!

this was probably one of the smaller spiders!

Watching their faces and hearing them chatter over the beauty of the country, and the love of the African people really stirs my heart.

Before the conference ended Sean asked if the men & women would pray in unity over Christy's feet. It brought her and others to tears. The fervent prayers were lifted up simultaneously, over 100 voices praying to God aloud.
They then did the same for the entire team. There is nothing that I've ever experienced in America that compares to this kind of worship style. It may be out there, I've just never seen it.

Laying of hands on Christy and group prayer for her

We left the conference at 5:30pm and headed back to the hotel sticky, hot and full of the Lord! When we arrived, No electricity or hot water. "TIA" this is Africa, and welcome to Uganda! :)

We went up for dinner and did our high/low. Again, most everyone still on a high.
And then.... Scott & Sommer decided through dinner to dare each other to eat the fish eyes out of their meal. It was disgusting! Dangling, squishy, dripping eyes with veins hanging on forks. After about 10 mins of contemplating and badgering each other they ate them. Gagging, spitting and choking. Sommer spit hers out. Although it was funny, Jan was not amused and became physically ill. How on earth did we go from a beautiful garden setting and worshiping God, to eating fish eyes??

Suddenly, the generator stopped and I was aware that we had electricity! I excused myself to go and take advantage of drying my hair before the opportunity for hair ministry had gone! It was a great day in the garden with God and I was excited at the thought of electricity ending a perfect day.

"The LORD will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the LORD. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing." Isaiah 51:3

I Am the Light of the World

2011-08-01T16:46:00.000-07:00

Left for LAX at 6:00pm Friday July 1, 2011 on our way to share Gods word with the people of East Africa.

Met with the group at Magnolia Avenue Baptist Church parking lot at 5:30 pm.
Naomi & Gary Lawrence came with their truck to help carry all the luggage, and wow was there ever a lot of luggage!

we weighed luggage in the parking lot to be sure we were all under the weight limit!

Gary and Noami bring their truck for luggage, wow did we need it!

Christy says goodbye to her daughter

It was a mere 103 degrees outside. Way too hot! We were all dripping wet before we ever left for the airport!
Everyone said their goodbyes to family and friends. A bitter-sweet moment. We all held hands, and prayed for Gods blessing on the trip. Twenty people in all. God, we are the light of world, we ask that you're light shine brightly and brilliantly through this mission and ministry!

Traffic for Friday night going to LA was the best anyone could have imagined. Not one time did we have to stop. Got to the airport in an hour. Brilliant! Had some struggles with the check-in process. Due to our "group" ticketing, no one was able to check in, a desk worker sent us all to the end of the counter to check-in as a group. We by-passed a very long line. What a blessing to us!

Happy, together and checking in, Sommer looks over at me and says,'"mom, you know we're missing someone, right?". As I searched the faces, I noticed it was Julie.
Looking frantically around I saw her standing in a long line of people by herself. I waved her over to us and asked, "what happened?" She was told by an attendant to wait in the line. What a disaster that could have been!
This would be our only set back for checking in. With as many of us as there was.. it was all good!

The group were all getting hungry, and began looking around for the last American meal. I believe it was McDonald's that was chosen. Ugh.. of all things LOL.

Around 10pm our time I got a call from Scott telling me Keegan was having an allergic reaction to his malaria medication. He was feeling sick, had a rash and feeling lethargic. Scott and Keegan had traveled from Odessa, Texas and were now in D.C. waiting for the rest of the team to arrive the next morning. After our conversation, and looking online for malaria medication reactions, I told Scott to have him quit taking the medication. Then I spoke to Keegan, and from his demeanor thought he was ready to go home. He was concerned about his parents wishes, and at this point he said that they felt it was best if he came home. I wanted to know what he wanted to do. Although he wouldn't come out and say it, It seemed that he wanted to abide by their wishes.
It was apparent to me at this point, that he was probably going to turn around and go home.

I called Jan waking her up in the middle of the night to see what she could do, since she was in the same hotel. She said she'd go down and see what was going on. A phone call shortly after confirmed that he was having a reaction, he was sick, but that he was going to stick it out and wait until morning to see how he felt.
Praying for Keegan!

The following scripture immediately came to mind... Keegan wasn't fighting against medication, it was something much stronger! We would see more evidence of this kind of attack throughout the team members as the days (even hours) moved forward!

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Eph. 6:12

Boarded the flight for DC around midnight, and slept most of the way there.

We landed at Dulles (DC) airport, which strangely is actually in Virginia. Got on the train to gate B. No one was around in the terminals to see where to check-in. In fact it was pretty deserted...so we got back on the train to go to the main terminal to check-in. The information clerk stopped us and told me not to go through check-in, to go straight to the gate and they'll issue our tickets there. So, back on the train we went, to our original destination. This was just a tour of the airport! After all, how many of us had been in this airport before?
The desk attendants arrived about 3 hours early and we began our check-in process. The clerk said he only needed one person with all the passports at the desk. That person was me. Sylvia stayed by to make sure she got her assigned seats. We had all called days prior to get re-assigned seating. Doing this actually added to the problem. There was some confusion over our group itinerary. The clerk began raising his voice on the phone and pointing to the screen in front of him, speaking in a foreign language, suddenly he looked up and quietly apologized. He told me he would upgrade two of the seats to business class. Sommer and I were upgraded. I felt like I had just stolen something and gotten away with it, yet it was given freely.

The rest of the group showed up about twenty minutes later, and were checked-in. We all met our new team members by having our lanyards given to the wrong person. We would have to look for whom ever might have ours and introduce ourselves. Then we all sat and waited to board. Keegan was still not feeling well, but he was there. He really didn't look well, but I'm glad he chose to work it through.

Boarding started at 11:00 am.. Sommer and I got in the " cloud nine" line and walked into the first class section. We stepped on board and were whisked behind the curtain to the left, while the rest of the team was escorted to the right. We couldn't stop laughing and felt a bit guilty for having such royal treatment. The flight attendant said, "mad'am Sommer this is your seat, and mad'am Denise this is yours". Wow, that was weird! God has definitely shown great favor on the trip so far. We thanked him for that.
The flight is 13 hours, and even in our comfortable seats it's a hard flight. Sommer kept asking if we should go and check on the others. I was worried that if we went outside the curtain, they might not let us back in! I hope the others are ok.

When we landed in Addis Ababa the struggle against sickness spread throughout the team. Cassandra was very ill. We weren't sure if she was having a reaction to the malaria medication as well, or if it was motion sickness. All we knew was that she was miserable! Just not the way to start a mission ministry.

As we boarded in Addis Ababa, Keegan was feeling better and Cassandra was much worse. She couldn't get any relief. The only good thing was that the flight to Entebbe was under 2 hours. Most likely the longest 2 hours of her life!

After 15 hours of flight time..we reach Entebbe!

Did it end there? Nope. Christy comes off the airplane and says, "look at my feet". From her toes to her mid-calf she had a serious rash. Not only was there a rash, but it was swelling as well. There was nothing we could do at that point but get through customs and then figure out a plan.
We start finding our luggage. All 63+ suitcases! Surprisingly we only had one missing case!

we needed a separate vehicle just to carry our luggage!

Cassandra is sick, Christy is dealing with her rash and swelling that's now getting worse, and we're looking for Aaron's one lost case. We spent a good hour or more at the airport running back and forth trying to get the information the clerk needed to find Aarons suitcase. By this time, I'm a wreck, the team is tired and we're ready to get some much needed rest!

waiting to go to the Hotel and rest!

We finally get all things sorted, and situated and head to Lubowa Gardens. We can all agree that God has something spectacular he's going to show us, and do through us. Why else would we have so much distraction? We'd been hit head-on from the moment we left for the airport. We would find out that the Iowa team had trouble too! Actually, it started for most of us, the day we said, "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." John 9:5 Lord use us! This would be the first day of our lights shining..and they would burn brighter and more passionate as the days would unfold before us!
Thank you, Jesus for allowing us to hold a light, your light! Though it may seem but a twinkling at times in a world of darkness, it's still our responsibility to let it shine even through some dark times. Light dispels darkness..may our light during this trip attract people in darkness to it!
We would start the trip with shining a light and end the trip reflecting on it... Praise God!

The King Entered Before Us

2011-08-01T14:55:00.000-07:00

Luzira Women's Prison - Part II

As we entered the prison I noticed that a group of women guards were in formation next to the gates. They were maneuvering their rifles and stances as we entered. I stopped to watch and was told, "keep moving". I wondered what was going on, but not being allowed to stop, and with the thought of ministering to the women on my mind, the thought quickly vanished.

Once we finished ministry inside the main hall of the prison, we all had to exit the facility. I'm not exactly sure why, but they escorted us out only to re-enter into our specific groups. The group of women guards at the gate was no longer in site.

We went upstairs and waited as they gathered specific women into groups. It was hot, and it was muggy. The team gathered and talked about the groups they would minister to. Some asked to change groups as they were in the same groups last year and wanted to experience something different.
We had 4 groups of women to minister to:

Mothers with children
Students
HIV/AIDS
Special needs

Each team entered the designated area for the groups. Some were brought upstairs into the rooms and others were still behind the gates and barbed wire.
Even though we all went in separate groups, the initial orientation was basically the same. We introduced ourselves and then began ministering to the women. Part of the ministry was to ask for special needs, or prayer requests and share scripture that would encourage, uplift and draw them to Jesus.

Once we gathered together we found that most of the requests were the same within each group. They asked for more food, bedding, and personal hygiene products.
Many of the women in each group expressed an emotional plea to find their family and specifically their children. Many were taken in the middle of the night, or at the scene of the crime. They have no way of communicating to children or family left behind, or to tell those family members that had no idea they were arrested where they were.

We took names and addresses down and told them that we would do what we could to track down their family and children. The women would come to us and kneel down before us pleading for information and help. Some have been behind bars for years with no idea what's happened to their children. They asked for specific prayer, and we would lay hands on them and pray. We were able to pass out baby clothes to women present with infants. As always God knew just what we would need!
It was also interesting to know that as we shared scripture with them and prayed with them, that the prison guards also asked us for specific prayer for their families.

Once we completed our ministry in our groups we gathered back outside the gates. Each group began to emerge one by one. As the group with the HIV/AIDS women came out, they were extremely distressed. A couple of the team members were visibly upset. Emily, who is in school and wanting to start a career in the medical field was so moved by the women. She felt like she should have been able to help them now. She was overwhelmed with emotion.
The group that was with the special needs women were excited and overwhelmed at once. There were 3 women in their group that accepted Christ as LORD during their visit.
We can only know that God allowed each person in each group to experience Him in amazing ways.
It's still amazing to me that we could meet with a group of women in the hall and experience Gods presence as if we were not in a prison at all, and then move to individual groups and feel His presence even more.

God has his perfect time for all good things! As we waited outside, the mattresses arrived for the women. Twenty-five mattresses were purchased for the extremely ill and mothers with infants/newborns. These women don't get to sleep on mattresses, they sleep on the ground. This was an answer to prayer for those that truly needed something more.
Chalkboards were made for the students in the prison. Unfortunately, they would not arrive this day.

Mattresses and box of Thermos's outside the Prison

Mattresses going inside the prison

It's extremely emotional to minister to those in prison. There is a burden to find true justice for those that have been falsely accused, who are taken from families in the middle of the night and never knowing the fate of their families. We are strengthened and encouraged by God each step of the way.

In the evening as we gathered around the dinner table and shared our experiences within the groups we had another unexpected detail of our ministry work in the prison.

As I stated in the beginning, there was a group of women guards in formation at the entrance of the gates as we entered. This formation is known as a "guard mount". It's only done for 3 people.

The President of Uganda
The Minister of Internal Affairs
The Prison General

There were no officials on site while we were ministering in the prison that day. No fancy government cars, no attention drawn to any special officials present.
So, why then did they perform a military procedure as we entered? We will never really know for sure, we can only assume that it was because the King of Kings entered the prison that day before us!

"I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' Matthew 25:36

"The LORD extended kindness and favor..." Gen. 39:21

2011-07-28T08:27:00.000-07:00

Day two - Luzira Women's Prison Ministry (part one)

It didn't take long before our team hit the ground running.
Our day would always begin with a group devotion by a team member, breakfast, our daily number and prayer. Today would be no exception.
Our daily number was based on 1-10. One being the lowest you could feel, and ten being the best you could feel. This allowed our team to get a feel for how each person was handling the day, and would also allow for us to encourage and edify those that were on the low scale.
We had a few that were on the scale of five today. Some entered the country not feeling well, others were already dealing with culture shock/stress.

For some, this ministry was a bit frightful. Luzira women's prison is the largest women's prison facility in Uganda. Most of the women brought here are convicted of higher crimes, such as murder. While that sounds horrifying, the sad fact is that many are only accused and most (not all) were in self`defense.

The schedule for the day included breaking into groups and ministering to specific women inside Luzira prison. The groups included women with babies, the elderly and sick, the students, and special needs group.
What wasn't expected was the large group session where the entire team would meet with the women of the prison as a whole, and the leader would give them a message of encouragement. This was definitely not something I had planned for. Oh, but don't you just know that God did!
Jan, our President of Heart of God International and resident women's ministry leader, was asked if she was prepared to give a message to the women. Although she hadn't expected this either, she was ready with a word from God; or so I thought.
As the time grew nearer to depart to the prison, Jan approached me and said, "the Bible says to be ready in season and out of season. I'm not feeling well enough to go, so you my dear need to be ready to give a message".
My heart sank and fear swept over me. "I'm not ready"!

Scott, Saphan and I began to joke around that I had better be ready. Oh good Lord, can it be? What about Sharlyn, surely she would be ready. She's a teacher after all. The simple fact became very clear. I was the director and leader of this group, and it was my position and place to give this message. I was a nervous wreck! I was pacing and convincing myself and anyone who would listen, that I was just not ready.
The crazy part is that in reality, I was ready. God had already prepared me for this in advance. I had had in mind a few scriptures from before our trip. My small bible study group had been studying the patriarchs and Joseph immediately came to mind.
Many of these women, like Joseph, were in prison falsely accused. Even though Joseph was imprisoned God was still with him and extended favor and kindness to him. What could be more encouraging than those words from Genesis 39:21!

When we arrived at the prison we were all escorted upstairs to the OC's office. Her name is Stella. Stella went over the official protocol of our visit, and welcomed us to the prison.
It was my hope that she would allow me to go inside the prison walls and see where the women slept. The team had provided mattresses for some of the inmates. The women don't typically get a mattress, they sleep on the hard ground. Many don't have blankets either.
I spoke with Stella privately and asked her what could be done so that I could see their living conditions. Unfortunately, there was nothing that could be done. She did however agree that I could take photos outside the prison gates to share with those that God had used to provide the mattresses.

Luzira Women's Prison Entrance

Soon we were escorted inside the prison gates to a room full of women waiting with anticipation for a word from God.
The women were singing and praising God before we even entered the room. You wouldn't know that you were in a prison save for the fact that you entered through a prison gate. The praise and worship leader, a woman named Susan was so full of the Holy Spirit that you couldn't help but smile and rejoice with her. She had a zeal for God like no one I'd ever seen. Actually, you see that a lot in Uganda. A true spirit of praise and worship unlike anything you'd see in America. At least on my part. But for her, the zeal and spirit she had would soon have me in tears.

The team was introduced and a word was spoken by Stella, Saphan and some of the other prison officials. My hands were beginning to sweat as I waited for my turn to give the women a message. As always, it felt as though I would die having to get up in front of 300+ women, but alas, I survived. God has an uncanny knack of doing that. The message was clear. God sometimes places women (and men) in prison to fulfill his purpose. The same God that allowed Joseph to be placed in prison, was the same God that also placed some of these women in prison as His messengers. God is not a punisher, but a giver of life and freedom. Freedom that isn't always accepted, even outside of prison walls. God was with Joseph in prison and granted him kindness and favor. The God of Joseph is the same God for these women today.

The women of the praise and worship team began singing again. It was at that point that Saphan leaned over to me and informed me that Susan, this woman of high spirit and zeal for God was sentenced to be hanged in November. How could it be? How could this woman who was singing with such enthusiasm and praise to her almighty God be sentenced to die in a few months? It didn't make sense. She should be sad, fearful and terrified, shouldn't she? The answer is No.
She was believing God, her God of kindness and favor to grant her freedom from her sentence. Either way God decided to do it, she was a winner. If it was to be that her sentence was carried out, she would be in the presence of her maker and LORD, and if He was to grant her release from prison then she could spread the good news of God to those around her. A blessing in her life either way.
God was with Susan, and it was evident! We go into these mission ministries with the thought and idea that we will somehow transform the lives of others and ultimately God has a way of changing ours.
Thank you, Jesus for your kindness and favor to all who will seek you, find you and listen!

Stella and Evelyn - Prison Officers

coming next, part two... ministering the groups of women behind bars!

"Slowly By Slowly" Day three in Uganda

2010-07-24T17:12:00.000-07:00

Before I begin to dive-in to the events that unfold in day three of our trip, I wanted to describe a very special woman. Her name is Ruth Kahawa. She is the founder of Smile Africa ministries and is a woman after Gods own heart. I am in the beginning of a Bible study in which we are learning about the life of David, a man after Gods own heart. I had intended to do my blog first, but felt compelled to do my study first. Obedience to Gods call on my part, left me with an unmistakable knowledge that my impression of Ruth is indeed noteworthy.
To give you insight of where we are in this study, we have just seen God remove the Holy Spirit from Saul and ask Samuel to go and anoint the chosen one. David.
I pray as I write this, you will understand where my thought process is. I know that those who know Ruth personally will understand completely..here goes!
"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you" Acts 1:8, David has just been anointed with oil and the Spirit is upon him. I believe the Spirit is upon Ruth Kahawa. I'm going to quote the book and then give my account.
"Second Chronicles 16:9 says, "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him." (NKJV)
That day so many years ago, the eyes of the Lord looked throughout the whole earth and fell upon an obscure little village called Bethlehem. There He found a heart-one like unto His own. He found a heart tendered to the little lost sheep, and He showed himself strong on behalf of that heart, just like he promised." -Beth Moore's a Heart Like His Bible study.
There is so much evidence in this scripture that God still seeks the whole earth looking for a heart like His. He found it in Pastor Ruth. She, like David has a heart tendered to the little lost sheep. With her obedient heart, God proves himself strong on her behalf time and time again in the lives of what some would call "the most despised tribe in Africa", the Karamojong children of Smile Africa. These children have Hope because of Jesus Christ, that lives in the heart of Ruth. It brings me to tears even thinking about it. Her unselfish love and determination to tender these little lost sheep makes me honored to know her. Her love for the children is evident every time you turn around. The government also knows her heart, and they appreciate, admire and stand behind her. Anytime a child is hurt, abandoned or abused, it's Ruth that they call to help. She may not be a King, but she is most definitely a Princess in the Kingdom of God and a Daughter of the Most High!
Thank You, Jesus for pastor Ruth!

Basil and Ruth Kahawa

Our day begins with the sound of the "cockcrow", or rooster as we in America call them. It also was to begin with a nice cup of coffee. One out of two isn't bad! In this case it was. The electrical outlets in our rooms are to be used only with a converter, which I brought. For some reason this year, they didn't work the same as last year. I plugged in the coffee maker, placed my cup on the hotplate and within minutes, started to smell burnt plastic! "Well, I can fix that" I thought. I held the cup up off the hotplate and waited...and waited. It dribbled, and it spouted and made all kinds of strange noises. No real coffee, only lightly tinted water. I had Sylvia look at it, yep, only lightly tinted water. It never worked again. In fact it wouldn't even turn off. My coffee mornings had come to an abrupt end. Two weeks of caffeine fasting had begun, or so I thought.

watching my coffee come to an end

We headed down to breakfast around 8:00am. We were able to sit outside under the large tents. This was such a blessing. It allowed us time to fellowship together and have some privacy to discuss our daily events that unfolded. We discussed the days agenda and how we would proceed. The women and nurses would head to Smile Africa. We would bring medical supplies for the nurses. Our women and teens on the team would bring candy, baby items which included blankets and infants clothing, gymboree bubbles and some craft materials for the kids. The best gift we could bring them didn't come in a suitcase or container. It was free and in complete abundance. It was love, compassion and Jesus Christ. The men would head over to the conference Hall at 9:00 am to begin the men's conference. We had our daily devotion by our team member, and closed in prayer for the day. Each day of our trip one of the team members would have the opportunity to share a short devotional, and start our day in prayer. Pastor Ruth had arrived at the hotel about 9:00 am and let us know that the men had not yet started to arrive at the hall and that they would wait a few minutes before going over. The men loaded up and headed to the conference around 10:00am. This would be a common denominator for the trip. Plan on arriving at one time, due to unforeseen circumstances, arrive at another. Keep in mind, "Gods timing is always perfect!"

Karamojong children of Smile Africa

There are 450+ Karamojong orphans at Smile Africa and only a handful of staff and teachers. The children make their way on foot for miles each day to reach the compound. Only a few actually live on the premises.
Children carry babies on their backs each day in order get a daily portion of porridge and rice. For the older kids, they also get a very basic education.

They take care of each others needs
at such a Young age.

Our team gets out of the van and head over the group of children under the veranda. They sing us a welcome song, which always puts a lump in my throat. After listening to the children, our team sings them a song before we head over to the classrooms. Children giggle and follow us, calling out "Mazungu" as we had to the clinic/school rooms. One little guy was sick as we entered in, stepping over the vomit. The classroom are overcrowded. The children are happy to see us, and amidst all the excitement still eager to learn. We tour the clinic with our nurses Jane and Cheryl. They are introduced to Elizabeth the on-site nurse. Elizabeth is a nurse sent to Smile Africa through a government program. She is part-time. They become familiar with what's available and begin to treat the children immediately. The rest of our team head out to help serve porridge to the toddlers and younger kids, play, help bath and play games with the children. You cannot know how much they long for just the smallest bit of attention! They circle you in large groups jumping, doing cartwheels to get a photo, giggle, ask for your name, and yes, cry. Most of the crying is done initially because the little ones are scared. After a while it's because they want attention and aren't getting it, there are just too many even with the size of the team we had.

P2 Classroom at Smile Africa

Pastor Ruth introduces Jane and Cheryl to Elizabeth

Michelle feeding porridge to the babies

I had wandered into the clinic and watched Cheryl and Jane as the tended to the physical and emotional needs of the children. For every child that came in, they were treating the wounds and then giving out a sticker. Many of the children were far more brave than I would have been. Serious foot wounds were common as most of the children did not wear shoes. There were scalp issues, and other cuts and abrasions. Jane had mentioned that many of them needed antibiotics, but they had run out so they were doing what they could given the resources they had. There was a long line of kids at the door that didn't seem to dwindle at all. They would shuffle around and push and poke each other, waiting to be seen and receive the "gift" of a sticker. After a while the nurses had become aware that many children were coming in after picking an old scab so that they could get a sticker. Kids will be kids no matter where they live! Although it seemed funny at the moment, they decided to not hand out stickers in the future to keep the kids from injuring themselves.

Jane and Cheryl checking babies

Heading back outside, I watched as the team were playing games with the children. It was so sweet!
I was introduced to Joshua. Pastor Ruth had emailed me prior to arrival about him. His father had tried to kill him and failed. The authorities were called and they in turn called Ruth. Joshua is about a year old and looks like he's about three months. The only way to be certain of his age is that he has teeth. He is suffering from the abuse of this father. He has had several trip to the hospital, as his stomach is not able to process food. He was very frightened to see me, so I carefully approached him. I also was able to see Difasi, the boy who was born with part of his bladder exposed. His mother brought him to pastor Ruth and God was able to do a miracle in his life. I saw Luke. Luke was tossed out of the home at two years old by his Aunt. His sister is one of the adolescent girls that Heart of God sponsors. His Aunt was upset that she no longer was finding food for her, so she pushed Luke out the door on his own. He was found a few days later by Ruth wandering a lonely road. So many needless child abuse cases are bought to Ruth. Her heart for these children is evident. When I sat with her and asked her how can all this be changed, when there are so many needs? It gets overwhelming and your heart aches so much. She put her arm on mine and said, "sister Denise, slowly by slowly it comes. We answer Gods call to look after them, and He takes care of the rest."

Sylvia holding on to the babies. Her heart for these
babies and the kids is evident.

Joshua is very scared

Difasi and Joyce. Difasi needs another surgery,
but is doing so much better!

Luke with Joyce. He is so happy now.

It was a warm day and I had not been feeling well since the day began. I was hoping it was nothing, and tried not to let it get to me, but as the day wore on I could feel myself getting worse. I had at least three mosquito bites on my foot and my symptoms were similar to malaria. I'd been taking my medication, and I think it had either been a slight case of it, or the onset of the flu. I would go in and out of the hut and drink water trying to feel better. I went out to get pictures of Sylvia playing ring around the rosie's and other games with the kids. It was soon bathing time and lunch time. The playground was full of kids running around. I headed back over to the medical clinic to sit down and received a text from Scott that really made my day in regards to the men's conference. This trip was so different for me. I was not able to be in all places at all times. It's difficult to manage everyone, but God is in the lead! I got another phone call from pastor Ruth telling me that Sarah and Michael from Kings Primary School would be at the Prime Hotel tomorrow for our meeting at 11:00am.

Scott's text from the men's conference, Praise God!
Brought me to tears.

Getting to know new friends

Hand games were a big hit!

Oh what love can bring from both our
team and the children..it's unexplainable..no it is..it's GOD!

There are just so many photos I can post, and I can still never fully explain what it's like to be with these precious gifts from God. To fully understand just how despised they are within their own country cannot fully be put into words. Children from birth to age 18, that have no way of supporting themselves, considered outcasts because of the tribe they come from, left abandoned. LORD, help me understand!
Pastor Ruth and her staff go into the city streets and the communities looking for these children to rescue. A woman after Gods own heart!
Each of our team members had prayed about what God would have them bring on this trip. Sylvia had packed two cases full of baby clothes and blankets. We had many articles of clothing brought, and tried to spread them out over our time there. Today, we passed out baby clothes. Many of the teachers at Smile Africa either just had babies, or were expecting. It was a blessing to watch them be able to pick special outfits for their children as well. The needs are great not only for the children, but the adults as well. It really is overwhelming to witness first hand.
Babies and toddlers were brought in with hopes of finding something that would fit. It's remarkable just how "flexible" they are when it comes to fitting into clothes. Onsies that were labeled for 6-8 months were put on children the age of two. probably even three depending on their size. The snaps were left undone and the children were so happy. It's very exhausting, both emotionally and physically to try and fit as many children as possible in something new, when there just isn't enough. Emotions run high and our thoughts and feelings sometimes get in the way.
My energy level was low to begin with as I was not feeling well from the beginning. Just praying for Gods strength, compassion and heart for everyone involved. God is good and He is faithful. He alone is worthy for praise and glory through all of this. Not anyone on our team is worthy of praise or glory, only Him. We come into this country to be the hands and feet of Jesus. It is our responsibility to enter into their lives, not to demand that they enter into ours. God has not sent us to judge their lives and values. The secret is out! It's not easy to live in another culture or to understand another culture, to enjoy or communicate Christ in that culture. But it can still be fun, with an adventure in dependency on God and seeing Him work in new ways!Amen!

Babies coming in for new clothes

A new outfit is always a blessing

At the end of our day were exhausted to say the least. It's common to experience culture fatigue, and it's not a sign that we shouldn't be there or that we're not spiritual enough to handle it. It's a very normal experience by falling into the gaps of our "home" culture and our new one.
We arrived at the hotel and I had to go take a shower and go to bed. I had no energy for dinner or anything else at that point. The team all headed down to the restaurant to order dinner. I could hear them from my room laughing and enjoying their time together..something they had plenty of since dinner took around two hours for some of them. Again, culture shock. Dinner does not arrive in our "timely" twenty to thirty minutes after ordering in America. God was about to deliver this message hard and heavy to our team over the next couple of weeks. Thank you, God for your never ending teaching styles, "slowly by slowly!

"Always At Home in Christ" Day 2 of our arrival in Uganda

2010-07-22T16:57:00.000-07:00

As the sun rose in Entebbe, our team was beginning to move around. Some found it hard to sleep and walked around the premises, while others had no problem dreaming of the days ahead and were awaking to a new day. The cottages were beautiful and the modern conveniences were there, aside from a door to the bathroom. In our cottage (Sylvia and I) at least the toilet was hidden around a corner, but the idea of no door is a little unsettling when your bodies have not yet acclimated to the food. A well written point, don't you think!
We headed "down" to breakfast by 9:00am. To get to our eating area you had to leave the sleeping compound and walk about a quarter mile down a dirt path and then up the stairs to the area designated for our team. It really was beautiful.

Sylvia and Scott head down for breakfast

stairway to our eating area

Our beautiful breakfast setting

Before heading down to breakfast I read a chapter in Joshua to give a devotional on it for the team. I had been really looking at the book of Joshua over the past several months and was going to read something from the 1st chapter, by my hand kept heading through the pages to Joshua 24:15 "But if you refuse to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD."
It was strange how I felt an urgency to read this when my plan was a different topic. God always has His way when he's driving home a point! My heartfelt message was that where ever we are in Christ we are home. We were in Uganda, and Uganda is my home. I can choose whom I will serve, and for me and my family (our team) we will serve the LORD. Home is where you make it, it truly is where your heart is. You can have many homes when your heart is to serve the LORD. Amen!
Of course, my devotionals are never complete without a boat load of tears, and today was no exception. I was glad to know that we had several people with tender hearts and tears to go with them that day.
Our morning ended with more fellowship and getting to know one another a little more. Because we had no immediate speaking engagements or time tables we decided to go at African Standard time....slow!
We went back to the cottages and loaded up our bus, this time in the daylight, which helped somewhat, but not really! We had so much luggage and so little space and our drive to Tororo would take about 4-6 hours. Depending on the speed and timing of our planned events..to stop in Kampala and exchange money and visit with Sarah, a friend of some of our Iowa team that is now working in Kampala.
Load'em up!

Our team as we headed out from Entebbe to Tororo

Headed into Kampala

The team meets with Sarah while some members exchange
money at the exchange store behind them

After spending several minutes, and it was SEVERAL minutes getting money exchanged and visiting with Sarah the team headed off again to Tororo. It would be another 4 hours on the road. With anticipation and excitement and tired bodies we drove on...

a neighborhood along the road to Tororo

new sports coliseum built near Kampala

No trip from Kampala to Tororo is complete without a stop at
"Chicken on the stick". You cannot tell anyone what this experience is like, it's something you have to do yourself in order to get it. Kind of like childbirth. Everyone can tell you what it was like for them, but it will never be the same for everyone. It is by far the weirdest, funniest and daring thing to do along the roadside.
Last years trip we were all very reserved in our attempts and "trying" the chicken. Because we had been told by others that it was safe, the team dove in head first! LOL

vendors reaching inside the bus with their goods!

Norma can't believe it, Scott and Aaron get ready to eat

After our chicken attack, we head back on the road to the Prime Hotel in Tororo. The scenery is beautiful, laced with poverty stricken villages and run-down shacks. People are walking everywhere along this long road. Children as young as three wandering for miles, alone. This is the way it is in Uganda. No one is appalled by it, nor worried. They do this, day in and day out.
We passed over the Nile river. After reaching the other side we saw women fetching water in jerrycans. Most women and men carry these plastic cans on their heads. Some have bicycles, if they're middle class families and those that are well to do will have some sort of vehicle. This is not the norm.

The Nile river

women and men gather water near the river

children eating and playing near the road

animals share the road and roadside almost everywhere
in Uganda. You will always see a goat, cow or bull tied up
near some one's yard, and cockcrows (roosters) and chickens
running around...always

another animal that shares the road near Tororo..Baboons

We finally reach our destination..The Prime Hotel in Tororo! This will be our "home" for the next week. Tomorrow we start our ministry hard and heavy..the teachers conference, men's conference, medical clinic and visit to the children of Smile Africa!! We can choose who we will serve this week, as for me and my "family" we will serve the LORD. <3

Tororo Rock, outside our balcony at The Prime Hotel

You are Most Welcome

2010-07-22T01:25:00.000-07:00

Our recent trip to Uganda this past June was phenomenal. One of the unique and endearing joys after such a long flight is the reception to our visit from those we visit and even from complete strangers.
As soon as we set foot on the ground in Entebbe airport, we are always greeted by a number of friends, some of whom have been waiting there for hours in anticipation of our arrival.
This trip was no different. Saphan, Alex, Simone, along with pastor Ruth and a number of drivers were anxiously awaiting at the gates. As I approached them I couldn't help but get a lump in my throat and tears welling up in my eyes. The official hello or greeting in Uganda is always "you are most welcome".
The Ugandan people are very hospitable and always welcome us with sincere joy in our coming. We had eighteen team members this year and each one was greeted and welcomed as if they had known them forever. For myself, it was an overwhelming sight to see.
As we headed out the gates to our bus, everyone was excited and the buzz of voices filled the air. After a brief stop at the exchange window, Jan and I headed out to the bus. What a sight! Heads were scratched as we tried to figure out just how we were going to get eighteen team members, our hosts, and probably near fifty pieces of luggage on this vehicle. There many laughs as we piled in, and somewhat on each other. Quite surprisingly, and through Gods grace..it was done and we were off!

The entry way to our first nights dinner on arrival was spectacular

Saphan had arranged for our stay at what he called "the cottages" in Entebbe, and assured me before our arrival that we would be very pleased. He would not show me photos or link me to websites, as he wanted our arrival to be somewhat of a surprise. It was our original intentions as a team to get to the cottages, turn in and rest before our long road trip to Tororo in the morning. Saphan was insistent that we not do that, he urged that we must have an official "welcome" to the team for dinner, it just could not be any other way. We unloaded our bags, checked into the room and headed 'down" for dinner.The team members and I were astounded at the beauty of our dinner setting. It was a spectacular setting under the moonlight sky. The huge white tent was lit up, beautiful flowers on table. It had the atmosphere of a wonderful reception.
We were served a wonderful buffet meal and were introduced to Nancy, the owner of the cottages. She too, greeted the team and welcomed us to Uganda. We shared our gratitude and prayers with Saphan and Alex for providing such a wonderful setting. We ate, laughed, and had a wonderful time of fellowship. It truly could not have been a better start to what would be a heartfelt journey with God to Africa.
It was official. We were now in Uganda and indeed felt "most welcome".

Evil lurks among the people of Uganda

2010-03-05T16:09:00.000-08:00

Recently, there have been a rash of child sacrifice victims throughout Uganda. What on earth could cause someone to bring a childs blood or body part, especially their own, for sacrifice? The answer is simple. Money.

Witchdoctors are not new to Uganda, or Africa as a whole for that matter. What is new is the barbaric crimes against the innocent of Uganda, the children. There is a rising belief that witchcraft can bring wealth quickly. Uganda is on the rise in development and prosperity in the larger cities, like Kampala. However, there are still many villages and millions of people living in absolute poverty.

Many people steal other children and bring their hearts inside of tins to a shrine or tree in which spirits are said to live and speak to them directly. Some come as often as three times a week. The witchdoctors themselves deny any of the actual killing, but yet one admits that he killed his own son.

The witchdoctors are paid an initial consultation fee of about 500,000 ugandan schilling, which is about 250.00 USD. Many are part of a larger network and are forced to give up most of the initial fee to keep themselves safe and free of harm from the elders in the satanic group.

We have the privilege of working with many of the Karamojong orphans in Uganda. Before they end up at Smile Africa ministries they are typically running the streets. These kids are feared and despised among the population. They live for today on mere survival instincts. In an effort to control them, the government rounds them up in the back of trucks and then drops them off at remand homes throughout Uganda.

Their ages range from 2 yrs - 18 yrs. Many carry siblings on their backs while they beg on the streets for anything to survive on. Some are forced there by guardians, while others escape abusive homes. One teenager was heard saying that his parents were going to sacrifice him the next morning, so he ran.

I can't even imagine living in such circumstances. There are many dangers of living on the streets as a child, and now those dangers are intensified by the very real risk of human sacrifice. These are throw away kids. The thought is that noone will miss them. Many have already gone missing without a trace. I can only imagine their fate.

This is exactly why we need help to build our safe house for the street children. I believe that God will bring the funding needed to protect his most valuable gifts, the children.

Please pray with me that the needs will be met, not for my sake, but for those without a voice. Those that only want what every child deserves; love, acceptance, food, clothing and safety. What a testimony to Christ and his goodness!

Second Annual Vision Clinic

2010-02-11T08:52:00.000-08:00

The Second Annual Vision Clinic turned out to be another big success in the town of Tororo, Uganda. Dr. Dan Bwonya and his team were on hand at Smile Africa Ministries, offering free services of vision testing, dispensing of glasses that were available from the outpouring of donations here in the U.S., and perfoming cataract surgeries on the elderly. Here you see Dr. Bwonya performing cataract surgery on one of the thirteen approved patients.

A message received from Pastor Ruth, founder of Smile Africa Ministries after the clinic was completed;
My sister Denise,
Thank you for all that you are doing to help the people of God. We had a very successful eye clinic and the whole community of Tororo is thankful to God for what Dr. Ben and the team where able to accomplish. On behalf of Smile Africa Ministries and on behalf of Gods people in Tororo district I would like to thank all of you from Heart of God in Uganda for connecting us with Dr.Ben and the team and for providing funds for the surgeries. We are so proud of the work done and the glory goes to God Almighty for giving us the previlege of serving His people. The people came from far and near and these are people who would never have had money to do surgeries or access glasses. God is so good. Close to 200 patients were attended to with various eye problems and all of them left smiling. Please receive thanks from all these patients and may the Lord bless all of you. Dr.Ben is a partner with all of us forever, because it is God who brings people together in ministry. To Him be the glory.
God bless you my sister and I am excited that you will soon be here with us praising the Lord.
Love you,
Ruth

Dr. Bwonya and his team arrive at Smile Africa, ready to serve the people and more importantly, God. We are very thankful to God for connecting us with this humble man after Gods own heart.

Dr. Bwonya and a team member carry supplies to perform the surgeries and treatments into Smile Africa's finished clinic.
This June we will have a team of nurses and physician assistants working with the children of Smile Africa in this clinic as well.

Some of the many patients waiting outside to be seen or treated by Dr. Bwonya and his team. These people are so thankful to the love and generosity given to them by complete strangers in the name of Jesus Christ. This could not happen if it weren't for your giving hearts. All of us at Heart of God Uganda say, "Thank You, to everyone that prayed and gave generously to these clinics."

Dr. Bwonya's team preparing for surgeries inside the clinic. Thank God for these precious women who also give sacrifically to the people.

As you can see, the surgeries are performed in whatever setting is available. It's important that we continue to pray over those that receive this kind of treatment. We pray that God would keep them safe from any type of bacterial infections.

Patients are treated for various types of eye problems.

The nurses prepare for surgery. Thank God for their time, talents and giving hearts.

Dr. Bwonya prepares for surgery. While we were blessed with photos of this entire process, we felt it best not to disclose them. Thank You Dr. Bwonya for your willing and able spirit, the following photos are of patients recovering. Please take note of the recovery room and it's conditions. This is not at all unusual for Uganda. Please be praying whether or not you can help to provide them with much needed furniture. We're not talking US new furniture, it's used furniture in Uganda. We strive to get whats needed with the help of Pastor Ruth and the resources she has available.

A couple of patients leave the clinic after rest and a bite to eat.

Once again, I am overwhelmed with gratitude, that God has allowed me, along with all those that were a part of this clinic in Uganda, those that kept the ministry in prayer, that donated glasses, and financial resources for the surgeries, to be a part of His plan for His people in Uganda.

On behalf of myself, the staff and volunteers of Heart of God Uganda, I pray that God would shower you with amazement and blessings for your continued help with the orphans and people of Uganda~

It truly is a Vision of Jesus Christ!

2009-09-27T18:35:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted to this blog. My last day in Uganda just happened to be the day my camera battery died. As soon as I get pictures from my friend Sharlyn, I'll post day 10 in Uganda.

Since our trip so many events have taken place in Tororo. Two year old Difasi was finally able to have his much needed bladder surgery. He is recovering well. I look forward to the photos that show him walking again! It amazed me how many distractions came along before he was able to actually receive his surgery. Extreme situations all the way from his father abducting him, thinking some how his mother was making money from their sons surgery, to riots in the city the day of his scheduled surgery. The good news is he had his surgery and it was a success! What was going to be a four part procedure, ended up being done in one step! Thank God for Pastor Ruth and Rachel from World Vision who never stopped interceding and making sure he was taken care of.

The children from smile africa are now receiving fruit each week in their diets from Heart of God in Uganda. They look forward to "fruit day" and scream with excitement when the van pulls up with the sweet treats. The babies are getting much needed milk from Evelyn. We met Evelyn while in Africa. She is a missionary that lives in Uganda and visits the orphanages. She brings Bible study materials and other needed items as she is able. The physical and spiritual health of the children depend on these gifts from God.

The adolescent girls from smile africa also received a wonderful blessing! Ten girls are now living in a safe home, free from abuse and living on the streets. They are also getting a formal education for the first time, with daily meals, bible study and medical care. Gods provision, through a generous donation, has made it possible for them to start living a normal life. The life all children have a right to, but unfortunately don't always get.

It is always heart warming to know that in some small way you are making a difference in the life of Gods children. As the good news came pouring in so did the bad. It came as no surprise that satan would try and undermine the work we were trying to do for Gods kingdom. I was not prepared for the way in which he would do it.
An email came from Pastor Ruth telling me of a toddler named Wudo that was thrown into the streets. Wudo is only 3 years old. His sister Sande is one of the adolescent girls sponsored by Heart of God in Uganda. Sande was abused by her Aunt. Sande and Wudo lost both parents a few years ago and the Aunt took them in. Sande was forced to gather rotten garbage for her Aunt. The Aunt in anger of having no one to gather food tossed little Wudo out. He was found on a deserted road alone, naked, dehydrated, hungry and crying. He had been there for at least one day. One of the teachers from smile africa, by the Grace of God, happened to travel this road and found him. He was brought to smile africa immediately. He was given porridge and clothing. He is now living in another home run by children.

I can't understand how a toddler can be punished by an adult this way. I know that it's our sinful nature that cause us to react in ways that aren't conducive to
living a life that's right. I continually find myself wrestling with God about the conditions and situations these children live in and why He would allow it to continue. Children living in homes that are run by other children. When will they ever get the chance to be a child? Having come from a broken home at an early age I was forced to grow up quickly. Children need to be children. They need to feel safe, and be safe. Many of these children are babies! Many are like Wudo. They have no paternal parent to nurture and care for them. They don't know what it's like to be hugged and cuddled! They are forced to live in abusive homes, with rejection or on the streets. Their childhood is robbed from them!

In the same email came the sad news of Akol, he is 13. Having no food at home his guardians sent him to school with a stomach full of alcohol. He began to vomit profusely during class. The teachers carried him out and poured water on him. Tried giving him milk to settle his stomach and left him to sleep for hours. When he finally awoke he was dazed and confused!

Please continue to pray for the children of Uganda. While great steps are being accomplished, there is still so much more to do. My brain is trying to understand, and come up with a plan to help educate the adults on the effects of child abuse, both physically and spiritually.

If you'd like to help end the needless hunger and suffering of these precious children go to
http://uganda.heartofgodinternational.org

Denise

My Journey with God to Africa - Day Nine 29-06-2009

2009-08-14T14:42:00.000-07:00

"Live in Harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose"
1 Corinthians 1:10

What a verse to start the day with today. It would prove to be more accurate as the day went on.

I awoke this morning and as I got ready I felt led to read scripture. I took my Bible and went out on the balcony. I had wondered what God would reveal to me and if it would be something I would bring with me to share in the worship service this morning.

I opened my Bible up and Jonathans sunday school bookmark had brought me to a page in Matthew. As I looked down there was a verse highlighted, the only one. It was Matthew 6:19-20 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal." If there were ever a group of people that would need this scripture, it would not be the Ugandans. They have very little and are always so thankful for what they have.

I glanced over and another verse caught my eye. It was Matthew 6:1-4 "Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and the in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you."

Suddenly my heart sunk and I began to cry. Everywhere we went it was like a processesion and I was so afraid that we were guilty of sounding a trumpet, and all the while giving to the poor. "Oh Lord, Please forgive me and I'm so sorry if you have found any of this in my heart!" As I lifted my my face with tears streaming I was led to Psalm 66:19-20 "But certainly God had heard; He has given heed to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer Nor His lovingkindness from me." Wow, I absolutely love when God meets us where we are and through His word both rebuke any wrong doing and once we've asked forgiveness heeds our prayer and still loves us...Glory to God!

I had come inside the room and asked Sharlyn if she would join me in the other room with Jan and Jeanice. I expressed my concerns of any wrong doing on our parts or mine in particular in our giving. Together we prayed that if it's conviction being felt that God would reveal it and replace it with only things that would be glorified by Him. I love this group of girls!

Pastor Ruth arrived and we headed to Royal Palace Church led by Pastor Steven Onamuna and his wife Roselyne in Mairo Aboro, Tororo. Once again we were greeted like royalty. Women and children would take our hand and kneel down before us. I kept praying, "Lord, let it be for your glory and nothing for us." I felt near tears everytime someone would kneel down. We entered in and the praise and worship had been started. Drums, singing, triangle bell, dancing all up and down each isle. I was thanking God at this point as I saw the excitment in Sharlyn's face. She was hoping for a chance to share in a music and praise celebration with drums. Thank You, Jesus for your thoughtfulness every step of the way!

The church was packed wall to wall and then some. As the worship continued you could see the love for God in each one of these precious faces. Some had tears, some sang with eyes closed as if they were singing a song of prayer directly to God. The youth groups had come up and sang songs of praise. It's always so fun to see the children, from primary to young adults sing. Pastor Steven had made an announcement to the older youth to only pick one song of the several they had planned and to ONLY sing ONE song. They sang about three! LOL

After the praise music had ended pastor Steven had come forward and introduced some of the members of his church. He let us know how Pastor Ruth was a big part of the growth in his church. She had been with him when they had only a handful of members. Now they had standing room only. He and the congregation were praying and believing God for a piece of land in which to build a new church on. I'm praying and believing too.
Pastor Steven had suggested that each team member come up and give some words of encouragement. Before we did he began the service. His first few words were about not blowing our trumpets before men...whoa! Only God could orchestrate that. Something that was so tender on my heart from the moment I read the scripture was now being spoken again by a pastor that had no idea of the significance it would have on my heart. Well needless to say as I approached the group I tried the best I could to tell them how that verse had effected me. All that would come out that they could make any sense of was "I love you so much" and I had to sit. Each team member made their way to the pulpit and gave some encouragement or words from the heart. I can't tell you enough just how much God had moved in our lives. I kept thinking back to the mission workbook I read before our trip and how it stated "we are not there to bring treasures, but to find them right where they are". Thank You, Jesus for the many wonderful treasures we were given each day.
.
They closed the service with tithe and offering. Two separate entities. One basket was set for those that made income during the week and was designated for their tithe, the other basket was for those with an offering to God and the church. I was so touched by this! Again another nugget for my heart. The hearts of these brothers and sisters in Christ are rich, even though they are poor. Women had brought forth crops from the gardens as an offering to God. I couldn't help but wonder what a spectacle it would be if someone in our church brought crops to put in an offering plate. There is something seriously wrong in our churches and worship. Am I the only one that thinks this way?

After the service we were led outside to greet the congregation. Again, we were greeted so warmly. Once the church had cleared out we were led back inside for lunch. We each washed our hands in a basin and prepared to eat. Lunch consisted of beef, rice, cabbage, and yellow bananas for dessert.

As we ate lunch Pastor Steven talked more about his ministry and told us of the nursery school he runs. He has several children in the Royal Palace Nursery School. Many are dropping out as parents are not able to afford the fees for school. When I asked him what those fees were he replied, "15.00 per session, which is 3 months, with 3 sessions per year." It just amazes me that children cannot attend school for 5.00 per month, less than .16 cents per day. Jan and I looked at each other and I knew she was thinking what I was thinking, sponsorship! The 5.00 per month pays for the rent of the building, teacher fees and a small snack at the end of the day. Even if you had 10 children a month = 50.00, and 2 teachers those teachers are getting less than 25.00 a month salary after rent and food are deducted. Just amazing! God provides the needs. We will have a sponsorship page soon for these precious babies!

Before we left the church a gift was given to the church to help start the funds for land. We prayed that God would multiply it and we all believe He will.

As we drove back to the hotel, we all were quiet and smiling. Our trip with God to Africa has been a life changing event. Each day as we drive to our hotel we always pass this sign below. We can't help but giggle at it, but it is so Africa. Pure and simple!

As I sat writing this it was drizzling with a dark sky and background rumbling. It was peaceful. A cow below our second story balcony stood chewing the wet grass. In the distance you could hear horns blowing, warning bikes and pedestrians of it's arrival. Motorbikes zoom down the street in a hurry to their destination before the rain pours hard. I will miss Africa, as God has given me so many gifts here to tuck in my heart. I look forward to seeing my family very soon!

"When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours." Romans 1:12

My Journey with God to Africa - Day Eight 27-06-2009

2009-08-07T07:58:00.000-07:00

"And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved" Acts 2:47

This morning we were able to sleep in some, which was nice. We held the women's conference today. Pastor Ruth had personally invited over 200 widows/women today. She ministers to over 800 widows/women in Tororo and the nearby areas. Her heart for the women is evident and her desire to bring the Love of God to them even more so.

We had planned on starting around 10:00 am, and as I've mentioned in previous blogs time schedules in Africa just aren't as rigid as they are in the states. Where we would be frantic that time was wasting, they are calm and take their time to get things done.

As we pulled up to the conference hall the women were already inside singing praises to God. Many had been there since 7:30am, waiting in anticipation. It was refreshing to the soul.

We all started out of the van and I happened to be first. I was facing everyone in the van and we were all in conversation about the early arrival of these precious women when suddenly a high pitched shrill, (something called trilling) came running up behind me and about scared me to death! A similiar sound of a battle cry, but for the women in Uganda it is used as a gesture of joy, anticipation and great enthusiam for the Lord. No doubt the look on my face as I jumped 3 feet in the air was priceless as the rest of our team giggled at the sight! LOL

As we began to enter the building more trilling came from the women inside. It was a strange thing to witness for me, but fun I must say.

The morning started out with praise and worship. Many of the songs the women sing have a story in scripture and motions to them. One in particular was about being delivered from bondage out of egypt. They sang and began placing items on their heads and walking around as if they were leaving egypt headed for the promise land. As they sang, it was pressed on my heart to share with them that an important part of making it to the promise land was obedience. Many of those that were delivered never made it to the promise land because of their disobedience.

Pastor Ruth had gone through the formalities and introductions and then let the women know that the rest of the program would be turned over to me, to me? Many of you may know and some may not that public speaking is not my strength in gifts. I have expressed this to God many many times, and for some reason he just does not take me seriously! This trip would prove to be a turning point for my fear of speaking. Before this day, or trip for that matter it would have made me ill to speak in front of a large or even small group. Today however, I had no fear at all. You could feel the presence of Jesus in the room, and the verse "if God is for you, who can be against you" kept coming to mind. I actually began to enjoy talking and felt very much at ease. Thank you, Jesus, it could only have come from You!

The overall theme for the conference was about the fruit of the spirit. We had the privilege of handing out to each widow a booklet of the gospel of John. Each of the team would teach on scripture from this book so that each women could go home and meditate on the verses. We had been informed by Pastor Ruth that many of these women had been lied to by other preachers, telling them that God loved some more than others. We were more than happy to reveal to them that he loves us all the same!

We all knew that we would speak on a verse from the book of John, but each of us really had no idea what exactly would be said by the other. Again, Gods fingerprints were all over this day. As each of us spoke, our messages would lead into the next like a well orchestrated masterpiece. I don't know why we all look or seemed so shocked by it, after all,it is God we're talking about! ha!

Sharlyn gave her testimony of the heartbreak that comes from abuse as a child, and how through Gods grace she was able to forgive. Noone on our team had any idea that she would share such a difficult story. I was so proud of her and felt such a blessing to be called her friend!
Jeanice would share a story of the widows mite. Many of them were able to relate to this story. I love how Jeanice speaks on Gods word. She speaks from what God places on her heart at the moment. It's amazing to see God at work through her.

I was able to share about the fruit of the spirit and how it's only through God and a changed heart that we are able to produce these qualities in our life. Jan had given a message of salvation. What a powerful witness she is for Christ! Her words are strong yet gentle, they ring out His truth in every detail. Through her ministering four widows came forward and gave professions of faith! What an awesome sight to behold. Many had raised hands that they too excepted Christ.

A guest speaker on behalf of the Ugandan women was present also. She gave them hope for the rights of women in Uganda. The women are still oppressed by men in Uganda and it's been until just recently that they have a found a voice and are being heard. It's another example of how blessed we are in the United States.

We took a break and headed back to the hotel for a few minutes. It would be a welcome break for Jan as she still was not feeling well. She decided to stay behind and rest the remainder of the day.

As we arrived back at the conference the women were enjoying a lunch of rice, beef, and cabbage that God had provided through the wonderful donations that were given through garage sales. You have no idea how grateful these women were. Pastor Ruth had motioned to us to get in line and have some lunch. As we looked around we realized that no one was eating with utensils, they all were using their fingers. We decided it might be best to sit this lunch out. Although this custom is very foreign to us to eat with your hands, it's completely normal and exceptable for the people of uganda.
After lunch the women come forward and we handed each one a new garden hoe, seeds, toothbrushes and some candy. Again, these wonderful gifts came from donations that were so graciously given for this trip. The women were excited, some trilling again as they waited in line. It was not the most glamourous gift to give a woman, but I can tell you that it would be the most practical and useful, and would continue to help them long after we were gone to provide food for their families.

As Sharlyn, Jeanice and I were setting up the table for quick and easy distribution we noticed some school children coming home. They were waiting up in the balcony and watching. We checked our supplies and saw that there were plenty of toothbrushes and sweets to hand out to them when the women had all been given their gifts. Suddenly, what was about a handful of children, turned into a line of them outside the door! We were all too happy to extend Gods love and provision to them. It seemed as though our heads were down and we were reaching and handing, and so on, when all of a sudden Pastor Ruth said, "don't give to this one!". We looked up in bewilderment, and she smiled at us and the child and said, "he's already got, look at his face he is smiling, trying to trick you out of another". Well, there you have it! A kid is a kid and they were trying to get back in line for another round of candy. LOL

As we headed back to the hotel we could help but smile at another God driven day!

"Evangelization is a process of bringing the gospel to people where they are, not where we want them to be...When the gospel reaches a people where they are, their response to the gospel is the church in a new place." Vincent Donovan Missionary to Tanzania

My Journey with God to Africa - Day Seven 26-06-2009

2009-08-03T19:04:00.000-07:00

I woke up in the middle of the night with an urgency to pray about the upcoming women's conference to be held the next day. I'm not sure why, but it seems that God always presses on my heart to pray when I'm asleep, and as I awake I sometimes am not sure if I'm delirious, dreaming, or if it is in fact God. The thoughts that were running through my mind were words to be spoken about women being given unique qualities about them as life-givers, life-savers and nurturers of their families. These qualities are what separate us from men. I was also being led to pray about true salvation. I sat wondering what kind of response I would get from these words, but going to say them nonetheless. When we are truly saved through Christ there is a newness of life, the old ways pass and a new life emerges. We begin to bear fruit in our lives. If we are not seeing change, or bearing fruit we may want to consider if we are truly saved.
I dozed on and off meditating on these thoughts, and suddenly my alarm went off.
I noticed that I had 2 text messages from Nichol. She had sent me the news that Michael Jackson had died, and it was really making her very sad. It hit me as very sad news, but in a way I didn't expect. My first thought was, "who cares!". I felt that it was really sad that so many today would mourn an idol, a mere man, when so many would die of starvation and noone would care. I was irritated at the world and feeling very sad.
I went into the restroom and was surprised at the fact that we had NO water. This would be a mess on many levels..no toilet, no sink, no shower. Luckily I had showered the night before and there was enough water in the shower pipes to wet my hair. Sharyln on the other hand was not so fortunate and had to make due with wet wipes she had brought.
I went online with the few minutes I had and saw that Farrah Fawcett also died. A sad day for many people. Michael had died at 50 of a heart attack and Farrah at 62 of cancer. Both major icons in the entertainment industry.
I thanked God again for Sharlyn and her infamous coffee! As we got ready for the day I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with sadness in so many ways, one of them being that this would be our last day with the children at smile africa.
We went down stairs for breakfast and met with Pastor Ruth. She had confirmed that we would visit the slums of Tororo today to visit some of the homes that the children from smile africa live in. She had gotten permission from government officials for us to enter this area. They want to make sure that anyone that enters this area are in there with the right intentions and not to exploit these people.
We would also take time today to visit the widows tailor shop. It would be another busy day.
Here in Africa there are very few time commitments. You get there when you get there and not a moment sooner or later. LOL
We loaded up the van with supplies we would bring with us for the kids, and the families in the slums.
As we pulled up to smile africa, the kids were so excited, screaming and yelling at the van. Sharlyn was overwhelmed and teared up at their excitement when we come. Again, it was so wonderful to see God move our hearts at different times during our stay with the children. Although I will say that tears seemed to roll almost everyday and several times a day!

We unloaded the gifts God provided for the children. We had a limited amount of time this morning, so we asked pastor Ruth if we could spend 5 minutes with the teachers and children showing them how to use the parachute. She agreed this would be fine.

As we began unfolding the parachute, Pastor Paul,one of the workers that round up the karamajong children came over to help us unfold the "tarp". They had no idea what this was and how much fun they were going to experience. Slowly but surely groups of children came over to see and soon there was a large gathering of children. I began to worry about the little ones underneath the parachute, that they might get trampled. Sharlyn showed the teachers the different techniques you could do with the parachute. It was so much fun to watch. Soon, the soccer balls came into play and they bounced it up and down on top of the parachute!

There were other items that were given to the teachers for the children to do at a later time, we still had much to do outside of smile africa. Last night Sharlyn had put together a little care packages to give each teacher with small tokens of love. These teachers work tirelessly each day with the children. We put 30,000 schilling in each bag which amounts to 15.00 USD. They make this each month, 50 cents per day. Pastor Ruth was so excited that the teachers were recognized this way, I could see tears in her eyes. Each teacher was so thankful for God to provide this way.
While we were waiting at smile africa food was being purchased for the families we would visit today. Once it arrived we loaded back up in the van and headed out. It was hard to leave the kids knowing we would be gone most of the day and we would not see them after today.

We stopped at our fist area I thought to myself that it didn't appear too bad. We got out of the van and started to walk. Jan had some concerns about walking long distances and pastor Ruth suggested she could stay at the van, but that it was not too far. We forgot that ugandans are used to walking very long distances..so when they say not too far it's all relative to what you're used to! We headed down and alley behind a store front and there sat a young woman reading her Bible, as we passed her and turned the corner we would see that it was much worse than it seemed. The smells here alone can make you ill.

As we walked down the dirt path Pastor Ruth brought my attention to a small area of bushes and said this is the toilet. There is no running water here, no sewer system. They build the "hut", dig a hole and when it gets full they move to another location.

We continued down the path and I heard giggling coming from a large area surrounded by trees. Then I heard "mazungus" coming from up above. I looked and small children had climbed to the top of the trees to watch us. There were curious on lookers all over.

The first home we visited was of a man and his family. A small mud and grass hut no bigger than most of our bathrooms. It was bare. The father was dressed in a t-shirt and trench coat and the children even less. We prayed with him and offered him provisions that would help his family for a day or two of rice and beans/posho and some toothbrushes. He seemed a bit frightened. The officials that came with us from smile africa were taking notes on the children. Although the items we left with him would not make a real change for them, they seemed very grateful.
The other homes were worse in condition that the last. Roofs with holes, walls falling in, no windows. The doors consisted of what looked like sheets. When the weather would get bad, these people were left to the elements. One home we entered comprised of a mattress, cooking pot and chicken on a nest next to the mattress laying on eggs. The room was about 5 X 7.

We walked through several areas and met with families. We prayed over them and their homes. All were eager to for us to bless them as if we had magic in our words or on our tongues to cause a change in their conditions. If this were to happen it would not be from us, it would come only from God. The children were excited to get their toothbrushes and the families happy to recieve food. Just as in every other place we visited the children loved to have their pictures taken. The parents did also, they would push their children into areas to be seen and ask us directly to photograph them.

The area suggested that their were businesses, but I highly doubt that they made money. We passed a pharmacy and I was amazed that it stood in the middle of the slums. Who on earth could afford medicine?

As we were nearing the end of our visit we began to hear drums in the background. I had asked Pastor Ruth what it was. She told me that it was a nearby village and they were rebuking us for not bringing gifts to them. That was a scary thought! At that point I was ready to get in the van!
Pastor Paul guided us through the slums and before we left he showed us his home and introduced us to his family. He was so proud of his home and said that he was only sorry that he did not have a chair for us to sit on. It was by far much cleaner than most and made of concrete. Most others were made of dirt, mud and grass. Pastor Ruth had told me that many of those living in the slums paid about 1.50 a month in rent. Which was highway robbery!
It was getting late and we were really wanting to get back to the children at smile africa. We still had a stop to make at the widows tailor shop.

We arrived at the tailor shop and the widows greeted us with songs. It's always a big ordeal to have guests and visiting a shop was no different. They would continue to sing until Pastor Ruth in her hearty laugh said, "thank you my sisters, you may cease". They began to show us what they made. Sharlyn and I would purchase items to bring home. It was nice to support them in this way. I will say that Sharlyn bought the cow and the farm! LOL She is so sweet and had many friends and family that she would bless back home with wonderful handmade gifts from Uganda. We went into the back of the building where Pastor Ruths mother stays. What a wonderful woman, and it's easy to see where pastor Ruth gets her dispostion. Her mother made wonderful jewelery as well. I was able to find a couple of pieces to bring home with me.
Time was getting late and we would need to get back to smile africa if we would see the children again before they went home. As we entered the gates of smile africa the kids were waiting for us with much excitement. As I watched them I couldn't help but cry. It's been a long emotionally draining week, but one I'll never regret being a part of. I will miss seeing them!

We jumped out of the van and began interacting with the kids and passing out more of God provisions. I was talking with the teens and told them that we would miss them. They didn't understand how long we would be gone. It seemed that time was not something they thought of more than within the day. When I told them it would be one year, they didn't seem to understand how long a year was. Uenice came up to me and in a teenage attitude told me "maybe I would come to America with you someday"..and the group of girls she was with just laughed. I beleive that she wishes she truly could.
We passed out booklets, bracelets and candy and said our good-bye's. It was like tearing out a piece of your heart to drive away from this place.
"You can give without loving. But you cannot love without giving" Amy Carmichael

My Journey With God to Africa - Day Six part II 25-06-2009

2009-07-26T17:56:00.000-07:00

Go Out in Joy
"You are not here in the world for yourself. You have been sent here for others. The world is waiting for you!" Catherine Booth
What an awesome observation Ms. Booth had and how appropriate for the time!
As the day continued and the team sat and listened to the teachers reveal to us how the children had come to this school, many orphans from the cattle raids of the Karamojong tribe, and the children sang songs of the crisis they face daily with hunger, famine, and AIDS, it was hard not to feel overwhelmed with grief and sadness for them. Yet each one of them had an unmistakable smile of Joy! I thank Jesus for allowing me the opportunity to go into the world in His name and bring His Joy to those that most likely feel like they have been abandonded and forgotten at times.
We were all so impressed by how well mannered the children were and how much they respect their elders and teachers. The headmaster "Naboth" would approach the children and say "Hello Children" and they would immediately respond "Hello Headmaster", then he would follow with "God is Good" and they would reply "God Is Good All the time" and then everyone together in unison would say "God is good, all the time, for that is His nature". How awesome is that, that they teach the children daily, and instill in their hearts and memory that it is Gods NATURE to be good all the time! It would seem so easy for these children and adults to curse the God that seems to have forgotten them and to moan and groan about all that's going wrong. To be mad about not having what they want, when they want it. Wow, how disgustingly American that sounds to me! I would dare to say this is how 90% of Americans would react if they were living in the same condition, and YET these children and adults of Uganda PRAISE GOD each day for being good because that is His nature. I think we could all learn alot from the Ugandan people. I'm already beginning to understand some aspects of why God allowed me on this trip. ;)
I was allowed the priviledge of standing before these children and talking with them about How God is good, and that no matter how bad it might get He is always there with them. I was able to share with them that many people in America had wanted to come and be there and that many had helped us to bring some special gifts for them in the name of Jesus. I had introduced our team members and asked Sharlyn to come up and share a song with the children. We asked all the teachers to come up too, as this is one that they would enjoy and we would get a kick out of watching them. She sang the song "King of the Jungle". I can't tell you how much fun this song is, and how much they all enjoyed it. It was much different from their cultural songs..it was a song from America. I think some of the adults enjoyed it as much if not more than the children!

After Sharlyn and her wonderful song came a salvation message to the children from Jeanice. Her words were so appropriate for the day and reaffirmed that God is the King and that the children belonged to Him. Not only did He provide them with gifts we had with us that day, but He gives them the most special gift of all, the gift of eternal life. Naboth and all the teachers had commented on how much her sharing meant to not only the children but to them as well.
We had decided that the time was perfect for passing out Gods gifts to the children. Naboth had asked me to come tell them what gifts we had for them. When we sat and really thought about all we had and I started telling him he just sat and grinned and said Thank God, the children will be well pleased. Well pleased they were! As I started to tell them all the wonderful things God had provided for them, they began to yell in excitement...eyeglasses for those that were in need..YAY!! fruit, YAY!!! story of Jesus booklets, YAY!!! soccerballs..HURRAY!! big screams..toothbrushes and toothpaste..they screamed so loud at receiving toothbrushes and toothpaste I thought I would lose it and break down crying right there! All the team members stared at each other in disbelief, could they really delight in the thought of a toothbrush over a soccerball?? It was true! And of course each child would go home with their own personal Bible. It was a day of blessings all around.

As I sat back down I looked at Jan she was wiping the tears in her eyes. She was overwhelmed with Gods goodness this day and the joy He brought to these precious children. It was amazing to watch how God had worked in each of our hearts at different moments during the trip.
Before we would hand out the treats to the children, Dr. Bwonya had come out with the matching glasses and had begun calling the children and adults up that we were able to find a match for. This was such a joy to my heart!

It was getting late and time was coming for the kids to go home. Many had to walk long distances and if they didn't leave soon they would walk in the dark. We also had to visit Feddy still. It was hard to leave the children. Naboth had asked us if we would come back tomorrow and work with the teachers on handling the children. Now knowing what they are saying he was asking us to come work along side the teachers on new methods of learning in the classroom. Unfortunately our schedule was so full that we would not be back in Butambutye this trip. It was something I tucked in my mind as a new project on another trip to Uganda..yes.come back! ;)

We all loaded back up in the van and headed a few hundred feet up the street to the home of Feddy. Feddy is the grandmother of a Ugandan soldier in Iraq by the name of Deo Mushumbo. I had met Deo online through Verda Reeves the Assistant Attorney General in Arizona. Deo is also involved in the Soldiers Bible Ministry of Heart of God International. We send Bibles and study materials to any soldier that wants them. Deo's testimony is amazing and somewhat long, so I'll share a shortened version, he was born and raised a muslim and began having dreams about a man named Jesus. This man Jesus came to him each night and began to reveal himself to Deo and to uncover and reveal the sins Deo was committing. The dreams intesified each night and the desire became more urgent about following this man named Jesus that after the fourth night he gave his life to Christ. He is now sharing the gospel with other men in Iraq and hopes to return home soon and share his new found faith with his family. This is quite amazing when you think about it..a man in N.Y. is ministering to Deo from Uganda in Iraq, who is in conversation with a woman in Arizona, who in turn is in conversation with me in California and Feddy just happens to live within 5 minutes of a school we are ministering to...hmmm..God once again has his fingerprints all over this trip! Another interesting fact; Dr. Bwonya also happens to be a childhood friend of Deo, they grew up just huts away from each other, so he knew exactly where to take us to reach Feddy..amazing!! Feddy is blind. Verda asked me to bring her some seeds to help her grow crops and some money to help her buy food. There is a drought in Bunambutye and food is harder to get.

Deo told us that even though she could not see us, just to be near her and pray with her would be a blessing. Next to the home were graves of family members that had recently passed away. All the family members came to greet us and thank us for taking care of Feddy. When we arrived we sat with her and Dr. Bwonya explained to her what gifts Verda had provided, that we had for her. We really didn't have much time to spend as it was getting late and you don't want to travel at night in Uganda. As we thought we would be leaving all of a sudden they began to bring out food and set it on the tables. YIKES! We don't have time to eat, and we're not sure about how much we can eat. It's a horrible spot to be in, you don't want to offend anyone that has taken the time to prepare food, ESPECIALLY when they don't have the food themselves and yet they are preparing it for you. Things are not prepared the same way we prepare it and the bacteria could be a problem for us.

I looked at Dr. Bwonya and said, "what do we do? we don't have time to spend for dinner?", he grinned and quietly said, "sister Denise, it is custom that if someone prepares a meal for you, you must take a small bite of something before you leave", ok, so here we go..we all sit and take a small bite. I had some boiled potatoes. All the neighboring people were out near the hut, peaking at the "mazungo's", the guests of Feddy. They really don't have guests in these villages, so it's a big deal if you do. We sat for about 15 mins. and during that time Pastor Ruth had shared her testimony with me. She is ONE amazing woman and I am forever thankful to God for allowing our paths to cross! We were soon on our way back to Tororo. What a long but rewarding day we had. It saddens me to see some of these wonderful people just once in our trip. I know that God must have future plans.
On our way back we were able to see more of the african culture. This photo is a group of men sitting around a large pot with very long straws. They are "boozing". A common custom of adult men. They sit around drinking from these long straws and get drunk on homemade booze. As we drive by and take photos I say a silent prayer that God would release them from this habit.

We were able to stop at Mbale Regional Hospital for Dr. Bwonya to take in a bag of glasses that still need to have the prescriptions read on them. I was excited to see this because I had be working with Dr. Bwonya for a few months prior to our trip and he had told me that he was a specialist here at this hospital. It's amazing how different you picture something in your mind, then when you actually see it. Let me paint a picture for you. In Uganda there are NO ambulances, if you get hurt, you figure out how to get you or the injured person to the hospital. Picture our roads, very smooth and paved. Now picture a road riddled with pot holes large enough for your vehicle to go into and not be seen until it comes out again...this is the road to Mbale regional hospital! If you were injured, you may very well not survive the ride to get help if your injuries were bad enough! Anyway, I'm glad I got to see with my own eyes where Dr. Bwonya works.

We finally made it back to the hotel and decided to eat in the room. Sharlyn had packed freezed dried meals and we were able to sit and enjoy each others company and reflect on the day. Pastor Ruth had let me borrow her internet modem for my laptap! WOOHOO!! I was able to get online for awhile tonight and post a few things. We actually had been without computers, phones (for the most part) and t.v. the whole week, and actually aside from the computer..I didn't miss any of it! God is Good!
What an great scripture for today and all days! I love this!
"The poor shall eat and be satisfied...All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before You. For the kingdom is the Lord's and He rules over the nations." Psalm 22:26-28 NKJV

My Journey With God to Africa - Day Six 25-06-2009 Part I

2009-07-22T20:33:00.000-07:00

We're on our way today to visit Kings Primary School in Bunambutye. It's about 2 hours away from our hotel and Smile Africa. We are holding another vision celebration and have loaded up the van with the glasses, toothbrushes/paste, and soccer balls. We decided that we would stop at a market in Mbale to purchase fruit for the children. Our original plans had included a meal for the children, but we encountered some problems along the way and the meal would have to wait.

Mbale is a much larger and a little more modern city than that of Tororo. The shops and vendors were all out in full force today as we waited for the purchase of the banana's. The heat was also at full force today in a van with no air conditioning other than opening your windows. Our windows were at half crack due to the amount of suitcases and things we had with us. It's not unusual for on-lookers to walk up and see what they can see in the windows.
After we purchased our fruit we drove a bit farther to meet up with Mary. Mary is Naboths wife, she will guide us to Bunambutye and Kings Primary School. We also met up with Dr. Bwonya's wife as they had some quick business to take care of while we were there. As we waited we started to hear music. It ended up that a parade happened down the main street while we waited. Although it was a very small parade it was exciting to see.

As we were sitting and waiting, and the sun was getting hotter and hotter something became apparently wrong. I don't know who noticed it, but all of a sudden we realized that we had left 300 Bibles sitting behind the counter at the hotel! This was one of the main reasons for visiting Kings Primary School along with the vision celebration. Now what would we do? I let Pastor Ruth know about our dilemna and she said, "I'm so sorry". Are we finished? Will the children get their Bibles? Surely, "I'm sorry" is not the end. Another education in language translation, "I'm sorry" means "I'm sorry"..LOL. She called a back-up driver to go to the hotel and drive them out to us. We had already driven a little over an hour. If we had driven back to get them we would miss the celebration and seeing the children all together. As it was they would be waiting on us to go home for the day.
Pastor Ruth had commented that satan was hard at work trying to keep those Bibles from reaching the children. We all agreed. Thank God that we noticed when we did! There was still time to get them to the children.
Pastor Ruth had made the decision to stay in Mbale until the driver arrived and then guide him to Bunambutye, otherwise we might never see them.
We headed off again and would drive another hour before reaching our destination.
Along the way we saw beautiful african countryside, more african culture and had a brief stop at Dr. Bwonya's home. It was quite beautiful and very ornate compared to those in the area.

As we pulled up to the school the kids were all sitting, waiting patiently for our arrival under a huge tree. When they saw our van they began waiving and yelling in excitement. Again, we are received far greater than we are deserving! We got out of the van and met some school staff that showed us up to the office of Naboth, the Headmaster of Kings Primary school. We greeted inside his office and signed the school guest book before heading out to the kids. He asked about our agenda and was concerned with time. We decided that what ever he though appropriate would be fine. The children were excited and it was an extra long day for them.

We were seated in front of the children and the teachers. Each teacher had a speech to make. Remember from previous days postings, when you have an event such as this, and guests involved, everyone wants a turn to say something. Their custom is to bring much formalities to special events. One such formality is the ever present coke for special guests!

In between the teachers speaking the children would come up from different grade levels and sing songs. Each song had a message attached to it from welcome songs, to Karamajong raids, and a young boy did a poem on Aids. It was all to inform us of the things they endure in their village. I had mentioned to Jan some time ago that it was interesting how God had brought two schools together for our team that are in opposition to each other. The children at Smile Africa are from the Karamojong tribe. The children in Bunambutye at Kings Primary school are victims from the Karamojong tribal raids in the district. Yet, God led our team to both on the same trip from meetings that happened over 1 year ago! One of the songs that the children had sung spoke of love and believing in Unity. Ok, God we know You are here!

This day would prove to be a long one...stay tuned for Day Six, Part II

My Journey With God to Africa - Day Five 24-06-2009

2009-07-19T19:41:00.000-07:00

I awoke to the alarm clock this morning and forgot where I was and where I had to be! Took me a moment to realize I was still in Africa. The sign that I had truly slept hard last night.
Again, I was so thankful for the coffee that Sharlyn had brought. I always had my protein bar with coffee and it was amazingly wonderful. We both went down to the restaraunt so Sharlyn could grab a bite to eat before we started our day of wonder and excitement. Today we would spend with the children at Smile Africa for most of the day.
Jan was not feeling well today and decided that she would stay back at the hotel and catch up on things from her room. We are sorry that she will not be with us today.
We loaded in the car and headed for Smile Africa. We entered the gates and the children were once again screaming and yelling and waiving to us as we arrived.
We headed into the office and Pastor Ruth gave me the phone to talk with Sarah from Kings Primary School. There is some important issues to clear up before we make our trip there tomorrow. The phone call gave some clarification, but all our concerns had not yet been resolved. We trust that God will oversee all the details.
Before our arrival Sharlyn had asked about purchasing fruit for all the children today from the donations that had come in on her behalf for this trip. We had decided to go to the market and purchase banana's for each child. Pastor Ruth was so pleased by this gesture. Fruit is something that the children of Smile Africa rarely get, and is an important part of their diet.
We loaded back up in the van and headed to the market. I'm sure the children were wondering where we were going. Their smiling faces and hands waiving were hopeful of our return!

As we drove along the streets and market fronts we finally parked. There was no produce to be found (or so we thought). We exited the van and walked between two store fronts and found ourselves inside a huge fruit/vegetable market. Rows and rows of fruit and vegetables laid out for purchase by women in the area.

We headed for the banana's. Pastor Ruth had haggled back and forth with the vendor for the best fruit at the best price. We were so thankful to have her with us, as these people know her and respect her.
We purchased 3 bags of banana's, about 450 banana's for 75,000.00 schillings..or about 35.00 US dollars.
We met up with Saphan and Alex for a brief time to say our goodbye's. They were still in the area and were heading back to Entebbe. I had hoped that we would meet up with them again before we left.
As we pulled up again to Smile Africa the kids were all screaming and yelling. It really was overwhelming to get this kind of greeting everytime you pull in. It wasn't a forced greeting, they were truly excited and happy to see us.
As we got out of the van the kids were getting seated under the pavillion. They began to sing welcome songs and songs of praise. The screams got louder and louder to the point that you could not hear anything else. The banana's had come out and the out cry of happiness that came from these little faces caused the tears to flow in all of us. Pastor Ruth had come out from the office and I looked at her and just broke down. I told her this shouldn't be this way, these children should get fruit all the time. We hugged and she told me, "Sister, Denise, I believe every tear you shed is a prayer to God". I believe she is right. Dear God, these children are yours and they deserve so much more than this.

In my journal there is a a prayer by David Livingstone that I found so appropriate coming from a fellow missionary to Africa. "Lord, send me anywhere, only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me. Sever any ties but the tie that binds me to Thy service and to Thy Heart". Oh I love this prayer and I agree with it's message and today more than ever before!
I only regret that Jan was not here to see this. Jan we love you!
The children sat so well waiting for their banana's. The older children sat patiently while the little one's received theirs first.

Each child and each teacher received a piece of fruit. I'm sure that the teachers rarely get fruit either. They get 30,000.00 schilling for a months salary. That's $15.00. They work from 8:00am - 4:00 pm Monday - Saturday..that's 50 cents a day. They are such a blessing to these children. They give sacrificially each day, sometimes spending what little they have on the children.
Sharlyn had brought some clothes from wonderful friends at home for the children. We asked how best to distribute them. The teachers told us that during bath time they would bring 20 children with the most need (and what a task to decide when they ALL are in need) to the office. Otherwise the little ones that don't get any will pull from the ones that do.

After the kids were bathed they came running to the office. There was not enough room inside so I stood outside as the kids lined up. I broke down in tears again, as the kids started to realize that something was going on and that the ones that stood outside naked were getting new clothes. They began to tear off their old clothes and stand naked in line hoping that was all they needed to get some. There just wasn't enough clothes to go around. It was gut wrenching and still brings tears to my eyes when I visualize it over in my head. Lord, please help them is all I kept saying, please help them.
The children that were able to get new clothes were so excited, and actually many of the ones that didn't were excited for those that did. The older siblings of younger ones that received them had grins on their faces as if it were them that received. Thank You, Jesus.

Jan had made it back to Smile Africa, but still not feeling to well.
The kids were fed lunch and we took a short break. As the children went back to class we went inside the classrooms. Sharlyn started off with a wonderful song for the older kids called "King of the Jungle". It was a motions song and the kids just loved it. They especially loved the "bubble, bubble, King of the sea". I assume that many, if not most have never seen the sea, and to sing about something that was different for them and do a fun and silly motion to it, brought such laughter and joy. A song that I'm sure to this day they remember!

She followed up the song with a puppet show with Eli. Eli talked about being a new creation in Christ. The kids loved Eli!

A fun craft followed with pencils and toppers of butterflies and a scripture verse on being a new creation in Christ. It was fun to see them make something that had such a symbol of love for them.

As Sharlyn moved on to the next classroom, Jan began a salvation message to the older children with ribbons for the kids. They have been a major part of the great commission!

We headed back to the office to get the treats for the end of the day. We headed to the gates and the kids were pushing and shoving to get to the front. They knew what was inside our large bags. The escares (guards) were irritated by the confusion and mobbing of the children.

We definitely needed to find a new system for passing out treats. The babies were getting smashed! After the kids were gone we passed out treats to the teachers, gaurds, and other workers at smile africa. They were just as excited to get sweets. We packed up our bags and headed back to the hotel. Another God driven day!
Sharlyn and I sit on the balcony while the thunder is rumbling and the scattered sprinkles fall. We talk about what other things we could do on Friday. It should be fun!!

My Journey With God to Africa - Day Four 23-06-2009

2009-07-15T21:06:00.000-07:00

Woke up this morning to freshed brewed coffee from Sharlyn. She has no idea how much this makes my day. It's the closest thing I have to home at this point. My laptop isn't working for skype, and my texting is about to go through the roof. So to sit and sip on coffee gives me the comfort I need today. We get ready for the vision celebration today and my phone rings...it's Pastor Ruth. She has good news! Saphan had gone to the airport early when the baggage claim opened and was able to find my luggage, he was on his way to Tororo with it! It was a cause for a celebration of it's own.
Sharlyn and I went to see if Grace was joining us for breakfast. Grace is Pastor Ruths daughter. She will be staying in a room at the hotel with us, incase we need anything. She joins us in the room with Jan and Jeanice, Sharlyn and I. We prayed over the day and over the praises of finding my luggage. We all cry together. It was refreshing to know that I'm not the only one that cries.
We arrive at Smile Africa and the kids are all waiting under the pavillion, screaming and yelling, smiling and waiving at this van full of strange people. "Mazungu, Mazungu" is what they are yelling.
We unload our supplies into the office and start to discuss the days plans, Pastor Ruth takes on a quick tour of Smile Africa before we begin the celebration.

As we're inside Dr. Bwonya joins us. What a treat to finally meet the partner in Christ I had in Uganda for the vision celebration. He has spent countless hours screening men, women and children for this day. The last day of the vision screening he had brought his wife with him. She was pregnant and due anytime. Just after setting up for the screening with literally hundreds of patients lined at the door, his wife starts having contractions. He sets up his staff and takes her to the nearest hospital. I can tell you from experience, this was no ride intended for a pregnant woman. The ride alone could have caused her to deliver! He gets her there safely and makes sure that she's comfortable and stable, and returns back to Smile Africa to finish what he had begun. This is called dedication in Uganda. In America it's called a death sentence!~LOL No man would leave his wife in labor to return to do work for any cause at no pay..none that I know anyway. He completed his task, calling and checking on his wife the entire time. The task completed he packed up and headed back to the hospital. Within 2 hours his wife delivered a healthy baby girl. So, to say that I was honored to meet this man at this moment was an understatement.
We walked over to the medical building to start sorting out the prescriptions of those that would be receiving them today. This is what I've been waiting for! The project that God had placed in my heart was now about to unfold before my very eyes..His vision became clear to me and to those in Uganda through the corrected eyesight of many. What a picture!
Soon we were greeted by Jack, the President of Tororo, Richard, The Mayor and his assistant. Bishop Robinah was also amoung the group. They were inspecting the medical center and looking over the nearly 900 pair of glasses spread out on the table. This was a pretty big event about to unfold.

They followed Pastor Ruth for a quick tour of Smile Africa. By this time we were well over 2 hours past our original timeline for glasses. As I peaked outside the tents were up and about 100 or so adults were under the tent. The children were all under the pavillion with the teachers. I expected that we would join the children. My expectations were wrong. Pastor Ruth told me that "they" were ready to begin. The government officials. ACK! Here we go!!
We started off with speeches from the officials. They greeted us, and thanked us for all that we had and were going to do on behalf of the children and the people of Uganda. In Uganda it's a custom that everyone and anyone related to a purpose at hand, get to say something about it. Speeches can take a long time. I was thankful..the longer it took them, the longer it took for me to do it! LOL
Maybe they would run out of time and we could just skip me...uh No, not going to happen I'm afraid. Soon my name as "team leader" was announced and it was my turn for speeches.

I was so nervous my Bible was upside down and I couldn't figure out how to straighten it..haha. I took a deep breath and found the strength through God to complete my speech. Originally it had been geared toward children, so some re-adjustments had to be made. After my turn, Bishop Robinah gave a speech. Dr. Bwonya had come out with glasses and we were ready for him to pass them out. The Mayor of Tororo approached me and let me know that I needed to pass them out, that this was a right given to me as the founder of this project. Dr. Bwonya would call the names, hand the glasses to me and I would in turn hand them to their new owner. I stood there with a lump in my throat as the first names were called. It was such an honor to hand them to the men and women. Then it came, the first pair of glasses for a child. I immediately looked over at Jan. She knew that this was the moment, the moment that we had talked about over and over, that the first child to get glasses I would break down and cry. The lump was a big as texas in my throat as they guided her across the grass to the tent. Her name was Jeni. She was about 7 or 8 years old, and so scared. Dr. Bwonya pulled the glasses out and placed them on her. Immediately I knelt down to see if they fit and asked her if she could see. If I had nothing more on this trip than to see this precious face with her new glasses I would have been happy. Thank You, Jesus! What a gift it was to her, but more so I think for me.

It brings tears to me now as I recall the day, a perfect day that the Lord had made!
Several more adults were fitted with glasses. The excitement continued for what seemed like hours. There were about 11 adults that needed cataract surgery and were disappointed that glasses would not work for them. I had asked Dr. Bwonya what the cost of a surgery was. He said, "$20.00". We were amazed at how inexpensive it was, and decided that we would provide the funds necessary to have those surgerys done. Thank God, for the many wonderful donations that came in before this trip. I know that He knew this day would come. The government officials had made some significant promises they would give Pastor Ruth. This celebration was just as much for her as it was for the kids, even more so at this point. They promised to provide her with medicine for her clinic, with paid trained teachers for her school and much more. I believe God provided many gifts that day to many people.
We took a much needed break after the vision celebration and all sat grinning and talking about how awesome it all was.
One of the best parts was to see Saphan and Alex arrive and sit amoung the group and behind him was my luggage! Woohoo! I saw Saphan sit in his chair, close his eyes and begin to pray. Alex would sneak a look at me and just smile her innocent child-like smile.

I pulled out the gymboree bubbles and decided to take them out for the kids. Needless to say they were thrilled and rushed around from all sides. Soon they were gathering pieces of grass weeds and catching bubbles with them. They looked for every opportunity to touch or be touched. They would poke my skin to see if it felt like theirs. The little ones would pull on our skirts to be picked up. They are impoverished in so many ways, not just money, but food, touch, love and simple nurturing. Each child is so dirty and many have some kind of ailment. It just breaks your heart. The thing that amazes me is that they still smile, laugh and have joy.
As I was playing with the kids a young man approached me. He told me his name was "Uncle Sam" and that his real name was Steven. He was a radio announcer and had come to cover the vision celebration. He said that he was very impressed by our efforts and also very thankful. He would be covering our efforts on the radio that evening and that he wanted to come back on Friday to talk more about what we were doing while we were in Tororo. A nice young man!

We sat and talked more with Pastor Ruth about plans for the future of Smile Africa.
We all agreed that Pastor Ruth and her ministry were God driven and we are excited to be a part of it. A good indicator of this was during the celebration. The dignitaries had mentioned that there are over 400+ registered NGO's in Uganda (non-profits) and of those only 20 can be proven to be legitimate. Smile Africa is in that 20. Thank You, God again for aligning us with your partners in the Kingdom!
We headed outside to pass out some soccer balls for the kids. We had spent much of the day with the adults, so it was time to shower some gifts we brought with us on the kids.

We took out about 12 balls and began to blow them up. The kids screamed like it was Christmas! They were all over the place with the balls having a great time!
We decided as it was time for the kids to go home that we would line them up at the gate and hand them candy as they left for home. WOW! Who knew it would cause a frenzy..we should have known! Each child got 2 pieces of candy. They stood outside the gates staring at us with their suckers wanting their pictures to be taken..LOL

We headed back to the hotel for dinner. Not sure about what food to eat I decided on a chicken sandwich. How bad could it be? Well, let's just say I didn't order it again. LOL I was hoping to get on the internet tonight, and as luck would have it they got the cords in and internet was available. WOOHOO! Wasn't until I got down there that I realzied I wasn't so lucky after all..it had the speed of dial up and the connection too! LOL after several unsuccessful attempts at getting online, I gave up and went to bed.

My Journey With God to Africa - Day Three 22-06-2009

2009-07-14T18:42:00.000-07:00

Didn't get as much sleep as I thought I would, I guess anticipation creeps in during the night as well. Sharlyn and I awoke to what sounded like tribal chanting. It was pitch dark out, roosters crowing and tribal chanting. My mind took me to the place where you would open your door or window and find african tribesman with a stew pot! LOL Later we found out that the muslims have their early morning worship and that when the air is still it sounds very close.
Made my way out of bed around 6:00 am to shower and start off the day. My blow dryer wasn't about to work even with the converter I brought. Thank goodness they had one ready to go in the guest bathroom..this would not have been a pretty sight!
By 7:00 am everyone was up and stirring about the house. Mary showed Sharlyn and I around their home and told us how it all came to pass. They were so thankful for all the mission host homes that they've stayed in on their journeys that they wanted to give back, so they started building more rooms. Each time a visitor came they would add something new onto the house. It was almost complete with the exception of an end room outside the back patio. I have no doubt they will get it completed. Mary is such a happy soul. She was up very early preparing us breakfast and cleaning her home. I was very entertained by her broom. They are mere sticks bound together. They work fabulous. Her's was decorated and painted blue.
We sat and ate breakfast together with hard boiled eggs, toast, honey and peanut butter along with african tea (chai tea). I think Sharlyn and I were the only two of our group brave enough to try it. It was actually quite good.
Steven sitting next me had said, "I really love toast" and I grinned and said, "oh you do?" and continued with my breakfast. A moment later he said, "sister Denise, would you pass me the toast"..oh my goodness I wanted to crawl under the table! LOL
We had several confusing moments with our language barriers. Pastor Ruth had told us that when we are asked if we want something and we don't want it, that we simply say, no. We are not to say, no thank you, as this confuses are hosts. We explained in America it is polite to say, no thank you. She explained in africa "thank you" means yes, and no means no, so if you say "no thank you" they think you've changed your mind! hahah..there were many customs we would get to know as the days progressed.
As our breakfast came to an end, Pastor Steven presented each of us with a gospel cd that he recorded with his praise team.
He is such a colorful man with a spirit in him that makes you feel so at home. Already we could tell that God again was with us in this home and that we were all family. A precious thought to me!
We said our farewells and headed out with a loaded van for Tororo. We made some stops along the way to the bank for exchanging money and then to the Bible House to purchase bibles for Kings Primary School. There really does not seem to be any rules of the road in uganda. I liken it to Mr. Toad's Wild Ride! We stopped in the middle of the road in Kampala and parked while Jan and Sharlyn dodged cars to get to the sidewalk. Pastor Ruth had told them to stick near the car as they got out so that they didn't get hit. Quite frankly, there was no safety near the car either. LOL
They did manage to get to the bank and back safely, a true blessing!
We drove in what seemed endless circles trying to find the bible house. I was thankful we weren't in New York in a taxi..we would have gone broke! LOL
As we were nearing our destination with cars, bikes, pedestrians and boda-boda's rushing from each direction we were startled when out of nowhere a car runs into the front end of our van. Neither our driver George or the other driver seemed the least bit concerned, in fact they just continued on their way! Jan, Jeanice, Sharlyn and I were all gasping and in shock, but quickly realized, this is Uganda! LOL
I think we took our lives into our hands with the driving more than anything else we encountered! Each day we get into our vehicle is another day God shows his mercy by allowing us to survive. Both Sharlyn and I agreed and laughed heartily that we would never again complain about our husbands driving! haha!
It's been pretty exhausting up to this point and we had spent many hours driving around in Kampala getting supplies. As we look around there is no place to stop and eat. No fast food, no drive throughs, nothing. Pastor Ruth informed us that we would stop at a place called "chicken on a stick" on our way to Tororo, just a short time away. Chicken on a stick, is this like shiskabob??
Finally, we get on a smooth road and still we are dodging cars..LOL George our driver has a lead foot and a daring attitude when it comes to making a move around a vehicle to pass. Poor Jan and Jeanice, they had white knuckles most of the ride I'm sure! I was thankful that from my position I was not able to see just how much danger we really avoided..Praise God!
As we drive we make a sudden pull to the right of the road and stop. About 20-30 people come running out of every direction and rush around our van. With our windows open, they decide to stick their products in and beg us to purchase it. Every part of a chicken you could think of was skewered on a stick, along with other items of fruits and vegetables. At that point we had just come out of the rain forest and the trees were still pretty tall and thick. We were the only vehicle on the road and the sight of these people rushing our van with cooked food on a stick put one vision in my head.."dawn of the dead". I was actually petrified and would have been happy to start the car..start the car..START THE CAR and GO!! LOL
Pastor Ruth and George explained to us that this is the "hot spot" for all tourists and locals coming and going from the North to the South of Uganda. Hot spot or not, I was ready to GO! LOL another car soon came zooming up and they rushed over to their next possible customers.

We headed on to Tororo. I noticed that village after village was exactly alike, looking similar to Warez, mexico, but worse. How can anyone live in these conditions, it boggles my mind.
We passed the Nile River which was beautiful. Pastor Ruth had told us on the way back to the airport that we would need to have a bit more time and she would take to us to see the source of the nile.

As we neared Jinja I couldn't help but think about Pastor Fred. Where in this place might he live. I was now more familiar with his surrounding than a mere photo. It broke my heart to know that this is why he most likely was tempted by money. It's an easy temptation when you have so little.
The country side of Jinja and upwards towards Tororo was absolutely beautiful. Green manicured feilds. God's grace and beauty were stamped all over.
When we reached our destination at the Prime Hotel in Tororo, I was surprised by it's beauty and grandure. Compared to what we had seen so far, and the neighboring houses, it was a mansion.
As we begin checking in I notice that my large suitcase is not in the lobby. We checked the van, we called Steven and Mary. No luggage could be found. I was sure that I saw it at Steven and Mary's. But when I sat and really thought about it, we had 20 pieces of luggage and at night, with being tired, I could have seen just about anything. It was not there. I was crushed to think that the kids would miss out on the items I had brought for them inside my bag. I had all my important items in my carry-on and one extra change of clothes just incase this had happened..and it did. I was so tired and so overwhelmed by the day that I just had to cry. Poor Jan, she probably wondered if I'd be so sensitive about everything..yes Jan I am..LOL
Sharly prayed about the situation and told me that she would make sure I had clothes to wear and not to worry. She found an outfit that I could wear the next morning. What a blessing she is..she is a sacrificial giver as we would continue to see the rest of our trip.
I called Mark and asked him to call the airport about my luggage. I had 24 hours to report lost luggage and it was now about 26 hours later. He made some phone calls but wasn't getting any real help. Later that night he had text me and said that my luggage had never left Amsterdam and that they would ship it and let me know when it arrived! Praise God..please let it arrive safe and sound. My thoughts now were on how I would get it from the airport that was 5 hours away. I'm going to bed, I'll see about that in the morning. We had a big day ahead of us for the vision celebration!

My Journey with God to Africa - Day Two 21-06-2009

2009-07-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

I suppose this is really still day one, although with the time change in Africa it was day two. Amazing how you can be turned around in a matter of hours as to what time of day it "really" is.
We finally arrived in Entebbe and not a moment to soon! As we gather around the baggage check it became quite apparent how tired we all were. No longer were we gathering what we could in our arms, we were all headed to carts to carry even our purses! LOL
Our carts were overflowing with luggage and the very real concern was "would we get all this luggage through baggage check without a hitch". I prayed a private prayer as we headed for the counter. Not suprising, but still surprised we were waived on through by the baggage check personnel. Again, a small fingerprint of God.
As we rounded the corner I immediately spotted Pastor Ruth in her beautiful dress. My heart was pounding and the lump in my throat was immediate. I looked at Jan and she told me to go over and be the first to make contact. I was over joyed with emotion. We hugged and immediately I knew I would come to love this woman. She began to introduce the people standing by her. George our driver/guard and then she turned and said, "this is Saphan". I don't think it hit me for a moment who it really was. Then I realized and was happily surprised that Saphan and his wife Alex had actually come to meet us. They had lost their daughter to cancer at the age of two, just a couple months short of our arrival. I had been on a prayer list for her along with many others. When they heard of our arrival in Uganda they wanted to meet us. Due to our arrival time, we thought it would be best if they came to the vision clinic. There is something that we didn't know about the people of Uganda at that point and would come to know later during our trip. That is that they truly appreciate and want to be a part of knowing and sharing in the family of Christ. They don't care about time, trouble or anything else that we as americans look to first. It's an overwhelming sense of love..the love of Christ. How sweet it is!
They brought a friend by the name of Sanon with them.
We started out to the cars with a half ton of luggage..how on earth we would get it all there was the question of the moment!
Saphan and Alex were gracious to offer their vehicle to help get our luggage to the missionary home. Again, sacrificial giving at it's best. They didn't know us from Adam, but insisted that we allow them to help us.
As we headed out to our host home for the evening, I sat in the back of the van with tears streaming down my face! I am in Uganda! Thank you, Jesus for allowing me the privilege of being here on your behalf. I'm consumed with emotion!
The ride to our host home was laughable too, as we came across many people, motorbikes, and cars buzzing all around us. Some just mere inches from our car! The drivers are on the opposite side as ours here in America. The road seemed to be nothing short of a free for all, if there's a spot and you get it, it's yours. This is when you wish you had insurance with you! LOL
We dash off the main road onto a side road to get to the home of Steven and Mary. If you've ever rode on Indiana Jones at Disneyland you would then have some idea of what this road was like. Not only are you shaken to the core, but the idea of scraping up against a wall or tree or bush at the exact moment made it much more exciting! LOL

We unloaded our bags and headed into the home of Steven and Mary. What a hospitable couple they are. I had the idea we would go in and head to bed, but they had other plans. After we sat and greeted each other Steven informed us that dinner would soon be served. Oh my! I could no more eat than ride a buffalo!~ LOL
Mary had cooked a meal of chicken, rice, cabbage and a ground peanut sauce and pineapple for dessert. As we sat and ate dinner, we all praised God for his provision and all the He was about to do this week. Mary who seemed a bit shy stayed in the kitchen quite a bit.
We sat back in the livingroom for a while and continued to get acquainted. Saphan and Alex were so sweet. Alex is just a little bitty thing. I couldn't help but thik about the loss of Bernice, and yet they both sat smiling. As the night grew later, we were shown to our rooms. They were very comfortable. It was strange seeing a mesquito net hanging from the ceiling, but they are very much needed on more than one level. Sharyln and I shared a room. I was never so excited to see a bed! LOL After sleeping on a plane for 21 hours, the thought of laying down was so appealing. The little things we take for granted. It's now the end of a very long plane ride and the beginning of our adventure in Uganda. I'll no doubt sleep well and wake excited to see what tomorrow brings! Thank You, Jesus..Thank You, Jesus!

My Journey with God to Africa ~ Day One 20-06-2009

2009-07-11T18:09:00.000-07:00

After months and quite frankly years of preparation, the day has finally arrived for my departure from the comfortable place called home to embark on a physical and no doubt spiritual journey that has been mapped by God from day one. I keep thinking of the stamp they use on your passport. I feel that I've had a "God" stamp on my forehead from the very beginning of this journey. I have no doubt it's true.
We race around in the morning with 6 bags of luggage, a carry-on and purse full of Gods gifts for the people he planned for us to meet in Uganda. In retrospect, we had no idea just how far those gifts would go and how many precious people he would lead us too! At that moment all I could think was, I can hardly wait!
To ask me if I was nervous is like asking if women wear high heels..YES! most definitely and my face and neck had all the tell-tell signs of it. Hives everywhere.
As my journey begins from LAX airport, I sit next to a young girl from Germany. She was in the U.S. visiting her sister who is an exchange student in college. She was as cute as a bug and excited to get home and share with her parents the wonders of the United States. The flight itself was good, with minor turbulence. I know God is with me. "Lo, I am always with you" Matt. 28:20 what a comforting thought as you soar above the clouds. I'm filled with anticipation in this once in a life time experience, to go out into the world nad fullfill The Great Commission.
I miss my family already, but somehow I know that this will bring us closer. Two more hours and I arrive in Detroit to meet up with Jan, Jeanice and Sharlyn.
As I get off the plane I text Jan to see if she's arrived yet. She text me with "hey you want to go to Africa with me?" to which I happily replied, "sure!".
We sat in a little diner at the airport to get a bite to eat while we waited for the others. I hadn't eaten all day and was getting the shakes. With my face and neck in the condition it was I didn't need anything more to add to my nervousness!
While sitting in the restaurant I got a text from Jeanice saying "hey, get over here!". We were still waiting for food, so Jan said, go get them. I jumped from my seat and headed to the gate to meet her and Sharlyn. Hugs all around!!
We really had no time to meet and eat, so I took Sharlyn to meet Jan and then we all headed to the gates to board for Amsterdam.
We all had seats scattered throughout the plane. I sat next to a man that worked on military planes. He assured me that the jet we were on was fully capable of getting us to Amsterdam with no problems. The woman next to me was interested in what we were doing in Uganda, but still denied that God had anything to do with all the events falling into place. She was amazed and said, "well it sure came from somewhere" to which I would reply, "yes, it did. God did it all".
When we arrived in Amsterdam I think everyone,atleast myself was tired. We had a few hour lay-over and Sharlyn and I were a bit confused about where we were to go and how to check-in. We tracked down a worker to see if we were ok just going to the gate. We were assured it was all good. There were very few seats to sit at the gate, so I sat on a rail meant for keeping in carts. LOL Not the most comfortable spot in the world. What I remember most was Sharlyn walking and walking to relieve stress I suppose, and the constant annoying sound of "Mind Your Step.." from the walking people mover situated right in front of us..wow if I never heard that sound again I would be ok! LOL
We finally get to board and both Sharlyn and I find out we were indeed not all good and should have checked in else where. It did however work out well and we were able to get seats next to each other on the way to Entebbe Uganda. I was so happy to have this opportunity to get to know her more. What a special lady she is!
Our ride to Entebbe is not the best and the turbulance was CRAZY!! But I still had the comfort of knowing that God had control of this plane and we would make it to our destination. A little more shaken, rattled and rolled than we started that's for sure. At about the 3 hour mark to our destination I began to feel claustrophobic and somewhat panicked. At one point I had to get up and stand while food was being served. The motion and smell of food was not sitting well, and rather than give my new friend a gift she may not want..I opted out and stood until the food service was over. You can see the exhaustion on our faces after 21 hours of flight time..LOL We're almost there!!

2009-06-17T08:30:00.000-07:00

In just a few short days will be on our way to Uganda. The excitement is almost uncontrollable. God has poured out his blessings on this trip in ways we never thought imaginable. We are priviledged to be apart of two vision celebrations and a womens conference amidst all the wonderful opportunities to work with the children at smile africa ministries. Each day, each moment will be fill with unmatched experiences that will allow us to minister to the children, men and women in Uganda.
I am forever grateful to everyone that has been a part of making all this happen. The sacrificial giving that has been shown to see that each child has gotten their vision screened, the lenses that have been graciously donated, and the time involved in reading or nuetralizing each pair has been a vision in itself of the love of Gods people.
In the photos below you will see Grace and her children. She is Pastor Ruths daughter and will be with us during our trip. Pray for her and the children. The thatch roof on their home collapsed and she is needing a new home. The sides of her home have been built but she has no roof, no door, no windows. She lives in the home with all of these children. I pray that God would bless her with a new roof so she may return home.
If I'm able I plan to keep a journal through this blog of the events of each day. This will depend on if there is an available internet connection, so please click the "follow" this blog and you'll receive automatic updates when new information arrives.
God is Good~

Update on the medical condition of Difasi

2009-06-10T21:28:00.000-07:00

Doctors have seen the baby and have now identified the gender as a male. Pastor Ruth was able to take him to Mbale to be seen by Dr. Kirya, a urologist. He was diagnosed as having an open bladder, a condition from birth. He has been referred to a doctor in Kampala at Euro Care. The condition is treatable through surgery. The surgery will require three steps. Funding for the surgery is still needed. Any amount is appreciated. For information on how to help go to http://uganda.heartofgodinternational.com.

The Vision Expands in Uganda

2009-05-27T15:59:00.000-07:00

I'm overwhelmed with gladness of God's mercy and grace. With each day that passes He pours out more and more of His blessings on this mission trip. You cannot read about what's been transpiring and not see His hand in it, it's just impossible. The glasses are coming in at an alarming rate, as well as toothbrushes and other needed supplies. The lessons that I'm learning are unmatchable anywhere else. When we are called by God and He instills a vision for His glory, He always makes a way for it to be completed no matter how impossible it may seem to us, His ways are far greater than our own understanding. Each day that passes, each new person added to the project, each new donation that arrives is all orchestrated by Him. I am in awe!
Today the screening in Tororo reached to the main village and pastor Ruth sent this message of hope and inspiration, dedication and love for those less fortunate. Dr. Ben Bwonya is a true man of God, who knows no boundries for showing his compassion and love for Uganda. I am honored to work with them both and Thank God for them daily.

My Dear sister Denise,
Today, we did the screening for the local community, the people kept time and by 8:00am we had over 100 people.Dr.Ben and the team did a great job. He will be sending you details. Thankyou so much for introducing Dr.Ben to Smile Africa, he has displayed a commitment that shows that he is not just a doctor, but a person with a heart for God's people.When he came today for the screening excercise, he brought his wife along, she was heavily pregnant and he had sensed signs of labour pain. After starting off the screening excercise,he then told me that he was taking his wife to a hospital in town for check up, she was retained in hospital and Dr.Ben came back and attended to the screening excercise while monitoring the situation of his wife by phone.By 5:00pm when they concluded the excercise, he told me he was going to check on his wife and would keep me informed of her condition.about two hours later he sent me a text message that God has blessed them with a beautiful daughter.I thanked God for the blessing of safe delivery and for enabling him meet the appointment with the local community.Isn't God so awesome?.

At the same time, i talked with Dr.Ben about the sick child, i explained to him the situation of getting a specialist to examine the child.All of a sudden he said "yes, i know of a Urologist who comes to Mbale once a week over the week end",he then dialled the number and talked with the specialist, he got an appointment for me to take the child this saturday.I am so thankful to God for making it easy for us to reach a knowledgeable person that is so close and i believe he will be able to guide us and i trust that God will put in place the rest that is needed for this child to get help. We have the money to make it to mbale as well as any minor expenses that may arise.Thankyou all of you for praying for this child and the work of God world wide.

I will be sending the pictures of the screening excercise of today.

Your sister in Christ,

Ruth

Medical Treatment Needed

2009-05-23T07:49:00.000-07:00

I received an email from Pastor Ruth asking for prayer and help for this child. Her mother brought the baby to Pastor Ruth and told her that something wrong and that she was not able to take care of it. The baby is about 3 years old and has some type of infection, hernia or growth or all of the above in the groin area. These pictures are graphic and not for the faint of heart. I only post them to show the gravity of this issue. I sent a message and contacted Dr. Vikram to see if his team in Bumwalukani can help. He and his team are researching the possible cause and treatment. In the meantime, the mother has no way to pay for the baby's treatment or transportation to the hospital. This is a serious matter. Please take a moment and pray about helping this mother and her baby. I know that financially we are all in a bind (myself included), but when it comes to the life of a child I believe that there is somewhere in our own budget of latte's, pedicures, etc. that we can sacrifice for a day, for this baby.
If you can please go to Heart of God in Uganda and make a donation, or send a check to Heart of God in Uganda. P.O. Box 248. Willard, Ohio 44890 Please specify medical treatment for baby. All donations are tax deductible.

Vision Screening Begins

2009-05-22T07:50:00.000-07:00

The vision screening process has begun and I can't tell you the joy that it brings to my heart. The tears of joy ran down my face as I looked at each of these photos. I pray that God would shower His blessings on Dr. Bwonya and his assistants for their sacrificial giving of time and expertise to this project and the children at Smile Africa Ministries. I pray the same blessings for Pastor Ruth Kahawa who gives so much of herself to these children. I confess to God for the sin in my heart as I take so much for granted that He gives to me each day. I am thankful that He has allowed me to be a part of something that has been directed by Him since day one. Thank you to all of you that are praying for this project, donating to the cause that God has ordained. May you be blessed as well. Pray for the facility that will allow us to read the prescription glasses before we leave, and that each one of the children that have a need will be matched up perfectly.

A word from Pastor Ruth Kahawa:

sister Denise,

I am so excited about what is going on, today we had the first screening excercise, you will see Dr.Ben and the other two volunteers who came with him and the children they screened, they will come again on wednesday.other children waited in the class rooms, we are using part of the clinic for classes because of the rains.
the Lord is good all the time.

your sister in Christ,

ruth

Vision Project Uganda

2009-05-20T09:27:00.000-07:00

The time is nearly here for our trip to Uganda. There are so many things that have transpired and it only makes sense to get them written down before they are a mere memory. God has allowed me the opportunity to start a vision project in the midst of a very trying time in my life. As He set these wheels in motion I couldn't help but realize he was telling me to take my eyes off myself, not to let my mind stray and to focus on Him, and in doing so all other things will fall into place.
As I sat and looked at the faces of these children and wondered how my circumstance would affect my trip, I couldn't help but notice that not one of them was wearing a pair of glasses. "Could it be because they all have perfect eyesight?" I wondered. I hardly think so. And so the seed was planted. In a very short time there were people all over the United States asking to be involved in collecting glasses for the children. As I sat in awe and terror if I'm to be totally honest, I wondered how on earth I would match up these glasses to those in need, after all I am not a doctor and have no degree in such matters.
It was the next morning that I got an email from Dr. Vikram and another from Dr. Ben Bwonya telling me that they had heard of the project and were very interesting in joining the efforts. God had once again opened the doors to fullfill His purpose in this project.
Pastor Ruth Kahawa has informed us that they will be inviting government officials to flag off the vision project ceremony. How exciting to be a part of such a wonderful outpouring of Gods provisions.
This week marks the week that screening will begin for the children at Smile Africa Ministries. Photos will be coming shortly to witness this event as it transpires.
The outpouring of love and compassion for this project is overwhelming. There are approx. 250 pair of glasses at this time with 2 weeks left. We have also been collecting toothbrushes, our original plan, and have collected over 1000 of them!
We had a huge rummage sale this past weekend and were able to reach our goal and keep up with the ever increasing budget before us.
As for the devastion that came to my life, Gods promise is always present and life is back on track. All around circumstances are working out for His glory.
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Can Joy Be Found In The Midst Of Suffering?

2009-02-01T20:45:00.000-08:00

Our trip to Uganda is fast approaching. With so many details to be completed it almost seems impossible that it can be done, yet there is a sense of peace knowing that God has this all under control.
Our economy is in a state of dispair to put it mildly. Many run to and fro each day with worry and fear wondering if their jobs are secure, if bills will be paid, if they'll have enough food on their tables. If only life in Uganda were so blessed. Yes, I said blessed. For most fathers and mothers in Uganda there is no choice of what to feed the children, whether to eat at home or run through McDonalds..no this is not the question, but rather their dilemma is which child gets fed when and if they have food. This is not a sudden crisis but a way of life. One that needs to change drastically.
Every 3 seconds a child dies from lack of food, clean water and fatal diseases. I can't help but wonder in the midst of all their pain and suffering, with the lack of daily food and hunger if they can or do experience joy.
I can't help but think that God reveals to them His glory each day, His hope for a better life.
Recently Riverside Christian School in Riverside California held a "Flip Flop" fundraiser for the children of Uganda. When those shoes arrived to these precious children they sang, they danced, and they praised God. My heart was overjoyed, and filled with emotion as the photos arrived depicting this very scene. There in the midst of their hunger, and suffering was joy! Not because they had food, or bills were paid, or they had a job, no, this like I said is a way of life that they struggle to deal with daily. Joy was found over a simple but much needed pair of shoes.
I can not wait for the day when we step off the plane and see with eyes wide open what true joy is in the eyes of these beloved children. The planning stages are underway on determining simple but effective ways we can minister to not only the children, but the widows and families that are awaiting our arrival.
I am praying that God would minister to our hearts in this area. That He would show us His Will and that we would use the resources He provides wisely, and that His love would overflow into the lives of each living soul we meet.
One attainable goal is to bring toothbrushes and toothpaste for the orphans. We'd like to get a copy of the "Good News" childrens Bible into the hands of each child. We hope to have evangelistic outreaches for the women and children. We will be helping to treat wounds and feed the hungry. We need people like you to come along side us and offer what ever resources you can to help make it happen.
If you would like to assist in our efforts or need more information please visit our website or contact us directly.
In His Mighty Grip,
Denise Matthews
Heart of God in Uganda

2008-11-11T14:30:00.000-08:00

So much has transpired since my last message that I decided I'd better get on here and catch you all up!

God has led our efforts at Heart of God International to help the children of Uganda in an unexpected, but exciting and challenging new area this year. Through a dear sister in Christ, Verda Reeves , we were directed to a group of children in Tororo and Bunambutye Uganda. The needs of these children are great, as is most of third world countries as we know them. In particular are the Karomojong tribe of Tororo. This group of people are said to be the lowest in society, an outcast even of their own native country. Life for these children is so appalling that it's hard to hear how they must survive. Many are forced to eat from garbage, or will fight over dead rodents only to fall ill and die from the rotten food. Lord, no child should ever have to eat like that, but the fact remains that they do.

Patsy Morgan a sister in Christ has been helping to serve these children along with Pastor Ruth in Tororo Uganda. Patsy has been sending us updates on the children and specifics on the needs to be met.

This past month we ran a flip-flop fundraiser for the children of Tororo. With the partnership of Riverside Christian School and the amazing hearts of the attending fourth and fifth grade students we were able to collect 196 new pair of shoes. My husband Mark and I gave a presentation and a message on giving to the students, staff and several parents during chapel. During this presentation photos were shown and a story given of just how difficult it is for these Tororo children to survive each day. Many gasps were heard as photo after photo was shown of these children bathing at school in a large basin, if they were lucky enough to make it to school, it's the only bath they ever get. Children eating beans and posho during lunch, the only meal they eat each day. Young children carrying their infant siblings for miles on their backs so they can go to school, some not older than 5! No running water in their homes, no food on their tables, no t.v., no toys, no mother or father.

At the end of the presentation the principal came forward to thank us for allowing his students to participate in such a meaningful fundraiser. He mentioned that one of the parents was so moved by the presentation that she drove home and came back with 200 more pair of flip flops!

The principal again surprised us with a generous cash donation for the children of Tororo. I cannot tell you how much my heart just swelled with gratitude.

I don't know why I'm always so amazed by what God does and how He accomplishes his desires.

The next step in this fundraiser is to get all those boxes of shoes shipped to Tororo. Two boxes are on their way and will hopefully arrive before Christmas. If you'd like to help get the other boxes shipped as quickly as possible, please visit the website where you can make a donation, any amount is helpful.