Sincere Thanks

To everyone who donated time, money, goods, effort to the children in Uganda and Haiti.THANK U. On the ground in Uganda we were able to provide $2500 to Rapha from money you guys sent! They are building a kitchen (mostly. . .just getting it enough done to make it workable and will have to finish it later) and buy supplies to be able to feed all of the children in the school. Note: They were originally going to buy beds, but it is more important to EAT then have your own bed! We provided $100 for rice, beans AND MEAT one day. And $100 for Nabakalu to provide the same for our visit there. We also purchased 150 nets (43 will go to Pastor John's Ministry along with 8 mattresses. They had NO nets and 8 of their mattresses had been destroyed in a fire). We also gave Rapha 7 nets to replace ones with holes in them. We provided 100 nets to give away in Soroti as we see needs. We got a GREAT price of 4800 ugx which is only $2.25 per net!... much cheaper than the states.

997 Toothbrushes

327 Tubes of Toothpaste + 161 one time toothpaste samples

4548 Pencils + uncounted crayons and markers

1061 pairs of underwear
1 suitcase full of clothes (packed!)

1 suitcase full of shoes

Also thanks to everyone who donated to HIS Home for Children in Haiti. It means so much to me, but even more to those who receive your generous gifts =)

Feed The Forgotten

Join us and Children's HopeChest to FEED THE FORGOTTEN!!! (CLICK HERE TO GIVE NOW) (note: please write FEED THE FORGOTTEN in the notes section)

For $0.14, we can (and WILL) feed someone a meal of posho (cornmeal) and beans to a child in Uganda

$0.14 a meal

$2.86 for 20 days

$1 per FAMILY

$20 feed a family for 20 days.

How much was my dinner tonight at LuLu's? How much is the lunch we eat out? Our grocery bill? Snacks at QT? How much is your Starbucks? The bigger question is how much am I willing to give up SO THAT OTHERS MIGHT EAT?

Spread the word, blog about it, facebook it, twitter it, ask your church or school or business to give, post the blog badge anything. Truly, we are begging you. . .on behalf of these children not to forget this post and move on to the next in your google reader list. Stop, pray, act.
GIVE TO FEED THE FORGOTTEN CHILDREN!!!!!

African family

I had three triggers in Uganda. I call them triggers because they were the times my heart broke or times that my broken heart revealed itself.

The first was at Bukadea when our team reached the care point midday. We were told the 500+ children had been waiting since early morning. Some had walked miles. Likely hadn’t eaten a single bit of food that day. We passed out the goodies, even mosquito nets for the HIV children. And we served posha (porridge). At some point in our hectic pouring, passing out, washing, refilling… we were told there wasn’t enough food for them all. So we downsized the portions, but the reality soon sunk in. It really hit me when one of the widows said “Just give to the little ones, they will be upset if they don’t get. The big ones, they are used to it.” REALLY? They have been disappointed so many times that it’s no surprise to go without food, a basic need? So with emotion welling up I kept moving, only to become overwhelmed with my next few bowls. All of these beautiful wide eyes, staring, patiently waiting, not knowing that it was almost gone… Who do you give it to? How could I pass one child and feed another? I will never forget that moment.

The second was listening to a young lady. She was the oldest child in her family and the head of her home. She told a heartbreaking story of how she lost her parents and moved and struggled for so many years. At one point, after her mother had passed and they were still with their father she mentioned how he had not “Cared for them in the good way.” This immediately brought me to the comment Big made about my baby Isaac. He said (and repeated multiple times) that I must always remember to “bring him up in the good way.” It hit so close to home my heart just broke.

The third was in the bus on the last day. We were each sharing about something that had been revealed to us. One of the women said that it is so hard to live somewhere (home in the US) when your heart is here (Uganda). I lost it. Many of my good friends have heard me talk about how my heart is in different places.

I can’t describe the feeling I had that day, but I can tell you that so many memories of my close friends came rushing back to me. I kept hearing my boy Paco, that passed last October, tell me that “one day I will go to Africa.” “one day he will take me to his home.” “one day I will love Africa.” I kept thinking, it’s not the country, as beautiful as it is. It is the people. And I don’t have this great expectation to change the world. as wonderful as that would be. I don’t just see streets and orphanages lined with starving children. I see my friends. I see my family. Big told me before I left for Uganda that it should have been Senegal. I was supposed to be with their families. Some of those guys were my family. I miss them terribly. Experiencing Africa without them was bittersweet and more bitter than sweet at this point.