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Sunday, March 22, 2009

Angels Among Us


The one phrase that I heard more than any other while in Africa was "thonk you fa suving, Auntie" (thank you for serving auntie).  In the morning I was greeted by those around me bowing to their knees and holding their hands out to touch my hands.  They are SO grateful.  
Kristene is Katie's 19 year old helper/friend/sister/ANGEL sent straight from above.  She grew up in Northern Uganda and fled to Jinja because of the war.  Every inch of her being is CONTINUALLY serving.  She has experienced more in her 19 years than we will in a lifetime and LOVES the Lord with All of her heart and RADIATES his presence in her heart.  Every time that I looked her in the eyes I thought of the scripture "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."  Hebrews 13:2  I truly believe that the Lord sent Kristene to Katie for the job that is set before her, and on a daily basis Katie experiences living with an angel on earth.
Thursday, March 19, 2009

Full Circle

Sitting on the couch, drinking coffee (which I am now addicted), I think about the roller coaster week that I have partaken in. There have been many highs, mixed with tragic lows that have rocked me to the core. Seeing children with seemingly no purpose or hope, turn into kids full of love and excitement is breathtaking. Holding and loving boys that have never had a male role model, or if they do a negative at that, makes me hopeful of a positive impact. 

One of the more memorable events that has taken place this week has been visits to area schools for worship and bible study. We have performed skits in which by the climax, which consisted of a battle between Scott and I, upwards of 200 or 300 kids standing on their feet dying of laughter. During these times, the children would worship God with all the hearts longing for Jesus, singing to the top of their voices.

Another day we took a journey into "the bush." This was unlike anything that I have ever seen. The video I took is the only thing that could do the scenery justice. In this, we visited a remote village that even had its own witch doctor. (TIA) 

Last night, we went to Bunjingi (spelling?) falls. These are some of the first rapids of the Nile River. It was surreal. The power of the rapids were breathtaking. We had a picnic as a family, all 24 of us. Watching the sunset over the Nile is a sight that will remain with me forever. 

Lastly, this week as broken many stereotypes that I had made for Africa. It is amazing to see the impact that Katie and Amazima is having on the kingdom. However, in the midst of that hope and improvement, there is still much work to do. It makes you question your life and the things that you put so much emphasis on, that, at the end of the day, is futile.

We fly out of Entebbe tonight around 11.  Your thoughts and prayers this week are appreciated and were felt. 

Landon

ps. MORROW- the boys finished strong this week. We all picked it up a little bit after your inspiring post. See you on Monday!

T.I.A.

"Auntie" Grace here again...where to start...well i guess i will explain the title of this post first...a while ago one of Katie's friends and her mom came to visit, and right before they left, they watched the movie "Blood Diamond"...I have never seen this movie but apparently its about a man who goes to Africa, and he says "T.I.A." all throughout the movie. T.I.A. stands for "this is Africa"...so all throughout the week, everyone has taken every opportunity to use it. For example, the other day, we were all discussing our sunburns and how you would not get this burned in America...or at least in TN....a perfect example of T.I.A...all throughout the week we have learned that THIS IS AFRICA. We have had an AMAZING trip where God has not failed to show himself in SO many ways, but T.I.A.. Yesterday, we went to do village ministry in several different villages. It reminded me of all that we have at home and how much we take for granted. I can't count how many times at my house I have heard someone say (and I am guilty of this too), "There's no food in the pantry," when we actually have a pantry full of food, it just might not be what you want. Some people here go days without food or water. Katie truly is running an amazing ministry. She feeds and provides education for children that otherwise would not receive food, would not be able to go to school, and most of all, would not have someone to love them and care for them. We should all appreciate everything we have and do not take anything for granted. I know that when our team here gets home, we will all look at everything through a different perspective, and appreciate the little things like a hot shower (although in Africa, cold showers feel great...), food any time we need, and people to love on us, kiss us goodnight, and say "I love you."
Me and Joshephine at Amani

Nkwagala Nyo! (I love you so so much!)
Auntie Grace :)

7 pixie sticks at once

Michael here...                                                                      

     A couple of days ago Landon and uncle Scott dared me to eat 7 pixie stix at 1 time so the next day at about 9:00 at night i did it. Landon was cracking up watching me take those pixie sticks down. but the only reason Landon and katie were laughing was because of my sour face. but Landon did not think it was impressive because he said he could do 10 if he wanted to.
This is me scarfing my pixy stix....yumm...

Overflowing Love

Wow...I think I can speak for everyone when I say that we are all pooped. We get up pretty early and stay up late talking and we pay for it about half way through the day when our eyeballs start drooping. This morning all of us but Suzanne and Katie walked the kids to school at about 7:00 a.m. this morning. It was so fulfilling to see all of the kids around us going to school eager and ready to learn. The children love school here unlike myself sometimes in America when sometimes I just do not want to get out of my bed for school. It makes me very grateful for my wonderful education and my wonderful teachers and school. Being here makes me realize how much I love my family and love everyone around me. I miss everyone so much!!! 

Now I have to tell you a story about a little girl named Gladys. On Monday after the girls had come home from school and some of the neighboring kids had come over to play, little Gladys, who usually comes over to play, was standing in the doorway to the house. Katie saw her and picked her up. She loved on her and kissed her and she was telling us how she always does not smell well. I just thought to myself about how she not only needed to be loved on and hugged but truly cared for. Katie sat her on a mat on the floor and asked if she was hungry and she said yes. Katie gave her a hard-boiled egg and she gobbled it right up. After, she had egg all over her face and hands so I gave Katie a wet-wipe to clean her up a little. They Katie just said, "Do you want to bathe her?" I jumped out of my seat and picked her up and took her to the bath tub. Grace and Mallory came and helped me. We took her clothes off and placed her in the bathtub. She did not move unless I moved her and she was very cooperative in holding her head back and letting me scrub really well. I washed her twice just to make sure I got all of the dirt off of her. After washing her it was time to put on some clothes and Katie handed me a clean dress for her. I put lotion on her sweet little skin and put some lavender oil on her little hair. I put the dress on her and she was good as new. I knew that this was probably the only bath she would have for a while so I wanted to do it well. May I add that little Gladys does not really ever smile. After her bath Mallory had her while I was cleaning up and then I came over and took her. I held her and played with her in my lap and I got a smile. This was the most precious smile I had ever seen. Her little eyes are so precious and she giggled for me too. After  a little bit of playing I just held her close to me and put her head on my chest. We just sat there and before I knew it she was asleep. I dosed off a little while I was holding her and I just loved cuddling with her. She lives across the street from Katie, but I didn't know if I was ever going to see her again. Thinking back on it I am reminded of the verse:

Matthew 25:35-36 " For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you Gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of Me; I was in prison and you visited Me."

While I was holding Gladys I truly felt the spirit of God. He gave me such peace and love that my heart was overflowing. At about 7:00 p.m. Katie goes outside and tells the kids that do not live here that it is time for them to go home. So, it was time for sweet Gladys to go home, but she was still asleep. I handed her over to her sister, Dorothy, and they went on their way. The next day, Tuesday, I saw her again and she still smelled good from the bath I gave her and she was so excited to see me and she did not want me to leave her sight. Then today, Thursday, I saw her on our way to school and we held hands the whole way. Katie said that Gladys loves school and loves to learn. Being able to bathe her was a gift from God; a gift that I will always treasure in my heart. My heart hurts for the other children like Gladys in this country and in this world and that is why I love and am thankful for someone like Katie Davis.

Love you all!!! See you on Saturday!!!

anna

blogs for weeks.....

Suzanne here.....
I have decided that there is so much to tell and it takes so long to blog and upload pics, that we will continue to blog for several weeks after we return to the US, so ya'll can see our pictures and hear about everything that we have experienced here.  
On Saturday the children started rolling in and a little boy came in with white spots all over his face and body.  Katie's face was HILARIOUS, I thought I was going to laugh my head off!   As it turns out, he had smallpox and had walked for miles for his bag of food.  We met him at the gate, gave him his food, and called a piki to take him home.....I have a pic that I will show you later.
This is one for Mary Pat (Katie's mom).....Okay, you must know that Katie is VERY frugal here!  She will walk blocks for something that is 10 cents cheaper. 
 (Mike here, for you  Scott...The locals refer to her as "Nangobi" or "Nantongo"...meaning that she cannot be taken advantage of, or put another way..you cant charge her the prices you typically charge an American..she will only pay the prices that other Africans pay...my word for this is "bush-smart".  She can definitely hold her own. Christine says that people here consider her more African than American.   We have learned to let Katie do the negotiating when it comes to money. )  
(Back to Suzanne)..When she pays the piki men, they look at the coin that she pays them and shake their heads in laughter!  Quite the bargain hunter our sweet Katie!
As she walks through her village the people meet her on the side of the road just for her to touch them.  She has such a loving touch and it always ends with a kiss.  I am very close behind with my purell cleaning her hands and mouth (the "mama" in me) hahaha
Okay, so katie is waiting for me, we're headed to the market for some chickens......we're gonna fry em up the American way today!!! yeeehah!!!!  more to come later.....

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Village visits, pikis, and dancing

Uncle Mike here...11:20 pm in Uganda..we are all about to go to bed..talking about our day (it was a good one!), and rubbing aloe on our sunburns from the aloe plant just outside the front door. We started the day with Scott and I escorting the girls to school (they leave at daylight...about 6:30 am) so we came back and caught an extra hour of sleep before our morning cup of coffee. When everyone woke, we headed out on a journey to several villages in the area. We visited the villages where some of the kids in the Amazima program either came from or currently live. Hopefully pictures will be downloaded tomorrow of our day. We walked about 3 or 4 miles down the railroad and through the bush to visit these people. They were all small villages made up of tiny mud huts, usually anywhere from 30 to 7o people living in each village. Im sure someone else will post some more details from some of these visits...there were many memorable moments. Perhaps if we ever can get te pictures to download, they may tell the stories better than I ever could. After several hours spent in the various villages, we made our way to Canaan childrens home, where we were swarmed by hundreds of kids, excited to see their Aunt Katie and the "vis-tas". From there we experienced our first Piki ride home! Riding on the backs of little motorcycles...nother little piece of Africa we will always remember. Later in the day we went to Amani orphanage (yes it was a packed day and we are exhausted) where we spent a couple of hours visiting the kids there. Forgot to mention, we had a stop at a coffee stop in Jinja on the way to Amani, where we refueled. Speaking of food, I must say, the Ugandan food grows on you...we are all enjoying it (and Michael is enjoying his mac n cheese!). Finally we arrived home at around 6:30 pm to find all the kids engaged in their evening worship and dance. Agnes (who has stolen my heart....maybe more about that later) plays the drums (bongo) and leads everyone in song and dance...if we could download video of that it would blow you away. Yes we all danced and I must say Landon has rythm! They so enjoy us dancing with them (maybe they just enjoy laughing at our inability to keep up with them!). In fact, Agnes told someone the other day (i wont say which one of us) that her dancing (oops did I say "her") offended her because it was so bad! Agnes also has a wonderful sense of humor, which I love. Every night I tell a bedtime story to Agnes, Margaret, Prossi, and Margaret (Ive got a pretty good backlog of made up stories that Annabelle and Milleranne have heard countless times) so these girls just love em. They think Im so creative but Ive had about 12 years of making them up! Anyway, back to dancing. At dark we came inside and i put on some George Strait and we taught the girls a little two steppin! I have good reason to believe that theyve never heard of George Strait, country music, and certainly not the two-step. We had a ball! Agnes and I two stepped and it took her about two minutes to be better at it than me...no big surprise there. So then comes dinner and off to bed (after everyone...all 14...have baths). Agnes always tells me at bedtime "I love you Uncle" with the biggest sheepish grin I have ever seen. That in itself has made this trip worthwhile.
After 5 days here, I can see how some people fall in love with Africa. Ive seen tshirts that say "I need Africa more than Africa needs me." I am beginning to understand what that means.

Pictures to follow (hopefully!!)

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Hours with out Katie

It's Mallory here...

I made it here (gwen that was for you). Yesterday, as most of you know, Uncle Mike, Auntie Suzanne, Katie, Grace, and Michael left for Kenya, so we decided to have a little fun...Today Raul took my dad, Landon, Anna, and me to a couple of schools. At the first school there were mostly kids under 10. When we first arrived, we were mobbed by kids surrounding the car. We got out and the only thing they wanted to do was pet us. They LOVE our white skin! When we got to sit down everyone wanted to sit down in our lap and hold on to our hands. At the end dum dums were passed out and man they loved them! As we were passing out the dum dums i began to realize how spoiled we are. Not one of the kids asked if they could have a certain color they took what they were given and were satisfied. Many of us always want one certain thing but God may have a different plan and we should be satisfied with what he gives us. The second school we went to was on the other end town. At this school, tuition costs around 20 dollars for the kids to go to schoo, and every one of them pay for themselves. I realized how much my parents have provided for me as they pay for me to go to school and it is WAY over 20 dollars. This school was filled with cheers and welcomes for the "muzungas" (white people)..okay im gonna get off topic real quick... Auntie Suzanne is in the middle of catching a lizard and it is VERY entertaining...! (i have began to realize here that she is fearless of bugs...) Any way... we came home and about an hour later, the Kenya crew came back...Katie's kids were SO excited! So we all survived and everyone is home safe and sound...

Good Night from Uganda!
Mallory

Road Trip to Kenya

Suzanne here.....
We started our trip to Kenya thinking that we were going to die.  These people drive like CRAZY people!!!!  in and out, up and down, red dirt flying EVERYWHERE.....goats, cows, chickens and CHILDREN all over the roads ( I'm talking 2 yr olds people!)  motorcycles and bicycles swerving in and out of the traffic....TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL.  i must say though, there is no road rage here.  You are expected to drive this way, and if not, you never get where you are going.  All that said, the countryside is GORGEOUS... mountains, greenery, and  the red dirt just offsets all the different colors.  breathtaking......not to mention the baboons that were walking down the road,( I'm hoping the pics will upload.)
Crossing the border was an experience for Grace and Michael, they stood in amazement.  When I got to the counter they called the BIG man from the back up to talk to me.  He asked me how I entered the country of Uganda and I said " through the Entebbe airport" and he said that I had no stamp in  my passport to show it.  i must have looked REALLY confused as he flipped through my passport to show me how there was no proof.  LUCKILY, my husband had the receipt from our payment of the visa in his bag and pulled it out for proof. (Oh how I love that man!) The big man went through several more technicalities, then looked back at me,, winked, and sent me on my way.  it wasn't until Ivan (our driver) explained to me that they could have locked me up and beat me with a stick for being in their country without a visa that I got scared)  sooooo GOD.
We arrived at the Compassion Project and laid eyes on our sweet Calvin for the first time. We have received pictures of him for 8 years now.  We started with him in the 1st grade, and now he is 15 years old.  I had to look up to him, he is so tall......but has a very shy demeaner.  Kenyans do not hug culturally....I couldn't stop touching him, his skin was gorgeous,, I probably rocked his world.  I hugged him every few minutes and he would just grin.  His father killed last year.   Since then, Calvin has taken on the "father role" of his home.  You can tell by the pain in his eyes that his heart has been broken.
 After some "african praise and worship"(WOW) with his classmates, they took us through the project showing us where he sits(and the little book) when he writes us letters, medical area, kitchen,  etc......It was really neat to see "in person" all of the things that I had wondered about for all of these years.
He then took us to his home. It was a mud hut with two rooms.  the first one was divided by some sheets hanging from the ceiling....one side a few places to sit, the other side Calvin's bed.  The second little room had his moms bed in it and pots to cook with with a fire going on the ground......I'm not real sure how there was not smoke filling the room?!  They served us drinks, boiled bananas, boiled sweet potatoes and mangos.  We felt like royalty.  I have never felt so appreciated.  All of the neighbors kept coming to the door to see us.  The children had never seen white people before.  They kept looking at mine and Graces blue eyes (I think they thought we were ghosts...lol)  We gave them some lollipops and they warmed up to us. (bribery......works every time!)  Calvin gets water from the stream behind his house.  He was dressed in his school uniform.....his finest.
I learned more in this one day than I have in a LONG time.  Every time I looked into that sweet childs eyes, I felt the Lords presence.  His goal is to become a teacher.  He has a few more years of school and then the University.  The money that we have invested in his life has without a doubt been one of the biggest and more significant  investments of all.  Thank you Lord for opening our hearts to him 8 years ago!  I could write forever about the feelings that I felt today but am going to stop so Mallory can have a turn.
I  wept A LOT today.  I kept telling Calvin that they were tears of joy....he kept looking perplexed....hahahaha.  So, we have decided  to buy him a cow to show him how much we enjoyed our day with him!!!!
Monday, March 16, 2009

Pixy Stix and Lolly Pops

It's uncle scott - more about the treats in a minute.  The morning started out great.  The girls were up around 6:30 and by 7:15 they were at the door and ready for their 1/2 mile walk to school.  Twelve of the fourteen girls walked Mike, Suzanne and me to school.  I assumed they needed assistance but of course it was us grown ups who needed to be guided to St. Moses school.  The good news was the three of us made it back home without getting lost.  

Early this afternoon Katie, Mike, Suzanne, Grace and Michael took off on a six hour drive to Kenya.  The Mayernick family has been sponsoring a young man there named Calvin for years and they finally get a chance to meet him in person.  They will be returning late tomorrow night.  Well by now you can probably begin to understand the "Pixy Stix and Lolly Pops."  Yes as soon as mommy Katie hit the road it was like the grandparents (Anna, Landon, Mallory and me) got a chance to spoil their grandchildren.  We had so much fun today.  

We stayed outside the whole afternoon.  There was singing (worship songs that the children led in their sweet little voices), dancing (and I mean dancing 'til you drop), jump rope competitions, volley ball and soccer games.  My favorite was when Landon was kicking the soccer ball all the way over the house with the children  trying to catch it/find it after the first bounce or two.  Needless to say we attracted numerous neighborhood friends for the "carnival" that had come to town.  And yes the afternoon was not complete without Pixy Stix and Lolly Pops.  I am certain that most if not all of the children had never experienced tearing into a Pixy Stix and enjoying the sweet sugar on their tongues.  Some of the younger children missed their mouths completely and they ended up with blue, orange and red faces.  I think we all caught a glimpse of what it must be like to to "grandparents" for a day.  

Well it is around 9:20 on Mon evening and all of the children are in bed - yes they we did also manage to feed and bath them and say a sweet bedtime prayer.  

I am thankful at this for a wonderful day and the joy we will have tomorrow and we get another chance to do it all over again.

Blessing and good night from uncle scott
Sunday, March 15, 2009

a few pics






Michael's Minute


I can not believe how the kids here can run so fast on rocks it is crazy. They can run faster than me on rocks when i am in crock's and they are bare foot. Today Katie and some of the kids and i all went to the market, and of course a couple of them were not wearing shoes...we were walking very happy and all of the sudden every kid started running including katie, so i just went with it... i started to run also. and we would stop and start again. when we got back the neighbors were all over, i came in and took a drink and went back out. right when i got back out Joyce and sumini and mary all came to me and wanted me to jump rope with them. then it is a whole different story...
Saturday, March 14, 2009

Worship Day at Amazima...."Uncle" Mike here

Today (Saturday) was, to say the least, a day like Ive never had before.  It was worship day at Amazima.  I didnt know really what to expect, and I got a whole lot more than I expected.   At around 8:30 or 9 a.m., little faces began to appear, at first glancing through the opening in the front gate or through the cracks in the fence.  I would see one of them peer through a crack, then disappear, then eventually make his or her way through the front gate into the yard.  I think some of their hesitation was that they could see quite a few "vis-tas" (as we American visitors are affectionately called) so they had to scope things out before they committed.  Before I knew it there were 200-250 kids in the yard...  they just kept coming!!  By about 11 a.m. Raul (the worship leader here) had them all gathered together on and around the porch (we will publish pictures once we can get them downloaded) singing African worship songs...200 or so little voices lifting up praise...quite a sight....i hope our video came out well.  After the praise and worship time, then came the games.  Girls against boys, of course (some things are universal), and Grace, Mallory and Michael all participated...fit right in.    Sack races, balloon games, etc...  The girls won and had to rub it in a little (again, some things are the same everywhere!).  After the game came snack time.  250+ hard boiled eggs!  Best hard boiled egg Ive ever had (with a piece of white bread to wash it down!).  All the kids line up in a single file line, smallest to largest, to receive their egg from Auntie Katie.  I'd guess the last ones in line had to wait 20 minutes or so to receive theirs, but oh were they grateful for that egg.   
After more playtime and games, then came dinner...rice, beans, and chicken.  Someone actually did bring a gift (a live chicken) to Katie yesterday.  We didnt eat him but hes in the closet right now awaiting his fate, which Im sure will come soon.  I digress.  Again they waited for their food, all in a single file line, smallest to largest (its amazing how the older kids just instinctively become caretakers of the younger ones).  The food had been cooking all day in large pots outside. In fact, when i got up Saturday morning, I thought I was the first one awake, but found Prossi, one of Katie's oldest, outside builiding a fire underneath the pots, getting ready for the day.  What struck me is that no one asked her to do it...she just did...she's 13.
One thing that really grabbed me today about these kids...  They just long for love and attention.  They came from nearby villages (these are all kids in Katies program) so I didnt really know their individual stories, but I could almost write them by looking in their eyes.  They long for love and attention.  They would glance your way, at first with what seemed like an emptiness in their eyes.  Then when you give them a glance and a smile, a little smile would break across their faces and they look at you as if to say "Me?  Are you smiling at ME?  Are you really interested in ME?"... with surprise and disbelief.   Of course, once that barrier was broken, you could just see their joy as they climbed in your lap, sometimes 5 or 6 at a time!  It is amazing how there is so much pain, yet so much joy, all at the same time, in these kids.  I saw the "least of these" today ....and it was GOOD.
On a final note, 4 of our bags didnt make the flight.  3 of them contained water purifiers, food, tshirts for the kids, blankets, etc.  The 4th has all of mine and Michaels clothes in it.  Got a call from the airline today and they said two of the bags have arrived...but of course its not the one with our clothes and toiletries (they cant even find them).  So yes, Ive been a little perturbed  at having to make it on basically one pair of pants, a couple of t shirts, a pair of socks and two pair of underwear.  But you know, thats about as much as most people have here so I guess I shouldnt get too worked up.  God does have a sense of humor.

Grace here...

It is 11:11 PM here in Uganda...Today we had over 200 kids come over and worship God, eat food, and play games (i got to be in a sack race....surprisingly, i won, giving the girls team the lead...) :) . Also, we gave everyone a sack of food, a BIG bar of soap, and a t-shirt, (another example of God showing himself)....we had the EXACT amount of t shirts to give each kid one, and after handing out the last one, we were out.  After all the kids had left, Katie, my mom, Mallory, Michael, my dad and I all went to visit Amani Baby cottage (an orphanage about 15 minutes away from Katie's house), where we visited and loved on the kids... Many of the kids there are special needs, and some have had a rough past....please pray for them that they all stay healthy and that they would be able to find homes. Although we have only been here for a day, our hearts are already changing, and drawing closer to God. Pray for safety and protection for Katie, her kids, the Amazima children, our team, and the children with out someone to tuck them in tonight. Good night!! :)
 Love,
Grace
P.S. My mom is supposed to post pics either tonight or tomorrow so be on the lookout for those...
Friday, March 13, 2009

Waking to Smiles & Laughter

I cannot describe to you the joy and love these children have for life and for others other than that it is AMAZING! We arrived at Katie's house really late and as soon as we could we went to bed. This morning I woke up to 15 smiling and excited faces before I could even get out of my bed! As soon as I stepped onto the floor I was being hugged by three little ones and they all took turns hugging and greeting all of us. We gave them all a stuffed animal and some chalk this morning and they are all holding them and drawing outside on the walls. 

GOD IS SO GOOD!! This morning we all got to witness a miracle as we all watched Grace walk across the room. We were all cheering her on and clapping as her face lit up with pure joy. I took a video of her walking and we have taken many pictures, but I am having trouble loading them.

Since being here I have tried to absorb every little precious moment. This morning I just sat on the couch watching, watching in amazement of what God has done with Katie and wondering where these children would be if it weren't for her obedience to God. She is a blessing to all of us and as Suzanne said last night, "If you like Katie, you LOVE Katie!"

We are blessed to be here and appreciate your prayers tremendously.

Love you all!!

anna

 

Travel Time

WOW!  Africa is a long way from the US!!  When we arrived  at the airport in Nashville, they informed us that our flight had been canceled due to weather.  We joined hands in prayer and asked the Lord to make a miracle happen.  And HE did!!  We went through Dallas and ended up in Amsterdam just in time for our flight to Entebbe.  There have been several mishaps since arriving...4 bags are lost, katie had a flat tire on her way to pick us up, and Abdula ran out of gas on our way home to Katie's house.  I have already shouted at satan to go elsewhere....WE SHALL NOT BE DEFEATED!!   Our sweet Saviour is MIGHTY  and is TOTALLY in control!  Our flights were fabulous.  We slept, ate, and played a little scrabble.
Thursday, March 12, 2009

Our God is BIG !!!

Gwen Here .. posting on Suzanne's behalf ..

This is all via text, so if I goof anything up Suzanne can fix it ...

They got to the airport this morning and their flight was cancelled to Detroit and told they probaby couldn't leave till tomorrow or Saturday ...Suzanne told me to spread the word, so I got on the phone and started texting everyone to pray ...

Here is the lastest text from Suzanne, "Okay... on plane now... deep breath, all airplane people said "no go" on each airways ... last person told us that all 8 of us could travel plus 16 bags ... NOTHIN short of a miracle .. our GOD is BIG !!! blog it !!! " And just so none of us miss who made this happen there were only 8 seats EXACTLY left on this plane !!!! God thanks for providing a way for this group to get to Katie !!!

Stay Tuned for this Adventure ... God has big things instore for them and for US here at home !!

147 million orphans.....

The Lord kept nudging me out of bed this morning.....I finally gave in.  There are 147 million orphans in the world......can you even count that high?  The Lord always takes me to Nehemiah when I think of this number.  You see,  Nehemiah was called by the Lord  to rebuild a wall that was so BIG that the thought of it overwhelmed him.  He knew there was NO WAY that he could do it on his own.  He had a choice to make.  He could sit in his place of comfort or answer the Lords calling.  He started calling on person after person to help him.  They each took a brick and laid it side by side, one after the other, and before they knew it, the wall was rebuilt.
We are ALL called to care for the orphans and widows.  All it takes is one brick.  We ALL have a brick, they are different sizes and different colors. What would happen if EVERY believer in Jesus Christ just laid ONE brick?  Our wall would be built and there would be NO orphans!  Because our bricks are many sizes and many colors, our roles in this all look different.  Adoption, (my personal favorite!), sponsorship, (helping to pay for food, medical care, and schooling...Katie's favorite) traveling to see them and help them, medical mission trips.....the list goes on and on.  WHAT DOES YOUR BRICK LOOK LIKE?
We leave in 5 hours to start laying bricks.  All of our bricks look different.   Katie is building her wall daily.  I can't wait to lay down brick after brick this week.  I am going to lay mine right beside Katie's and just watch the wall get bigger and bigger. Anna is going to lay her brick.  Landon is going to lay his brick.  Mallory is going to lay her brick.  Scott is going to lay his brick. Michael is going to lay his brick. Grace is going to lay her brick. and Mike will lay his brick........the thought of it just makes my heart sing!
You say:"I'm too tired "  God says: I will give you rest (Matt. 11:28-30)
You say: "It's impossible" God says:  ALL things are possible  (Luke 18:27)
You say: "I can't go on"  God says:  My grace is sufficient (1 Corinthians 12;9 and Psalm 91:15)
You say: "I can't figure things out"  God says:  I will direct your steps (Proverbs 3:5-6)
You say: "I can't do it"  God says: You can do all things through me (Phillipians 4:13)
You say: "I'm not able"  God says: I AM able (2 Corinthians 9:8)
You say: "I can't manage"  God says: I will supply all your needs (Phillipians 4:19)
You say:  "I'm afraid"  God says:  i have not given you the spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7)
You say:  "I can't afford it" ( God laughs at this one) and says:  I will supply all you needs (Phillipians 4:19)
Seriously Lord?  Seriously?   147 million of them?  PLEASE forgive us!
What is your excuse?



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suzanne
I am a lover of Jesus. I have the most fabulous husband that anyone woman could ask for. The Lord has blessed us with 7 beautiful children. I started this blog so that friends and family could follow our trip to Uganda to visit Katie Davis. I have decided to keep blogging to help bring orphan awareness to the world around me.
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