Touch Me, Oh my Jesus, Touch Me!

"Touch me, oh my Jesus, touch me." These are the lyrics to one of the songs we do quite often with the kids we minister to, but this week it's also been the cry of my heart. I've just been asking God to move in and around me and the people here, and He has been!

Some girls from Zirobwe

As well as Nehemiah 8:10b, God has laid Philippians 4:6-7 on me, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." It's a pretty popular verse, but what's hit me the hardest this week is the peace of God guarding my heart. Colossians 3:15 says "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." I've realized that to have the peace of God that these verses talk about, you truly have to let the peace rule in your heart. I can't keep holding onto my anxieties and worries; I have to be willing to truly give them up to God. When I choose to do that, I can honestly say I experience the kind of peace that's beyond understanding. What a blessing!

Putting on clothes during a relay race at Brainstorm

As for the different projects we've been to this week, there's been lots! First of all, on Sunday we finally went to the village of Zirobwe for the first time to help with church. It was such an awesome experience. The children there are so filled with joy, even though they have so little. We also had the chance to spend all day at one of the secondary schools again (with yet another futbol game!). It seems like both times we've done that, I start out the day completely out of my comfort zone and nervous - but by the end of the day I'm always so full and joyful, I don't want to leave! God is definitely moving. The other programs we went to were the Babies Home, the children's hospital, Brainstorm (primary school), a feeding program at a primary school, and finally a lunch hour fellowship at one of the secondary schools. I feel like I could talk forever about each one of them, but we're big on time management here (okay, maybe not...), so I probably should wrap it up.

A few "wrap up" thoughts, like the ribbon around the package: Christ has continually touched my heart since I've been here. He's blessed me so much. I've got a wonderful family and support group at home and an awesome family here as well. But most of all, I have an awesome God, amazing Father, loving Bridegroom, and a Constant Refuge and source of peace - and no matter what, He's always here with me! Mukama Yebazibwe! Praise God!

Blessings!

Wow! I don't even know where to begin! It's been a week since I left for Uganda, and there's already so much to tell, but I don't have to words to tell it all! We've visited a couple primary schools and secondary schools as well as a babies home, children's hospital, and this Sunday we finally get to go out to the village! Each of the places we go, we have an opportunity to minister to the kids in different ways. Most of the time we put on a little worship service with a lesson. However, at the babies home, we just help take care of the kids and clean.

The volleyball and futbol girls in our cool uniforms!

At one of the high schools we went to this week, we actually got to spend the whole day there. We had the opportunity to have a debate with them, and honestly, we were all scared to death of the idea of debating. But as we got closer to the day of the debate, God calmed my spirit. I was reading in 1 Corinthians 1 and 2 and was comforted by Paul's words,"And so it was with me brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God." God just spoke to my heart in that time. It wasn't about preparing the best debate possible any more, it was about preparing to let the Spirit speak. In the end, the debate turned out wonderfully; it was interesting and was a great learning experience for both our team and the students there. We also had the opportunity to play volleyball and futbol (soccer) with the students there. Once again, God blew away my fears and anxieties and turned it into a wonderful experience!

I think the thing I've noticed the most about being here is the contrast you see everywhere. You can see really nice homes next to run down shacks and people in sharp, clean dress clothes next to others in clothes so covered in the red dirt here that they wouldn't be allowed anywhere back home. But I think the contrast that has struck me most has been the children. Despite the fact that they have undoubtedly faced a multitude of hard times and issues, they are so full of joy! It's contagious! This week has brought a whole new light upon Nehemiah 8:10b, "Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." The joy that I've found in Christ this week truly has been my strength; it's amazing!

One of the sweet girls at a school we visited.

It's been an awesome experience so far, and I feel like I'm learning so much. God is moving here, and I just have this feeling of being where I belong. I know this is where God wants me to be right now, and that's really all I can ask for - to be where He wants me and in His presence.


Blessings!

At the airport, ready to go!

Honestly, I feel like a real blogger now! I’m sitting in the London Heathrow Airport with my computer out, looking all cool and stuff…. Except for the fact that I can’t seem to connect to the internet. That’s not very “blogger”-ish. Oh, well! Anyways, it’s been a crazy couple of days! First of all, I had to say goodbye to my whole family (both biological and spiritual). Talk about hard! Once I had that under my belt, my flight from Kansas City to Chicago was delayed due to weather concerns, and after that, we couldn’t get off the plane in Chicago for the same reasons. Finally, with the help of a very nice British man (who had been to Uganda twice!), I made it off the plane and figured out what I needed to do and where to go. Next, of course, I did what any girl my age would do: I went speed-walking to my next terminal. Good thing too, because they were boarding just as I got there. However, this story continues. Once we were all loaded on the plane ready to head for London, there was an announcement made that they had to replace a battery in the plane, and to do so, we all had to get off. So, the mob of London-bound travelers got off the plane and sat in the lobby area for a while. It was definitely an “interesting” experience, but I wouldn’t claim to want it to happen again. After over 3 hours of waiting, we were once again allowed to board the plane. However, two passengers decided to stay in Chicago that night instead of waiting for the plane, so there was yet another delay while they removed those passengers’ bags. Finally, after a lot of work on my patience, I was headed to London. Honestly, the flight was rather boring, but they did feed us “supper” around 2 or 3 in the morning (which I slept through) and then breakfast at an equally odd time. Seriously, this whole time change and money exchange thing is already throwing me off! But anyways, this morning when I woke up on the plane, I could hardly contain my excitement! I mean, London! Who would have ever thought!? I couldn’t help but have a cup of tea this morning. But also, it means I’m one flight away from Uganda!

I’m not sure I really thought this day would come, and now that it has, well, really, I’m not sure what to think. It’s all so surreal. But God has continually helped me realize that He’s got it under control. He provided rain the week I left, reminding me that He would care for my family while I was gone, and on my flight to Chicago, I saw a rainbow out the plane window! It was a truly humbling experience – but an awesome reminder of God’s faithfulness, peace, and care.

Welp, I suppose that’s really all I have to blog about right now. I appreciate your continual prayers and support, and I’ll do my best to keep you updated on everything! God Bless!