Motherhood.

Over the past couple months, I’ve experienced something I never thought I would be prepared for (especially before I was married!!). What’s that?

Motherhood.

Over the course of a matter of weeks, I’ve become the “Mama” to four children aging 4, 5, 7, and 9. While our children at Bethel are almost numbering in 50, these four are the ones who are actually living with us.

Ibra!! 

The first to come was Ibra (4). He’s the “mama’s boy,” and is so stubborn sometimes, but darling all the same. I’m going to have SO many stories to tell on him someday! Once, he up and kicked a full flask for no reason. It broke, and he ran away (trying to avoid punishment! Haha, right…). He also used to fight sleeping so much!! We could put him in bed and he would just cry and scream! Other times, he would keep quiet, but 10 minutes later, he would walk back into the sitting room where we all were. (Reminds me of my little brother!) But he’s so sweet as well. He loves snuggling and trying to walk around in my shoes. He also likes to “help” clean the veranda and even bathe himself sometimes. (And he goes to bed by himself now!)

Gideon acting tough.. 

The next two that God blessed us with were Gideon (7) and Monica (9). Gideon is full of energy! He bounces around everywhere and is always either playing or working. I think the only time I’ve ever seen him sit still is when he’s eating which, like every 7 year old boy, he’s ALWAYS hungry!! But he’s such a big help around the house! He helps clean the veranda out front, keeps the younger ones entertained, and even helps bathe his little brothers! One day, he and Nelson spent the entire day catching grasshoppers! He’s also such a father to the younger boys as well as the other kids around the neighborhood. One day he told me he had 21 children!! (And he started naming them!)

Monica looking smart! 

Monica is a hard worker, but loves to have fun and laugh. When my sisters (Deborah and Jeb) are home from school, they all have a blast together!! (Although they like to stay up WAY too late.) Monica absolutely loves schooling! Every day she comes home, she has to tell us what happened at school that day. Sometimes, after saying goodnight to her, I can come back into the room an hour or two later and she’s still awake reading! She came home so proud one day because she was the only one in her class who knew how to read Luganda (their native language), so she had been called to teach the other students how to read it! Her passion for learning is going to take her so far!

Nelson all excited about his shoes/socks!

Nelson (5) is the most recent child to join us. He’s from Kagarama, but was in such bad health condition that we realized we needed to bring him to stay with us so he could receive the nutrition he needs. Despite the language barrier, he’s adjusted so well! He’s a very intelligent boy and is very good on following directions. But that doesn’t mean he can’t put Ibra in his place! Sometimes while he and Ibra are playing together, I hear Ibra start wailing. Of course I have to go “take care of the problem.” Most times it consists of Nelson hitting Ibra or something of the like for whatever Ibra was doing that was out of line. Even though most times I know Ibra deserved whatever Nelson gave him, I still have to make both of them realize that what they did was wrong. One of my favorite moments with Nelson was when we brought him back his first pair of socks and shoes. His smile was the BIGGEST!!

All 4 kids! 

I’ve learned so much through my kids. They’ve been difficult, impossible, ridiculous, and absolutely lovely. There are so many challenges. Ibra, although young, knew a language from East/Northern Uganda. Gideon and Monica speak Luganda (Central Uganda), and Nelson speaks Runyankole (Western Uganda). The problem? I speak English. Try disciplining children who don’t understand what you’re saying! But God is good. Most times they know what they’ve done wrong! However, language barriers are a problem in more areas than that. Monica woke up crying one morning because of a dream she had. Mommy had to translate for me. And still I could only comfort her with the few Lugana words I know. I can understand when my kids are hungry, or want water, or want to sleep. Basics like that, but when it comes to counseling them, building their faith, encouraging them? I simply can’t. Not yet. But I’m learning. Little by little, I’m learning the language. And I’m realizing that words aren’t the only thing that comforts and guides children. But God has used my children to make me realize His great love for us. No matter how many times Ibra drop-kicks a flask, or Gideon complains that he’s hungry, or Monica uses up the battery on my phone, or Nelson wets the bed – no matter how many times my kids annoy me, upset me, or challenge me, I still love them. I love them more than I can express in words… and I’m human. How great does that make God’s love for us?!

But I can tell you one thing for sure…. Mothers deserve a Mother’s day like every month! Not just once a year!! 

The Latest at Bethel...

Well.... I obviously fail at blogging. But there's SO much to update you all on! God is so good and His faithfulness continues to just blow me away.

The foundation of the building! 

Mommy and I recently spent a week in Kagarama with our children there. It was absolutely amazing. We started building!!! The first building we're working on is a 3 room set of classes. Eventually all of the rooms will be part of the school, but for a while, as we're building the dormitories, the children will sleep in one of the rooms. Anyways, the foundation is almost finished!! It was so amazing to watch the bricks being put into place. It was just one of those moments when you realize, "Wow. This is really happening."

But seeing the building wasn't the only wonderful thing.

During our time there, God began to grow even more love in us for our children (although I didn't think that was possible). I started to learn their personalities and see how God had moved in their lives since the first time I went to Kagarama. On the day we arrived, we had the chance to talk to all of our children as they were waiting for supper. 12 of them decided to be saved that night. It was amazing! Through the week, I was able to laugh with them, comfort them when they cried, sing with them, and just pour love out upon them. And I realized how blessed I am! I never deserved this great calling. I was never worthy of it. But despite the fact that it's SO hard, the abundant blessings that God has poured out upon me far outweigh the struggles.

Working on our English - DANCE! 

Helping carry bricks for the builders.

With our 3 kids here in Masaka
Monica, Gideon, and Ibra

We also have 3 of the Bethel children living with us in Masaka right now (Monica, Gideon, & Ibra) because they were from this area. Along with them, we're planning on bringing Nelson (see previous post) to come and live with us so we can take care of his needs. We're also preparing to send them Monica and Gideon to school in the next week or so. They're SO excited to start schooling.

The two biggest needs we have right now are sponsors for our children and more financial provision for buying a second piece of land and building. But we live by faith, and we know that God is going to provide because it's not our ministry - it's His! Give Him all of the glory, honor, and praise - He alone deserves it!

Other than that, I'm preparing to head back to Soldier, Kansas in June. It seems to be approaching so quickly... Seems like just yesterday I was moving to Masaka! But I know some big things are going to be happening in this next season of my life, and I'm so excited to share with everyone I can about God's work here!

Please be in prayer for Bethel and our children!

Abundant Blessings!

Nelson Ahimbisebwe

This son of ours is called Nelson Ahimbisebwe. As we were recently in Kagarama, we became aware of his condition. Although he's smiling in this picture, he's very weak and only sits watching the other children play. Because he needs extra nourishing food and care, we've decided to bring him to live with us for a time as we bring him back to health. In order to do that, he needs a sponsor asap... If you're interested, contact us!

Bethel Children

This hansom young man is 10 year old  Elisa Mushaija.
He previously lived in a nearby village with his
parents, but when both of them died of AIDS,
one of his relatives brought him to the church.

This young man is one of our awesome sons,
Godfrey Ndyanabo. He's 10 years old. When his father
died of AIDS, his mother left him with some neighbors
and moved to another district. Then, the neighbors
brought him to the church. 

This great son of ours is called Francis Mugarura. He's the
older sibling of Augustine and Vastina. Nothing was
ever known about the father, and their mother died. 

This is one of the older boys at Bethel, Denis Turindwamukama.
He's 7 years old and was brought to the church
by his mother after his father had died of AIDS.

This little guy is Edison Mucunguzi. He's 5 years old.

As his father was dying, he sold everything to pay for treatment.

When he did eventually pass on, he left his wife and 

children with nothing. 

Ibrahim Kyambade

Hey all! This little guy is Ibrahim Kyambade (or Ibra for short). He's 3 years old and has just come to stay with us here in Masaka, but will hopefully someday be able to stay in Kagarama. Anyways, Ibra needs a sponsor as soon as possible due to medical needs.

Ibra's mother recently died in childbirth along with what would have been her third child. Because Ibra and his elder brother were not the biological children of the woman's current husband, they were left without parents. While the older child was taken into another orphanage in the area, they were not able to take in Ibra  due to the fact that he tested HIV positive, so he's been staying with his grandmother. However, the grandmother's health hasn't been good, and she's not able to properly care for Ibra's needs. When we heard that he had been sick and needed help, we felt burdened to care for this child of God. He has many medical needs that need to be taken care of as soon as possible, which is why we're so urgently looking for a sponsor. If you've been touched by his story and feel led to help out the new son God has given us, please contact us as soon as possible! Blessings!!

More Sponsorship Children!

These are some more of our awesome kids at Bethel. If you feel let to sponsor one of them or just want to know more, contact us at lmichelle14@yahoo.com, emily.c.holliday@gmail.com, or surrenderuganda@gmail.com. Blessings!

This is one of my wonderful sons, Augustine Turyasingura.
He's 11 years old and is the middle child of the three
in their family. (His older brother is Francis, & his younger
sister is Vastina.) Random fact, "Turyasingura"
means "we shall be victorious."

This is one of our little guys, Barakatu Rubagasira.
He's 5 years old and along with his two siblings
 (6 year old Shakira & 3 year old Sharifu) were refugees from
the Dominican Republic of Congo. Their parents fled with
the children, but both died after reaching Uganda.

This is one of my beautiful daughters, Beaty Nabukera.
She's 5 years old and has two older siblings (Sarah and Joseph).
After their father died, their mother brought the three
to the church and left them there. She's a bit shy around us right now,
 but we know that as God starts to work in her heart, she'll open up!

This is one the awesome daughters God has blessed me with.
Her name is Catherine Barireta, and she's 8 years old.
She's the middle sibling of Clinton (10) and Sam (6).
 Don't let the picture fool you! She loves to smile and is a really sweet girl!

This is Clinton (Catherine and Sam's older brother).
He's 10 years old, which makes him one of the "older kids" in Bethel.
As with many of the other boys his age,
he steps up to help out and work whenever help is needed!

This sweet son of ours is called Daniel Nimwesiga.
He's 4 years old and has one older sister, Maxencia (6).
Their father was killed in a fight around Christmas time,
and afterwards, the mother left them at the church,
unable to care for them herself.

Hope Restored!

Right now, I feel like jumping up and down and screaming like a little girl. I feel like embarrassing myself completely by dancing around like a maniac. I feel like shouting to the whole world how good God is. (I also feel like I haven’t written a blog post in a really, really long time, but that’s beside the point.) Our God is good and faithful and absolutely amazing.

A new church we ministered to.

The majority of last week I was in Western Uganda with Mommy, Daddy, and my brother Eddie. The plan was to go minister to a church there and then a few days later go to Kagalama (which actually we found out is Kagarama… but they pronounce “l” and “r” the same! What?!). But anyways, I went thinking that I would be listening to Daddy, Mommy and Eddie preach, and then do all my work in Kagarama. Ha! Was I wrong. The Saturday before we left, I spoke at a youth prayer and fasting day at our church because God had really been laying it on my heart to speak His words and thereafter, receive His blessings. After that absolutely amazing experience, I thought that the calling of “speaking the words God gives me” was over and done with – and I was relieved!!  Speaking is not my forte. But God, as happens SO many times in my life, had a different plan. We ended up preaching in two different villages - spending Monday and Tuesday in a village called Nyamishwiga and one day in a nearby village, Rwampanga (yeah, try to pronounce those!). So, three days of ministering, and guess what?

I was called upon to preach.....

   ...Three times. 

As I listened to God’s words come out of my own mouth and felt the power of the Holy Spirit within me, I came to the realization of how great our God really is. I saw Him moving in peoples’ hearts and encouraging them – through an 18 year old girl from the middle of Nowhere, Kansas who has no college education and has never taken a public speaking class in her life. And again I was reminded of a verse that I shared with people so much before coming to Uganda,

“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong…so that no one may boast before Him.”

-1 Corinthians 1:27 & 29

And this one:

”For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel – not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.”

-1 Corinthians 1:17

But do you know what happened after that?

P1 and P2 classes.

God’s abundant blessings began to be poured out, and I didn't even realize it! After ministering for those three days, we left early in the morning on Thursday to go see our kids in Kagarama. Can I tell you how awesome our God is? When we arrived, what I saw made my heart overflow!! Where our children had been devoid of hope and afraid, God came in and did a mighty work! As we arrived, my sons and daughters all came rushing to the car. They surrounded me as I got out, full of smiles and laughter and greetings. One of my little guys even came up and hugged me – that’s a first for my children! God placed a divine hope within our sons and daughters! He has started opening their hearts to the love that we have for them, and they’re responding. God is SO good! I wish I could put in words the overwhelming joy I have just thinking about how God is moving in my children, but words simply cannot express. Not only that, but when we reached home in Masaka, God’s blessings continued to be poured out. I received awesome news about provision for our children, provision for the buildings, and sponsors. God is SO good! And He is faithful. Glorify His holy Name! Praise Him! He is worthy of all the honor, all the glory, all the praise. Worship and praise His name with me, because He is a mighty, caring God who will NEVER fail us, and will ALWAYS fulfill His promises!   

 Blessings!

With Tumusiime
 (one of our 2 new little guys)

With my children! (Plus some!)