Today we had a 5:30(ish)a.m. wake-up call to start our first day on the job-site. And we busted it! Many took up hammers and assembled trusses for the roof; some harvested sweet potatoes from the garden; some painted; and some scraped windows.. But everyone worked hard! Nick & Kevin in particular had to be dragged down from the roof because they wanted to finish the task at hand!
Again there were lots of passersby, and Cindi literally flagged down the children with books so that she could read to them. It was so great! We had lunch at the job-site and continued to work hard until 4:30. We all raced for the showers when we got back, but I don't think the hotel's water system was quite ready for such traffic. Most of us had cold showers that barely dribbled out of the shower head. But we were all so glad to be clean that we didn't care!
African food is... interesting. The people who work at the hotel are so incredibly gracious and just bend over backwards to accomodate us.
Our team has truly bonded - we are so blessed to experience such unity and sweet fellowship with one another. There are many laughs and some tears. Please continue to pray for safety, strength and energy on the job-site. There is much work to be done and the processes we are using are pretty archaic. Also, please pray for the Lord to be glorified in all that we say and do. Tomorrow we will be back on the job-site and then we will visit the orphanage and Lugazi. We love and miss you all!
Blessings from Team Agape!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Precious Children
Today we spent the entire day with the orphans from Agape. Whoa! It was absolutely amazing. We took the 20 minute ride to the site of the orphanage and we could barely get off the bus because the orphans were all crowded around the door trying to hug us. It was the best welcome we have ever had! Many of us became overwhelmed with emotion at the sight of these precious ones overcome with joy and love for us. It was beyond description.
And let me tell you: we had some church up in here today!! Several of the children shared testimonies and scripture. They thanked us over and over again for coming to see them and for supporting them. The overall theme of their message today was that "God is Love"! Amen!! One of the orphans, named Timothy, shared a powerful testimony about how the love of God transformed his life. His father died when he was 5 years old. He said, "I am an orphan, but I don't even care because I have all of you." Both our group and the children had prepared praise and worship songs, and we all lifted up our praises together as a united family in Christ. AMAZING!!
The ladies prepared an enormous feast for us of meat, bananas, beans, potatoes, pineapple, etc. We were humbled and overwhelmed by the amount of food, for we know that it was a tremendous sacrifice. Normally the children are only fed meat twice a year, on Christmas & Easter, so this feast was very out of the ordinary for them. When Peggy (ones of our leaders from sifat) asked us to save any leftover meat for the children, that really put things in perspective as to just how incredibly spoiled us Americans are.
After lunch, we had rousing games of volleyball, soccer & frisbee. Taylor even led a dance session where we taught the children how to do the chicken dance, do the macarena, and we ended with a grand finale of a congo line! Cindi also gave a wonderful VBS lesson to the children about them being made in the image of God. Each child was then given a mirror that they were able to decorate with "fancy jewels".
Many neighborhood children and curious passersby stopped to listen and even join in with the impromptu praise & worship and athletic contests going on. One of the local toddlers actually fell asleep in Katie's lap for over an hour. Our hearts couldn't help but be affected by the poverty and malnourishment of these little ones. Many of them were so tired that they could barely keep their heads up.
Also, I think there are about 6 of us who sponsor orphans at Agape that got to meet their children today. What a special moment for each of them! Pam commented that several of the children knew about her & Chuck because her sponsor child, Jane, had shared so many of Pam's letters with the other children. Truly the letters that the receive are so incredibly meaningful to them. I had a copy of a letter that I had received from one of the orphans named Rosette in my journal with me today. She carried my journal around for the rest of the day and even decorated it with some of the leftover jewels from the mirrors.
To sum up a really long post, this was a truly rewarding and amazing day that none of us will ever forget. Lord Jesus, thank you for uniting us with our brothers and sisters from across the world. We truly worshipped as a family today.
And let me tell you: we had some church up in here today!! Several of the children shared testimonies and scripture. They thanked us over and over again for coming to see them and for supporting them. The overall theme of their message today was that "God is Love"! Amen!! One of the orphans, named Timothy, shared a powerful testimony about how the love of God transformed his life. His father died when he was 5 years old. He said, "I am an orphan, but I don't even care because I have all of you." Both our group and the children had prepared praise and worship songs, and we all lifted up our praises together as a united family in Christ. AMAZING!!
The ladies prepared an enormous feast for us of meat, bananas, beans, potatoes, pineapple, etc. We were humbled and overwhelmed by the amount of food, for we know that it was a tremendous sacrifice. Normally the children are only fed meat twice a year, on Christmas & Easter, so this feast was very out of the ordinary for them. When Peggy (ones of our leaders from sifat) asked us to save any leftover meat for the children, that really put things in perspective as to just how incredibly spoiled us Americans are.
After lunch, we had rousing games of volleyball, soccer & frisbee. Taylor even led a dance session where we taught the children how to do the chicken dance, do the macarena, and we ended with a grand finale of a congo line! Cindi also gave a wonderful VBS lesson to the children about them being made in the image of God. Each child was then given a mirror that they were able to decorate with "fancy jewels".
Many neighborhood children and curious passersby stopped to listen and even join in with the impromptu praise & worship and athletic contests going on. One of the local toddlers actually fell asleep in Katie's lap for over an hour. Our hearts couldn't help but be affected by the poverty and malnourishment of these little ones. Many of them were so tired that they could barely keep their heads up.
Also, I think there are about 6 of us who sponsor orphans at Agape that got to meet their children today. What a special moment for each of them! Pam commented that several of the children knew about her & Chuck because her sponsor child, Jane, had shared so many of Pam's letters with the other children. Truly the letters that the receive are so incredibly meaningful to them. I had a copy of a letter that I had received from one of the orphans named Rosette in my journal with me today. She carried my journal around for the rest of the day and even decorated it with some of the leftover jewels from the mirrors.
To sum up a really long post, this was a truly rewarding and amazing day that none of us will ever forget. Lord Jesus, thank you for uniting us with our brothers and sisters from across the world. We truly worshipped as a family today.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
WE MADE IT!!!
Praise the Lord, we are finally at our hotel / conference center in Mukono, Uganda! It has been quite a journey with a few minor bumps in the road, including running out of gas on the way to the Atlanta airport. We literally coasted to curbside on fumes after stalling out on the side of the road twice. Talk about too much stress at 4am! So our flight left Atlanta at 7:30am on Friday, July 15th and we (and all of our bags) finally made it to our hotel at 5pm, July 16th. It is 7 hours ahead here, so I'll let y'all do the math! Needless to say we were all excited to be on solid ground & get some showers. It was a 2 1/2 hour ride from the airport in Entebbe to our hotel, and we got to see quite a bit of African culture along the way. Much of the living conditions we saw were very dirty and slum-like. But the people and countryside are beautiful. While we were stopped in traffic, a 15-year-old girl and her baby sister came right up to my window asking for coke and water. Betu (spelling?) was 3 years old and she was one of the most beautiful children I have ever seen. My mind immediately goes to my own children, trying to imagine them begging by the side of the road. It certainly puts life into perspective.
Tomorrow we will get to have a church service where we will see our job-site and get to meet these precious orphans!! We are all excited to see all that God has in store for this mission. We appreciate and covet all of your prayers. Tomorrow I will try to update again & provide some pictures. At this point I'm pretty delirious, so I'm going to go get a shower & get to bed. Blessings!!
Tomorrow we will get to have a church service where we will see our job-site and get to meet these precious orphans!! We are all excited to see all that God has in store for this mission. We appreciate and covet all of your prayers. Tomorrow I will try to update again & provide some pictures. At this point I'm pretty delirious, so I'm going to go get a shower & get to bed. Blessings!!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Leaving Tomorrow!
I woke up this morning fully aware that this will be the last morning I wake up to my babies climbing into bed with me for a long time (well, it seems like a long time to me). Tomorrow we will be pulling out of the church at 3:45am to begin our LONG journey. Every morning I read from a devotional book my mom gave me called "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young. In this devotional, she writes as if Jesus is speaking these words directly to us. The devotion for today, July 14th, was too good for me not to share:
"Keep walking with Me along the path I have chosen for you. Your desire to live close to Me is a delight to My heart. I could instantly grant you the spiritual riches you desire, but that is not My way for you. Together we will forge a pahtway up the high mountain. The journey is arduous at times, and you are weak. Someday you will dance lightfooted on the high peaks; but for now, your walk is often plodding and heavy. All I require of you is to take the next step, clinging to My hand for strength and direction. Though the path is difficult and the scenery dull at the moment, there are sparkling surprises just around the bend. Stay on the path I have selected for you. It is truly the path of Life."
Psalm 37:23-24; Psalm 16:11
Dear Lord, truly each one of us is going on this trip out of obedience to Your calling. We truly desire to walk closely with You. We confess that You have a perfect plan that is beyond what any one of us can begin to imagine. We do not know what the future holds, but we do know the One that holds the future. I can't wait to see the "sparkling surprises" you have for each one of us involved in this mission. We confess that we are weak and completely incapable of accomplishing anything of value without You. We surrender to Your will and trust You to carry each one of us through each step of this journey. We worship and praise You because You are worthy.
Amen!
"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun... If the Lord delights in a man's way, He makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand." Psalm 37:4-6, 23-24
"You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand." - Psalm 16:11
"Keep walking with Me along the path I have chosen for you. Your desire to live close to Me is a delight to My heart. I could instantly grant you the spiritual riches you desire, but that is not My way for you. Together we will forge a pahtway up the high mountain. The journey is arduous at times, and you are weak. Someday you will dance lightfooted on the high peaks; but for now, your walk is often plodding and heavy. All I require of you is to take the next step, clinging to My hand for strength and direction. Though the path is difficult and the scenery dull at the moment, there are sparkling surprises just around the bend. Stay on the path I have selected for you. It is truly the path of Life."
Psalm 37:23-24; Psalm 16:11
Dear Lord, truly each one of us is going on this trip out of obedience to Your calling. We truly desire to walk closely with You. We confess that You have a perfect plan that is beyond what any one of us can begin to imagine. We do not know what the future holds, but we do know the One that holds the future. I can't wait to see the "sparkling surprises" you have for each one of us involved in this mission. We confess that we are weak and completely incapable of accomplishing anything of value without You. We surrender to Your will and trust You to carry each one of us through each step of this journey. We worship and praise You because You are worthy.
Amen!
"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun... If the Lord delights in a man's way, He makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand." Psalm 37:4-6, 23-24
"You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand." - Psalm 16:11
Friday, July 8, 2011
The countdown is on!
This time next week, we will be on the first leg of our journey to Uganda! I think it has really begun to hit us that this is our last weekend home before we leave. Aaaahhh!! I am brimming with nervous excitement & anticipation. Our commissioning service is this Sunday at Western Heights Baptist Church at 11am, for any of you LaGrange people that might be interested. The ladies going on our trip have been holding weekly practices for a special song with motions that we will be performing for the orphans. Everyone in church will be getting a sneak preview!! This past Wednesday was our last practice and we were all busy discussing packing and traveling plans. There is so much to remember! We closed with a time of prayer, confessing our tendancies towards worry and anxiety, and asking the Lord to increase our faith. We also deeply desire for the Lord to be glorified through all of our words and actions. In my devotions this morning I came across the following passage of Scripture, which served to be a powerful reminder: "I am the Vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing." - John 15:5 Lord, help each one of us to walk closely with You throughout the remainder of our time at home and our time away. Truly, without You we are nothing and can do nothing. Help us to always keep You first. Amen!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
The Secret of Contentment
Prayer for today:
Jesus, Name above all names...Beautiful Savior... Glorious Lord... Emmanuel, God is with us... Blessed Redemmer... Living Word! To sing Your praises is a privilege and a joy. Precious, holy Lord - what in the world would we do without You?!!
Father, those giants are still looming out there. The giants of AIDS, mosquitos, malaria, uncertain food, stomach problems, unknown languages, lack of air conditioning, lack of toilets, unclean water... oh my! Lord, we desire to be content in all situations. Help us to focus on You, "the secret" , as Paul did so that we see You instead of those giants. Forgive us for desiring the safety and comfort of home. We know that with our hope in You, we can take up that slingshot of faith and slay our giants in the name of the Lord God Almighty, for the battle is the Lord's! How exciting it will be to experience Your grace in Uganda for we know that Your power is made perfect in weakness. Yes Lord, with you we will delight in our weaknesses and difficulties... For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10)
I can do everything through Him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13)
We believe with all our heart that the prayers of a righteous "Agape Team" are heard by and acted on by a Holy God. Amen!
Jesus, Name above all names...Beautiful Savior... Glorious Lord... Emmanuel, God is with us... Blessed Redemmer... Living Word! To sing Your praises is a privilege and a joy. Precious, holy Lord - what in the world would we do without You?!!
Father, those giants are still looming out there. The giants of AIDS, mosquitos, malaria, uncertain food, stomach problems, unknown languages, lack of air conditioning, lack of toilets, unclean water... oh my! Lord, we desire to be content in all situations. Help us to focus on You, "the secret" , as Paul did so that we see You instead of those giants. Forgive us for desiring the safety and comfort of home. We know that with our hope in You, we can take up that slingshot of faith and slay our giants in the name of the Lord God Almighty, for the battle is the Lord's! How exciting it will be to experience Your grace in Uganda for we know that Your power is made perfect in weakness. Yes Lord, with you we will delight in our weaknesses and difficulties... For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10)
I can do everything through Him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13)
We believe with all our heart that the prayers of a righteous "Agape Team" are heard by and acted on by a Holy God. Amen!
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