It was the second full day of our trip. I was still a little jet lagged and wondering how I was going to make it thru the day. We arrived at Ekubo ministires and were asked to go and assess a 5 day old who had what they thought was an infected umbilical cord. This little baby, who was named Joseph, had been abdandoned by his mother on day of life 2. The people at Ekubo ministires took him in. We had no birth history and no information on the mother.

There were 2 of us on the team that were NICU nurses. We walked down the road to the Baby House and met Baby Joseph. My heart sank when I saw him. He was so scrawny and malnourished.  He was a dusky, pale color. His abdomen was distended and I could see loops of bowel. His eye was infected. His fontanel was sunken. He threw up every time he was fed. When I looked over his little body, I thought that he might not survive. 

We all agreed that he needed to be taken to the hospital. The free hospital or clinic did not do IV fluids. He was going to need IV fluids so he needed to be taken to a hospital further away near Kampala and his medical bill would have to be paid for him to be treated.

The NICU nurse in me starting thinking through what I would anticipate a baby this sick needing on admission. He would need an isolette, lots of bloodwork, IV fluids, xrays, antibiotics, a replogle and possibly some other kind of upper gi testing to determine why he was vomiting. I had no idea if stuff like that was available in Uganda. I assumed, after asking questions to local people there, that it was not.

They got Joseph ready to go to the hospital. Our team put our hands on this sweet baby and prayed that God would heal him. Without all the advancements of western medicine available to him, I worried while the others continued to pray. As they drove off in the van, I struggled. I felt so helpless. I knew what to do. I knew what he needed to survive, but we didnt have the resources and supplies he needed. I wished so bad that I could scoop him up and take him to the NICU where I work. I wasn't even able to go to the hospital with him so it was hard to watch them drive off.  Perhaps my knowledge of neonatal medicine caused me to doubt that Jesus alone was capable of healing. 

Joseph was admitted to the hospital and they were asked to pay 435 dollars for his admission. I watched as God provided that money. He stayed in the hospital less than a week and then came home when he was still not fully recovered.

 I saw this picture below of him this morning and it took me back to that day of standing outside the van and wondering if he would make it. Yes, there was a lack of resources available to him. He did not receive treatment that any medical person in America would say was adequate. But, today is he doing well. 

Joseph taught me something. In America, we run to modern medicine for healing. In Uganda, they run to Jesus in prayer. And I have seen that He is capable of healing. I don't want this to be taken the wrong way. There is nothing wrong with modern medicine and I am so thankful for the availability of healthcare in this country, but I was convicted by my lack of faith. I pray for the sick, but do I pray in belief that Jesus alone can heal?  Do I pray with belief that He is enough? He is more powerful to heal than any blood test, iv antibiotic, xray etc. Do I live like I believe that?  Sometimes as a medical person, I lose sight of that. 

Baby Joseph reminded me to take everything to Him in prayer. I want to run to Jesus before I run to things of this world. I want to live in full belief that He is mighty to save and mighty to heal. 

Thank you Jesus for healing Baby Jospeh.

-Because Joseph is in foster care, I can not post pictures of his face. But this picture of his belly shows the difference in him in a few weeks time.

I thought when I woke up on Wednesday October 17th that it was just another day. I had no idea that it would be a day where I got to experience something that most people will never see in their lifetime. It is a day that I will never forget.

Sometime this past year, a family took their ten year old boy to Uganda. The family was serving with Ekubo ministires. Christy and George Magera, the leaders of Ekubo ministries, took this team to the village of Mazzi one day. While there, the ten year old named Jack walked with the children his age to fetch water. He walked almost 2 miles one way to fetch dirty, contaminated water from a stream. Jack returned to the United States and begin to raise money for building a well for this community. To build a borehole well, he would need around 8 thousand dollars. At ten years old, he begin to raise money and awareness for the need for clean water in Africa. The money came in, the well was built, and on October 17th  we celebrated with the village of Mazzi as they saw clean water for the first time in their village.

The entire community was there, from the oldest man to the youngest baby. They wore their best clothes. The children performed songs and danced for us. George spoke to the people about the goodness of Jesus and to the children about he used a ten year old boy to accomplish great things for the kingdom of God. Then we all walked down to the well, thanked Jesus, and pumped the first clean water in the history of Mazzi.

There was clapping, crying, screaming, and jumping when water flowed out for the first time. The children ran up and put their hands in clean water and laughed and smiled. Then, they rubbed water on their faces and begin splashing one another.  I looked to a teammate and, almost in disbelief of what was going on, said to her, " Think about what we are seeing right now. We are in the middle of nowhere Africa watching hundreds of people get clean water for the first time. This is a once in a lifetime kind of experience."And I imagine that on this side of Heaven, it will be one of the greatest celebrations we will experience in our lifetimes.

There was an old man standing behind me. He was dressed in his nicest clothes and some kind of nice hat. He tapped me on the shoulder and said, "I have to see! Let me see." We cleared a path for him and he walked up to the water. He put his hand under it, collected a little water, and tasted it. He walked back and said, "It is good."


We proclaim that He is the Living Water. Just as that clean water brings life to a community, He brings life to my soul. I want to celebrate the life I have in Him like that because He is a God who is worthy of that. He is the God who has said, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, "Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." (John 7: 37-38).

We leave our friends in the village of Mazzi. They were strangers only a few hours before, but now they feel like family to us. We cry as we hug them goodbye. We know that we will forever be connected to this little village. I open up my bible and here is what I read, "For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their Shepherd, and He will guide them to the springs of LIVING WATER and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." (Rev 7:17). I know very little about the book of Revelation and the symbolism etc, but that didnt matter. This was the verse God gave me to assure me that He was alive, present, and at work here.

In attempt to stay awake, I decided to sit down and start writing. I have been back from Uganda since Saturday. The first question many have asked is, "Are you glad to be home?" To answer that question honestly, I must say "no". Its hard to come back home and be thrown into the American way of life. So this blog serves as my way of telling the stories and processing all that I've seen.

There are kids that we left in the hospital that I think about and pray that they are doing better. There are ministries in need of financial support to feed and clothe children and I brainstorm on ways that us Americans could help. There are children taking end of the year exams to move on to seconday school and I wonder how they went. I think about Marvin and Hellen and wonder if they miss me as much as I miss them. I want to be there and to be a part of all thats going on.

Tomorrow is Halloween. Kids dress up in some costume and ask for candy.  I spent many years of my life dressing up for Halloween and going trick or treaing, but it seems like such a weird concept to me now. I have spent the past two weeks with children who have one dirty outfit and are lucky to get 2 meals a day of posho and beans. I kinda wish America as a whole could take the money we spend on costumes and candy, and provide food and clothing to those in this world that live without these basic things. I want so badly for people in America to experience life in Africa because it changes you. You come home and thank God for running water that comes straight out of your faucet, for good plumbing, for medical care and for food. Uganda teaches me how to live in gratitude. It makes me depend on Jesus. And it allows me to see His heart for the poor and in seeing that, I fall more in love with the One who does not leave us as orphans.

Im helping move a baby down the hall when a coworker asks me, "Do you consider yourself a brave person?".  I stop and give her a confused look because I have no idea what prompted this question. "Well," she says, "I think you are a very brave and courageous person." More blank stares. She continues, "I heard you talking about going to Africa. You have to be a brave person to go there. I mean- to expose yourself to all those diseases and well, I admire you. I just couldn't do it."

I had no idea what to say and I don't think I said much of anything. That was a week ago and I'm still thinking about how to respond. We have this idea that you have to be a certain personality type, the "brave" and "courageous", to do missions, especially overseas missions. This makes me sad.  You don't have to be brave, you just have to be obedient to Christ in whatever capacity He is calling you to serve. He will give you the strength you need. I am living proof of that.

I am not a brave person. Anyone who knows me knows that I have plenty of quirks and fears. I am scared of enclosed spaces. I am terrified of driving in the rain or snow. I can not watch scary movies. I am an anxious person. And, the list could go on.

Here is what I am: a follower of Jesus.  I am not even close to perfect, in fact I am a broken person who NEEDS Jesus. So, I ask Jesus to show me more of Himself and of His heart in an effort to call me out of a self centered life and open my eyes to His goodness. He led me to Uganda. It's not because Im some brave and courageous person, its because it was in Uganda that I could experience Him in a way that I never had before.

I leave tomorrow to go back to the country I fell completely in love with. So Im asking Jesus again to show me and my team members more of Himself. When we know the love we are given in Christ, we are freed up to GO BE LOVE to others. Please join me in praying for us for the next 15 days! I cant wait to blog about it when I get back.

Since I got home from Uganda on April 5th, there has not been one day that I have not thought about that country and wondered about the people I love there. I thought as time went by, my thoughts and feelings of Uganda would fade. The exact opposite has happened and for months I have wondered why my passion for this country continues to grow. It's been frustrating at times to try to discern what this all means. I love babies. I love Uganda. I love what I do here in the US. I love the thought of life in Uganda. I don't want to leave my job here. My heart wants to go back to Uganda. I feel like God is telling me to stay here and go to Uganda. That's impossible.

The same questions that I was asking and writing in my journal the week I got back have been burning within me for months. What now? I want to share with you what I wrote in my journal on Easter,

It's Easter Sunday. Im sitting in church. All I can think about if those kids in Uganda. The pastor is talking about certainty. I am certain that I know Jesus. I am certain that He commands us to "go make disciples." I am uncertain what that leads to now. Am I supposed to go back to Uganda? Why can't I stop thinking about those kids? Why can't I sleep? Why does my house, my community, and even my church feel so unlike home? Why do I feel out of place in places that two weeks ago I felt secure and comfortable? Is this the reverse culture shock people talk about? I've never experienced this before and I've left the country many times. Will it all go away with time once I go back to work and settle back into life?

Now the pastor is talking about Luke 24. These people see Jesus and they don't just head out to lunch and forget his sermon. They see Jesus and their lives are FOREVER changed. They bank their lives on the single truth that Jesus is alive. Their lives are transformed.

I've seen Jesus in Uganda in a way that I've never seen Him before. I relate to these men. I can't forget how I've experienced Him. My life has been transformed, but what does remembering look like now? Jesus, Im sure these men asked the same question, "Now what?

There are so many more entries where I talk about feeling stuck between 2 worlds and trying to understand what it all means. I knew God had a purpose in it all, but walking forward in that trust was hard.

A few weeks ago, I received an email from my friend at Visiting Orphans. She said that there are many baby homes throughout Uganda that are in need and Visting Orphans has decided to create a "Baby Team". She said she felt like I was the person that needed to lead a team b/c I had a passion for babies and Uganda and it would be a great fit!! So Ill be going to Uganda in October, in February, and in May!! May will be the first "Baby Team." So as I have been struggling and praying and searching for how all this fits together, God has been orchestrating all these details for a baby team! That's the kind of God we serve, one that fits all the pieces together! We just have to wait on His perfect timing.

God speaks through children at times to show adults more of Himself. I think about Marvin all the time and I miss him so much. Yesterday he was on my heart and mind all day. Fear crept in and I kept thinking to myself, "What if something ever happened to him? Would people there let me know? Do they even know how much this little boy means to me? What if he is more than just a hard sleeper and something really is wrong?" These thoughts led me to prayer. I prayed for his health and for his life. I thanked God for placing him in my life.

Later on in the day, I am convicted by how much I worry about things that are completely out of my control. I know God takes care of him, so there is no benefit to me worrying about his physical and emotional health. I asked God for the ability to TRUST him with all things in my life, rather than live in fear.

Tonight I am in a store shopping for things for Uganda. A little black boy comes running down the aisle with a big smile on his face and hugs me. I am caught off guard because I wasn't expecting a big hug from a little black child that I have never seen before, but I hug him back and ask how he is doing. He replies with a big smile, "I am just fine". I ask him what his name is and he says "Marvin" and runs off.

My eyes fill with tears. I asked God for ability to trust, and he sends a little black child named Marvin running down an aisle to give me a hug. That was a gift from Him alone! It was His way of telling me that he hears me,  He is in control, and He is a God who cares about us more than we can understand. He is a God that we can trust. I get in the car and this song is playing and I believe these words even more.


"One thing remains"
Your love never fails, it never gives up, it never runs out on me

On and on and on and on it goes
It overwhelms and satisfies my soul
And I never ever have to be afraid
One thing remains

In death and in life I'm confident and covered by the power of your great love

It is so neat to have a prayer partner that lives halfway across the world. Ever since I got back from Uganda, Damalie sends me prayer requests for her family.

Since I last updated this blog, Damalie has taken in 3 more babies and many of the babies have been sick with malaria. William was hospitalized for a little while with Malaria and is now at home but still sick. All three babies were malnourished and Grace is still having trouble gaining weight.  I asked Damalie if I could share some of these emails so that more people could pray for her family. So here are some recent emails from her. Please join me in prayer for these babies, especially William who has been sick for over a month!


Dear Courtney,
Thank you for prayers. Baby William is better. He is now drinking a
little bit more.
I have 3 new babies,baby Micheal, baby William and little Grace. I now
have 15 babies. It's more than I can handle but what would Jesus do
rings in my ears always. I take them in, do my part and leave the rest
to God. He has the best plan for us. Anxiously waiting for October to see you.
Damalie

 Hello Courtney,
 How are you dear friend? We are fine except baby William. Please
 continue praying for him.
 Also there was a heavy downpour (rain) 4 days ago. Everywhere in our
little house was leaking except in the corner in our play area, if you
 remember where we lay the mattress. I was afraid and you can imagine
 all of us in one place and with loud noise from the hailstorm on the
room. I have never had such an experience before. All the babies were
 crying helplessly and for the first time I didnt know what to do. I
 mean we had to move all the beds and other things, carry babies, take
 care of clothes etc. It was chaos. Thank God the situation calmed
down.




And this morning, I woke up to this email:


Baby William has persistent malaria. I had him checked out today. All
the others had vaccinations we need prayers so that they dont cry alot
esp at night. You can imagine a house with 15 babies all crying.
Baby Micheal weighed 4.5kg at 5 weeks. Little Grace weighed 6.5kg at
at 16 months, you can imagine the differences between them. Baby
William weighed 5.7kg at 16 weeks. Please pray with us.Grace still has
a long way to go but we are loving her into good health.
Blessings
Damalie

It has been a little while since I have blogged and so many wonderful things have happened. Not a day has gone by that I have not talked about Uganda, thought about Marvin and Helen, and wished that I could go back. I have continued to pray and ask God for direction. I haven't known much, but I have known that I have to go back.

I started looking up trips, talking with people and different ministries and praying for direction. There was a trip with Visiting Orphans in October that still had vacancies.  I talked with my friend Melissa who was interested in going and we decided to take a few weeks and pray about joining this team.  We set a date to talk on May 13th, Mothers Day. When I told people that I might go back in October, people reacted by saying, "Oh- that is soon". It felt like a really long time to me.

As I was praying, I started receiving emails very frequently from Damalie. We started sharing prayer requests and as I prayed for her and those babies, I felt even more connected to life over there. Amazima needed some volunteers one week at their Nashville office, so I went in and helped. I got to talk with some girls there about life in Jinja. A friend and coworker, named Lauren, started asking me questions about my trip, knew that God was calling her to Uganda and signed up to go in October! A former coworker left on a team to go to Canaan's, where Marvin and Helen live, and I sent some letters to them through her. They both sent letters back to me asking when I could come back. I opened those letters at work one day and spent my lunch break in the bathroom crying. The letter from Marvin said, "I love you so much. Thank you for everything you have done for me. I miss you everyday. When are you coming back?". He will never know how much that letter meant to me.

I wanted to go back so bad, but did God want me to go back or was there some self serving purpose of why I wanted to go? Is it too soon to go in October? Is it the best financial decision? On a long trip in the car on May 13, I was praying specifically about the finances. One hour later, I get a text from a friend and had 800 dollars towards the trip. With Uganda still consuming my heart and mind and 800 dollars of the trip taken care of, I called Melissa and told her that I think I should sign up. I was so excited to hear her say that she felt like she should go too!

God is so good and so faithful! Melissa, Lauren, and I are headed to Uganda October 13-27. Since signing up, God continues to confirm that this is right. I am so thankful to be able to go back!  I have no idea what is going to happen, but I am so excited to see what He has in store for us!

Sometimes in Africa, things do not go according to the plan. There's a part of visiting any third world country that requires you to be very flexible. One day in Ethiopia our plans to visit an orphanage didn't work out and our translator arranged another ministry for us to visit. Because the purpose of the trip was to visit orphans, we all assumed that we would be going to another orphange and working with children. We pulled over on a busy and crowded street and our translator said, " Don't take anything with you. Leave everything in the van." We all kinda questioned him. There were street kids begging for money at the windows of the van and many people looking at us getting out and leaving all our things. So none of us understood how it would be safe to leave our money, passports, nice cameras etc in the van. He said, " We have to walk thru a lot of homeless people and your stuff is safer here."

We walked in a single file line down the street and down some stairways. The stairways were packed with homeless people. It was hot and smelled bad. People were pulling on me and tapping me to ask for money. When we got down the stairs, we were told that we would be serving lunch. I was so confused, "Where is the orphanage?" I asked, "Where are the kids?". Our translator explained that we were not visiting an orphanage, we were serving lunch to the hundreds of homeless people we had just walked thru. I had never served food in a homeless ministry before and, to be honest,  the idea kinda scared me a little. I was somewhat comforted when a teammate looked at me with big eyes and said, "This freaks me out." I looked at her, agreed with her, and said that we would stick together.

The first round of homeless people came in for lunch. It smelled bad.  I don't handle smells well. I was so hot. I was trying to carry a bucket full of sauce but my back hurt so bad and it was making it worse. I was so uncomfortable. One man asked me to marry him and the whole table started laughing and talking about me and my friend in a language I couldn't understand. After the first round, I was somewhat angry. I didn't sign up for this.  I didn't have that "heart for the homeless" that some people have.

Then God reminded me that HIS heart is for these people. I had read 1 John 4 that morning and the last part of the chapter talks about how God is love and how we are called to love others. These were the people that I was called to love.

Over the next few rounds of people coming to eat, something began to change. Many of the homeless people were disabled and needed help getting to and from the table. They were so grateful for the assistance that we gave them. By the last group, I was having fun serving people and trying to communicate with people. I found myself laughing a lot. Then, I went to a table at the back of the room, where some of the street kids were sitting. I sat down with some young boys and started talking to them. One little boy just kept smiling but never answered. His friends explained to me that he was deaf. One of the workers told me he lost his hearing from untreated ear infections. That broke my heart, because we can treat ear infections so easily here in the US. So I asked if they used sign language or had hearing aids or anything for people that are hearing impaired. The worker said no. While I was talking to the worker, that little boy ran up to me and gave me a huge hug and smiled. Then he left, and headed back out on the streets where he lives.

After we were done serving, the director of the ministry told us a little more about what they do. The name of the ministry is called Hope Enterprises. They feed 1,000 hungry people a day. We asked how much that cost and he said 1 birr per person. When we did the math, we found out that it costs about 60 US dollars to feed 1,000 people! We couldn't believe it. We had just watched 1,000 people eat for about 60 dollars! I am so thankful that I got to witness this! It's amazing to think how far 60 dollars can go.

Serving food at Hope Enterprise was the most stretching part of the trip for me. But, I will never forget that day. One of the girls on our team is a junior in high school and just had her prom. Because of what she experienced here, she decided to borrow a prom dress and do her own hair and makeup. She donated the money she would have spent on prom to Hope Enterprises. By sacrificing one night, she fed hundreds to thousands of people. That is so encourgaging to me.

I am encouraged even more after going to Hope Enterprise to do things that are out of my comfort zone. It was a humbling experience and I learned a lot about myself and my fears. But more importantly, I learned more about the character of Christ and that His perfect love will drive out fear (1 John 4:18).

Yes, people got sick. We bathed in cold, dirty water. We worked with kids with HIV. We ate weird things. We brushed our teeth with bottled water. We threw our toilet paper in the trash because it can not be flushed there. It was really hot. We did not have air conditioning. We were around people with malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV. I did not feel really clean while I was there. And, it was a wonderful trip.

But, when I think about my trip I don't think about things I had to go without or things that were out of my comfort zone. I think about how my life was forever changed for the better. I think about how I got to see the heart of God and fall more and more in love with His character. I think about the love and peace that comes from serving the poor. I think about those little orphans that I fell in love with. I think about what I learned from people who have nothing but live in so much gratitude. I think about what I learned about trusting God and living in dependency of Him. And in light of all these things, a cold shower is worth it.

Maybe, its like a mom meeting her baby for the first time. People always want to ask questions related to the uncomfortable part of the birth. "Did it hurt?" "How long were you in labor?" etc. But, when you hold your baby for the first time, your life is transformed by the love you have for this child. There is so much joy in what you just experienced. Yes, it was uncomfortable at times but this baby was worth every second. You don't dwell on the discomfort because you are experiencing love in ways like never before.

The statements above are all answers to questions people have asked me. They show the fear that many people have about traveling overseas. I try to remind myself that God is faithful to his promises and He promises to sustain us and protect us. He is bigger than all the fears that we have. He is more than enough, Trust Him to protect you and sustain you and go serve overseas. Your life will be forever changed for the better.

I woke up this morning to an email from Damalie.


Hello friend,
Thank you so much for the letter. Am excited now that we can be in touch.
You were a blessing to us and I thank God who brought you to us. It
was His perfect timing.
I thank him for letting us meet.
The babies are fine. Jackie, Jen-ni, Sarah and Shadrack need prayers
though. They are down with malaria.
It breaks my heart to see them sick.
Thank you for supporting me in being His hands extended to the precious ones.
God Bless You.
Regards to everyone.
Damalie



I have said this before, but Damalie is one of the people I admire the most. For those of you who have children, you know how hard it is when your baby is sick. So, please pray for Damalie right now as she has 4 babies that have malaria. They do not have running water in their house and they have limited access to health care. I will try to give an update soon!

The kids in Korah ate the same thing for lunch everyday. They were given injera (a type of bread with a spongy texture and appearance that is made out of teff flour) with some kind of tomatoe looking sauce poured over it. Our team raised enough money to purchase a goat so that the kids could have some meat and protein. We had no idea that donating a goat to these kids meant that we would be going to the market, picking out a goat, putting the goat in our van, and taking it back to the village where we would be slaughtering it. Luckily, I was not in the van with the goat!

 The next morning our team arrived in Korah and the men brought the goat out and handed one of the guys on our team a machete. It took a few others to hold the goat down so that it could be slaughtered. If you know anything about me, you know that I LOVE animals. The thought of killing an innocent animal made me a little nauseous. I kept reminding myself that this animal would feed an entire village; that these people were starving and needed this food. So the animal was slaughtered, cooked, and served to this village a few hours later. There is a video that I still haven't been able to watch. But, the kids were so happy when they found out that they got meat that day.

 Romans 8 is my daily multi vitamin. I try to recite this chapter, that is packed with so much good stuff, at the beginning of my day. As I was going through this the next morning, I came to the last part of Romans 8: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

 This takes on a whole new meaning when you have just experienced a slaughtering! But then I started thinking about how the whole gospel had been summed up right before my eyes! That an innocent animal was sacrificed in order to bring life to a people in need. This death brought life! In this gory scene, a message of hope and love were splattered across our hearts. The suffering we witnessed had a purpose and God used it for good! The same will be true in our lives. We will experince suffering but we are "more than conquerers" in these trials. God is good and He turns everything, even suffering and death, into good. In verse 28, Paul says that for those who love God, "ALL THINGS work together for good." Jesus himself experienced suffering because He knew that we needed a way to know God. That is the kind of love Romans 8 is talking about.

 My roomate on the trip played this song in the mornings that I couldn't ever get out of my head. I think there's a reason why we get songs stuck in our heads and sing these truths to ourselves throughout the day. It was a cool moment to know that the little song that had been stuck in my head for a few days, was exactly what He just taught me in Korah. So I'll leave you with these lyrics from Kari Jobe's song, "What Love is This"

   "What love is this that you gave your life for me and made a way for me to Know you And I    confess, you're always enough for me You're all I need Jesus in your suffering, you were reaching, you thought of me Jesus in your suffering, you were reaching, you thought of me"

In one of my first blog entries, I wrote about how poverty becomes personal when you spend a week with the people in Korah. I watched another video about Korah the other day and it brought a smile to my face to see some of my friends on this video. These are some of the same children that offered me their food at lunch time, who I sang songs with, who I painted their fingernails, and who taught me so much about what gratitude looks like. How can a person who has so little be so grateful? I come back to America and I think the opposite, how can a person who has SO much be so ungrateful? I don't think as a child I ever thanked God for allowing me to go to school, but I watched these kids praise God for providing them with an education. They thank God for providing food and clothing and water. I think God is using this little village of Korah to show people what it looks like to "give thanks in all circumstances."

My teammate Amanda came up with great facts about each of the countries we visited. I am sharing these. Thanks Amanda!



Fun Facts about Ethiopia...
1. Power outages are random and can last for more than one day.
2. There 2 stop lights in the capital of Ethiopia that work when power is available
3.Livestock always has the right of way in traffic.
4. Toilet paper is never present. YOU MuST BRING YOUR OWN
5. $100 will get you 1788 Birr (Ethiopian money)
6. Over 25 children can fit in a minivan to get to school, book bags on the roof of the car.
7. You must put used toilet paper in trash can by toilet because drain pipes are small.... Ugh!
8. Fights are not done with fists or guns they use rocks.
9. Tree timbers are used for scaffolding around buildings.
10. Hannah Montanah and Justin Bieber are still cool.
11. It is ok for men to hold hands as they talk and walk.
12. Public transportation buses have no passenger limits basically people hanging out doors and windows.

One of our translators wore a shirt in Ethiopia that said "MAN UP". I asked him what his shirt was about and he replied, "It's about being a father to the fatherless. It's a really cool group that I got to work with." There is a documentary that will come out this summer about a group of men from the US who spent a few weeks in Africa! I can't wait to see it! It will follow these men in Korah and Uganda (many of the places where I was) and document what they all experienced in each country and when returning home to America. Here is the trailor for the movie:

The Village of Korah - A short documentary

this video allows you to see and hear a little more about Korah

Our time in Ethiopia was spent in a little community called Korah. Some teammates met a man on the flight over and he was asking where we would be visiting. When they told him that we would be going to Korah, he made a face and look confused. Korah is a community that is the home to the poorest of the poor. They are the outcast, the neglected. In fact, the entire community is located at the city's trash dump. The people in Korah make a living from selling things that they have found in the dump. They also eat whatever they can find here to survive. Thursdays are the "busy" or most popular days to go to the dump because they bring the trash from the airport which is usually full of good things. The need here is overwhelming. Each day we would drive up to the outskirts of the village where they would let us out of the car. Most people just stared at us, and we began our short walk to the Project 61 house. Project 61 is a ministry started by people here in Nashville that is working with the people in Korah. They have created sponsers for many of the children and that sponsership pays for the school, books, and meals for the child. Each day the children are dismissed from school around noon and they come to Project 61 for lunch. They are fed and loved on and then return to school for the afternoon. Because there is not really a good school for older children here, Project 61 has sent many children to boarding school to receive an education. We were able to visit with some of the families who had children in boarding school thru Project 61 and they all shared how grateful they were that someone cared enough to come there and help their families.

One day we were talking to one of the girls on staff and she was telling us that they found 4 children living in the dump. They had been abandoned by their parents and the oldest child was trying to take care of the younger siblings. Project 61 was able to rescue these children from the dump and find them a place to live and food to eat. Then one of our translators started telling us that he grew up in Korah and he just recently was able to move out. This young man has such a strong relationship with the Lord. It was really encouraging to think that God was and is raising up leaders from this little trash dump. It is such a beautiful picture of redemption. I hope one day those children are able to share their story about how they were rescued from a trash dump, given food and shelter, and were taught about Jesus. My life and upbringing seemed so completely different from these people!

But then God reminded me that we really aren't as different as I think. We have all been rescued from trash. Our trash in America looks a little different- materialism, greed, lust, envy etc- but it's still trash. And God, in His mercy, redeemed us from this trash in our lives and gave us a living hope in Christ. So a person brought up in a upper class, white society stands in a neglected community of Africa with a guy brought up in a trash dump who is now sharing the gospel in this very dump, and we give thanks to Jesus for who He is and what He has done in our lives. That is the beauty and the power of the gospel. It is far reaching and He says in Psalm 46, "I will be exalted amoung the nations."

There was a clinic bedside where we were staying in Uganda. One of the workers at Canaan's found out that I was a nurse and told me that she would give me a tour of this clinic. The clinic was more like a hospital. People spent the night there and they also had a labor and delivery room. The nicu nurse in me secretly hoped that I would get to attend a delivery. I wasn't called to any deliveries :), but I did get to know a patient there. When I asked her what her name was she said something that I could not understand. It sounded something like Hope, so I just called her Hope. She was 6 years old and was in the hospital receiving treatment for Malaria. Everyday she would come out of the hospital and sit with me on the stairs. I'm not sure where her parents were, but they were never with her. She sat and watched all the other kids run around and play, but she was not allowed to because she had an IV in her hand. One night I was sitting on the stairs with my phone in my hand and she started looking at my phone. I opened one of the games that some kids downloaded on my phone and let her play. It was the first time I had seen her smile. So for many nights, I sat on the stairs and let Hope play games. She also did Facetime with me a few times. She didn't speak English very well so there wasn't a lot of communication, just smiles when I would go see her in the hospital. By the time we were leaving, the nurses there told me that she would be able to go home in a few days. I hope she is at home and doing well now. I miss my little visits in the clinic with her!

this is labor and delivery :)

Juliette's Story: A Jewelry Maker from Masese

 if you would like to purchase a necklace from the Karamonjong click here

Since getting home, I have received many complements on a certain bracelet that I have been wearing. I usually reply, "Thanks- It has a really cool story behind it." The bracelet was made by a woman from the Karamonjong tribe who lives in a small area in Uganda known as Masese, sometimes referred to as the Masese slum. The Karamonjong tribe has been around for a while and are spread out over Sudan, Kenya, and Uganda. The tribes are ususally in conflict with each over herding cattle. In Uganda, the Karmonjong mainly live in the northern part of the country but some have come to Masesa as refugees. They are the poorest of the poor. Many of the kids here ran around naked because they didnt have clothes. Those that did have clothes were wearing things that were ripped, stained, and so dirty . Almost none of the kids had shoes.

Many of the mothers here were single mothers. Some had been married previously and their husbands left them. They were willing to do anything to provide for their children and because of this many of them became prostitutes. They would put their children to bed at night, sneak out of the house, and then try to return before their children woke up. They would sell themselves for one dollar or less a day, but that was enough to provide some food for their children. They hated what they were doing, but it was the only solution to caring for their family that they knew of.

When Amazima ministries found out about this, they began to help. They taught these women how to make jewelry from newspapers and magazines that they could as sell. While they are making these necklaces they have bible study and teach them about Jesus. When the necklaces are done, they sell them. A majority of the money goes back to the women and some goes into a fund to help the community of Masese. This fund provides breakfast and lunch for all their children when they attend school.

We got to spend a day with the Karamonjong. I was in charge of the children while some team members led bible study for all the women. After bible study, the women brought all their necklaces out and we were able to purchase their jewelry. So the bracelet that I wear now is a reminder of a woman who was rescued from prostitution and given a way to provide for her family. Its a reminder of someone who has been told she is worth so much more than one dollar a day- her life is worth the life of Jesus. Its a reminder of the power of the gospel that has given someone a new life in Christ.

God is at work in the Karamonjong people and I am so blessed that I got to see that first hand.