Not the end, but the beginning

Two days remain until I return to the USA, sorry for not writing sooner!! These days have been fresh and full so time on the web has not been a priority. 

I figure its best to keep this short and simple, considering I am still processing my time here and figuring  out how to match it with words. However, I know this to be true, God has begun something new in me.   My heart is changing and I sense the beginning of God writing His dream on my heart. I believe this next season is going to be a time of equipping and preparing for that dream He has for my life. Im ready for that mountain.

My time at Atin Afrika has changed my life. I thank God for His grace that sustained me the entire way. And I thank Morris and Chelsea for welcoming me in and sharing their passion with me. Some of my experiences seem so profound, I don't know how to describe them with words. All I know is that the most important thing you can do in this little life we have is to know God's love. This love absolutely transforms people and won't return void…I have seen it pierce, change, refine, overpower, and shape the hearts of these kids. And its shaped my heart too. This year I have learned many things and in some ways feel even half Ugandan now. I went from teaching and nurturing the kids weekly to moving in with them and attempting to even be their "matron"…yes, I can cook anything over coals now :) The Langi have won me. This young generation has won me. Mercy has won me. Serving God with your whole heart (which I am still learning how to do) has won me completely. Its been the most challenging, yet rewarding thing I have ever been a part of. To see a child go from defeat, neglect and poverty, to a place of love, confidence, and growth is profound. Even more so when you meet these kids face to face; see them dream, and love, and encounter their gifts and talents. They shine like stars, even though darkness tries to surround them. This year has been very transforming and I feel INCREDIBLY grateful for all my experiences.

Injustice and mercy move me. 
Gaining Christ is the greatest treasure.
People here need to be told. 
Someone needs to be sent. 
I want to labor wherever He calls me.

MAYBE its Uganda
:)

Missin those days

I have to say...I miss my days living at Atin!! However, I am grateful for these past weeks as well, they have been restful and filled with time with friends and good things. I just see now, how incredibly RARE that opportunity was. I am so thankful to all the folks at Atin who offered me this. I was pushed to lay down my life in a way I never have before. Although challenging, I felt so intimate with God, and like I was working muscles that had not been worked before. I miss waking up in the mornings with my first thoughts being about the kids, and not myself. As painful as it was sometimes, I miss having to force myself up at 7am or earlier to the sounds of their worship time...and being present with them cause I knew it bonded us. I miss having tea and cassava with the staff every morning. I miss reading to the kids at night. I miss preparing the food. I miss sorting beans. I miss the house and all of its quarks. I miss the many animals that roamed freely in and out. Atin, you are a wonderful place, living with you was one of the greatest gifts I have ever been given. My experience there, once again speaks loudly of the thing I have learned most in Uganda: service brings the greatest joy.

September has begun. Only two more full months in Lira before returning home. Still, my stomach churns when I think about leaving....however, I know its the right thing. Just not the easy thing. It will be good for me to go back and see this place through a different perspective. I also miss my family and friends a lot. I do have so many dreams of coming back and working in areas of photography or child empowerment or Atin or helping in educational support or even starting up a small business, ha! Who knows. I commit all these dreams to God. His will I want most. I have also learned this: the more I give up, the more fulfilled I am.

Its taken me over 6 months to finally begin a photo project! But I have started and hoping it has affect. I want these kids stories to be told. They deserve it. I want my photographs to empower children. The 16 children that are being fostered at the project have become my beloved subjects. If you have feedback, please share with me, I need it :)
website: Graciebyrdjones.com (if you wanna check out the work)

Thank you for your care and prayers. Please just pray over these next two months for me, that Christ would pour out His grace, provision, humility, and love. Also, that i would walk closely knit to Him. Also, that He would show me what to pursue after returning home.

G

Summer Under a Burning Sun

At the moment, I am sitting in a coffee shop in Kampala, nestled in the corner and entranced by what I see. I am surrounded by folks who wanna change the world...or at least it seems. I see young and vibrant mzungus discussing global issues, asians being awesome and I assume (wishing I knew their language) talking about something important and knowledgeable, interracial families enjoying one another, and diverse folks glued to the newspapers. These are people who care about change. They have inspired me. It feels like home...but also feels a little more real. I can tell these folks have stories and experiences that are rare and unique. If you are living in Uganda, there must be an intriguing reason  as to why. Or a cause you are fighting for. You don't plant roots in a 3rd world country just for the heck of it. Again, I just thank God so much for the privilege of being here, in a country so treasured, but so in need. 

So, I have ventured out of Lira for a week and a half. I have not left that beloved town since April. I've learned something about myself: I don't put up boundaries very well and tend to burn myself out! This is not a good thing. I have LOVED my summer living at Atin, but am ready for a small respite before returning. Living with street kids is the hardest thing I have ever done, however, perhaps the most rewarding. Its not in any way easy love. You are pushed to embrace the hard kind of love; the one where you really have to swallow your pride, and learn to love without record of wrongs. The kind that reflects your own inability without the help of God. These kids aren't the cute and cuddly kind. But they are REAL. They have stories that would make you cry and families that have neglected them. They have minds matured beyond their years. They know how to survive on nothing but scraps and trash. They have been hurt, wounded and numbed by neglect . So, how can I expect them to love well, when they have not been loved themselves? My conclusion is this: they are lovely still. They are glorious ruins, just like me. 

I will return to Lira and a new chapter will begin. The last one before returning home. It will be a time of teaching and sharing God's word, both to my dear kids and the women I have befriended in the community. And also to myself :) I still have much to learn. Will try to be better about blogging too, specifically the little things, since they are always interesting. This summer has been a time filled the laughter and play with my kids, motorcycles days to the village (did a small photography job for an NGO here), lots of beans and posho, rainy days, and fellowship with many Ugandans. Sometimes I would go days without the presence of another mzungu...talk about immersion. Even here I feel a little socially awkard, forgot how to communicate with my own race! That is slightly dramatic, but I do feel a little behind ha. 

After a few days of rest, I will be heading to Sanyu Babies Home to volunteer for a few days. Then off to Jinja, which I am most excited about. I will be staying with a lovely gal who is newly married to a Ugandan, with 5 adopted children. Her life inspires me and Im excited to be in their company. 

I covet your prayers. Please pray that God would sustain me with His love and teach me more about himself. Also, just want to say, these kids of this term are WONDERFUL. Yes, stubborn sometimes, but most of them are hardworking and so ready for school. They need sponsors and its only $105 a year to basically give them a better life. Well worth it. Contact me if you are interested graciebyrdjones@me.com

till next time :)

Beans, Beans, Beans

Yes, I am eating beans twice a day. My stomach is expanding like an air ballon. The only upside is I don't think about what I eat now. I just eat to get full :) That's the way it should be right??

So, I'm not sure where to start. I also don't want to overwrite either and make you read a novel of a blog. There is a lot that could be said....however, I am thinking maybe less words the better this time.

This is what I know: I feel like a mother. Its both challenging and joyful. Here is my day:

Kids wake up at 6:30 and have prayer time  (I TRY to get up with them)
We clean the compound for an hour, I make sure they do their assigned chore
I prepare the porridge with Lucy (Ugandan cook who comes for the day and also my dear friend)
Bathe my little Opio, dear boy who is 6 and has down syndrome, but the star of Atin
We serve them by 8:30
Wait on our patient, Jimmy, he is 14 and just had a big operation on his legs so he is bedridden for a while
Then I have tea and get to breathe
They go to class till lunch...I have time to myself yayyyyy
Prepare my best friend, beans..also its partner: meet corn much, his name is posho
We serve them
Then they are free and we play
I tidy the house
Prepare for dinner...beans again, who guessed it!??!
Then praise time (my ABSOLUTE favorite) we have a shaker and drum and sing and dance and pray to Jesus till we sweat  ( I love it and need that time)
Then we spend the last hour of the day sharing stories and riddles, or we play a small game, or go lay in the field
Then I get them in their bunk beds by 9, and read them a "Jesus Calling for kids Devotion" and sometimes even sing them a song ha (which is always humbling)
Then they snooze.
I go back into the kitchen and prepare the beans for the next day. Wash/sort, if they haven't been sorted by the kids...and sit by the box of coals and wait for a little while to let them heat.
Then I sleep......praise Jesus.

Nothing too grand, pretty ordinary right?
However, this is what I have learned about the ordinary and our humanness: I agree with Solomon entirely. Everything is meaningless under the sun, except serving and pleasing God. Serving brings the greatest joy. So although I am doing ordinary things everyday, nothing thrilling at all, just serving ones that haven't known love for a while, it still leaves me incredibly full. I feel like I am working the muscles of the Spirit of God. And my insides are singing. Its not really about the specifics I don't think....God isn't necessarily concerned with Opio getting bathed and clean, but He does care that Opio gets served and loved, and that I partake in the freeing act of laying down my time, desires, and life for another. Now I see the kind of joy that reaped from simple sacrifice.
What do people gain from all their labors under the sun?
Temporary happiness
What do people gain from laboring for the Lord Jesus?
A Really Profound Joy........fancy for talking about that mystery inside you, when you have served and then you feel like you lack nothing, and you delight in God and you can feel him delighting in you, and you feel free.

So, all you moms out there, I devote this blog to you. You're the real deal.

Also, would like to share with you some exciting news....I have extended my stay here in Lira. I will know be spending a year here, and will return to the USA either in Nov. or Dec. Yay!

Also, if anyone would like to send me some small NT's, they would be a HUGE help here. We can talk about how that would look, just shoot me an email if you are interested :)

Thank you for your prayers and care for me,
Lovingly,
G

Romans 12:12   Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Here is some pics of some of the new kids....a sweet group

Margaret and me...the only two gals

Meet Denis, Walter, Denis, Anthony, and Joshua

 This is Bosco, stubborn but great, love this kid

A Mountain Drive

I feel like I have been driving up a mountain for the last 3 weeks. They have been the toughest, rockiest weeks yet...however, I feel like I am finally reaching the top, where I can take a deep breathe and see the glory of God again. Its been a month since I last wrote....precisely because of that darn mountain.

Life is becoming very real and normal here. I am savoring every moment because days are flying by like birds in air, and it frightens me. I want the real and the nitty gritty Uganda, and I feel like I am finally getting it. Real life is happening. Im being confronted by the good and profound still, but also the crap and the difficulty of life too.The honeymoon phase has past, and things that were cute (like kids calling my munu on the st every second of every day, are now the usual, and maybe even annoying sometimes ha). Relationships have developed and I am seeing things as they truly are, situations, people, places. The good and bad. I still feel giddiness in the mornings to get up and start my day, but its more rooted and grounded in reality. All I know to be true of this is......it     is    good....
So good. My romanticist mind is not coating everything I see with beauty and idealism like it tends to. Im truly seeing.

This week will begin a new chapter of life here. I am moving in to Atin Afrika! I will be living with the kids...so happy and excited. The 18 boys I was with for the last 5 months have all now been resettled back into their homes and are starting school this wk. I have picked up 2 to sponsor and just put the last one in school yesterday. I love these two, James and Brian so so much. They have very unique and sweet spirits. So, there is a new bunch from the street arriving now. Its hard to imagine doing everything over again with a whole new group of kids I have never met....but I trust God  to give me the strength and joy to do it. On Monday, I will also begin an internship there, doing work in  their education program and also organizing media. This will be done alongside what a favor most, which is teaching, building relationship, and sharing the goodness of Christ with them. I have learned, living on the street is straight poison for any child. For those that have been there for a year or more, street life destroys innocence, hardens childlikeness, and steals happiness. Their like lost wandering sheep, running around, consumed by their passions. Ive seen it up close now, right in front of my face.....and it makes me SOOO angry at the devil. Most of all, street life corrupts their idea of love. Love is something many of them don't know how to show, or even receive. They don't know how to care or be cared for. So, love in Christ, unconditional love, the no matter-whatness of Gods love, is what they need most. This writer captures it perfectly. "Sometimes its necessary to reteach a thing its loveliness".

Continuing to meet with two women, Lucy and Rhema who know Jesus now. Please pray for them with me. Battling a lot of religiosity with both of them.

Please pray that I have JOY. I want joy and need joy to radiate through me to these kids. Also, that I do not over commit my self to things, which I seem to do often ;/ Lastly, for open doors to speak into specific kid's lives and hearts.

Love you all, thank you for reading, i need your care and interest in these days

crazy thing I did this past wk: Went to a village called Amolataar to resettle a child in his home. We were on the motorcycle for 2 and a half hours there and also 2 and half back. Mind you, the road was incredibly potholey and it rained half the way back...ah it was crazy!!! Mom, don't worry I had a helmet on, and Ronald is a very skilled driver :)

If you would like to get involved through sponsorship or donation, email me

love, G

My boys from last term

One of the boys, Darius, getting baptized :)  

Rhema 

Lucy

Sponsorship Opportunity

Hey yall,

For anyone interested in school sponsorship for little ones, I wanted to put this bug in your ear. At least for me in the past, I have always wanted to, but never sure how to plug in and know where the money is going exactly, stay connected with the child, and all those details. So, wanted to let you know of the legit program at Atin Afrika, where I work. I have been there almost every day these last 4 months and watched how to they handle their kids and sponsors, and I can confidently say they do it very well. Currently, there are 16 boys (ones I have been teaching/discipling these past months) who are about to begin school this next term, for the first time since being on the street. Their ages range from 6-15 years. They have become sort of like my pride and joy, I wish I could sponsor all of them! However, I am picking up one, possibly two. The foundation also pulls sponsors from Canada through the founder, a gal from those ends. So, all to say, I know God will provide a sponsor for each child. But, if this pulls on any of your hearts, to sponsor, I would highly encourage you to do it through this program. Check out their website to get the details: atinafrika.org. Basically though, its 30 bucks a month to provide all the kids needs. Also, since I will be here for the next few months, I can link u up with the child on Skype to meet them. They are all VERY excited to meet their sponsor, someone who wants to commit caring for them: this is a big thing. Keep in mind they are coming from a background of being vulnerably alone and pushed aside, so any sentiment of love and attention given to them, speaks loudly.

I leave you with that! Let me know if this interests any of you :) Here are some recent pics of them...

G

A Farewell

Well log is leavin me tomorrow. I will miss her greatly. Our time together has been very blessed and perhaps more bonding than we ever expected. Y'all, we even shared a bed! Haha...but i truly thank God for sending us to love Lira together. Some days were spent hip to hip, some were spent apart (her and I both r maybe too independent ha), but I feel that we always carried each other in prayer, encouragement, and support....and for that I am so grateful! Will miss ya log

Beating moments

I thank God for all the moments that Logan and I have had: happy, sad, confusing, weighty, mundane, profound, full, weak, disturbing, contented, deep, overwhelming, light-hearted....ALL of them God has seen and been with us through. I don't think I have ever experienced such a broad spectrum of moments in my life! Uganda has given me moments so profound, I don't know how to explain them. Also, I have had moments, days even, that have felt so ordinary that I forget where I am. All I know is that these days have changed my life and I thank God for the privilege I have had to live them. His Spirit is living, breathing, and drawing people constantly, and I feel freshly awakened and sensitive to it. I am suddenly hungry for those moments, however slight and small they may be. My boys are the biggest brats you have ever known, but the gospel is changing them. I see it, slowly. Softening, pruning, breaking, restoring them. Its beautiful. Some are still tough and hard as nails, but I won't stop sharing with them. There is no life within me, apart from Christ's flow. He makes my joy. He is my joy. They need this joy in their life! Not photography, not art, not teaching, not play (those are on the sidelines)----but to share with them the greatest thing I know: this man called Jesus is the only way to God, and he loves them perfectly. It would be so strange to go one's entire life without knowing the one person that loves them so relentlessly and so unparalleled to any love they have ever known. I hate that idea now more than ever. Because millions are. Waking, sleeping, living without knowledge of the one TRUE thing about themselves and for themselves: God made you, Christ died for you, Go back to your Creator, He wants eternity with you. You owe him your life..not out of be-grudging obedience, but out of love, in response to what he did.  So we want to keep sharing this, please continue to pray. We love you all 

Gracie

Some snaps y'all!!

The Greatest Adventure

Since the past week when Gracie and I took a few day respite to explore around beautiful places in Uganda, I have been thinking a lot about adventure.  As we piled in the matatus with our huge packs and drove from place to place squeezed to capacity with dozens of other Ugandans i was filled with this overwhelming joy at the life im living.  So i had to ask the question why is it any different from the life im living in America? And the only explanation is that when im here i am completely available and open to being a servant and vessel for God to use. 

So last week while we were moving around doing lots of cool and adventurous things like rafting the Nile river or hiking around beautiful waterfalls, or taking motorcycle rides around town, or going through the market in Kampala I realized something.  After spending days full of doing so many fun and adventurous activities, the contentment and happiness that i experienced from those things in no way compare to the joy and satisfaction of being in a living relationship with God and getting to be a part of His mission on the earth. Even though we had a great time last week, seeing a person believe the gospel for the first time or seeing a person experiencing God's love for the first time is better.  Its amazing how the words of Jesus in Matthew 10:39 describe this.  "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." I read Jesus' words and i look at this season of life and the deep happiness and peace that i have and i know that this is what He meant.  So often in America i live life and forfeit the life that Jesus is offering here because i think i can go and find a fulfilling life by pursuing my own ways and it just doesnt deliver.  It only leaves me frustrated and needing more. 

It sometimes happens that people can tend to put people living overseas as missionaries on this weird pedestal as if they are sacrificing so much really denying themselves of many pleasures. Not to say there aren't tons of people risking their lives and leaving behind many comforts of life in America but i would be willing to bet that those people are living with the deep joy and life in such a way that it hardly feels like a sacrifice anymore because the end result is more fulfilling than what you gave up. And its kind of interesting but since i have spent time living overseas and have come back to America and seen people really  living mission-ally right at home in America, I have come to have huge respect for those people.  I know for me it is easy to live as a missionary here in Uganda because i wake up every day and ask God to lead me and then i go about the day. It's at the forefront of why I am here and its something that i am focused on, God always moves and leads.  On the contrary, when i am in America i would probably pray most days that God would work through me but im also driven by other schedules and plans that sometimes take precedence over the role that i have as a follower of Christ.  And I don't know why we do this because we are denying ourselves of the most satisfying and rewarding life ever that Christ has offered to us. So just do it...lose your life and really find it.  I know Im hooked and want more so lets not waste any more time.  God truly isnt a killjoy even though we believe it sometimes.  He actually is after our joy so when we obey him we are most happy.

Thank you everyone for praying for Gracie and I. We really have felt so loved and supported from people back home. I cant tell you how many times Gracie and i have looked at each other and have been blown away at how we see God protecting us and holding our lives.  We have experienced the words of Psalm 91 in whole new ways and our trust in God is growing as we see him holding us.  We have had no sickness at all and we keep having those "right place at the right time" moments so we know God is with us.  We are sorry for not being better about blogging but we would like to post more in the future. Love you guys! 

Highlights from this week

Sam at Atin Afrika, now following Jesus

Lily and Aaron, (on either side of Gracie) who was able to get surgery on his leg, 

He is healing and ready to go back to school! If anyone would be interested in helping sponsor him, please email Gracie! 

Logan and her new friend Millie

Some snaps from our adventures

About to seriously risk our lives

 the first rapid, 14 ft waterfall...thats all

 the first fall we hiked to

 Logan climbing a mountain on a ladder made of sticks, her leg broke out in shakes, good ole muscle spasm

 at sipi falls

 beginning our morning hike

so beautiful! 

Some photos for your liking

We thought we should be better bloggers and give you some photos!

Lydia, Logan's friend. They have been meeting every week for discipleship...Lydia was being pursued by Watchtower folk for a while, so it was really timely when her and Logan started meeting up. Jehovahs witnesses and Mormons run rampant here..

  

This is Lily and Aaron's family, some friends of Gracie's. Aaron is the boy in the pink on the far right. He had Osteomyelitis, but through an anonymous donation of $400, we were able to help him get operated on...he is very excited! Please pray all goes well and grace-filled these next few weeks as he heals after the operation. 

This is one of our dearest friends at Alpha (where we are staying). He is called Patrick, we love him so! 

May we introduce to you dearest Opio. He is the sweetest thing, cant even begin to explain how lovable he is. He is staying at Atin Afrika center for street kids. He was completely abandoned by his family because of his down syndrome. Most here believe disabilities are a demonic thing or result of ancestor sin, so they are ashamed and reject disabled kids. So, Opio is staying at Atin but the hope is to find a family to adopt him. The Ugandan who runs the center believes this will be the best for him---because he literally has NOBODY. But we love him so much. If any are interested, please email Gracie. Like I said, this child is a treasure and needs a family; he soaks up any love and nurture that is shown to him and will melt your heart. 

Exciting news with these folks! They are a family of six from San Antonio, church planters living her full time for five years! We met them at a mzungu bible study we were introduced to (which was awesome by the way) last Wednesday. We clicked with them immediately and have enjoyed them so much already

Cowboy hat, and fellow texans...gives Gracie great joy

These are the boys Gracie is attempting to teach art, bible, and photography at Atin Afrika. They are a complicated bunch but need a lot of love. 

Bus rides: we love them 

This is Lucy, Gracie's friend...they meet weekly and talk about Jesus

Logan and Josephine, the best duo I know

A team from California stayed at Alpha for a few weeks, working on digging wells in the villages (a way to help). They were great to have around! 

Hope you enjoyed! 

love, logan and gracie

An opportunity to partner

Hey all,

I just wanted to write to tell you the story of a few precious ones and see if you feel led to help.

The past week has been one where the Lord has been putting orphans before us. As I've been going about the days here with a plan to carry out the discipleship curriculum with a few friends, there have been moments where God has changed my plans and I've come face to face with an orphan who is desperate for love and concern.  The word orphan takes a whole new meaning when you are here and it definitely comes with more weight. This week there have been three in particular that have caught my attention and concern. 

On Wednesday i learned of twins named Joseph and Josephine:

The two are around three years old.  I met them when a man named Washington took me to their home and introduced me to an elderly man named Zachary and his wife Josephina.  Zachary greeted me with a very genuine smile and began to tell me about the two little ones that had come into his life few years ago. 

He told me that the mother of the twins had met them at the market where she would buy beans from the madam.  The twins mother was struggling as a single mom as the father had ran before the babies were born.  One day when the twins were around 8 months the mother came to Zachary and Josephina and begged them to keep the twins for one night so she could travel to the next town to help her sick mother who was in the hospital.  Zachary and Josephina complied as they knew the risk for young babies to be exposed to so much sickness at the hospital.  A few days passed and then months and there was no trace of the mother. Zachary asked everyone he could find in an effort to learn of any information on the mother and where she could have fled to but he found out nothing. Initially Zachary filed police reports and missing person notices but had no luck finding the mother.  Soon after the babies were accepted into a babies home that is about 5 miles out of town where they lived for close to a year before returning to Zachary and Josephina's home. However, recently they have been unable to find anywhere for them to go. There are honestly few orphanages here and the ones that exist have no spaces available.  This has left Zachary and Josephina with the responsibility of providing for the twins, carrying out an "obligation to God and humanity"  as they put it. Caring for the twins has become a great burden on the family. Zachary is currently jobless and the only income they have is the little money that Josephina makes selling beans each day.  The couple have three other children that are currently staying in the village with other family members as they could not afford to have them living in town.  Currently  Jospeh and Josephina are spending the daytime at a nursery school called Lira Christian Centre Nursery School because no one is around the home during the day.  Out of compassion the teachers at the school have agreed to temporarily let the twins attend the day school at no cost until Zachary is able to pay the fees.  

I went to the school last week to meet Joseph and Josephine. Holding them and seeing their big brown eyes and feeling the reality that they live in has compelled me be an advocate for them and to help them. I have talked with an orphanage in town and we are going to begin the application process but they will be unable to take them until May or June.  Zachary and Josephina will continue to care for the twins but they just need assistance with food and day school for the next few months.  I talked with the school and got the tuition list and also the list of required items.  The total fees come out to $115.00 which will provide a good foundation of learning, two nutrition meals each day, a uniform and all of the supplies that both of the children need.

Zachary and Josephine are servants of God who has been sacrificing a lot to provide a safe place for the kids and now they just need a little help.  If you feel compelled to give in any way please let me know and we can discuss more options of how to make this happen.  It brings me a lot of joy to get to share the stories and faces of people here and to see people back home partnering and being generous towards people who are truly in need.  I am reminded here of how In Christ we have received much and as a response to what Christ has done we should be the most joyful and generous of all people. So please pray and consider giving whatever you can!!  I would love to hear from you so please let me know if you want more information or if you have specific questions!!!  Thank you!!

Josephine and Joseph at school! 

On Thursday i met Mercy.  Arombo Mercy is a 16 year old girl who lost both of her parents and wants to go back to school.  I interviewed her yesterday and asked her to tell me what she would tell people back in America. Heres what she said:

      "I was born in Lira, Uganda.  When i was very young my father divorced my mum.  My father got another woman and she did not take care of me.  We were four children. 3 girls and 1 boy but unfortunately our last born and only boy was born with HIV/AIDS.  My mother used to pay my school fees but when she became infected with HIV/AIDS she could no longer pay my fees.  Dad had abandoned us, so i was forced to drop out of school in 2009.  We had been living in the IDP (Internally displaced people) camps and raising money for food for all four children was very difficult on my mother.  While living there i learned that my father had passed away from an unexpected illness.  Life was very difficult as my mother became more sick and later died.  After the death of both of my parents i was forced to live with with a family member who wanted me to work doing household chores rather than go to school.  The madam recently died and now i am staying with different people who will keep me.  I have a desire to go to school and become a doctor so that i can help those who have experienced trauma like me."

I asked Mercy how she is able to remain so courageous and full of hope despite all she has gone through.  She responded by telling me, "I trust in the Lord because his word says that God is the father of orphans and he has not abandoned me".  There is something unique about Mercy. I have met many girls her age in difficult situations but never someone who has been as persistent and unwilling to give up as she has been. 

I recently met a man who started an organization called The Odwara Fund.  The organization provides the opportunity for a quality education to orphans and vulnerable children who do not have a future.  I talked with Eddie who is the founder and although the finances are not there to support her in school this term he has shared that he feels moved to pay for half of her fees from his own pocket.  I was moved by his generosity as he is very limited in his resources and thought i would join his efforts and post her story and see if anyone felt led to give.  The needs would be the second half of her tuition and the uniform/requirements necessary for her to board at school.  The school that she would go to is called Fountain primary school which is a Christian school where she will be taught the Word and also have daily prayer and fellowship time.  The total fees come out to $204.00 which will cover all of her tuition, boarding, food, and requirements.  I am not here to meet the financial needs of everyone but i have been moved to try to find provision for these three who are total orphans.  

 Arombo Mercy, age 16.

Email me if you are interested!!  logan710h@gmail.com

Thank you and God bless.  I am going to post a blog very soon with the highlights from discipleship and other exciting things.  God is truly leading us and protecting us and we are very glad. 

Love,

Logan

Days of Grace

   So far, 25 days full of grace and fullness. Friends have been made, places are now familiar, and we are growing accustomed to the "African way"…might I say it couldn't be more different than customs back home. I feel like America and Africa are literally the two greatest extremes there could ever be! Africa: time carries NO importance, everything has dirt on it, children (including babies) roam free, a days work dictates survival, not comfort, traffic has no order, motorcycles carry infants, people carry their groceries on their head (or even their furniture), breasts are out everywhere, fatness is desired by all, you can pay rent with goats and cows, and people don't care about being "cool". Every day wows you. I genuinely love this place. Even if its just seeing these funny little customs that are soo taboo to our culture. Yesterday was our most authentic and African experience yet. We watched an Acholi Dance Performance by a non-profit that teaches music therapy to youth. It was stunning! But there we were, only one other mzungu there, completely surrounded by tons of Africans, babies in the lap, sweat on our foreheads and all over, sitting for at least 5 hours because the show started three hours after it was supposed to. But we have learned to gladly and joyfully embrace those waiting times…..allows time to make friends! 

  This week was the beginning of teaching at Atin Afrika. School just started for everyone in town this week, so there is still some chaos in kids leaving and coming, however, it was a good first day. The way it works is, they have Ugandan social workers who go out to the streets and get to know the kids, offering them a home and education. Most of them already have homes, but either their parents have neglected them, they have chosen the streets, or they just have run away. These kids get into all kinds of addictions, most of them sniff glue, girls sell themselves as early as age 9, they drink the locally brewed alcohol which makes whiskey look weak, and all kinds of other awful things. So the kids that choose to come for a two month term, are quite the complicated bunch….and the concepts of love and care are foreign to them. Atin is a lovely little home with two dogs, a monkey, and a Ugandan momma named "Grace" who lives there and basically mothers all the children. During the term, the children learn how to live well with others, battle vulnerability, have reconciliation with their families (the social workers help to mediate), and learn respect. Also, they learn a bit of english and do some subject studies to introduce them into school. Then after those two months, they are enrolled for school and go back to their communities and homes. Its really amazing how it works. Most of the kids come to a place where they choose for themselves a better life. So, my plan there is to do a type of art therapy that also shares Christ. It would be unfruitful to keep the gospel from them and just do "crafts", I want to love them earnestly and not keep hidden the very thing that will make them feel most full in life. Its like showing them pretty things, but hiding the treasure. Especially because most of them feel forgotten. I delight in them so much already! You give them an ounce of attention and they light up. Most excitedly, I also get to teach photography! I was able to handle the 12 cameras for the first time on Monday and see which ones worked and needed batteries. So I will begin teaching photography either tomorrow or Monday. Yay!

   We were also able to spend the last week with the Chitesters and go through a Discipleship study with them. They were such a gift to us! Also, I think it was God equipping us for things here. Both Logan and I have been overwhelmed by the misinterpretation of God's Word here among Christians. People have a very skewed view of Grace here and live a very works-oriented faith. There even seems to be more preaching from the Old T. rather than the New. You basically find all these new Christians who have given their lives to Christ, but are acting like fearful slaves instead of children of God. The belief that Christ paid for their sin once and for all is misunderstood; people are constantly in the cycle of repentance because they think every time they sin again, God casts them away. They just want so desperately to be close to God, which is really beautiful, but they are missing out on the freedom that comes when you trust Christ. For the believer, sin breaks your fellowship with God, but NOT your relationship. Ever. And broken fellowship can be restored through love and confession to Him..so glad for that :)

The prosperity gospel also runs wild here. So please pray.

Lastly, we got bicycles!!! John and Janie bought them for us and we have enjoyed them so much. Been a great help.  Still getting used to the chaos of the traffic and being on the left side, but its been good. Also pray for His covering when we are on the roads :)

Love you all! More to tell later,

Gracious (they all call me this ha)