I've been back for two weeks now, and it is incredible the things God has opened my eyes to. I've enjoyed being back home and have had about as much delicious American food as I can handle. It has been a lot harder being back home and away from Uganda than I thought it would be. I'm so ready to go back and don't know how I'm going to survive the next nine months without Uganda. The beautiful children and people are constantly on my mind and heart. I am beyond blessed by God to be able to share a portion of my life with them. Their joy and happiness is incredible. They feel so very blessed for the very little that they have and don't take things for granted. I envy their lifestyle and the love they have for life and people. Their faces light up when you smile at them or shake their hand or touch their head. I miss their smiles, their laughs, their hugs, and their love.
God taught me so much on this trip. I began writing down all the things I was learning from God, but I've learned so much more just being home. I've learned to not take things for granted, to praise and thank God constantly for all the things He has given me, to love every moment of life even the times I'm bored because it's one more second I get to love on people or appreciate God's love, to love everyone and accept them no matter who they are or what they've done because that's what God does and wants us to do, to keep my eyes open to opportunities to share Christ's love with other. This is no where close to the amount of things I've learned, but I wanted to give you a glimpse into what God is doing in my life. I have been overwhelmed but so very blessed with all the new things God is teaching me or just simply reminding me.
Life in America is rough. It's hard going from a country that has absolutely nothing to a country that has absolutely everything. It's hard sitting in my house and looking around at all the things I have but don't even need. It's hard walking into Walmart and seeing the millions of things that are enjoyable for us and but not necessary for us. It's hard watching people throw away food because they don't want it or because it's "old". It's hard going to Starbucks and buying a drink for $4.50 when that could be used for two whole meals for kids in Uganda. My heart aches everytime I see any of this but it reminds me to thank God constantly and to be so appreciative of how incredibly blessed I am.
I had such an amazing time in Africa and am so grateful for the opportunity to go there. It is so awesome to see God working in such a mighty way in Uganda and the rest of Africa. I am honored to be able to serve God and His people in Uganda. My heart is back in Uganda, and I can't wait to return there next year for the fourth time. Even though I want to be in Uganda so bad, I know God has a plan for me here so I am continuing to pray for me to focus on this coming year and what God wants for me. But Uganda will always be on my heart and mind.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Love is patient, love is kind.
Since last Sunday, I've been lying in bed with body aches, a headache, a stomach ache, and a fever. Not exactly the most enjoyable week I've had since being in Africa, but I am so grateful for it and the time I've been able to spend with God. The first few weeks at Amani I haven't really enjoyed; I had the wrong attitude and was never truly grateful. I felt alone and out of place wanting so badly to be back in the states. I had no clue why God put me here and what my purpose was for this part of the trip. But God decided enough was enough. If I was going to be serving Him, I needed to be doing it right. So, God sat me down and had a talk with me for the past week. He needed to teach me things that if I weren't sick, I would not have listened to. So, this week I opened my ears and heart and fell at the Lord's feet with a willingness to listen to whatever He had to say to me. At some points it wasn't easy; I didn't always want to hear what He had to say, but I listened. He taught me amzing things this week that honestly, I wouldn't have been able to learn if I was anywhere else at any other time. I can't even put into words all the things He's taught me, but the one thing that I want to work on more than anything is to love ALL of God's people. Not just the people that I get along with the best, or the beautiful kids in Uganda, or my family, but EVERYONE! It's already been a struggle but God doesn't promise everything is going to be easy. It's caused me to be stretched and to grow. But I'm enjoying every minute of it. It's amazed me how much happier I am when I just love.
So for this last week that I'm here my prayer request is to love unconditionally. Even when things aren't going my way or someone says something hurtful or I'm just not enjoying my time. I need to love. I'm called to love because love covers over a multitude of sins.
And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13
So for this last week that I'm here my prayer request is to love unconditionally. Even when things aren't going my way or someone says something hurtful or I'm just not enjoying my time. I need to love. I'm called to love because love covers over a multitude of sins.
And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13
Monday, July 20, 2009
Amani Baby Cottage
Since I haven't written in quite sometime, I figured I'd just give an overview of my days here and what exactly it is that I do.
Basically, at the beginning of every week, we're given a schedule for places to be throughout the week. The children are divided into five different groups, Baby A (the infants), Baby B (7-14 months), Baby C (14 months - 2 years), Toddlers (2-3 or 4 years), and Preschoolers (3 or 4 years - 5 years). We have a morning shift and an afternoon shift. The morning shift starts at 8 and goes til 1; the afternoon shift starts at 4 and goes to bed time which is around 7:30. From 1-4 the volunteers have a break while the kids are eating and napping. In the morning we're usually in the same place for three out of the five days, and in the afternoon, we're in a different place each night. The preschoolers are taught their colors, numbers, alphabet, shapes, and other basics. The Toddlers on down play with toys, are read stories, and pretty much just hang out. Each morning before lunch, the kids are taken out to the front yard to play and run around and let some energy lose. Lunch is at 12:45-1:00, then the kids are put down for a nap. When the kids wake up from their nap, they are given a snack and then back out to the front yard at 4:00 to play with us volunteers and hang out. At 6:00 the kids are fed dinner, followed by teeth brushing, bathing, susu (pee) time, changing of clothes, and story time before they are hugged and kissed good night and sent to bed.
Every other afternoon, we have one-on-one time with the kids where each volunteer takes out one kid to go swimming, go on a boat ride, go into town for a treat (milkshakes, sodas, or cake), or taken upstairs to the guest house to watch a movie and play with toys. The kids love going out with us and always ask when they get to go next.
On Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, we have project or outing days. Projects consist of cleaning the cribs and beds, washing windows, or organizing shelves. For outings, we usually visit other orphanages or do touristy things (horseback riding by the Nile, boat rides, going to the fair, rafting the Nile, etc.)
Saturdays and Sundays are basically free days. Some Saturdays are spent on outings or one-on-one time with the kids. Sundays we go to church at local churches here in Jinja and the rest of the day is free to do whatever. Usually we go into town, play games, watch movies, read, or play with the kids.
And that's pretty much what a normal week consists of.
Basically, at the beginning of every week, we're given a schedule for places to be throughout the week. The children are divided into five different groups, Baby A (the infants), Baby B (7-14 months), Baby C (14 months - 2 years), Toddlers (2-3 or 4 years), and Preschoolers (3 or 4 years - 5 years). We have a morning shift and an afternoon shift. The morning shift starts at 8 and goes til 1; the afternoon shift starts at 4 and goes to bed time which is around 7:30. From 1-4 the volunteers have a break while the kids are eating and napping. In the morning we're usually in the same place for three out of the five days, and in the afternoon, we're in a different place each night. The preschoolers are taught their colors, numbers, alphabet, shapes, and other basics. The Toddlers on down play with toys, are read stories, and pretty much just hang out. Each morning before lunch, the kids are taken out to the front yard to play and run around and let some energy lose. Lunch is at 12:45-1:00, then the kids are put down for a nap. When the kids wake up from their nap, they are given a snack and then back out to the front yard at 4:00 to play with us volunteers and hang out. At 6:00 the kids are fed dinner, followed by teeth brushing, bathing, susu (pee) time, changing of clothes, and story time before they are hugged and kissed good night and sent to bed.
Every other afternoon, we have one-on-one time with the kids where each volunteer takes out one kid to go swimming, go on a boat ride, go into town for a treat (milkshakes, sodas, or cake), or taken upstairs to the guest house to watch a movie and play with toys. The kids love going out with us and always ask when they get to go next.
On Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, we have project or outing days. Projects consist of cleaning the cribs and beds, washing windows, or organizing shelves. For outings, we usually visit other orphanages or do touristy things (horseback riding by the Nile, boat rides, going to the fair, rafting the Nile, etc.)
Saturdays and Sundays are basically free days. Some Saturdays are spent on outings or one-on-one time with the kids. Sundays we go to church at local churches here in Jinja and the rest of the day is free to do whatever. Usually we go into town, play games, watch movies, read, or play with the kids.
And that's pretty much what a normal week consists of.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Baby Pick-Up
I had an awesome time picking up the babies!! I went with a girl here named Annaliese. We left Monday at 9:30AM from Jinja and arrived in Mbarara at 6:00 that night. On the way we stopped at the equator, took a couple pictures and got some chips and guacamole and a chai smoothie (tastes nothing like the chai we have!). We stayed at a missionary's home which was really awesome. The mom and dad are named Scott and Emily and they have six kids, the two youngest are adopted from here. The kids are so well behaved and stinking adorable. We talked for a while before eating dinner. She made us spaghetti and bread which was absolutely delicious. Afterwards, they always have the guests tell a story about themsleves so I told them about me getting stuck in the couch. They thought it was awesome. After the story, they made brownies, which were absolutely amazing, and coffee for us and they actually had french vanilla creamer! It was so great! We stayed up talking for a little while longer than went to bed. In the morning, they made us tortillas, eggs, and gravy. It was going to be biscuits and gravy but their stove wasn't working so we had tortillas instead. I was so happy to have that food! I can' wait to get back and have my moms home cooked meals every night (or anyone elses for that matter)!!! After breakfast Annaliese, Emily and I went to the Mbarara Hospital to find the Social Worker who would help us with getting the babies. When we arrived, she wasn't there yet but a guy in the office told us that there was a mom who was brought to the hospital on Sunday unconscience with her baby boy by random people. She went into a coma Monday night and died Tuesday morning so there was another baby that we were able to take if we could. Before we heard about this baby, I was going to be able to name one baby and Annaliese was going to be able to name the other baby but when we found out about this one, she remembered that I had a second name so we ended up naming one Eric and one Christopher and the other one is named Caleb. I was so excited! The youngest baby (Eric) is 6 weeks and was born premature and abandoned by his mother. Tiniest little baby that I've ever seen in my entire life! I honestly have no clue how it's still alive! The second youngest baby(Caleb) is two months, he was also abandoned by his mother and has a skin problem. We think it's just because he hasn't been bathed but we'll see. The oldest is Christopher! Stinking happiest baby ever! He's so adorbable and loves to laugh. He's seven months old and has a scar from a burn right about his left ear. So once we picked up the babies, we had to go to court to get documents signed and stamped by the magistrate. Easiest process I think I'll ever see to be able to take a baby. After, we went back to the hospital to get a birth certificate for one of the babies. Once we finished, we went back to the house, grabbed our stuff, and headed to the supermarket to get baby formula, diapers and an extra bottle before leaving to go back to Jinja. When we were just standing around at the hospital waiting for documents and things to get done, random Ugandan women would come up to us and say "thank you so much for what you are doing, you are such a blessing to these babies and to us, God bless you!" It was awesome to see how happy they were to see us pick up a few babies! So we drove 8 hours back to Jinja today with three babies. They were all perfect angels in the car and barely ever cried. It was so great. If I could I would go pick up babies everyday it was such a blessing and awesome experience!!!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Recap of My First Two Weeks in Africa
I apologize for not writing more often. I haven't had much access to the Internet so it's been hard trying to write on this. For now I'm just going to write on my first two weeks to let everyone know how that went. I'll write about the rest of my trip later because I am short on time.
First off, I'm going to start with writing about how much I enjoyed our team. It was awesome to see so many people from so many different places come together and serve our Lord. Everyone was such an encouragement to me and I enjoyed getting to know each and every one of them. I also really enjoyed getting to see "newbies" share the love that I have with the Ugandan people. We could not have had a better team put together! It was awesome!
Our church plant was actually named Busiu (a little mix up in communication) so for the week we went out around the Busiu village sharing the Gospel with anyone who wanted to hear. It is so humbling to come here and be able to share the love of God and not be judged or looked down on because you are a Christian. Because I came here with a cold, my first day out hut-to-hut I went with Bekah Kennedy just in case I didn't have the strength or ability (because of my cough) to keep going. The day was great Bekah shared with most everyone and while she was sharing, I was coughing like crazy. The one house I shared out God kept me from coughing and I was able to present the Gospel with no interruptions. The rest of the week, I went hut-to-hut with Vicki and our two translators Charles and Roger. Each day was such a blessing because I was able to share words of encouragement to the believers and share Jesus with the non-believers. In between huts, we got to know our translators and fellowship with them. We found out that Roger came to know the Lord the first year we went hut-to-hut at Angalia! Such an encouragement and such a blessing!
The two best days for me were Thursday when I went to schools and the second Monday when we were able to go back to Kerekeren, a church we planted last year. On Thursday, we went to three schools. The first school was primary and the last two were secondary. To my surprise I enjoyed the secondary schools a lot more than the primary schools. I really feel God has been burdening my heart for the teenagers this year and to turn my focus more to them than the kids. The first secondary school we went to was not expecting us and was a Muslim based school. Because they weren't expecting us, it took a while for us to convince them to let us visit them. God worked a miracle and they allowed us to come in even though it was their lunch break and there would not be many kids. After we finished our testimonies and the lesson, we had an altar call. It took quite a while for the first kid to stand up and come forward to confess that he had accepted Christ. It was awesome to see the boldness he had to show his new found love for the Lord. The second secondary school we went to was a Christian school so it was awesome to be able to fellowship with believers! We had enough time before and after testimonies and the lesson to be able to talk with the kids which was such an amazing experience just to get to know them, to find out their likes and dislikes, what they wanted to do after secondary school, what their favorite subject was. I enjoyed it so much! It was such a great day to experience the Lord's work in such a different way!
My day at Kerekeren was by far the best. My heart has been so burdened for the people around this village and I am so blessed to be able to know these wonderful people. There was a little girl last year that I really connected with. I spent everyday with her just hanging out and playing with her. My one prayer request this year was to be able to see this little girl again and be reunited with her. I stepped out of the van and an overwhelming feeling came over me! My translator and his wife found me and greeted me with their new baby boy! I was so grateful to see them again. While catching up with them, Taylor came up to me holding my little girl in her arms. Immediately tears of joy came rushing out of my eyes! I was so excited to see her! She's just as beautiful as I remembered her. I was able to meet her dad which was so great for me because now I know she's not an orphan! God answered my prayers and made me the happiest girl ever! I was so blessed to be able to spend the day with her and love on her.
It is so awesome to see the work God is doing here in Uganda and that He has chosen me to serve Him here. God has blessed me beyond belief with the opportunity to be here and love on the Ugandan people. I praise God everyday for how great and powerful He is. None of this could be done without Him.
First off, I'm going to start with writing about how much I enjoyed our team. It was awesome to see so many people from so many different places come together and serve our Lord. Everyone was such an encouragement to me and I enjoyed getting to know each and every one of them. I also really enjoyed getting to see "newbies" share the love that I have with the Ugandan people. We could not have had a better team put together! It was awesome!
Our church plant was actually named Busiu (a little mix up in communication) so for the week we went out around the Busiu village sharing the Gospel with anyone who wanted to hear. It is so humbling to come here and be able to share the love of God and not be judged or looked down on because you are a Christian. Because I came here with a cold, my first day out hut-to-hut I went with Bekah Kennedy just in case I didn't have the strength or ability (because of my cough) to keep going. The day was great Bekah shared with most everyone and while she was sharing, I was coughing like crazy. The one house I shared out God kept me from coughing and I was able to present the Gospel with no interruptions. The rest of the week, I went hut-to-hut with Vicki and our two translators Charles and Roger. Each day was such a blessing because I was able to share words of encouragement to the believers and share Jesus with the non-believers. In between huts, we got to know our translators and fellowship with them. We found out that Roger came to know the Lord the first year we went hut-to-hut at Angalia! Such an encouragement and such a blessing!
The two best days for me were Thursday when I went to schools and the second Monday when we were able to go back to Kerekeren, a church we planted last year. On Thursday, we went to three schools. The first school was primary and the last two were secondary. To my surprise I enjoyed the secondary schools a lot more than the primary schools. I really feel God has been burdening my heart for the teenagers this year and to turn my focus more to them than the kids. The first secondary school we went to was not expecting us and was a Muslim based school. Because they weren't expecting us, it took a while for us to convince them to let us visit them. God worked a miracle and they allowed us to come in even though it was their lunch break and there would not be many kids. After we finished our testimonies and the lesson, we had an altar call. It took quite a while for the first kid to stand up and come forward to confess that he had accepted Christ. It was awesome to see the boldness he had to show his new found love for the Lord. The second secondary school we went to was a Christian school so it was awesome to be able to fellowship with believers! We had enough time before and after testimonies and the lesson to be able to talk with the kids which was such an amazing experience just to get to know them, to find out their likes and dislikes, what they wanted to do after secondary school, what their favorite subject was. I enjoyed it so much! It was such a great day to experience the Lord's work in such a different way!
My day at Kerekeren was by far the best. My heart has been so burdened for the people around this village and I am so blessed to be able to know these wonderful people. There was a little girl last year that I really connected with. I spent everyday with her just hanging out and playing with her. My one prayer request this year was to be able to see this little girl again and be reunited with her. I stepped out of the van and an overwhelming feeling came over me! My translator and his wife found me and greeted me with their new baby boy! I was so grateful to see them again. While catching up with them, Taylor came up to me holding my little girl in her arms. Immediately tears of joy came rushing out of my eyes! I was so excited to see her! She's just as beautiful as I remembered her. I was able to meet her dad which was so great for me because now I know she's not an orphan! God answered my prayers and made me the happiest girl ever! I was so blessed to be able to spend the day with her and love on her.
It is so awesome to see the work God is doing here in Uganda and that He has chosen me to serve Him here. God has blessed me beyond belief with the opportunity to be here and love on the Ugandan people. I praise God everyday for how great and powerful He is. None of this could be done without Him.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Africa!
Sorry for not updating lately. I have been very busy playing with kids and sharing Jesus with His beautiful people here in Africa! I am now in Kenya but will be heading back to Uganda on Monday. I have had a great trip so far and have learned quite a bit about God's amazing goodness and love He has for us! This trip has been a great adventure, and I can't wait to see what else God has in store for me. I will write more when I get back to Uganda where I will be able to access the internet more frequently.
Just a couple quick prayer requests:
1. No complications or delays during my travels on Monday. I will be flying out at 5:45pm and will land in Uganda at 7:00pm where a driver will pick me up and take me to Amani!
2. I will stay strong the last three days in Kenya, and remember to fully rely on God for all my needs.
3. I will get the rest needed to have enough energy to play with the kids. I have not been sleeping well lately and am constantly tired.
4. To keep a smile on my face through any and all situations, to not get discouraged no matter what might happen, and to remember that God is always with me and watching out for me.
Thank you all so much for your prayers and support!!
Just a couple quick prayer requests:
1. No complications or delays during my travels on Monday. I will be flying out at 5:45pm and will land in Uganda at 7:00pm where a driver will pick me up and take me to Amani!
2. I will stay strong the last three days in Kenya, and remember to fully rely on God for all my needs.
3. I will get the rest needed to have enough energy to play with the kids. I have not been sleeping well lately and am constantly tired.
4. To keep a smile on my face through any and all situations, to not get discouraged no matter what might happen, and to remember that God is always with me and watching out for me.
Thank you all so much for your prayers and support!!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Prayer Requests
Things to pray for:
1. Safety while traveling.
2. Good health through the entire two months.
3. My brother, Chris, will be with me for the first two weeks and although we usually get along really well, I know that Satan is waiting for any opportunity to attack. Pray that we will not give into these attacks and we will use them as a way to grow stronger in our relationship.
4. I want to be a light to anyone I come in contact with; whether it be while I'm at the airport, sitting on the plane, or in Uganda and Kenya. I want people to see that I am different and know about my love for God.
5. This will be the longest I have been away from my family, friends, and what I consider "the norm" for me. Pray that I will not get homesick or feel lonely, and that I will remember that they are back here support me the entire way. I'm a major daddy's and mommy's girl and I'm extremely close to my brothers, so it's going to be hard being away from them for two months.
6. Preparation mentally, physically, and emotionally.
7. Faith and trust in God. Remember that He has been and will always be there for me.
8. I will constantly smile no matter what I am going through. Help my smile to be contagious and to never loose its touch.
1. Safety while traveling.
2. Good health through the entire two months.
3. My brother, Chris, will be with me for the first two weeks and although we usually get along really well, I know that Satan is waiting for any opportunity to attack. Pray that we will not give into these attacks and we will use them as a way to grow stronger in our relationship.
4. I want to be a light to anyone I come in contact with; whether it be while I'm at the airport, sitting on the plane, or in Uganda and Kenya. I want people to see that I am different and know about my love for God.
5. This will be the longest I have been away from my family, friends, and what I consider "the norm" for me. Pray that I will not get homesick or feel lonely, and that I will remember that they are back here support me the entire way. I'm a major daddy's and mommy's girl and I'm extremely close to my brothers, so it's going to be hard being away from them for two months.
6. Preparation mentally, physically, and emotionally.
7. Faith and trust in God. Remember that He has been and will always be there for me.
8. I will constantly smile no matter what I am going through. Help my smile to be contagious and to never loose its touch.
9. Calm my fears and nerves about traveling alone. This scares me to death, and I'm doing my best to hand it over to God but the fear never seems to subside.
10. To have fun and love on those beautiful little kids as much as I can!
Thank you all very much for praying for me. I really appreciate it and know I will need it.
Faith never knows where it is being led, but it knows and loves the One who is leading. ~Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Children's Ministry
We've recently finished the lessons for the children's ministry in Uganda. For the five nights at the crusades we are going to be doing the colors of the salvation bracelet or the wordless book; black, red, white, green, and gold.
We have made flannel boards for each of the five colors. For the black one which represents sin, we made a spider web on the flannel. We will be having the kids tell us some sins which we will right on square pieces of flannels. They will then post them on the spider web. The next day is red, representing blood. We will have the Cross-Bridge Illustration showing that only through Christ's death on the cross can we get to heaven. The white flannel stands for forgiveness which we will have the kids come up to cover the black flannel with the white to show God covers us with his love and forgiveness. On the fourth day we will do green which signifies growth in our relationship with Christ. We will be asking the kids of ways we grow and have a relationship with God. We will then write the words down on leaves and attach them to our flannel with a tree on it. The last day will be gold symbolizing heaven. Our gold flannel will have a t-chart on it. On one side we will have the kids think of things in heaven and on the other, things not in heaven.
Each lesson will be about fifteen minutes plus translation so each lesson will be about thirty minutes long. Everyday, except for the first, we will be leading them in the salvation prayer.
On the Inaugural Sunday for Bufukha, we will review the week and give them 3x3 booklets with the colors and verses, both in English and Lugandan, that explains the meanings of the colors.
Black = Sin
Red = Blood
White = Forgiveness
Green = Growth
Gold = Heaven
Saturday, May 9, 2009
I recently got a Twitter. If you have one, follow me, twitter.com/becca_lynnleigh. Twitter will be much easier to update while I'm away, and you might get more information from me on there. I'll still be posting on here though, so make sure you keep checking this too.
24 more days!!!
24 more days!!!
Monday, May 4, 2009
The Rescue of Joseph Kony's Child Soldiers
I was going to write about this event earlier, but I wanted to wait until all 100 cities were rescued.
On April 25th, 100 cities in 10 countries around the world abducted themselves to save the abducted children in Northern Uganda. The Rescue event put on by Invisible Children that I attended in Denver started off at Civic Center Park right in front of the Capitol. From there, I walked with 1,500 other people 3 miles tied to a rope to Cheesman Park. Why the ropes you may ask?? This is how the child soldiers in Uganda are commanded to walk so they cannot get away.
Once we arrived at Cheesman Park, we layed out our sleeping bags and got to work writing letters to the Senators of Colorado while waiting to be rescued. In order to be rescued we had to raise five flags, each a different color; red, purple, white, black, and green. The Red symbolizes media coverage of a local news station so we can raise awareness to the community around us. The Purple represents important cultural and political leaders that are needed to stand behind us and support the child soldiers. The White Flag stands for the two letters that every person wrote to the Senators. Once each letter was collected, the White Flag would be raised. The Black
symbolizes the ambassadors from our city representing us at Lobby Days in Washington DC on June 22nd and 23rd (go to howitends.tv for more information). Finally, the Green Flag stands for money. Each person needed to bring five dollars to the event; once everyone donated their five dollars, we were able to raise the Green Flag.
Denver was rescued at 8:55pm by a representative of Senator Mark Udall. Also, a band member from Flobots, a Denver local band, came out to support us. 7 News and 9 News came out to cover the event, we raised all the money, wrote all the letters, and got enough ambassadors to represent us. Because we were rescued, we were able to go home and wait for the rest of the cities to get rescued. By the end of the night on April 25th, there were still 15 cities left to be rescued. Each day the number dwindled down, and on Tuesday, there were two cities left, Richmond, Virginia, and Chicago Illinois. That night Richmond was rescued by Gavin DeGraw while Chicago kept trecking on. For three more days, Chicago stayed strong waiting and hoping for Oprah to rescue them. They choreographed a dance and performed it outside Oprah's studio trying to get noticed. On Friday, Oprah saw hundreds of people standing outside her studio and decided to hear them out. She agreed to have them on her show that day to tell the country about the child soldiers. Chicago's voice was heard, they were rescued, and after a week, the event was a success.
Please pray for these abducted children and for Lobby Days, an event that will hopefully end the longest running war in Africa. If you have the chance, I encourage you to go to Lobby Days and represent the child soldiers. Be a part of history and save the beautiful children of Northern Uganda. If you have not already seen the movie Invisible Children: Rough Cut, please watch it and see why I care so much about the people of Uganda. You will never be the same again after you watch this movie! I definitely haven't been.
Walking to the LRA Camp! Loving Uganda!
All five flags raised! We were rescued!
Pictures by: Taylor VanDuinen
Visit http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-249867 for more pictures from The Rescue in Denve.
On April 25th, 100 cities in 10 countries around the world abducted themselves to save the abducted children in Northern Uganda. The Rescue event put on by Invisible Children that I attended in Denver started off at Civic Center Park right in front of the Capitol. From there, I walked with 1,500 other people 3 miles tied to a rope to Cheesman Park. Why the ropes you may ask?? This is how the child soldiers in Uganda are commanded to walk so they cannot get away.
Once we arrived at Cheesman Park, we layed out our sleeping bags and got to work writing letters to the Senators of Colorado while waiting to be rescued. In order to be rescued we had to raise five flags, each a different color; red, purple, white, black, and green. The Red symbolizes media coverage of a local news station so we can raise awareness to the community around us. The Purple represents important cultural and political leaders that are needed to stand behind us and support the child soldiers. The White Flag stands for the two letters that every person wrote to the Senators. Once each letter was collected, the White Flag would be raised. The Black
symbolizes the ambassadors from our city representing us at Lobby Days in Washington DC on June 22nd and 23rd (go to howitends.tv for more information). Finally, the Green Flag stands for money. Each person needed to bring five dollars to the event; once everyone donated their five dollars, we were able to raise the Green Flag.
Denver was rescued at 8:55pm by a representative of Senator Mark Udall. Also, a band member from Flobots, a Denver local band, came out to support us. 7 News and 9 News came out to cover the event, we raised all the money, wrote all the letters, and got enough ambassadors to represent us. Because we were rescued, we were able to go home and wait for the rest of the cities to get rescued. By the end of the night on April 25th, there were still 15 cities left to be rescued. Each day the number dwindled down, and on Tuesday, there were two cities left, Richmond, Virginia, and Chicago Illinois. That night Richmond was rescued by Gavin DeGraw while Chicago kept trecking on. For three more days, Chicago stayed strong waiting and hoping for Oprah to rescue them. They choreographed a dance and performed it outside Oprah's studio trying to get noticed. On Friday, Oprah saw hundreds of people standing outside her studio and decided to hear them out. She agreed to have them on her show that day to tell the country about the child soldiers. Chicago's voice was heard, they were rescued, and after a week, the event was a success.
Please pray for these abducted children and for Lobby Days, an event that will hopefully end the longest running war in Africa. If you have the chance, I encourage you to go to Lobby Days and represent the child soldiers. Be a part of history and save the beautiful children of Northern Uganda. If you have not already seen the movie Invisible Children: Rough Cut, please watch it and see why I care so much about the people of Uganda. You will never be the same again after you watch this movie! I definitely haven't been.
Walking to the LRA Camp! Loving Uganda!
All five flags raised! We were rescued!
Pictures by: Taylor VanDuinen
Visit http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-249867 for more pictures from The Rescue in Denve.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
The countdown begins...37 more days!
Uganda is a little over a month away and I keep getting more excited as the days pass. I've set my dates, booked my flights, and figured out most of the details. I leave June 3rd to begin the adventure with my church (Rocky Mountain Bible Church). There will be 18 people from Utah, Nebraska, Michigan and Wyoming joining our group of 19 which makes 37 in all. This year, we will be planting a church in the village of Bufukha (bu-foo-kee). At Bufukha, we will be going hut-to-hut sharing the gospel and trying to fill the church. We will also visit the three churches we planted the last two years teaching hygiene and Bible stories.
On June 16th my church will be heading back to the states, and my friend, Taylor VanDuinen, and I will be continuing on our journey to Kenya to work in an orphanage called Miracle House (visit miracle-house.org for more information). While there, we will be traveling back and forth from the two orphanages in Limuru (near Nairobi) and Webuye (near the western boarder of Kenya). At the orphanages, we will be teaching them life lessons that relate to the Bible and doing arts and crafts with them. Some days we will go out prayer walking. Our leader described this as us going into the village and praying for the people there. Some might invite us in to their homes so we can get to know them and possibly share the Good News with them, but we will always ask if there is anything we can pray about for them. Hopefully, I will get tons of prayer requests that I can share with you so that you may be praying for them also. I will be in Kenya for 13 days, and on June 29th I will be catching a flight back to Uganda.
When I arrive in Uganda, there will be a driver waiting to pick me up and take me to Amani Baby Cottage (go to amanibabycottage.org for more information), in Jinja, where I will be staying for a little over a month. There are 60 kids, five years and younger, that I will be taking care of and hanging out with. There will also be other miscellaneous jobs and tasks that I will be doing to help out around the cottage. I will fly back home on August 2nd, but I'm sure I will not want to leave.
I will try to update this as much as possible while I am in Uganda, but no promises because the internet is very slow and I might just be having too much fun!
I need all the prayers I can get so please don't hesitate to pray while I'm away! I've experienced the power of prayer and know how much your prayers can help. When the trip gets closer, I will be writing specific prayer requests so you know what to pray for.
Thanks for your support and for taking the time to read my blog. I cannot wait to get on that plane and head to Uganda.
Becca
On June 16th my church will be heading back to the states, and my friend, Taylor VanDuinen, and I will be continuing on our journey to Kenya to work in an orphanage called Miracle House (visit miracle-house.org for more information). While there, we will be traveling back and forth from the two orphanages in Limuru (near Nairobi) and Webuye (near the western boarder of Kenya). At the orphanages, we will be teaching them life lessons that relate to the Bible and doing arts and crafts with them. Some days we will go out prayer walking. Our leader described this as us going into the village and praying for the people there. Some might invite us in to their homes so we can get to know them and possibly share the Good News with them, but we will always ask if there is anything we can pray about for them. Hopefully, I will get tons of prayer requests that I can share with you so that you may be praying for them also. I will be in Kenya for 13 days, and on June 29th I will be catching a flight back to Uganda.
When I arrive in Uganda, there will be a driver waiting to pick me up and take me to Amani Baby Cottage (go to amanibabycottage.org for more information), in Jinja, where I will be staying for a little over a month. There are 60 kids, five years and younger, that I will be taking care of and hanging out with. There will also be other miscellaneous jobs and tasks that I will be doing to help out around the cottage. I will fly back home on August 2nd, but I'm sure I will not want to leave.
I will try to update this as much as possible while I am in Uganda, but no promises because the internet is very slow and I might just be having too much fun!
I need all the prayers I can get so please don't hesitate to pray while I'm away! I've experienced the power of prayer and know how much your prayers can help. When the trip gets closer, I will be writing specific prayer requests so you know what to pray for.
Thanks for your support and for taking the time to read my blog. I cannot wait to get on that plane and head to Uganda.
Becca
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