Little Ones on My Lap

The last couple of days have really been a mix of emotions for me.  I have been completely overjoyed at times and then missing home a lot too.  I love the time I get to spend with the children, but never having a chance to be alone has been hard for me. 

On Friday we had the chance to join all of the school kids in chapel.  It was so sweet watching all of them sing and recite their memory verses!  I love that their little faces light up when you give them a smile, they truly have the most joyous laughter. After chapel we went into Namatala and started our plans for a keyhole in the village.  We piled up our stones and rocks and then broke for lunch.  We had one of the I Choose You girls come stay the night with us afterwards!  We painted nails and played UNO, she really seemed to enjoy it!

On Saturday we had a family day for I Choose You. The kids had so many songs prepared for us, and they have such beautiful voices! The moms were so grateful for everything, their speeches left us in tears.  During the whole thing I got to hold this little girl, Masse. She grabbed my hand during break and never let go!  She is so precious and is just content sitting in my lap. I also got to hold another little girl, Marion, they call her the humble one since she has so few words.  She was a tough one to get to smile, but when you could it was like a little treasure! Both girls couldn’t be any older than 4.  As for Saturday night, we had a few more overnight guests.  This time we had 3 of the I Choose You Girls: Vicki, Winney, and Justine.  They went swimming in the afternoon, got their nails painted, played some UNO, and had a bubble bath!  They loved getting to sleep in the big bed, but they were up pretty early! 

Today (Sunday) we went to the church service.  I was forewarned that the church services here can get quite long, and that is no lie.  First we all went in and prayed and sang, then they dismissed the kids for Sunday school.  It was our job to teach the lesson, so Jennifer took on the task of teaching David and Goliath. The kids loved looking at all of the pictures, but the ones around me were very distracted by my hair, my skin, and my watch.  Its so funny how fascinated they are with things like veins and freckles. My little shadow Masse found my lap quickly in Sunday school!  All of the kids love to hold our hands, and will sometimes even fight to get to.  After Sunday school we went back into church for singing and prayer.  Sweet Masse stood on the pew for most of the songs, but she fell asleep quickly when we sat down. 

The little girl on the left is Ester, she held my hand the whole time.

After the singing and prayer the kids were released again to go outside.  I went with the little ones( how could I not with little Masse on my hip?!) and we played ring around the rosie and duck duck goose!  The little ones loved it, but they weren’t the best at keeping a circle!  After the parents were released from church, all the children got in line to get  little gifts.  There were so many in line, and they got all kinds of different things!  Some of them got socks, some candy, and others toys.  They were so excited and eager to show one another!  Everyone went home shortly after, and we went to go eat lunch and then spend the rest of the evening at the hotel!

Here is another picture of my sweet little Masse!

Two planes, a hotel, and a bus later...

We made it!!!  It was such a long travel, but so amazing!  We were fed and fed and fed on the plane to Dubai. I slept a good bit and watched some good movies!  Although we were tired once we hit the hotel, we all decided to go on a tour of Dubai for a couple hours!  We saw: the worlds only 7 star hotel, the worlds tallest building, and the worlds biggest mall!!  It was fun but exhausting.


When we got to the airport in Dubai the next morning we were super blessed to be driven to our gate, which saved us a ton of time since it was far away!  The plane from Dubai to Entebbe was much smaller than the one from Houston to Dubai.  Fortunately we were able to spread out a bit because the flight wasn't full, this was a huge blessing for me!  Once in Entebbe we started on our way to Mbale

It was quite the drive to get to Mbale, but it was a beautiful drive!
I have felt so at peace since being in Uganda, and even in my exhaustion I can hardly contain my excitement!! I just want to be out there loving on little babies and serving Jesus!

A little last minute

So....its normal that you would have to be at the airport in 3 hours for an international flight and you are still picking up stuff from the store...right? ha   These last few days have been a wee bit stressful getting all of these last minute items together and ready to go!  I would definitely say the most stressful part is trying to remember all that I will need...seeing as how I can't just walk to the local CVS and pick up things!


I am so nervous and excited!!  I have had last minute dinners, a graduation party, and a little bit of dancing. Everyone is so excited for me to go and I have received so much encouragement and prayer! The only one who seems not so keen on me leaving is little Miss Sophie

 (hoping she isn't going to hate me for leaving her!)  Thank y'all so much for keeping me and my team in your prayers, see you in Uganda :) 

5 days...say what?!

I am finally in that excited/nervous/anxious/giddy stage of getting ready!!  With less than a week until I leave, there is TONS to do!! Thankfully, today I got a lot done. I knew I had to get my school stuff for the fall set before I leave, and I was really stressing about getting in to get advised.  After calling to get an appointment, leaving a voicemail, not being called back, and finally being told that advising was so busy they couldn't answer their phones, I was thinking this process would take hours.  I drove to Austin (in the pouring rain) dreading sitting there for hours to just see someone for minutes. The Lord took all of that and made it so easy, I was taken in to get advised in like 20 minutes!  I also had to return my textbooks today, and was preparing for that to take at least an hour after last semesters experience, but when I walked in I was the only one there!  It is so cool how the Lord knows our littlest worries and needs and completely provides for them!!  There is still a lot to do, but I am so relieved that some of the things that have been stressing me the most are out of the way!!


All thats really left are a couple days of work, catching up with some friends, and my graduation party! I am finally feeling prepared and really ready to go, I can't wait to see what the Lord will teach me on this trip!!  I know He is preparing to change my life, what's more exciting than knowing my Father has big/exciting/fulfilling plans laid out for me?!

Reality Check

       First I want to start by saying how cool it was today at church when our group was prayed for!  It was amazing to me how so many people came up to lay hands on us in prayer. It was such a beautiful picture of what the Lord desires for community.  I feel so blessed to be a part of a community that loves so well.

       It is really starting to set in that very soon, I will be on a plane to a completely different country for a trip that will change my life. This is both incredibly exciting and crazy scary.  Being the planner that I am, it is hard for me to accept that this is something that I can’t completely plan for. I just have to simply rest in the fact that the Lord knows me better than I know myself, and He has all of the details taken care of.  All of this has been a big growing experience for me, and I can’t wait to see what the Lord holds for my future.

       I have to admit that these last couple weeks have been a struggle for me.  All the stresses of school have left me feeling really apathetic.  Graduation should be an exciting time, but with all that is going on I really just feel like it is another item on my pre trip to-do list that needs to be checked off. Not to mention that fears and doubts about the trip have really been creeping in as well. A good friend warned me a while back that this type of thing would happen, so I know that these are attacks from the enemy. But I also know that the God I serve is stronger than any of these lies. 

       Lastly I am happy to say that ALL of my money for the trip has been raised!! I am so grateful for all of the people the Lord has lead to give, I have been very blessed! Most importantly, please keep me in your prayers these last two weeks, I definitely need all that I can get :)