Hello everyone!
Merry Christmas! I hope you all are having a very lovely Christmas and enjoying the holidays! So far this month, our team has been having an amazing time here in Uganda. Our contact has been so gracious and sweet and her family that we are staying with has been very hospitable. We have been able to serve in many ways so far this month. We were able to do hospital ministry at one of the largest government hospitals in Uganda. Here we saw so many people that needed help and there was no beds for half these people to lay in. We specifically visited the children with sickle cell.
There was one boy specifically that captured my heart. His name is Timothy, he is 9 years old, and he has sickle cell anemia. Due to him having sickle cell anemia, he has had many strokes that have damaged his brain. He can’t walk well at all and has a hard time learning. His mom was carrying him out from seeing the doctor and I was able to talk with him and his Mom. She told me that Timothy hasn’t been able to go to school for the last year because his strokes have affected him so bad. They were there for medicine for his sick cell anemia but the hospital had run out of medicine. As I turn to say hi to Timothy, all I can see on his face is a huge smile and joy in his eyes. How can that not in turn make me smile. So I talk a little to Timothy and he is able to get out a couple sentences. I ask if I can pray for his family. The whole time while I pray for him and his family, he has that same smile and joy in his eyes. Afterward, all I wanted to do was sit with him and here him laugh and smile but he and his Mom had to go. Watching them leave, I just was awestruck at how much I saw God inside of him. He and his Mom have gone through so much yet they were so happy and excited to be just living. It made me realize that who am I to complain about anything like where I sleep, the food I eat, or the way my clothes smell. Since then, when I have been about to think about how things aren’t what I want them to be, I picture Timothy sitting there with Joy surrounding everything about him and it puts my life into perspective of how great it is. God’s journey for me and every day things are so cool. Who gets to say that they get to go around the world engulfed in each culture getting to love on people? Not many and I wouldn’t have realized how blessed I was until I saw this amazing little boy.
I was able to see some of my family friends, the Andersons. Tal and Tiffany Anderson work for an organization called New Hope Uganda. Here, Tal is the manager of New Hope which takes care of 80 to 200 orphans everyday. Tal and Tiffany are so deticated to their work. When meeting up with them they were able to tell me some stories that were mind blowing. If you want to know more about New Hope Uganda, or support them you can go to http://newhopeuganda.org. Seeing them was a little piece of home during these holidays!
There has been other ministry we have done this month, like children’s bible classes, helping clean the church, door-to door ministry, helping women cook around the town, speaking at church, singing whenever they ask us to sing, and so much more. Each day has been a new adventure and I am so thankful that I get to experience the things I am. I appreciate all your support and love! Also, can you please keep our L Squad family in your prayers. Our coaches Jim and Sammye Cambell have been a blessing to our team. We just found out Jim passed away right before Christmas. He was an amazing man and was a Dad to all of us. Sammye and her daughter who went on the race are apart of our family and have been amazing support systems. Please just keep their family in your prayers.
ALSO, I AM FULLY FUNDED!!!!!!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! THANK YOU FOR FUNDING ME AND BEING SO SUPPORTIVE! YOU ARE ALL SUCH A BLESSING TO ME!!! WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOOWOWOWOWOWOW!
I missedan American Christmas but here in Uganda, it was full of laughter, love, praising God, and of course CAKE! MERRY CHRISTMAS!
