When we rode down the long dirt road to get to our home for this month , my heart was at peace.
I saw huts to left and right of me , green grass and cornfields all around , a long red dirt road ahead of me as far as I could see and I felt at home.
It’s funny because the Lord spoke the word “peace,” over me in regards to this month.
And this has by far been the most peaceful place and month yet this year.
This month we are partnering with an organization called Child Voice.
This organization helps young women who have been victimized, held in captivity, refugees, sex slaves, victims of rape , etc.
Child Voice works to help train these young women , teaching them skills (hair weaving, gardening, agriculture, sewing, catering) and offers them business and computer classes.
They also have counselors on site to help guide the girls in their emotional and mental healing.
There are 35 girls currently here.
All but 2 of the girls here have children.
We are living on the grounds here with these young women (ages 14-20) and their babies.
This organization helps these women learn how to not only love themselves but also their children and others.
And there is a love here like no other .
I often picture this love when I see the young girls towing and weeding their garden with their little ones strapped to their back.
The love that is being cultivated here is something special.
It’s something beautiful, growing in it’s own time.
It’s blooming.
It’s organic .
It’s raw and real.
It’s ironic to think about the love here in this way because we are surrounded by gardens.
And the love here is like the plants the girls here grow.
It’s firmly rooted, deep in the ground, because of this sometimes it’s unseen ,hidden – but it’s being watered, fertilized with grace and forgiveness, it’s something that is taking time , slow and steady, just like the time it’s taking the girls to open up to us .
It’s growing into something beautiful and healthy.
The process is slow , and its needs lots of care and hard work , but it’s well worth it.
Here are a few notes and thoughts I’ve wrote about some of the things the Lord is revealing to me through this organization and the women here.
July 4th
M showed us her garden today (this was a huge step in our relationship with her).
I learned how to make chapati.
It’s just gonna take time.
The young women here are beginning to open up to us.
They smile at us more often.
The children don’t cry at us as much.
Apparently they are afraid of not only our skin color but also our hair.
The way of life here is truly beautiful.
I love it.
Yesterday madam C was talking to the girls about breastfeeding their babies.
One of the mothers she said (in front of all the girls) that this mother was refusing to breastfeed her baby. She said do not refuse to breastfeed your baby. She said when you do that you are not loving your baby. She said the next person who refuses to let the baby suck will suck their own breast for one month.
All the girls snickered.
In this moment I look around and see 33 young women with their babies , and it hits me that these girls are women , who’ve been robbed of their childhood and maybe don’t even know it, they are real women but still young girls at heart.
They are women indeed , but still girls.
July 6
Today started off with looking at the sunrise.
Sitting with Jesus.
I went to breakfast and sat down and began to eat.
J and D peep their little heads around the corner and grin from eye to eye and run to me and I sweep D up into my arms and sit him in my lap and kiss his cheek and hug him and love him.
Today I learned how to make doughnuts and cookies.
The women love to have me in the kitchen.
I love learning from them.
I love hearing their laughs.
Sitting with them.
I taught them how to do the church clap today.
They loved it!
I ate lots of sweets.
A roll for breakfast.
Several Cookies.
And ate some dough in the process of making the cookies and doughnuts.
Life is sweet here.
Am I being corny ?
Absolutely.
Kristen and shondra came today.
One of my favorite moments from today was running down the road to greet them in the truck and some of the girls ran with me.
I feel like I’ve dreamed of a moment like that.
It was beautiful.
We worship every night with the girls.
Tonight the girls were even more open with us than before.
We danced and laughed and shouted
“Aaaaahhhaaaahhhiiiii.”
We did the church clap again.
It was a blast.
I felt your presence strong tonight.
When they were singing
“What a mighty God we serve.
What a mighty God we serve.
The heavens come before you,
Heaven and earth adore you,
What a mighty God we serve.”
I closed my eyes and just lost myself for a bit.
I felt peace.
I felt a touch of heaven.
A girl told me today to not leave and go back to America but to stay here.
I told her I feel like I was meant to be here.
July 7
Today was our first day attending church here in Uganda.
It’s pretty lit.
They use a horn and blow it during worship. LOL
Me and Kristen danced with the women.
I sat with the women after lunch and just rested in their presence.
I love sitting with them.
L said it made her happy seeing me today in church.
Tonight when we worshipped with the girls it was truly beautiful.
We love to dance and be free and have fun.
They love it when we dance with them.
It’s a blast.
We held hands as we were singing and praising.
I had to get on my knees and sing to you .
Your presence was ever strong tonight.
I am beginning to realize that just being here is our mission.
The women are opening up more and more everyday to us.
Time is truly a beautiful thing.
July 11
Today when we got back from spending the day in town , the girls greeted us very big.
G ran to me and kristen saying we missed you , with a big smile and gave us a hug.
My girls from the kitchen gave us the same greeting.
Supper was waiting for us like usual.
I could cry thinking about it now , tearing up as I lay bed , thinking how amazing that was.
That moment was truly something special.
Later M walked with me to the other part of the compound where we gather together at night for worship .
On the way there I was telling her how I missed her and the girls and thought about them today wondering what they were doing and she said she was telling her friend how much she missed me.
That made me feel all warm inside and all the feels.
M is special.
She was the first friend I made here.
The first one who told me when they would start cooking at 3pm for supper and I could come help then.
M also tries to talk like me and it’s pretty funny.
I love M.
I love these girls.
I love being here.
I love that the girls have slowly opened up to us more and more everyday.
It’s a gradual process.
It’s slow.
Steady.
It’s there inside and beginning to come out , like the root deep down inside the ground that is beginning to grow and bloom into something beautiful.
The love here is like that.
It’s natural and organic.
It’s growing.
It’s real.
Because of privacy reasons I can’t post pictures of the women’s and their children‘s faces.
The beauty of this is that I have loved capturing pictures of their hands and the work they do here.
Side note : I also made a video about the organization and what we are doing this month !
Check it out on my you tube page !
https://youtu.be/DmHBtFy94uA
