Just a Few "Items"

72 hours from now, I'll be running around doing the final, very last minute errands before hopping on a jet plane.  It could be an emotional morning for me, possibly!  I mean, I'm leaving my precious Deacon behind!  (and yes, he does have a body & back legs, they just aren't showing in this picture!)

Today I am doing the fun chores...laundry, cleaning, and preliminary packing.  Some of you may be wondering why I need to do 'preliminary' packing instead of just packing.  Well, here is the stuff I am trying to fit into my suitcases.


VBS supplies:
Beads and supplies for at least 300 bracelets/necklaces
2 sets of face paint/brushes
11 boxes of 24 crayons
2 boxes of 48 crayons (I can split these up into 5 or 6 crayons per snack size ziploc if that helps)
5 boxes of colored pencils
70 pencils
25 pens
24 pencil sharpeners
500 sheets of construction paper (all colors)
150 sheets of notebook paper
THOUSANDS of stickers
8 coloring books
5 pair adult scissors
8 pair kid scissors

CANDY/FOOD:
300 dum dum suckers
400 mini tootsie rolls
a few smaller packages of misc. candy (bubble gum, pixy sticks)
60 granola bars

TO HAND OUT:
9 pair flip flops
93 beanie babies
12 matchbox cars
3 soccer balls
4 footballs
27 yo-yos
25 jump ropes
random McDonald's toys
24 toothbrushes
400 bandaids
14 bottles of nail polish
bubbles
socks and onesies
100 sandwich ziploc bags
50 snack size ziploc bags


Maybe photos will be able to more accurately convey the enormity of this! Sorry about the quality of the cell phone pics!

Thank you all for your generosity in not just sending ME, but sending me with all kinds of love for the kids of Uganda!!


Now I just need to find room to pack my toothbrush and deodorant!  

Questions of the Week

Well, the question of the week has been some variance of:  "Are you ______________ about going to Africa?"   You can fill in the blank with some sort of emotion word (nervous, scared, excited, ready, anxious) and get the idea of the week I've had!

Depending on the exact moment of the question, the answer is always different!  I haven't yet had the nervous or scared moments...at all.  I'm READY....well, not ready because I haven't packed anything yet, but ready nonetheless.  I'm not nervous or scared about any aspect of this upcoming trip.  I've been at peace about everything from funds, shots, supplies, not knowing anyone, flights, and having NO control over anything!  It's all good!  And for anyone that knows me well, this is not normal for me!  I like to be in control, know what's happening next, and to be prepared - I would have been a phenomenal Boy Scout!

Am I excited!?!?  That, my friends, is a ridiculous question!  Absolutely!  This is an experience I have always dreamed of and dreams are becoming reality.  Granted, I'm not there yet, but even the planning of this is further than I've ever come before!  God has this adventure in His hand.  Even if something happens to somehow disallow this trip to happen, so be it!  God has taught me so much about faith and trust to this point that it's all been worth it!

2nd question of the week:  How long of a flight is it to get to Uganda?
Short Answer: 24 hrs 15 minutes
Long Answer: I have THE BEST flight schedule!  I will leave from the Wichita airport on Friday, June 3rd at 1:30 pm (1hr 50 min flight), connect through Chicago (8 hr 15 min flight) and Brussels, Belgium (10 hr 15 min flight) before arriving in Entebbe, Uganda, Africa at 9:45 pm local time (1:45 pm on Saturday Central time).

3rd question of the week: Is it too late to donate?
Short Answer:  of course NOT!
Long Answer:  I am still taking donations of supplies (kids toys, some kids clothes, VBS supplies) - I'll be packing it all up on Thursday so I'll need them prior to that day!  If you would like to donate CASH money, your donation will support either the pastors leadership conference or the building of the boys home we'll be working on while there!

Thank you for continuing to keep the people of Uganda in your prayers.  I can almost guarantee that they are not ready for me!  There are plenty more reasons to pray for them though!  Also, please cover the Uganda GO Team with prayer.  There are 22 of us - all going for different reasons, but all with a common goal...to be the hands and feet of Jesus.  That right there is just an open invitation for satan to attack.  Thankfully, we've got the Almighty on our side...I'll bet on Him any day!

Needed Supplies - Uganda

As part of the purpose and time we spend in Uganda, we will be doing VBS type programs and activities with children.  From what I understand, every time the team goes, the numbers of children increase!  This time around we are going to expect and prepare for 300-400 kids.  Wow, that is a lot!!!! I can't wait!!!! :)


Our team is in need of supplies and gifts for these treasures. If any of you are able to donate any of these items, please comment or email me and I'll be in contact with you on logistics!  I only have 1 LARGE suitcase with a 50 pound weight limit, so please keep that in mind!  

• Face Paint
• Paint Brushes
• Nail Polish
• Stickers
• Construction paper
• Crayons
• Soccer balls
• Beanie babies
• Dolls
• Little balls - bouncy or otherwise
• Yo-yo's
• Coloring books
• Note Books
• Pens
• Pencils
• Toothbrushes
• Children's clothing
• Granola bars
• CANDY and lots of it - we will divide it up in baggies and put it with a granola bar to pass out to the kids that live on the streets.

Also, while we are in the country, our leaders will be doing trainings with pastors at the Legacy Conference.  The cost for each pastor to attend is about $10, but most don't have that kind of money to come for training.  If you would like to send money to sponsor a pastor (or two or ten!), please contact me and I can help you make that happen!

Thank you so much for your prayers and your monetary donations so far!  You all are amazing.  If you would like to contribute any items or money towards the conference, I'll GLADLY accept all you give!

Blessings,
C

Uganda - The Beginning

I don't know if I can accurately put this in words, but I am going to attempt.

In 1989 (I was 9!), a missionary from Peru came to our church and stayed with our family for a couple of days. He was fascinating! He worked with Wycliffe Bible Translators and translated the Bible into different languages and dialects. Working in Peru, he spoke mainly Spanish and I remember being entranced at hearing him speak! I have fond memories of that man and how he let my brother and I dress up in authentic leather outfits and taught us bits of Spanish. How cool it would be to live in another country - or so I thought 22 years ago!

Fast forward to 1995 (15 years old) and our church youth choir did a musical based in "Lamu, a small country off the coast of Kenya, in East Africa"...yes, I still remember many of the lines and songs! Throughout the musical there are many words in Swahili and a whole song in the language of Kenya. How fun it was to learn bits of this very foreign language...and to make fun of everyone that tried to sing or speak it! We had no idea what we were really saying!

Another time travel to 2008 (28 years old)...God and I have several interactions and I accept His call on my life to adopt a child. I do not know His timeline, but I know that He is guiding me down that path. I begin to 'research' which really meant just looking at options for different agencies and countries that would adopt to single women and what requirements there are for married couples in the event that I would ever become married. In searching the web, I came upon millions of BLOGS of families that were in the process or had adopted children internationally. I got ADDICTED and still read several of the families' stories.

January 2011 - applied for a 2-week summer teaching fellowship to Rwanda, Africa. I have friends that have been and others that continue to be missionaries there and have wanted to visit that country for 5 years.

March 2011 - find out that the family at A Place Called Simplicity was taking a mission trip to Uganda, Africa. The purpose of the trip is to love on the orphans that are there, to connect with boys living on the streets because there is nowhere for them to live, and to begin building a boys' home for orphaned children.

April 7, 2011 - apply for the Uganda mission trip

April 8, 2011 - find out I did not get the teaching fellowship to Rwanda

April 12, 2011 - find out I DO get to go to Uganda - buy plane ticket THAT DAY!

April 13, 2011 - begin my 'fundraising' by posting on Facebook

I began to see God just continue to bless my socks off. People I have never met were supporting me. My friends and family began to write checks and send cards. In one month's time, my entire trip was financed! How does that happen? ONLY God.

This trip to Uganda is with The River Church in Durango, Colorado. I've never been there. I'm going with 21 people from 6 different states. I've never met any of them. Yet, God. God has brought me into relationships with people already - one of the team members is from a family whose blog I have been reading for nearly 3 years. Three other team members are from another blog I have read for years. It sounds illogical and strange, but I know that this was orchestrated by God. There is no other way.

I am so excited to be leaving in just 2 weeks! God has provided people to look after my house, my yard, and my dog while I'm away. I don't like to ask for help, much less receive it, but God has chosen to take this time to teach me. I don't know what challenges are ahead in my life, but I know that God will use the lessons I learn in this time to mold me and shape me for what lies ahead.

I want this blog to serve as a journal for my time in Africa, but my prayer is that as you read the words that I type that somehow God will touch your heart. I want it to break my heart as I share what I experience. This life is all about relationships and I pray that I will be able to let a child on the other side of the world know that they are loved - not just by me, but by the King of Kings!

How Time Flies

Well, it's been 6 months since I last posted. I wish I could say that the reason was I had nothing to post...I just never took the time to post!

Quick update - there isn't one!

My last posts were my attempts at blogging through the book of Romans - as you can see, I made it through chapter 4. There is much more to Romans than that, but in my human attempt to do something "spiritual", I failed...and I'm okay with that. I learned more in my falling and getting back up than I did in trying to make something happen.

Around the beginning of the year, I took a deeper look at my faith walk. I questioned some things that I had always thought to be fundamental in my beliefs and I had to seek God with a new passion and zeal in order to get back on track. Also around that time, I began to attend a different church. It is much larger than anything I have ever attended and it is still difficult some days to walk in and not recognize EVERY face and know who the visitors are!

Women's Bible study this spring has been very encouraging and God challenged me to take what I was taught during Sunday sermons and Monday Bible studies and search the Scriptures in a deeper way throughout the week. In doing this, it was more of looking at how the teachings applied to my daily life and not just gaining biblical knowledge.

I've become more open to hearing from the Lord and wondering what it is that I was created for - is it to go to work every day and have integrity in my job? Possibly. Is it to go to church on Sundays and sing praise and worship songs. No, the praise God requires is so much more than that. Is it to realize I'm too comfortable in my zone and allow myself to be pushed/pulled/shoved/etc out of my comfort zone so I HAVE to rely on Him? Most definitely!

I want my life to count for something. I don't necessarily need accolades and pats on the back for doing what I'm supposed to do. What I do need is to love others regardless of how I feel.