Tis the Season

Well here you go for anyone who hasn’t already seen this video – which I’m assuming is very few of you considering how viral this has gone over the past several weeks. Yes, even over here in Uganda I’m able to keep up with some things that are going on at home:)

Like so many people, I watched this video and heard them sing (Emily already downloaded their album, which is wonderful) and was completely on board with their renditions. However, this song, “Little Drummer Boy”, stood out to me in a newer light than it ever has before. Just in listening to the lyrics, I was so reminded about how much we each relate to this little boy in the song.

In this song, a little boy is told about a baby king who he should go see and bring gifts to honor him. Standing before baby Jesus, this little boy says he doesn’t have anything to bring him, so he will play his drum for him; he “played [his] best for him.”

I am so much like this little drummer boy. What do I have to offer Jesus? Nothing, yet everything. I don’t have crazy gifts to offer him, but my life I can live to glorify him. Like the boy who played his drum, I can offer my talents that I have been given to honor and glorify him. This is humbling because whereas this doesn’t seem like much this is what he wants. He wants us to sit humbly at his feet, acknowledging our deep need for a Savior; a Savior, born as a baby, who lived a perfect life, and who died on the cross to give us eternity with him.

This is the Christmas message. This is the weight of the season and the joy that we find in the celebration of the birth of Jesus. And this is what I have needed to be reminded of.

Since Thanksgiving, when we set up our Christmas tree and started playing Christmas music, we have been trying to get in the Christmas spirit. We have put on Christmas movies in the background of everything we’ve been doing, had a Christmas craft night last week, have had music playing in every room of the house all day everyday, wrapped all the kids presents last night, made Christmas cards with some of the boys, and have been practicing for our Ekisa Christmas play. And still in this 80-degree weather, I’m having a hard time and feel like I’m just pretending it’s really Christmas time. But reminders, like this song, point me back to the meaning of Christmas and how grateful I am for my Savior, whose birthday I celebrate on Christmas day, despite how warm it is outside or where I am in the world to celebrate.

“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” Luke 2:11

An Incredible Visit

Well they have been gone a little more than a week, so I suppose it’s about time for me to give an update on Mom and Dad’s time here. I could quickly sum it up saying it was wonderful. But I could also probably write for pages and pages on everything we did, saw, experienced, and shared together. So here goes my attempt at a happy medium! Enjoy!

Picking them up at the airport was an adventure in and of itself. The waited expectation of seeing them was a bit overwhelming and I was busied praying that their flights and travels had gone smoothly and they would walk through the exit door. Dad saw me first and man, what emotions! It was still hard for me to believe that they were really here in Uganda. They landed in the middle of the night, so the ride back to Jinja went quickly, though Dad had several freak out moments sitting in the front seat. Let’s just say driving in Kampala adds a bit of extra stress to your first few minutes in Africa.

The next couple of days we spent in Jinja, meeting the kids, seeing town, and allowing them to get a bit over jetlag. They did great and it was fun getting to show them little tidbits of my life. However, it was also hard. Life here is different and I think more than anything I feared that they wouldn’t see what I see; love what I love; or simply get why I am here. I prayed a lot and was humbled by the Lord telling me to trust in Him. For He brought me here, and made it possible for them to come as well, and He would be faithful in His plans for all of us and our time together.

Over their two weeks with me I was more than blessed by their visit. Being able to see Mom’s excitement about school and everything being done at Ekisa and Dad’s openness to the culture, the people, and desire to learn more about life in Uganda, were such blessings and brought me so much joy as I saw their hearts open to the Lord’s work here.

Apart from hanging out at Ekisa and Jinja town, we did some fun touristy things as well – things that I got to experience for the first time too, which was really fun! After they had been here for a couple of days, we travelled to northwestern Uganda to Sipi Falls. We stayed in a cute little banda, right on the edge of a cliff that overlooked the valley and a picturesque waterfall (125 meters long!). We stayed two nights and truly got to take in the beauty of the Lord’s creation. We went on a coffee tour at a local’s house, where we saw the whole process of picking the coffee beans, drying them out, then crushing/shelling them, roasting them, grinding them, and brewing them – talk about a fresh cup of coffee! So delicious! The next day we hiked three different falls (a total of about 15 km), each taking your breath away at the wonder and beauty of it all. I swear pictures just can’t even do it justice. That evening we went on a brief sunset hike where we saw the sun set over the valley and got to look back at the waterfalls that we had seen close up earlier in the day. I think it should also be noted that several times throughout the day Dad said, “I think I could live here” – something I never, ever thought I would hear him say!

Coming back to Jinja, they, especially Dad, were seeing everything in a new light. I realized how thankful I was for getting to spend that quality time together, and allowing the Lord to fill us each with much needed peace and calmness.  That next week, Dad helped Billy (a volunteer here) move our swing set so that it is more accessible and able to be used more. It was precious seeing the kids want to help and be involved and then the excitement on the swings after it was finished. We also did a bit of souvenir shopping, Mom found a favorite coffee shop in town, and Dad got to know his way around Jinja quite well. Thursday we celebrated Thanksgiving – complete with a freshly killed and cooked turkey, dishes with precious ingredients that came straight from America like sweet potato casserole, pecan pie, green bean casserole with French’s fried onions, and pumpkin pie, and then all the other basics necessities. We hosted Thanksgiving at my house and a bunch of friends came, and it a special for Mom and Dad to share in that as well, with the Ugandan family I have here.

Then on Friday, we went rafting on the Nile. At first Mom and Dad were hesitant, but multiple times on the river we all commented at some point, “I’m so glad we didn’t miss this”. We had an absolutely beautiful day! Our raft flipped twice in going through different sets of rapids which left us going up and down walls of water, being sucked down, spun in all sorts of directions and eventually pushed back up, and probably ingesting a tad too much of the river itself. But what an experience! Again, one that I’m so thankful I got to share with them.

Their last few days were spent trying to fit everything in that we hadn’t done yet – dinner, drinks, and sunsets overlooking the river and lake, spending time with the kids pre-bedtime (the cutest, cuddliest part of the day), and getting in time together that won’t be had again until mid-May.

Their time was quick and goodbyes weren’t easy, and I know I’ve said this a ton of times already, but I am more than thankful and blessed by their visit. And not just by their visit. I am blessed by two wonderful parents who support and encourage me even when I think they’re not sure if they really want to, who trust in the Lord’s plan for my life, who love me like crazy, who have become more than just parents but best friends, and who flew half way around the world to visit me, even though Dad had never really planned on leaving the country. I am blessed by two parents who have truly taught me what a loving parent looks like and have helped me understand the love felt for me by my Father in Heaven. And for this I am most grateful. 

Our view of the last waterfall

Mom and I with waterfall number two

 

About to raft the Nile

Some of my favorite people at the Keep for milkshakes!

Dad's little work crew for moving the swingset

And yes, Dad carved the turkey for Thanksgiving here too!

 

Our Next Big Thing

This has been a long time coming. Then again, I feel that’s how most things go here. We work at it for a long time, there are a couple steps forward, a couple steps back, and then it seems a lot of the time we are just running side-to-side. But I’m also seeing that fighting so hard for something that not everyone else is, makes reaching that final point, or even a halfway point, all the more joyous, because somehow – even if just a little bit – we are making a difference in standing for something that’s really important.

On October 31^st, (yes, Halloween for everyone else) we spent the day in Kampala presenting to the Alternative Care Adoption Panel. In short, social workers present children and/or prospective domestic adoptive parents to the Panel, who approve the family as a good fit for a child, and then make a referral for a child. Kind of like an adoption agency in the States, but the Panel’s primary goal is to see Ugandans rise up to care for their children, as well as try to rid the adoptive process of some of the corruption that happens all too frequently (it was set up by the Child’s I Foundation – CHECK IT, they’re doing incredible work). To show our support of everything they are doing and stand for, we decided to take our domestic adoption cases through them to get approved.

And that’s what we were doing. Read HERE for Joseph’s, our social worker, account of Panel.

You get most of the story through Joseph’s write-up, but here’s a quick run through. Viola, who is our physiotherapist, has been seeking to adopt Zeke, our twelve-year old, crazy, joyful, hilarious, loving boy, who has Down’s syndrome. Their love for each other is so evident and after hearing Panel’s approval, they get to be a family.

“I get to go home and tell Zeke he can call he Mommy.” These were the first words out of Viola’s mouth when we left. Being a part of this special day for her was really incredible, and such a representation of what adoption is. Just as Viola pursued, was patient for, did not lose hope, and unconditionally loves Zeke, I am reminded of our adoption into our Father’s eternal family. And I am thankful.

There are several conditions that the Panel placed before Viola is able to take Zeke home and finalize the adoption, and we are currently working through these to make them possible. You can be praying for this new family, and that the Lord walks ahead of us and knocks down any more barriers that stand before us. I don’t want to run side-to side any more with this; I want to move forward so that Zeke can go live with Viola and learn what it means to be a part of a family!

And in one month...

…Mom and Dad are here (or at least begin their journey here)! And I am so excited! I don’t think that I’m as home sick as I thought I would be at this point, but man am I looking forward to having them here.

In looking forward to things we are going to do, I think what excites me the most is just knowing that they get to see and experience my life here. For at least this year, this place is my life; these friends; these kids; this job; this ministry; this warm weather (as sad as I will be when it starts snowing at home); and Mom and Dad get to be a part of it.

And I know that with them coming here, they’ll get it. Get the way this place tugs on my heart-strings and has drawn me back. Get the love that has developed for each of our kids at Ekisa, and how easy it is for any number of them to make my day. Get the community I feel here and in it’s own way reminds me of small-town Berryville, which feels like home. But more than anything, get that me being here is not actually about me at all, but is seeking to glorify the Lord and the plans He has laid out for me.

These are all things that I know they have caught glimpses of. They have seen and heard the joy that I feel in being here, have gone through pictures that barely scratch the surface of these kids’ personalities and beauty, and have joined me in praying and seeking wisdom that this really is where God has called me. Now, in one month, they really get to be here. I am so excited, and ask for prayers for safe travels for them, the calming of anxieties, and for the building of excitement in travelling half-way around the world to see their favorite oldest daughter:)

Meet Gideon

This past month has blown by. So much so that I’m not going to even try to update everything, other than saying that life here is good. I love my community – have gotten involved in a Bible study, as well as a mentor relationship, have made great friends, and in church we are going through 1 John, which I love! Spiritually I feel more and more drawn out of my comfort zone, but forced all the more to rely fully and completely on the Lord – which ultimately is a blessing and an answer to prayers. 

We got to celebrate with Jason as he went to live with his family, and throw him a leaving party, as they all left Jinja to move back to Mbale, about three hours away where his aunt is from. Very bittersweet emotions in saying goodbye, but in also seeing him go home to his family. Something we would love for all of our kids. 

Despite these joys of celebrating and saying goodbyes to one of our little loved ones, we were also having to open our arms to embrace one of our community care kids, Gideon.

Photo Credit - Em Worrall

Gideon is six years old, has Sickle Cell Disease, and has been in our community care program for more than a year. He has lived with his uncle and his siblings, however, for the past several months when he has come to Jinja to go to the Sickle Cell clinic for appointments, he has been very sick, malnourished, and has needed blood transfusions two different times. His uncle loves him, but is often unable provide for all of Gideon’s medical and nutritional needs.

When he came in September we had to make the sobering decision for Gideon to stay at Ekisa until he his health stabilizes. Within the first week he was with us he had to be admitted into the hospital for a blood transfusion and malaria treatment, and the next week he was in Sickle Cell crisis. I hate Sickle Cell. It’s awful and breaks your heart to hear the cries of pain that you can’t do anything about.

But then coming out of it we got to see the smiles, giggles, and joy that truly embody Gideon. He has such a high pitch little voice, and a smile that beams across his face, as he says “hi auntie” when I walk into the room. Oh, you just want to squeeze him:) We had about two weeks of this, before Friday night when he started crying and complaining of pain. He was back in crisis.

I wish I could tell you more about Gideon, as I’m sure his little boy would grab a hold of your heart as quickly as he did mine. But for now, please pray for Gideon. He had to go back to the hospital yesterday due to his crisis, as well as further treatment for a strain of resistant malaria. And last night he had to be taken to Kampala for more advanced medical attention.

Please pray for healing for him; comfort for his pain; wisdom for the doctors; that the number of children born with Sickle Cell would drastically drop; and the Lord would raise a doctor to develop a cure/treatment. We pray to a big God, with whom miraculous things can happen. I don’t put these prayers past him. I ask that you join with me in boldly praying.
 
- Auntie B

"Jesus replied, 'Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.'" - Matthew 11:4-5 

He's Home.

Because children belong in families, not orphanages. 

Wednesday, Jason went home. Home to his aunt, his sister, and his brother. He is nine years old, and he has spent nine years in an orphanage.

Jason is our first resettlement case. This has been a long process and a long time coming. Things came up. Things got in the way. Things took more time than anticipated. But he’s home with his family. And this is what we are striving for, and ultimately why we are doing what we do.

This summer has been a lot of ups and downs with lots of things surrounding moving forward with our adoptions, but this is a high! A high of highs, and such an incredible blessing!

Thank you all who have been praying for us and with us in this journey. We still have a long way to go with a lot of our kids, but this is a step forward and we are grateful!

Connecting with the Local Church

“Joseph, how did you think today went?” [Pause. Big smile.] “Amazing!”

This was the one word that Joseph was able to say for a couple of minutes Friday afternoon once we got back the office.

Friday morning we put on a conference for local pastors to reach out to them about the possibility of domestic adoption and the role that the local church can play in the orphan movement. To put it in Joseph’s words, it was pretty amazing! To add my description, I would say it was so incredibly encouraging, awesome to be a part of, and a great start to something we would love to get off the ground.

There were twelve pastors from churches in the surrounding Jinja area who attended. I primarily put the resources together, and Joseph, our social worker, did an awesome job presenting, with Sam, our counselor, translating in Luganda. In the presentation we explained a bit about Ekisa’s ministry: our heart in working with kids with disabilities and trying to find them each a forever family. We then talked about our desire to reach out to the local church, examples of other African countries pushing for deinstitutionalization of orphans, such as Rwanda and Ethiopia, and then connected it back to ways that these pastors could be encouraging and teaching their congregations here in Uganda. Afterwards we had about an hour Q&A, and lots of good questions were asked in regards to adoptions, as well as Ekisa and helping children with disabilities in their communities already.

It’s hard to say what impact this conference had specifically on the people who attended, but I think it was a good start and a great platform established for us to continue to follow up with these pastors. Please pray for them as they have gone home, that God may continue to bring to light ways that people here can care for the orphaned, the abandoned, and the least of these. And pray for us at Ekisa, that we are able to continue reaching out to the community here in Uganda, and trust in His plan for each and every one of our kids!

"Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause."   Isaiah 1:17

What A Week

Thank you all for your prayers for Walter. Last Monday he came home, and his homecoming was something else. Erika and I were walking home and got a call that him and one of our mamas had reached the bus stop; we walked in the house to get the keys and the kids were getting ready for bed and were all in their pajamas. I told Sam to get excited because we were going to pick up Walter, and he immediately ran to the shoe rack, grabbed his shoes, and ran out to the car jumping and dancing around. At that point we couldn’t say no, so he rode with us. He sat on my lap in the front seat and was bouncing the whole three-minute drive it took to get there – it was precious! Sam wasn’t our only excited one, pretty much all of the kids were waiting by the door, and all started screaming as soon as we pulled in the driveway. I feel like these kids daily teach me what it truly means to love.

He is recovering, but not as well as we would like. Both of the skin grafts on his face have fallen off, and still causing him some pain – not sure what our next step will be, but prayers for continued healing would be appreciated.

Then Tuesday, last week, marked the one-year since Jojo, one of Ekisa’s kids, passed away very unexpectedly. I didn’t get a chance to meet this little one, but it was a somber day around the house remembering what a hard day it had been a year previously. Emily wrote a great piece on the Ekisa blog, so check that out if you haven’t already!

Wednesday was a bit of a nostalgic day for me. It had been a year since I first left for Uganda. It really does seem crazy to think that the last year, I have spent six months in Uganda, and in the next year, I will have spent almost eight. It’s a bit scary how my heart is falling for this place!

On Friday, Grace (a good friend of mine here) and I went to Kenya for the weekend. She has a friend who is working at a ministry in Kitale and wanted to go visit, and I tagged along as a travel buddy! The travelling experiences were much less eventful than my last trip to Kenya, but we definitely got our laughs. It was only supposed to be about a five or six hour drive, but we took all public transportation, so in reality it took us about 8½-9 hours both there and back.

After we had crossed into Kenya and got a matatu (their taxi-buses that seat 14, but carry on average probably 20), we sat next to this sweet, older, Kenyan man and while we were talking to him he applauded us for riding public transport, and told us, “You know what they say, ‘when in Rome, do as the Romans do,’” and then he assured us that at least we would have some good stories! It wasn’t ten minutes after he said that, and when we were about 10 minutes outside the town where we had to catch another matatu, the sliding door fell backwards off the hinges. We had just stopped to let some people out and the conductor went to shut the door as we had begun to pull out onto the road again, and BAM! there went the door. I think the entire van was in shock and quiet, but I immediately started laughing, unable to even think about if it was really be appropriate or not. Their next move was to put it on top of the matatu, and since they didn’t have any rope, the conductor held his hand out the window to hold it on top – and my only thought was, like that’s going to help if it starts to fall off. But off we went, without a door, and Patrick leaned over to us and said, “Well, here is your story.”

We reached finally reached Kitale and our weekend was great! Grace’s friend, Anna, had asked some friends of hers if we could stay with them, and they were wonderful. Their house was beautiful and it was a very relaxing, rejuvenating trip. It rained every day, so we didn’t get to see a ton, but saw a lot of the aspects of the ministry that Anna works with and just got to enjoy down time. We left Monday morning to get back to Jinja, and it was really nice to get back home.

The kids are on holiday this week and next, so Emily H. and I have been spending a lot of time this week planning, writing reports, and mapping out school for this next term and the rest of the school year. Tomorrow we have a fun event happening, but I’ll wait and fill you in on that afterwards!

But what is there not to love?

Two days ago I was walking home by myself to this.

And this.

And I was caught off guard that despite various discouragements these past couple of weeks, with a views like these, what is there not to love? I was very convicted about my heart becoming cynical and hardened toward God’s work and goodness, and was reminded that He shows us His grace daily – whether through an incredible sunset, the smiles and laughs of the beautiful children I get to work with daily, the hug and encouragement of a friend, the truth of His Word, or the answer of a prayer. And it is by this grace, that completely saturates this world, that God wants us to see, acknowledge, and break out into a run towards Him.

Then last night I was reminded in a book that I was reading, The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning, when he quoted a rabbi who said “Never once in my life did I ask God for success or wisdom or power or fame. I asked for wonder and He gave it to me.” I think I am quick to overlook asking for wonder, so boy does it knock me off my feet when the Lord opens my eyes to it!  

This has been my prayer for today. Lord, I am asking for wonder. I want to be amazed by your works. I want my trust in you to surpass everything else. I want to take in your wonders and your grace that you give me daily. Amen.

Our neighborhood kids playing soccer in the field

 

"How do we live in the presence of the living God? In wonder, amazed by the traces of God all around us."

The Ragamuffin Gospel

And sometimes things go wrong

One step forward, two steps back.

For the big step we took last week, it definitely seems we fallen at least two, maybe three or four steps, behind this week. I mentioned last week that our meeting with the adoption agency went really well and we were really excited about moving forward with them. However, after sending them the list of kids that we have who are adoptable, they sent us an email back earlier two days ago stating that they had too many children with special needs around the world who were waiting to be adopted so they are not able to work with us currently. I could rant more about this, share my disappointment, and tell you how it led us almost to tears, but I think I’ll leave it there.

We are now in the process of seeking other agencies, but we are all pretty bummed right now. Keeping Ekisa in your prayers would be great, and much appreciated. I trust in the Lord’s sovereignty over this and know He’s got incredible plans for our kids and this ministry, but pray that He continues to guide our steps as we figure where to go from here. Thank you!

Here's a verse that has been on my heart the past couple of weeks, that I am especially clinging to and trusting right now:

Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.

Isaiah 25:1

Something to do

Tuesday, we took a step in moving forward with international adoptions. Such an exciting day, and a meeting that I was very much looking forward to for the past month – this meeting has been a long time coming, but scheduling was difficult with the busyness of summer schedules. Emily and I had a meeting in Kampala with the in-country representative of a pretty big adoption agency in the States. (We haven’t officially signed with them yet, so I may wait until that happens to disclose which agency this is.) But we are so excited!

Finding an agency that we desired a partnership with has also been something that has taken a long time, and even in this decision it has taken a big leap of faith. There are countless adoption agencies in the States, and I’m sure even more around the world, but it was important for us to seek and find an agency that lined up with our ethical beliefs and practices, as well as practiced what they preached, so to speak. This was a pretty incredible learning experience for me over the past several months, as I learned positive qualities of agencies, big red flags, the market in the adoption world, as well as what we wanted in an agency that we worked with.

This takes me back to my little mini-series on Adoption, and the question Where does it go wrong? The more I learn about adoption, especially in Uganda, the more I learn about the messiness and corruption of it, as sad as it is. But in the process of opening my eyes to this, the Lord has given me a heart to share it with those around me – because once you know, it’s hard to play ignorant. And by not being ignorant to such a big conversation in the world, you learn the questions to ask, the efforts to support, and very realistic steps to take in supporting the orphan crisis in the world today – whether or not you ever want to adopt.

In seeking partnership with an international adoption agency we had a couple red flags that if they became evident, we would turn the other way running.

First, does the agency own/financially support or sustain any orphanages? At first glance this question may not seem all so important, but let me explain. Adoption is a supply-and-demand sort of thing. Economics was by far not my easiest class in college, but I did come to understand the concept of this. The demand are the people who want to adopt. The supply are the children in orphanages – but, notice I did not say the ‘orphans’ or the ‘children who need to be adopted’ or the ‘children whose lives would be better in America’. Often these are all used interchangeably, but this really isn’t the case. Around 80-90% of children in orphanages have at least one living parent, most of whom could be resettled with their families or extended family, and do not need to be adopted. But because of the market in adoptions, these families are frequently overlooked, lied to, threatened, or misguided in order to supply the demand for cute, little, African children.

Second, does the agency provide any money to the orphanage? Again, this is an unethical practice, but happens all too frequently as a means to encourage orphanages to supply them with adoptable children.

Third, does the agency work with any orphanages in Uganda that are on “our list”? There are over 400 orphanages in Uganda, and a friend of mine who is working for family preservation here, said that she would recommend three for people to adopt from. This doesn’t mean that every child in all these other homes should not be adopted, but that people should proceed with caution once getting a referral for a child in these orphanages. However, the orphanages that made it onto our list, we know of specific examples of unethical practices that they have done in either getting children or adopting them out, or they are not fighting at all from family reunification or domestic adoption.

There are more, but these are a couple big ones, that if you are like me about a year ago, you knew nothing about. But now let me tell you some of the values of the agency we want to work with. The Ugandan representative told us that once getting a referral from the orphanage of an adoptable child, they will conduct their own investigation of the child, as well as hire a third party to do the same. This way when the child and prospective adoptive family go to court there is three separate social work reports (including ours) that will be presented to state that this child does not have family to care for them, and they truly are in need of a family. They also have the same values in seeking family reunification above all else, then domestic adoption, and then proceeding with international adoption as a last case. This s something we highly value, as I’ve mentioned before, and we are so excited to find an agency with a similar and encouraging agenda.

Sorry this post is a bit all over the place, but like I said, God is using this experience to open my eyes and heart to a big issue, and I also believe that He is able to use me to educate those around me. In the book Orphan Justice (great read and very informative) the tagline for the title is, “Not everyone can do everything, but everyone can do something”. I pray that my time here in Uganda, as well as for the rest of my life, I am challenged to do the things that the Lord is placing in front of me, not everything, but something. I want to challenge you to think about what’s something you can do?

“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

Philippians 4:13

My First Visitor!

Holly and I met my first year of college at UVA. We lived on the same hall in Humphreys (yay for old dorms!) and were a part of the same small group in Agape. I honestly can’t remember the first conversation we had or what first clicked with us, but I am so blessed for her friendship the past five years! This girl has challenged me and encouraged me in my walk with the Lord, and I have learned so much from her – for which I am grateful! 

And now she is coming to visit me in Uganda! Please pray for her travels, she leaves tomorrow afternoon, and I will go get her at the Entebbe Airport on Monday night! She’s here for a week, so my blog probably won’t get updated until she leaves – sorry I’ve been a little slow on here!

I can't wait for my week ahead!

 

99 Balloons

Although I had every intention of doing my mini-series on adoptions for my next couple of posts, I really want to share what’s been going on here for the past week. Then I’ll come back to adoptions later-on when I have time!

First, I want to share a video that is really powerful and I promise is worth the six minutes it takes to watch. (I’ll also give you the heads-up to have tissues ready as well!)

So now, you know the history of 99 Balloons. And I shared that because they brought a team over here to Ekisa this past week. It was truly incredible and such a blessing, as they created their team based around the needs of Ekisa, bringing physical therapists, speech and language pathologists, nurses and other medical professionals, and a child counselor who specializes in sexual abuse counseling.

Over the course of their time here, they gave presentations/seminars to our mammas about aspiration, CPR, other medical needs of our kiddos, and sexual abuse. It was all very informative, giving time for our mammas to ask questions, as well as giving us new ideas about how to best serve the kids at Ekisa.

The team also sponsored a dinner for our 35(ish) community care families, to encourage them, love them, and let them know what an amazing job they are doing at caring for their children. It was quite the evening, complete with party crashers, a double-booking of the space with a high school dance party, a mamma going into labor, and a goat being given away as a door prize! To put things into perspective, we have iPads as door prizes in the States, but Mamma Shivan, when her number was called to win the goat, hit the ground on her knees and immediately started crying. It was a beautiful moment, and I really don’t think there was a dry eye in the entire crowd.

They came to serve Ekisa, and they did just that. But 99 Balloons is not just doing cool stuff internationally, but locally (stateside) as well. Their primary ministry is partnering with local churches to train volunteers to provide Recess Nights for families with children with disabilities. From their experience with Eliot, Matt and his wife realize the importance of reaching out to families, as well as the role that the church body can have in doing so.

This is something that I think is incredible work, and when I get back to the States, is definitely something that I plan on getting involved with – in case I can be of any inspiration to you:) I was really convicted of this in the past several months in thinking about actually how many families you see in the church that have children with special needs. Couldn’t we as a church body be loving them better? Anyway, food for thought, and more information on www.99balloons.org in case you too want to get involved!

They are based out of Arkansas and if you look at a map online of churches doing Recess Nights, only Arkansas and surrounding states are represented. Wouldn’t it be cool to get Virginia on the map too? Or maybe Uganda?!

Adoption.

It’s been incredible to see the Lord open my eyes and my heart to this topic so much in the past year, or really the past nine months. Something that I thought of so black and white has developed not just shades of gray, but really every color in between.

I have learned that as beautiful as adoption was created to be, it has, like other things in this world, been thwarted, damaged, and abused as a result of the fall and our sinful nature.

But let me share with you the beauty of it first.

“God demonstrates his love for us: While we were sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

“In love He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 1:5

“Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God, and co-heirs with Christ.” Romans 8:17

Let that sink in. That’s awesome and beautiful, and can totally rock the way you see adoption, as it has with me. We were all lost and orphaned at some point, but God sought after us to adopt us into His eternal family. And He did so out of love. Go back and look, those verses point straight to that. So shouldn’t we, as Christians, be the first to reach out and care for and love orphans, especially after realizing how we would still be orphans had God not adopted us? Let’s look at scripture again.

Didn’t He call his church to be the hands and feet of Christ here on earth?

“And God placed all things under [Jesus’s] feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way.” Ephesians 1:22-23

Didn’t He tell us that in seeking Him we would care for the least of these?

“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40

Didn’t He command the body of believers to care for orphans and widows?

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after the orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27

Didn’t He intend for every child to be loved for by a family?

            “God sets the lonely in families.” Psalm 68:6

In case you’ve missed it, the answer to all of these questions is undoubtedly “Yes”. And for me, realizing these truths has continued to challenge me in learning more about the Christian orphan movement, why this is important, and what I can do. It starts with being open to learning, and allowing God to open your heart to truths that may be uncomfortable in bringing you out of your comfort zone in learning how you can best care for the least of these, including the orphans and widows.

In thinking how I was going to process all of this, I decided to stop here and continue in a little series of posts about all I’m learning and working through. So here’s for the first of a couple, at least.. Enjoy!