Happy Friday.

You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you. Deuteronomy 5:33

One month ago today I said goodbye to my family and got on the plane. I can't believe its been a whole month and then again it feels like I have been here longer.

I miss my family. I always ask them to send me lots of pictures of anything and everything. Both of my older sisters are very good about doing that! They both have little kids and each gave birth to a baby just a few weeks before I left. Like couldn't you wait?! Haha. I'm am truly very thankful that we are able to communicate so well and be able to send pictures all the time.

This morning Kiwa was supposed to take me to school at 11 and then come back for Vickie and Sara because you can't fit three on a Boda. He came 15 minutes early and I wasn't ready so I asked him to wait 15 minutes and I will be ready. He left. Almost an hour later still no Kiwa and his phone was conveniently off so we just walked up to the main road and got two other Bodas and went to school! Later we found out that Kiwa thought I said 50 minutes. So now I seriously have to pick up the pace on learning Luganda.

Every Friday at noon at school is JESUS TIME. :) I was in the room with all of the older kids and it was so nice to watch them, I never have before. I should have filmed the whole thing, I think next time I will try to because I really enjoyed it. Praying, singing, and learning, all done with their hands. I like to watch them pray, they close their eyes and you can watch their facial expression as they go along. They sign everything of course, its just really cool. God is so good and me being me I just really loved all of it.

Some of the kids came up in front and gave their testimony. One of the boys was talking about how he thanks God very much that the water at BDI has been turned back on. For the past few or more days it has been shut off and they were having to walk very far multiple times a day to get water. It was very nice when they started the songs because all the kids kept a beat with their feet and the motion of their bodies and would sign and then some of the teachers were signing. I think all Africans can sing good..

Other than that it was a pretty quiet day at school. There was lots of coloring, crossword puzzles, and hand clapping games going on.

There is a girl, I don't know her name, but she is so sweet, so gentle, and calm all the time. I think she has some form of mental disability but I am not sure what. She is so beautiful. At one point we just held on to each other for maybe ten minuets, her arms wrapped around my waist and mine wrapped around her. I love her. I love them all. I thank God for loving me through them.

After school I came home, ate a little cereal out of my coffee cup and cleaned my floors. Vickie and Sara had gone to Kampala earlier and when they came back Vickie brought me a little piece of some chocolate cake. It was very good!

After that I did my therapy, ate dinner, and had the best laughs with Vickie, Sara, and little Rapha (the boy who comes over to play). Vickie is seriously so funny and a joy to be around. I thank God for her, if she wasn't here I think I would have a little hard time being here alone.

I just got done Skying with my family. Almost all of my siblings are over at my mothers house hanging out until fire works tonight!! All my nieces and nephews are there, and it was so good to talk to everyone.

It is now 3:30 am.

Kitiibwa teaching about following Gods commands. 

"You are my friends if you do what I command you." John 15:14

Collins, a hearing Ugandan volunteer holding the cooks baby. 

Frank

Leticia :) 

Look at those big light brown eyes!

Had to represent the U.S. somehow. Happy Independence Day America!

Thursday.

Your word is a lamp to me feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119:105

I woke up this morning to a nice breakfast of eggs, something good that I can't spell, mango, and coffee!! Thank you Vickie. 

I called our driver at eleven and asked him to come in twenty minutes...an hour and a half later I finally got to school. TIA. Haha

Joel was there waiting and needed to talk to me. We discussed lots of business stuff and paper work, something I am truly very thankful I don't have to deal with. There is a lot more going on "behind the scenes" than I thought. So much that has to be done to better the school, become a better non-profit organization, just all the logistics behind running and the growing of BDI. 

Then we got talking about Davis (he is actually 14). Where do I begin.. The first time Joel met Davis he was seven years old, had been rejected by family, and pretty much living on the streets. The only people that accepted him were people with no morals, no standards, as I call them "lost souls". Of course, they had nothing good to offer, only to bring Davis and the other kids around him down to their level and corrupt them. (These people need our prayers so as to come out of this terrible darkness). At age seven Davis's innocence was shattered and perverted by watching adult movies and his mind corrupted by smoking marijuana. This continued for a few years. Joel finally got Davis to BDI and taught him that all of those things are very wrong. He said at first he could find Davis and a couple other boys trying to roll cigarettes or smoke old buds from someone and drawing inappropriate things, but Joel disciplined them and taught them. 

Now Joel tells me how much Davis has changed, its like he was given a new life. He was. Christ gave him a new life and has completely changed him. He is smart, sweet, funny, obedient, happy, and loved. God is so good.

So yeah, there is that.. I just sat, listened, and cried. 

Vickie's friend from Denmark, Sara, came and so all the children welcomed her with dancing! It was great. Haha they are so funny! 

God speaks to you in the silence. Hugging the Deaf kids, holding their hands, playing, laughing, and just watching. Through this sort of silence He speaks to me. 

Highlight of the day was the kiss on my cheek from Jonathan. I love love love him. I look at him and all I see is joy and Jesus Christ. They both were rejected by all and went through much suffering. Jesus Christ lives, He forgives, and He loves. Jonathan lives, he loves, and joy pours out of him. God is SO good. 

One the way home Kiwa's front tire on his Boda went flat so we had to stop at a gas station...we didn't really talk about anything much haha because we don't speak the same language. He walked me over to all the other Boda drivers and found me a nice one to take me home. TIA. 

I arrived to some hot milk for coffee, popcorn, and two Danish ladies. When they talk I just pretend I'm watching a movie. They both speak and sign Danish and I love it!

Super TIA moment after dinner. I mostly know what happened and also don't feel like explaining it. All I can say is that our landlord is scary, yells really loud, made Rebecca cry, Vickie mad, I was scared, and Sara...hah happy first day in Uganda. Another man to add to my prayer list though. 

Rafa (sp?) is a boy who lives near and comes over a lot and did tonight. He is so cute! Maybe two or three years old, wont eat unless you spoon feed him, hardly talks, and really loves Vickie! Tonight we all played with him for a while, ate dinner with him, and when his mom came for him he refused to go. So he stayed a little longer and then Vickie carried him the three second walk to his house. 

It's now 3 am. Goodnight and God bless.

Davis

Davis and Derrick playing with my GoPro.

Kiwa our driver.

Derrick

Playing with their new cars!

Yay for candy!

Dancing

Welcoming Sara

The rest of the posho scrapped out of the pan.

I Think It's Wednesday

Late night again last night, I have to stop doing this. I thought I was going to break the cycle today and get to bed on time but its 11 pm right now soo...maybe ill try tomorrow?

We got to school today sometime after 10 and it was another exam day. I don't even know where to begin with that. I was in P1 today, I think (I haven't quite memorized the school levels here). But anyways I was in a class trying to help the kids take there exams. Yes, that's right, helping them take their exam. Why? Because this schooling system for these kids is impossible. I have talked to Joel about it and its just ridiculous. The Deaf kids need a different one because they are having SO much trouble learning.

I think its a combination of several things which I'm not familiar enough to comment on. All I know is that today I was extremely frustrated because it seemed like some of the kids had no idea about most of the stuff on the exam.

Besides all that I absolutely loved today. I'm not entirely sure what made today so good, but it was good.

I seriously love these kids SO SO MUCH. There are some that I just want to steel and keep all to myself. Hah even more so than that I want to be there for them, love them and care for them with everything I have in me. Something very important that I think there missing is parents. I don't know everyone's story, I know some of the kids have parents who love them very much, others maybe not, some go home to their parents everyday, others only on holidays. But I think that children need a mother to put them to sleep at night and hug them when they cry, and a father to do the same and be a role model. I'm only just briefly observing and I'm no therapist, I just feel its so important.

Growing up with first an abusive father and then non at all, I know the great effects it had on my family and myself. So I can't imagine being a little kid or a growing teen here without any love or guidance from both parents.

There is a boy named Davis who I can't get enough of! I believe he is 13, and I don't know...hes just such a joy to be around. One minute he is pretending to ignore me, but at the same time trying to get my attention, and wont talk to me. Then the next minuet were right next to each other playing, hugging, just hanging out. He is hilarious and such a goof, such a boy!

His parents rejected him, the only family that took him in was his aunt and grandmother. They live in Semuto and if you read "Money Well Spent" you already know this information and have seen pictures of his home and caretakers.

On the way home from school I couldn't help but stare up at the sky and pray the whole time. When we were leaving school it started to lightly sprinkle, it was perfectly sunny outside, and seemed as if it shouldn't be raining. It was beautiful. You could see the moon and the bright sun and all the surrounding clouds. I love to look up at the sky no matter what it looks like.

After I ate dinner I decided I will do my therapy, take a quick shower, blog, and get to bed. Haha that didn't work out as "quickly" as I thought.

First off, it took me a while to convince myself to workout. After sweating up a storm I was excited to take a cold shower. Haha but of course the water was shut off!

I grabbed my basin and big jug of water and went after it. I really enjoyed that "shower" a lot more than I think I should have.

And guess what happened as soon as I was out and all dried off? Yeah, the water turned back on. TIA. :)

Its now almost 1 o'clock and I seriously have to sleep. Vickie just got in about 30 min ago from the air port. She picked up her friend Sarah, from Denmark, who is going to stay here for two weeks I believe!

I know why today was good. Because God is good. Even when I think a day was bad He is still good. It's up to me to see the good in a day and choose to be happy, sometimes hard to do but necessary.

As Mother Teresa writes to her Sisters: "Never be moody Sisters, never let anything take away that joy." That joy being the joy of the Child Jesus.

Leticia hard at work. 

 Davis helping Jonathan.

 Praying.

Hello Tuesday.

I woke up this morning at eight, talked to Vickie, and we both decided we will go to school around eleven or twelve. She has been having a lot of pain in her back and I was so very tired from staying up that night. So, following her motherly orders I went back to sleep and woke up at 11:40 and got ready to go to the school.

We got to school finally but I asked our driver Kiwa to take me to Kampala to a certain book store so I can get a Daily Missal so as to follow along with Mass because its in Luganda. 

Not to far from my house is the Church I go to and everyday they have Mass in the morning at 7. In America I would do my best to attend daily Mass. Why? Because well, what better way to start your day than starting it with Jesus! I can't be here without receiving His love, grace, and strength everyday. Of course through prayer everyday I can receive His graces and love, but why not go further and deeper and receive His body and blood everyday? Matthew 26.

After a long time of driving around and asking for directions to this book store we found it and I got the book! So about an hour and a half later I'm back at school! :)

I love being there. The kids are just so wonderful and happy. Always hugging you and holding your hand, just wanting someones attention. 

There was a problem today with the charcoal again. I'm not entirely sure what happened but all I know is the kids didn't eat breakfast and they had lunch a little after four o'clock. Although they were all hungry it didn't stop them from being joyful and playing. Yes, some were more tired from being hungry, but most of them were happy and enjoying playing soccer. 

That's life though. Sometimes its rough and I believe you can't be serious all the time. I can really learn a lot from these kids. They are sometimes tired and hungry, sick and hurting, away from their families or rejected by them, but they still manage to be goofy and smile. 

Joel is the best example of this I think. He is so very funny and joking most of the time! He has so many worries and things to do and is always trying to make the children's lives better. But he tries not to let that bring him down. He told me one time that you can't be so serious all the time. Especially being here in Uganda, you must learn to laugh at life's problems and choose to be happy and loving or else you will die. But when it comes down to business and important matters, he becomes very serious. 

Today at school Joel and I were laughing and just being silly but it all stops when its time to talk about the children and Jesus, and that's what I love. The joking immediately shuts down and the wisdom and truth start to pour out of his mouth. Truly, our talk today was so necessary and very reassuring. 

His faith is strong. With everything he has to think about and with trying to figure out how to build a new school he knows that God is completely in control. Now matter how many plans we make and things we try to get in order, if its not Our Lords Will its not going to happen. 

The main thing that Joel wanted to tell me is to stop asking him for permission. "Stop asking me and stop asking Vickie." He tells me that I need to ask God's permission, ask God what He wants me to do and how He wants me to do it. Joel only wants to be informed of what God has asked me to do. Joel sees my lack of confidence and I didn't even know it was showing. He just kept telling me to stop asking him for permission and stop holding back when I know I should change something or do something that I know is right. 

In short that was our conversation. He really reassured me in a different, more spiritual way. Really making it clear to trust in God and to keep asking Him what I should do about this, or that, how He wants me to carry out this, etc. So yeah, that was awesome. 

When Vickie and I got home after school we sat on my apartment floor, she had her tea and I had my coffee, and we shared some popcorn that Rebecca brought us. For around four hours I think we talked about life and just many different things. It was really great to have a more personal conversation with her. I learned a lot. She is such a beautiful person and sometimes I don't know if she realizes that.

Monday.

Well its Monday.

I set my alarm this morning to give myself an hour to get ready, plenty of time. Hoping I could take a quick shower turns out to be a 30 min one. The water for some reason was turning off and on and off and on. At one point it actually turned on for a while and then of course shut off for a few minuets while I had shampoo in my hair. TIA.

Vickie tried to make tea for us this morning and that didn't work out. Her stove wont turn on and mine ended up running out of kerosene so no tea for us haha! TIA.

Today was exam day so it was pretty quiet at school. After exams however, it got pretty loud. Some of the kids and I played around with the soccer ball. It is such a small space in there but we had so much fun!!! I have been mostly gone from the school for two weeks (sick) so it was really great being able to be back and play with all of the kids!

One of the girls went home for the weekend and didn't come back today. We kind of expected this to happen. So after school Vickie and I went to talk to her parents and kindly tell them that she must be at school tomorrow to take an exam.

Vickie can talk but she is deaf, I am hearing but don't speak Luganda, our driver Kiwa can speak Luganda but can't speak English, and the parents only speak Luganda. Haha just imagine that. Vickie memorized what she had to say to them in Luganda but as for there reply we would have no idea. Luckily there was an English and Luganda speaking man there so Vickie spoke and I interpreted back to her what they were saying. TIA.

TIA (this is Africa), just an understanding of all of the silly things that can happen in a day. Confusion in communication and different culture is the big one. Also there is a lovely and oh so convenient thing called "African Time". Which means you really don't know when a person is or is not going to show up. You don't really know when something is going to get taken care of or finished. Its the funniest thing.

Another funny thing is people here don't understand sarcasm at all. Vickie and I are masters at sarcasm and jokes. Joel speaks sarcasm like he breathes. So at least we have each other.

I am in so much pain I don't even know what to do anymore. For those of you who don't know...I have many problems. My mom says I am "special" haha. My shoulders and upper back are always hurting and have very little muscle. Its a bunch of big words that I don't know, I've already had surgery on one shoulder. Its just a mess. I have intense therapy that I am doing so its pretty awesome willingly putting your self in so much pain. TIR (this is Rannah).

This morning I knew it was going to be a rough day when I brushed my teeth, yes that's right, my teeth. The pain always starts from that first act in the morning and depending on how hard brushing my teeth is can just give me a glimpse of the pain I will have the rest of the day. Crazy, right? I'm not complaining I'm just stating facts here.

Luckily I have plenty of drugs to cope with the pain. Which, by the way, I hate taking. They make you drowsy and a little funny in the head.

I miss being able to come home everyday and cry to my mom and have her massage the giant knots out of my shoulders and back. But I think maybe its time I toughen up, right?

Right now its 9 pm and I'm oh so patiently awaiting dinner! Tonight is pretty much going to be awesome. I'm waking up at 2am to Skype with my St. Kateri group. I am pretty excited.

The power just went off. TIA.

I have mad ninja skills when it comes to catching mosquitoes in my hand and other bugs that fly. TIA.

On a more serious note.

Mother Teresa is amazing. Her simplistic words of wisdom and love are awe inspiring and speak directly to my soul. I learn so much from reading and meditating on her words and the words of Jesus. Just reading a few pages in a day is like a giant piece of meat that you could chew on for a week.

"The Creator chose to become a creature, one with us, like us, to be dependent on others, to need food to eat, clothes to wear, drink to quench His thirst, to need rest, to be tired like us.....One with us in all things: WHY? For love of us, with unconditional trust in the Father."

"Why did Jesus make Himself so poor? To be able to understand my poverty, my smallness, my weakness, my littleness."

"Realize that God, who made everything and made you and me, became so small. How He lived that total surrender to the full."

In all His wonder and greatness, He became so so small. 

Think about that. Now think about your life. Think about the world and what it teaches us to accomplish. Now think again about Him becoming so so small for us. Are you, am I, on the right track?

 I am so in love with this boy.

                                                                                    

Money Well Spent

I'm so happy to share all the things that, through God's goodness and the many people who have helped me along this journey, have been able to buy for BDI. 

Thank you all.

You have helped pay for the spraying to get rid of lice at school. ($20)

A few days ago the kids went without breakfast and only had posho for lunch, which has no flavor and I don't think much/if any nutrition. I was home sick, like usual, and got a text saying they need money to buy some charcoal and were wondering if I would be able to help. OF COURSE! The money that I have been graciously given doesn't do any good sitting in the bank. ($25)

We have paid the schools rent for three months. ($300)

Paid this months water bill. ($50)

                            Purchased 160lbs of beans. ($53)  

This is the aunt and the grandmother of a boy at school named Davis. Everyone rejected Davis because he was deaf except for these beautiful ladies. His father will have nothing to do with him and will deny even knowing Davis. I love Davis so much, he is so funny and helps me a lot with my sign language, if I can pick favorites he is definitely one of them. :)           

                            GOT FREEEEE CORN!! From Davis's family.                     

Bought a bunch of maize for posho. ($123)

We got two big bags of tomatoes and a bag of onions. ($5.77)

This woman has a deaf 6 year old girl who we hope will one day be able to come to BDI. Now is a good age to start learning a language and schooling. The older she gets the harder it will be. 

You also helped purchase 5 cabbages! ($2.89)

 They also gave us FREE CORN! :)

In total we spent 1,512,500 Ugandan shillings and $582.18. I put the prices on here not for a show of money or good works but as to show you all what you have helped with and how far your money goes here. So thank you to everyone for your help!

More importantly thank you for the thing that matters most, the thing that can make the biggest difference, the thing that can change, can build, can renew, can heal, comfort, and give strength; your prayers. The kids at BDI and I greatly need and appreciate them. 

We are all one in Christ.  

 Because kittens are adorable. 

Driving back from Semuto. It's the most beautiful place.  

                                               The happiness and excitement of the kids is the best.