A New Day: update on Sharon & Morris

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12 Praise God that the hearts of Sharon and Morris are now filled with hope! The children are staying with the mother of one of our field staff, Bonny, and are joyful! After hearing of their situation, Bonny's mother offered to keep the children with her, even for an entire year, to prevent the children from returning to their grandmother. I am so thankful that God hears our cries...never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. Hebrews 13:5b Wes and Jackson continue to work on gathering the necessary paperwork for the children's application to Otino-Waa orphanage. It appears that the next section of housing at the orphanage will be completed in a couple of months allowing space for more children. Sharon is currently on new medication for the tuberculosis and cannot be accepted into Otino-Waa until she is "in the clear" regarding the TB...we assume that would be in a couple of months. So, it looks like the timing is perfect, however there are many children being assessed for acceptance into the orphanage. We need to continue to pray for God's hand in the situation.Again, thank you for your prayers! Sharon and Morris are like two new children now...smiles never-ending. (The pictures were taken at their new home).
Love to you all, Keira

"A" Game

I wanted to bring a “lighter note” to the table in hopes of making people smile a little. On Sunday Jolene, Wes and I headed over to one of the schools here in town to play some basketball. We waited until 6:00pm in attempts to avoid the heat…yeah right…can you see our red, sweaty faces?! We ended up in a game of 4 on 4 with some Ugandan guys (one of them we adopted onto our team). Initially, these guys laughed when we challenged them to a game and no one wanted to be on our team: 3 munos (2 of them girls). But, about ¾ of the way through, the other team substituted out 3 of their guys due to fatigue! We three had our “A” game on for sure…passing, defending, making shots from outside and inside with guys up in our face! It was awesome. They gave me the nickname "killer." They underestimated our mad skills! At the end, we beat them 15 to 5. It felt SO incredibly good to be physically active again…and then we went and pigged out at Lillian’s :) The picture was taken after our game - you're scared, aren't you?

Just to give you a heads up – I tend to create random ways to self-entertain…therefore I had scheduled a “cow-riding” at Bonny’s this afternoon. Bonny works with GRI and lives in one of the villages. And the cows, they are everywhere here! Bonny kept laughing at the idea telling me that his cow would take off into the bush with me (his cow is named "notorious B1G"...you read it right...that's a one not an "i") Ha Ha! Well, I milked the cow this evening and then attempted to get on it. The problem - the cow was actually afraid of a white person!! The others could go near him but everytime he saw me he ran! I have not considered this task complete. Instead, I will continue my search for a cow that I can ride!

Greetings to you all! ~Keira :O)

Jesus Loves the Little Children

I wanted to get another post up so that people can begin praying. Yesterday, Wes and I brought back two small children from a village about an hour and a half away. Both parents died from TB and the children are living with their grandmother. The little boy is 4 (moses) and the girl is 8 (sharon). She is sick with TB and hasn't gotten better with taking medication...GRI helped her out last September. Her grandmother makes her do the cooking, fetching water from miles away, and she has to mother her little brother...despite being so sick. The grandmother usually drinks alot of brew during the day and doesn't do much "caring." Her neighbors told her that she was going to end up killing the girl with her response being "I don't care. We are all doing to die." It's a really sad situation. The kids are precious though!! The whole way home yesterday and then last night Sharon was very snuggly with me. You know it feels good to feel loved! They learned how to use a "real" toilet and just giggle now whenever it flushes! They have been a joy. Last night I felt like a mother...four different times in the night they came into my room and I had to walk them back to bed :) I wish we spoke the same language but we are getting good at acting out our communication. Jackson, one of our Ugandan staff members, took Sharon to the hospital today and it turns out that she has been receiving enough medication for an obese adult. She is a tiny African girl!! Please pray for her and her brother. Tomorrow morning Wes and I will be talking with some of our friends here in Lira who are missionaries who run an orphanage. We don't know if they have any openings or if Sharon and Moses meet all of the criteria. We know prayer is a powerful thing!!!!

I am going to go to bed now. I'm absolutely exhausted...long hours in the field, emotional days, and I'm not sleeping well at night with everything that is on the mind. Despite the fatigue, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now. I cried yesterday at a medical distribution for people with HIV - not because I was sad but because I was so touched to see their smiling faces and felt incredibly blessed to be with them. My heart is full :) I am totally blessed to be here and it is because of our supporters back home that Wes, Jolene and I are here and that we have the capability to bring people like Sharon into the hospital and pay for it all. Praise God!!

Love you guys!

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for me! This last week was very busy and exhausting, but it was much better! I saw the girl from my previous story a couple of times last week. It was very difficult for me to "turn her away," but at the same time I was able to discuss some very serious matters with her. I am not sure if she really listened, but I know that I said what needed to be said and did so in a loving way. God will have to take care of the rest.

I am growing closer and closer in friendship with our Ugandan field staff. They are wonderful. Not only are they funny but they LOVE their people. As we spend more days together our hearts are joining forces to reach the people of Northern Uganda. What a beautiful thing! And time is going by so quickly being that we are so busy. I am in the field 5 days a week and seem to find things I must work on in the office on the days I'm home...usually more research :) But Wes, Jolene and I still find the time to goof off! Today we threw around the football and frisbee (you can definitely tell which one I grew up with) and I think we may head over to play some basketball by one of the schools (it's not as fancy as you might think). Physical activity is definitely limited by the heat though. You know it's hot when the Ugandan guards have taken their shirts off because they are so hot - and that's at night!!!! Just a side note, I know some of you have wanted to get in touch with me, either by text message or phone call, so here is the number 011256774300603.

On a serious note: On Saturday, my eyes filled with tears (which I kept from falling) as I was sitting in front of the group at the medical distribution for PLWHA (people living with HIV/AIDS). There in front of me were 20 people who were desperate for hope. These are the thoughts/feelings that have consumed me: aside from the physical struggle, they are looking for love, acceptance, dignity, hope, forgiveness, the list goes on. This week I have really felt comforted by these next few verses and have shared them with those at the medical distributions. When I said, "My foot is slipping," your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul. Psalm 94:18-19 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." Psalm 91:1-2 My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. Psalm 62:1-2 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Psalm 62:8 Despite everything in this life - the heartache, the struggles, the disappointments, the pain, the suffering - God's love is unfailing. Can we say anything else is unfailing? That doesn't mean that if we love God, these troubles will no longer exist. It does, however, mean that we can continue to have hope despite everything crumbling around us. And what is life without hope?

Have a great week! Love you guys :o)

A Tough Week

Hello everyone! Sorry these updates don't come more often. The power is off at random times, we have a virus on our computer making it slow, and sometimes I am just too tired to think once I get home from the field.

This week has easily been my toughest week yet. One incident - while walking home from the market on Monday, I met a girl sitting off the side of the road crying. I will make this a very short version: she is 20 years old, 6 months pregnant, no longer in touch with her family in the village or the father of her baby, has a STD and is HIV+. She was very weak when I met her. I took her to the hospital on Wednesday. We waited for hours but eventually found out she had malaria and a urinary tract infection, both putting the baby at risk so they admitted her. I told her I would pay for the medical bills (very cheap here) and would visit her often. I listened to some of her stories and troubles and my heart totally broke for her! I was ready to give an arm and a leg to make sure this baby was okay, that she'd get a roof over her head and begin to bring in money. However, through a series of events I found out that some of her stories were not true and that I was being taken advantage of for her financial gain. I am glad that I was able to help her get medical assistance and that I was able to speak with her about life (after I found out about the lies). I know that God brought our two paths together for a reason and I have to trust him for the results. Needless to say, it was a bit crushing.

I know that no one likes to read sad stories, but this is part of my life here. I will, however, share happy stories too...I got to see the ending of a birth on Tuesday!! I was under a tree hiding from the rain (YES...it has RAINED a couple of days here!!!!) and some of the locals called me into their hut to witness the birth! It was so awesome! I've ridden sidesaddle on the back of a motorbike through the countryside in the rain on two different days. That takes away the bad feelings and makes you smile and giggle like a little girl! To release stress/sadness we watch silly movies on the computer screen (Dumb and Dumber, Ace Ventura) or listen to Wes play the guitar and we sing all of the 80s/early 90s sappy songs that we can think of, or like the other night I taught funny yoga poses and cheerleading jumps. Thank God there is laughter!

p.s I promise I wear sunscreen...I am often red because I am so hot :)

A New Month

Hello to my peeps! It's a beautiful Sunday, the sun is shining, and I am oh so sweaty! :) As always, the temperature is quite hot but we have a mild breeze today...yippee!!! My lovely housemate, Jolene, made a fabulous coffee cake the morning of my birthday. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. But in reality, that did not occur until the evening. We had fish and cabbage for dinner (my favorite here thus far) and then she baked a chocolate cake which just happened to be in our pantry from America! Oh sweet bliss!!! There was also some crazy guitar and irish flute playing to officially wish a "happy birthday!" It was fabulous!

So, my work in the field continues. I now have met with the women of 6 out of the 8 camps. On Thursday I had 73 women at my afternoon meeting! That, my friends, is extremely exciting! And at this camp, for the first time since I've been here, these women stated that they too hold the responsibility in preventing the spread of HIV. That may sound obvious, however it has been presented to me as anything but. Too often than not, the women are blaming the men for the devastating numbers of those infected. And there have been sobering times when the women have told me that they do not believe change is possible. So, needless to say, I was greatly encouraged on Thursday! I am so fired up about this topic...HIV/AIDS...and the need to empower these Ugandans, especially the women being as it is not the cultural norm. We were able to meet with a Ugandan, on Saturday, who is high up in the health world. We brought various concerns to him regarding some of the health care centers, the bicycle ambulances (you read it right) and I was able to present some of my thoughts regarding prevention of HIV transmission. He is a great man and really listened to what we had to say. He even haulted our conversation a couple of times to make phone calls to talk to various people about the issues. Long story short, I was given the opportunity to write up some of the research I've completed here and give it to him so he can get it to the Ugandan government. How awesome is that?!! I remember when my parents first told me I was tenacious. At my young age I was devastated :) I see its benefit and necessity now more than ever! And I can't disregard all of the prayer support you guys have given either! There are trials, and struggles, and disappointments that require patience, and faith, and trust. But I believe SO strongly that change can come. Maybe not in an entire nation, but surely in atleast one person's heart. Isn't that worth it all?! I can only believe that it is.

So, I have a request for all of you...PLEASE enjoy the Super Bowl for me! You know how I love my football. And if possible, eat some hot wings and french fries ;)

Love you guys and miss you!