I am so ready for Uganda! I'm trying not to skip all of the wonderful things happening in between now and then (like GRADUATION!) but it's a little hard! I am already in Uganda in spirit for sure. I dream about Uganda, (actually I have recurring nightmares that we get there and all we do is stay in the hotel. I wake up crying and exhausted.) I constantly go through my Uganda check list in my mind, I daydream about my babies, I look through pictures every chance I get, I "open" my iPhone every 5 seconds to see some beautiful Ugandan faces staring back at me... It's bad. Today while I was looking through pictures I kept seeing pictures of me and (Teko) Brian together and thinking that I wonder if he knows how much I love him. I can't help but wonder what he thinks is happening! Haha...I'm sure someone explained to him what IChooseYou is (as best as possible) and explained that he is now an IChooseYou child, but I wonder if he knows how much he is loved. I'm not the only one that loves this little boy! This little man is destined for great things! God just wouldn't back down until we got it! The whole name thing was pretty clear but it goes beyond that. Three of us felt a special connection to him and all three of us just knew he needed to be an ichooseyou child and be given a chance! I look through my pictures and my heart threatens to explode with love for Brian and I just want to yell "DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU?!" Then I want to start from the beginning, tell him about every little thing that God has done in my life to ensure that I wouldn't miss out on the opportunity to love him, but most importantly I want to tell him what God has done to prove how much HE loves him and ensure that I wouldn't miss out on the opportunity to physically show Brian that love! I want him to know that I love him, yes, but I want him to know that his Heavenly Father has gone to GREAT lengths to prove his love for him and to give him new life and new hope. God is asking the same question to all of us: DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU?!
Psalm 139 NIV (1984)
1 O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.
5 You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you.
19 If only you would slay the wicked, O God!
Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!
20 They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD,
and abhor those who rise up against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Do you know how much He loves you?
Here is June 12, 2011
June 12, 2011
I can’t think of a title for this post.
This morning I woke up and Haley told me she was sick. She had been throwing up all night. I told her she should have woken me up! But she is a sweet girl and didn’t want to bother me. I called Becky and she said Ted had been sick all night also. So the two of them stayed at the hotel to rest and get better while we went to church. Church was an experience! So much singing and dancing followed by a very powerful sermon. We had walked in during the end of “Sunday school” and pastor Morris was preaching about how important accountability is. Then baby Loru’s father stood up and said “I used to be a Muslim but now God has changed me and I want to be a born again Christian. I know how important this accountability is.” (grace please, some of what he said got lost in translation. That was basically what he said.) That was amazing! I cried, Becky cried, our whole team cried! Our God is so faithful. Then the praising began. Oh the music and dancing is so much fun! Little Edwin made his way to me and I held him while we sang and danced. He is the sweetest little guy. So cute! He would let me kiss his cute little cheeks and he would hold my hand and play with my hair. So sweet! Then flower got up and sang with the ladies and it was so beautiful. I loved to watch her sing to God with her eyes closed, so free worshiping the God that gave her new life. I cried then too. Then everyone was praying at the same time and that was so cool. I cried again. Of course. Haha. Then Edwin had to go out with the kids and pastor Morris gave a sermon about how Jesus told us there would be trouble and suffering in this life but not to turn back to our old ways when it comes but instead to tell our problems about our God. It reminded me of the book that the faculty advisor for Rise, Mary, always reads us. It’s called You’ve Got Dragons. Read it sometime. :-) Anyways, like I said the sermon was great. There is so much truth and community in that church. God is definitely moving there. After the sermon there was more singing and little Edwin came back and found me again. The offering bags went around and then the choir took an offering but the basket was at the front. Becky gave Edwin some money to take up to the basket. It was so cute! I really enjoyed church this morning. I can’t believe we will be leaving Mbale Tuesday! I wish we could just cancel our plans at the game park and stay here until we have to go home. I am going to miss mama Aidah, mama Flower, Flower, Edwin, Joyce, Esther, Paul, Jared, Becca, and Taylor and everyone else so much! I can’t imagine leaving them. I don’t want to think about that yet. We came back to the hotel and Haley and Papa Ted are feeling much better. Still tired and weak but better. That’s so good. We had lunch and now we are resting at the hotel. I so want to go back to Namatala. But I guess we will have to see what the day brings and what tomorrow looks like. I’m about to post pictures I think!
June 12, 2011
June 12, 2011
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