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Posted in Life on the Field by Alyssa Reed on 1/25/2012
Well.. This is Africa (TIA as we like to say):
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Fitting 13 people in a 4 person vehicle
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Seeing baboons on the street
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Getting laughed and pointed at because you are white
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eating lots of bananas and pineapple (I don't mind)
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Having absoluetly no concept of time (also love)
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And looking like a fool as you try to speak LUO (their language, or one of their languages)
Those are just a few highlights of what Africa is like. It is such a beautiful place with so many wonderful people! We have no been here for about a week and I am truly enjoying my time. We are working with Pastor Johnson and his Wife Betty who are really greaty Godly people. We have so many ministry opportunities to get involved in. I am planning on working with children, and doing some stuff for compassion, possibly some media stuff, and maybe even visiting prisons and hospitals on a weekly basis to pray with the people there. I'm excited to see how God uses us as a team to reach out to the people of Africa, but also how God uses them to reach out to us.
Yesterday we spent some time with a young man named Nelson. Nelson was abuducted at the age of 16 by the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army). He and 7 of his friends were taken from their hometown. His Best Friend attempted to escape but was killed because of it (they also did brutal things with his body which I will not go into details on). Nelson was a soldier for 2 and a half years when one his commanders accused him of being a witch. They beat Nelson so hard until he agreed to say he was a witch. He than was told to perform a spell, and when it did not work, he was beat even harder and told he would be killed. While traveling to go fishing with his group to have his last meal of fish, Nelson turned the opposite direction and ran. He ran for miles, and eventually climbed a tree where he was able to hide from the group chasing him. He had to keep running and hiding as the group continued to chase him. Eventually he was able to get away from them. He had not eaten or drank anything for 4 days and he thought he was going to die. As he fell asleep, he gained the strength after a 30 minute nap to keep on fighting. After a long hard escape with even more encounters with groups and people that tried to kill him, Nelson finally made it to a barrack. They announced on the radio that their was a child soldier rescued, and Nelson's mom was able to come and rescue him.
Even though Nelson was rescued, what he went through is just heartbreaking. It breaks my heart to know of how many children have been abducted by the LRA and how many innocent people have died in this over 20 year long war. If you want to find more out about child soldiers, please check out www.invisiblechildren.com they are a great organization. There are plenty of ways you can help end this war, so please check out this organization!
So despite some very trying moments and experiences so far on this trip, I know that God is still faithful. I thank God that he did rescue Nelson and I pray that he is able to use his story to help raise more awareness of the awful things that are happening.
I look forward to so many great things God has in store for us. Please check out my other team members blogs as they will inform you on some more things we have done or even some funny stories :)
Love you all and God Bless,
Aly Reed
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Posted in Life on the Field by Sarah Gibson on 1/25/2012
Oh mylanta!! I have been in Africa for a week now and I feel like I could write 100 blogs and still have not said everything that has happened! Alas, I have only paid for 30-60 minutes of internet at this lovely internet cafe here in Lira, Uganda, so 100 blogs will just have to wait.
Today I have chosen to tell you all about this one time when I got lost in Lira...(insert clearing of the throat noise hear)...Once Upon A Time, my lovely group leaders, Logan and Brittany, put us into groups of 4 to go walking around Lira, Uganda. Before leaving, they instructed each team to pray about where the Lord was wanting them to go and what he was wanting them to do with their time that day. I was placed in a group with Aly R., Darby, and Carrie-Anne. We are all very musical people, so we decided that we would use singing to tell people about Jesus that day.
Our walk started out wonderfully! We sang praise and worship songs and a huge group of kids from the village came out to sing with us. We talked to them about the savior and taught them the Macarena and other random American dances. We then made friends with a woman named Nora who was a believer, but needed a Bible, so we are getting it worked out with the church for her to get one this Sunday. We made a lot of other nice friends and before we knew it, it was time for us to head back to our home here in Lira. We had been walking since 9 in the morning and we were supposed to be back at 1, so we left to go back at 11:30, since it is quite a walk from the town.
An hour and half later, we were lost. Not only were we lost, but we had no sunscreen on (well I didn't, shocking, I know), we were out of water, and we had no phone to call and tell our leaders that we were lost. We tried asking people we passed on the street, but most of the older village people only speak Luo and the children that speak English had no idea where the Alpha Hotel was. Finally, we found a woman who knew where were trying to go, but she cracked up laughing at us, because we were so far away from our intended destination.
She tried explaining to us how to get there, but directions here are rather ambiguous. Something along the lines of, "At the end of this dirt road, there is a mud hut, you pass that hut and then there will be a tree, then turn at the tree..." So needless to say, she was not very helpful. Thankfully, a man who had been eavesdropping came up to us and said that he knew where we trying to go. He gave us somewhat better directions and off we went.
About 10 minutes later, we were still lost and confused, and all of us are praying for someone to come save us, when a man's voice comes booming from behind us and he shouts, "You will be lost no more!!" It was the man that had helped us earlier. We were all still a bit confused and then he said, "You go to Alpha Hotel. I take you there. " He asked us our names and what we were doing in Lira. We told him that we were missionaries here from America and that we were working with Victory Outreach Church. He then excitedly exclaimed, " I work at Victory Outreach Church!" It turns out that George, that is his name, works with adolescents at the church that are HIV+. We talked to him for the hour long walk back to the hotel and thanked him immensely when we arrived...an hour late.
So, moral of the story is that God is awesome! Not only did he send us someone to help us who knew the way to our hotel, and who walked us all the way there, but he also sent us a man from the very church that we are working at! Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more adventures in Lira!
Peace and Blessins!
Sarah
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Posted in Life on the Field by Makyla Daku on 1/25/2012
Hey everyone!
So these first couple days in Uganda have been amazing! We have definately learned the meaning of TIA whether it be through power outages or punctuality.
The people here are INCREDIBLE! they have hearts of gold and i love every single one of them. The place we are staying at is more than we could have ever asked for! We are completely blessed to be here.
We have experienced some great times and some other things that were hard on the heart. The conversation with Nelson, the former child soldier really got to me and the hospital visit was pretty deep.
OK, so one day Jordan, Ally, Mary and I were walking home. I had been saying how i wanted to see a snake in africa for the longest time.. just so i could prove that i wasnt scared of it! . WELL, when we were walking, i definately saw one. Smushed on the left side of the road. I was on the other side so fast no one even knew what happened! So needless to say, be careful what you wish for!
Anyways, I hope you are all doing well back home!
As long as my computer doesnt die next time ill blog.
see ya later!
Makyla
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Posted in Admissions by Marissa Taylor on 1/25/2012
Blogging is really difficult. Half of my computer screen is missing. I haven't taken english since high school. Things like that make it a tad tricky..but the biggest problem in blogging is how overwhelming it is to even try to put my experience here into words, and I've only been out of the country for 7 days.
There is a lot of joy here, honestly. The people here are incredible and when the kids see a white person, they all run out of their huts to introduce themselves to you and shake your hand. I'm not going to lie, its difficult at times to see the way Americans are celebrated here, but the people are so hospitable and their trust in God is mind-blowing.
It's entertaining to see how babies are terrified of us...quite literally start crying, jump out of their mothers arms and run the opposite direction. We celebrated a 26 year anniversary and a birthday last night. We danced and sang with the prisoners who have more faith and passion than probably anyone I've ever seen, despite their circumstances.
There really is so much joy here, but I don't know if I could count on my hands how many times my heart has been broken here, even just in the last 24 hours. It's shocking to me how much has happened here over the last few years, and how little I knew about it. I've heard about the LRA and how they capture little kids, kill their parents and make them child soldiers, but I never really thought I'd be able to talk to one of these recovered kids like I was able to yesterday. He told us about being captured, seeing his best friend killed, so so much. He told us about his escape - a story I could spend hours blogging about in and of itself. So many kids are still being held captive and stuck and its really overwhelming feeling so helpless. So much that none of my friends or family has ever had to deal with, and at the end of it all, he was the one surrounded by crazy crying americans trying to make us feel better. Not a situation I really thought I'd ever be in haha.
The hospitals here are pretty overwhelming. The language barrier gets in the way a lot. I've attempted to learn like 13452345 words...and the only one i know is apoyo. which is thank you. Actually..I also know apoyomatek. which is thank you so much :) also...i have no idea if those are spelled correctly.
oh yea..but the hospitals...actually just wanted to share another memory that I think will mean a lot to me. There was this girl named betty in the womens ward who was literally skin and bones - nothing I've ever seen in person before and only rarely in pictures of people with eating disorders, or the holocaust or something. There was something wrong with her chest and the look on her face seemed pretty hopeless. She wouldn't look at me the whole time and I know she couldn't understand me but after I spent some time with and had to leave cause my team disappeared, she looked up and said apoyo.
Then I went into this other building where people seemed to have all sorts of massive burns on them. There was this little girl by herself on one of the beds in the corner and she was squirming around. I went over to pray with her and was sure she had no idea what was going on. Afterwards, I just scratched her back and sang to her...which I cant imagine would be all that comforting due to my lack of vocal skills...but she finally fell asleep. I have no idea who she is or what happened to her...or even if she has any family, but I think she felt at least some sort of peace for a little bit, so I'm super thankful for that.
Anyways...yea. This is a tinnnnnnyyy bit of what Uganda is like and just a few of the things ive seen and felt.
Love and miss yall :)
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Posted in Admissions by John Snider on 1/25/2012
Well it's been almost a week and so far I am loving my time here in Lira, Uganda. This week has consisted of a lot of learning. Learning the local language (Luo or Langi), learning the layout of the town, learning about the ministries we may be involved in, and learning from the people here - their friendliness, humility and joy. We are privileged to be working alongside Victory Outreach Ministries (our local contact) led by a man named Pastor Johnson Ogema. He and the rest of the staff have a vision and drive for aiding their community that is educated, geniune, and contagious. Our accomodations are fantastic, we are so blessed to come back to a peaceful place where we can relax as a team (and we even have nice beds and indoor showers!). Some highlights from the first week here:
-Prison ministry - on a Sunday afternoon a group of us had the chance to go to a local prison and meet with a group of men to worship God. This group of men was singing to God with conviction and passion and it was an honor to be with them. I also got the chance to read some scripture with them (Eph. 2) and hopefully encouraged them.
-Hospital Ministry - we walked through some hospital wards meeting with women and their sick children and praying with them and just showing that we cared. this was pretty draining as I just felt somewhat helpless as we couldn't personally do much to tangibly care for them, however, I trust that they were encouraged by our visit and I know that they are in the hands of God who will take better care of them than I ever could anyway.
-Kids! There are children everywhere who want to meet with us and play with us. I wish I could share some pictures or videos with you, but rest assured they will come soon. My friend Jordan and I built a basketball hoop out of a ladder, an old bike tire and some duct tape and taught our local young friend, Emmanuel, to play basketball...fun! I love just carrying these kids on my back, spinning them around, tickling them, and laughing with them....good times. Some kids from the area around our "hotel" came up to us and took us back to their home where we talked with their parents and just learned more about the way they live - remarkable hospitality and willingness to meet with total strangers.
Random side note: I'm on a quest along with the other guy on our team, Jordan, to protect the hotel's free roaming chickens from a "chickenhawk" which will occassionally swoop down and snatch a chick. So now every time we see a big shadow fly over us we run and grab a rock to throw at it..we have to have some fun right?
p.s. i don't have malaria
God bless all of you,
-john
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Posted in Life on the Field by Carrie-Anne Haufler on 1/25/2012
It's ridiculous to think that we've only been in Uganda for 9 days. It feels like we've been here for at least a month. I have upwards of fifty different things/stories I could blog about! Ah...no pressure.
I absolutely love it here. I expected to really enjoy it, but I'm blown away. The people are so beautiful and welcoming. Pastor Johnson from Victory Outreach Ministries is an incredible man... I could sit and listen to him talk all day. He knows Jesus intimately and is overflowing with wisdom. He has seen more hardship and struggle than most of us will never even scratch the surface of in our lifetime, but I have never heard anyone speak so frequently of God's goodness and faithfulness.
I may be repeating a lot of what everyone else has already said, but here's a brief rundown of most of what we've done/experienced so far:
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My first plane ride was very, very long but I LOVED it. Had a window seat for both flights. Nothing like flying over the Alps on a clear day...and seeing sunrises and sunsets...
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The place we stay is amazing. We actually have real showers that are sometimes warm! Unexpected, for sure. Everyone there is beyond sweet and welcoming. Loving all the food so far: Scuumaweeky? (green leafy veggie), lots and lots of pineapple and watermelon, jackfruit (weirdest fruit ever: texture of a pepper but tastes like a mixture of cantelope, papaya, pineapple, banana and mango. Try to imagine that...haha), chicken (straight out of the yard) and many forms of potatoes. Not to mention the most delicious beans and rice I've ever had.
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Fit 13 people in a 4 passenger car and drove over potholed dirt roads. No explanation needed.
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Joined the praise and worship team. No one can see these people worship and pray and think they aren't sincere. Very rarely do they just stand there and listen to one person pray...everyone joins in. They are fully engaged and passionate...oh, and they seriously know how to dance.
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Watched a chicken get...killed? decapitated? slaughtered? It was a way slower process than anticipated and the chicken's body continued to move for at least five minutes after it's decapitation. Might work up the guts to do it myself before these 4 months are over.
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Prayed for salvation with a man named Peter who wandered into the church one day while we were practicing some songs. He was just admitted into the hospital for being HIV and TB positive, but had left and walked all the way to the church because he felt God telling him he needed to go there. We're going to visit him in the hospital soon.
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Went to a men's prison after Sunday service. When we walked in, they were already dancing around and singing, 50+ in one small room. We shared a short message with them and heard their tesimonies and stories. Many of them were there unjustly, and had heartbreaking stories. Their eyes yearned for hope. I get the feeling that these were exactly the people Jesus would have chosen to be around.
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We got to interview a man named Nelson who had escaped from the LRA (look it up if you don't know what it is) after being a child soldier for almost 3 years. I hope to share more of his story later.
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Visited a hospital that same day to talk and pray with people. I cannot describe the overwhelming needs there. I may write more about it later. When you ask God to break you, just be prepared for Him to do it.
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Did dishes the Ugandan way.
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Attempted to help with the laundry. I probably made it take longer.
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Went for a 5 hour walk in Lira...which was supposed to be more like a two hour walk. Nothing like getting lost in Africa in the blazing sun when few people around you speak english. Thank you Jesus for sunscreen, water, George and Fred who helped us home, and for Darby and Sarah who kept Aly and I staying positive. It will definitely be a great memory...
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Ate bananas for the first time in years.
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Helped write a budget register thing for the microfinance department...not sure it that's my life calling. Ha.
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Taught 20+ kids we met on our long walk a few songs (they loved O-lay-lay...have no clue how to spell that)...they hijacked my camera and took some of the best pictures I've gotten to far. Haha! Ridiculous fun.
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Had some fun/interesting hammock moments, one being teaching a little girl 50+ words in english because she mimicked everything I said. I wish I knew all the words to Waka Waka because all the kids here seem to know it.
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I could say so much about all of the wonderful times our team has spent together fellowshiping, worshiping, talking about serious subjects,and goofing off. Every single one of them is genuinely amazing. I couldn't ask to be part of a better group of people as we work out what it means to follow Jesus and live in community in Uganda. Inside jokes already abound...
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You can buy some of the coolest stuff for super cheap here. But other things that seem so simple in the states are really expensive.
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While spending some time with Jesus on the roof (the roof is flat and perfect for alone time or stargazing). A group of kids spotted me from the ground hundreds of feet away and started waving frantically. (white people are like celebrities to all the kids here) I stood up and waved back and they all started screaming and ran to get closer. We then proceeded to have a roof-to-ground dance party...they copied every single move I made. After about 15 minutes I ran out of interesting things to do and started acting crazy. As if dancing on the roof wasn't crazy enough. They yelled up to me "Muzungu! (white person/visitor) We want to be your friend! What is your name?' (they have the best accents ever) So stinkin' cute.
Needless to say, I'm losing myself in Uganda in the best possible way. I haven't even touched on half of it and this is already way too long. I feel like this place is giving more to me than I could ever give to it. I can't wait to share more with all of you and delve into more of what Jesus has in store for us.
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Posted in Admissions by Mary Keller on 1/25/2012
My obsession with seeing and touching every possible animal while here opened up an extraordinary door. Ambrose is a wide eyed yound man who has seen and experienced in his short life, more than what most people see in an entire lifetime. His parents are both dead and his older brother was kidnapped by the LRA over 15 years ago. He is hardworking, driven, and motivated. He wants to get his degree so he can open a farm and take care of the animals properly. He wants to make enough money so that he won't have to turn the orphans he can easily identify with away. The catch? It will cost him about 3 million shillings to get this degree. 3 million shillings sounds like a lot but it is just about $1200 American dollars. He gave some of my team members an enveleope filled with his ceriticates he recieved in school up to this point as well as colorings he did for me. As he handed it to them he told them "give this to Mary, she will know what to do with it." I'm really not sure what he meant by that, but I'm guessing his prayer is that I can help him go to school. In a city with so much poverty and such an abundance of needs, it's easy to get overwhelmed and feel helpless. God gave me Ambrose to remind me that even if I can only provide for one person, that is enough.
Somewhere between playing on the merry go round, holding the dying babies, and singing with the girls that work at Alpha house, my heart has broken for Africa. Broken out of burden and broken out of love. It's only been a week and I can safely say I will never be the same.
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Posted in Life on the Field by Somer Allen on 1/25/2012
I love dirt in my shoes.
I love not bathing for ____ days.
I love cool breezy mornings & scorching hot days.
I love luo.
I love brown faces and hands.
I love Chipati.
I love my new awotas(friends).
I love waking up at 5am, trying not to wake the team, and sitting and talking with Lydia while she makes chipati to sell.
I love my quiet time and view from the roof.
I love cramming 10-13 people in a 5 person vehicle. (I have a video to prove it)
I love tickling and chasing laughing little bald people.
I love not wearing make-up.
I love "pothole does not begin to describe" Ugandan roads.
I love that clean feeling I only experience while the shower is still running.
I love climbing walls, trees, and through windows.
I love that when I kill a mosquito in Africa, I feel incredibly accomplished. Like "save the world" accomplished.
I love cold showers after a long hot day.
I love feedback.
I love team testimonies.
I love hearing apoyo duogo everytime we return "home."
I love Ugandan worship.
I love Ugandan prayer - fervent and honest.
I love that people here always have a song to sing.
I love being offered the only chair in the house simply because I've come to visit.
I love getting the language pronunciation slightly wrong and having many brown faces light up with laughter.
I love when the music isn't perfect, the sound system is simply on, but worship is BOLD, PRESSING, and BEAUTIFUL.
I LOVE UGANDA and its people and their lifestyle.
I love that in Uganda my name is sometimes Some-air.
I love singing "If You're Happy and You Know it" at church.
I love learning from the materially impoverished yet joyfully BLESSED that my material wealth makes me desolately poor.
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Posted in Life on the Field by Darby Biasotto on 1/25/2012
So much can happen in one little week. I was overwhelmed with the thought of blogging it all, so I thought I would simply make a list of all of the questions our team has been asking this week!
1. How many muzungoos can fit into a 5 person car? (answer- 13)
2. What time is it?
3. What day is it?
4. How many laxatives?!
5. How much dirt is in my hair?
6. WHAT TIME DO WE HAVE TO GET UP?!
7. Can you teach me how to douggie?!
8. WHERE IS OUR HOTEL?!?!?!
9. Can we join your dance team? (answer- yes!)
10. Do you know Jesus?
11. Do you speak english?
This week we arived in Lira, Uganda. We've had the chance to be a part of a varriaty of different ministires. It's amazing to see how God is working in amazing ways. It's been hard to see how broken a city an be, but it's inspiring to meet people like our pastor who is working to show these people God's love. I am excited to keep you updated and know that you all are in our prayers!
<3 Darby
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Posted in Admissions by Ally Arnone on 1/25/2012
Baby Bananas
I am in UGANDA! After four years of desiring, waiting, praying, and…Did I mention waiting? I am finally here!
So far we have experienced…
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Baboons!
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Nile river, or so we think
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New food-delicious mystery meat, beans, rice, jack fruit(weirdest tasting fruit on the earth!)
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Ugandan church service
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Worship team practice
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Skirts….EVERY DAY.
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Showers…. Occasionally ;)
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Blessed with showers and toilets
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God working in AMAZING ways!
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Unity
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An crazy adventure around Lira. Here we experienced the people, culture, insane roads, heat, as well as ministry opportunities.
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Adorable babies, joy filled children, and hardworking men and woman
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Joy and hope, even in circumstances that seemed to be hopeless
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Brokenness in each of our hearts for the people of Uganda and the great needs that they have.
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Peace
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Prayer
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Delicious fruit
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Gorgeous Sunrises and sunsets
I cannot wait to fill you in on more of the experiences, circumstances, trials, and joys that God brings about on this trip. He has already begun showing us how great His plan for this trip, and the next four months of our lives really is. I am just blessed to be apart of it. Thank You, God!
Prayer request:
* A woman named Sharon whom we met today(Monday. She is very sick and was sent to the hospitable today. She also has a 5 month old son, Isaac, with her. Please pray for divine healing in her body and salvation, and the protection and safety of baby Isaac.
*Continued unity in our team.
*Open and willing hearts to do whatever God has planned for Lira, Uganda, one another, and this trip as a whole.
*Salvations, salvations, salvations… The fields are ripe for the harvest.
*Freedom from addictions, Hope for the hopeless, and power for the weak.
*A brokenness in each of our hearts that will teach what true Christlike compassion really is.
Miss you all!
In Christ Jesus,
-Ally
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