Nancy's eyes held all the hope I could ever imagine to encounter. Her smile was completely perfect and her hugs were comparable to warm sunshine after a week of snow.
This little girl was God's perfect way of showing me exactly how much He loved me, and the rest of His children. Her torn clothes, snotty nose, and dirty hands are reasons I love this country. Two hours with this little baby, and I fell in love. Life is vibrant and completely different: a change that God has been waiting 18 years for me to discover.
After 14 school ministries, 1 prison ministry, and 1 hospital visit.. it is safe to say that I have seen all sorts of Gulu, Uganda. The area is completely war-stricken. Hopelessness overtakes most of the faces, but in that despair, there is a joy that only visiting Gulu could explain. After 20 + years of war, citizens are just now returning to their homelands after years at IDP camps. The schools we visited held children with stories completely foreign to anything I could ever wrap my head around. The majority were in someway affected by this war. It's crazy to think about how my own country is at war, but I havent personally seen ANYTHING like these people have. The stories are extremely gripping, and many times after visiting a school I would be completely broken. Thankfully, I have an amazing team there to pray with me and remember that God has each of those children in His Hands, HE has a plan!
One boy in particular, Fred (18 years old), completely threw me for a loop. He was really quiet, and that intrigued me because most boys here have asked me to take them with me back to America (haha). I sat and asked Fred question after question. Finally I asked him how the war had affected him. He had told me that he is just now coming back to his homeland after living in a camp for 17 years, he is homeless, and his father was killed by the LRA. The sheer boldness of that statement completely broke my heart. This story was REAL. This place I was in had really just gone through something that I could never actually relate with. The ONLY thing I could relate to him was that Jesus can be His hope. I asked Fred if he was a christian and he said that he was, I told him that I would continue to pray for him and to continue to put his faith in the Lord. Getting back on that bus, I just stared into his lonely face. Audrey (team leader) reminded me that Fred is a child of God just like me..and Jesus protects His children. He is the perfect planner, the best at healing the soul, and He will protect Fred 🙂
Jesus is the only hope for that area. I'm excited for all of the people who accepted Christ into their hearts. Continue to pray that each day they will grow in the Word, fellowship and be strengthened by God's abundant love.
I am doing great here in Africa, thank you again to all of you who helped me get here!
Blessings from Kampala, Uganda..we're headed to Kabale tomorrow morning!
For His service,
Katie 🙂
by the way.. Happy 18th Year of being a Father, Dad! I love you times a million.
