Grace Beyond Reason

The Lord’s protection is greater than all! Within minutes our lives changed. I know it has been awhile since I last wrote a blog and yesterday I was planning on updating everyone with all that is going on here. There has been a lot to celebrate over the past several weeks, but I think I will use this blog to describe the events of last night.

As most of you know by now there were three, maybe four, bombs that went off in Kampala yesterday. We were in one of the restaurants where one exploded, but by the grace of God we walked out unharmed. The night started like so… we were supposed to leave the orphanage at 6 in order to pick up Jonathan in town and make it to dinner by 7. However, this is Africa and we were not picked up until 6:30, and there was a march on the main road, which delayed us another 30 minutes. Our hope was to eat dinner at 7 so that we could make it to the Ethiopian Village an hour before the game to get a good seat. We however, did not finish dinner until 8:45 and when we arrived at Ethiopian it was packed. One of the waiters said there was a small side room that opened to the main area and escorted us to those seats to watch the game. We were a little disheartened that we were not going to get to watch the final game on the big screen, but little did we know that us running late would save our lives. Our frustrations with Africa’s understanding of being on time turned into God’s perfect timing and protection of us.

We were sitting in somewhat of a semi- circle in front of the tv with a couple of rows of people behind us watching the game. I kept turning to Jonathan and saying I think I am going to walk out to the main area, it is too hot in here, but I never got up. Allen had just gotten back from the bathroom, the timer just went off for half time, Jay and I were standing up to walk out when a huge explosion went off. For the first five seconds we thought the screens had blown up due to an electrical mishap, but when I could not hear anything and realized I was not in my seat we knew it was not that. The boys pushed Carrie, Tori, and I up against the wall and covered us. I was really so disoriented at this moment that I really don’t know how to describe it or how long we were curled up against the wall. All I know is at this point I realized it was a bomb and I was almost positive another one was coming and I did not think we were going to make it. Nothing came. I was expecting things to be torn to shreds and tables everywhere, but I was not prepared in anyway for what I was about to see. I stood up and blood was everywhere. We could barely walk without slipping. I looked to my left and a two people were holding themselves, covered with blood, screaming. Jay and Mason passed a little boy being held by his mother; his leg had been blown off from the knee down. Jay tried to talk to the mom, but she just stared with a blank face, speechless. The row of people behind us either lost a body part or lost their lives. Again, we walked out without a scratch. The people behind us died and we walked out without a scratch. When I finally laid down this morning at 6:30 AM to sleep I could not close my eyes because all I could think about was that. Over and over again I think that. Once we all got off the floor, we looked around with almost no thoughts and just said “run!” Jay led, I threw chairs out of the way and we walked through the flesh, blood, bodies, and tables to get to the main road. People were screaming, crying out for loved ones, police were pulling up, bodies were being pulled out, reporters were coming; we were dumbfounded. The man next to us just fell on the ground weeping, “ My brother died! My brother died!” We did not know what to do because to our left was more people which could mean more bombs, but to our right was absolutely nothing- do we go away? What if they are targeting white people? Do we stay at the place since it was already bombed and another has not gone off yet? I just did not react in a way that was helpful at all. I had no thoughts, no reaction, no suggestions, absolutely no idea what to do. Jay was talking to Jon and it was just good to talk to someone who was not there. He was able to tell us what to do. In those situations we know what to do, but I think we were so shaken up that we just stared at each other and needed someone who did not see any of it to direct us. We made it down the road, Carrie passed out a couple of times, but other than that we made it out completely untouched. I know I am repeating myself, but still telling this story shakes me up and I cannot get over the protection of the Lord. At first I was mad and still question: why were we so protected and others dead, even the people right behind us were dead. There are 64 dead, 15 where we were. We were feet away from the bomb. When we eat at that restaurant they usually put us near the front at the big table, well that was the table the bomb was under. Again, the Lord’s timing is perfect, we would have set there if we were on time and we would not be alive right now. It makes me want to fall on my knees and weep. That’s the only reaction in me.

Please be in prayer for the families affected. I pray that we would not be desensitized to what has happened, this is not just another bomb that went off in a foreign country. It is sad to say, but I often feel that we become desensitized to this because we hear about things like this over seas often, but seeing families curled up weeping because in a matter of seconds they lost a loved one is more than just something to pass by while watching the news.

“ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

We are covered by the grace of our Lord.

Today I met Jesus and Obama's brother

Yesterday was one of my favorite days here in Uganda. We went and walked through the community, which is a slum, where Rays of Hope school is. We went to tell the people about Jesus Christ and I must say it started off very interesting. The first man I met told me that he actually was Jesus Christ. He said that he needed us to fund his work here so that he could preach. He also told us that he was a Muslim. So we met a Muslim, Jesus/ preacher who needs money to tell people about Christ. Another man that I talked to told me that he was Obama's brother. I had to take advantage of this and have a little fun. I asked him how many siblings were in the family and he told me around 200. He also told me that he would take me in one of his six helicopters (which were flown by white people- he made sure I knew that) to Yugoslavia to visit Obama. So Obama is in Yugoslavia? Who knew? Then he said for me to tell Obama his brother said hello and he told me to use his phone that directly connects me to him for free. This conversation pretty much made my day.

However, on a more serious note… We spent the first 45 minutes talking to a Muslim woman and trying to explain to her who Jesus is. She laughed in our face when we talked about him being the Son of God and not a messenger. She said that she would never believe that Jesus is the Son of God. She listened though, the rest is up to the Lord. Her friend was there who is from Gulu (northern part of Uganda where the war is). She had two children, one was mentally disabled and the other one lame. She asked us to pray over her and her children. It just broke my heart to see her children, but also encouraged me to see a mother here still seeking strength to raise these two children. We then walked deeper into the slum and saw some people gathered around drinking out of this very long, thin pipe from a small pot, which I quickly realized was alcohol. They asked us to come over and talk to them. This is where I met Obama's brother. Tori got to talking to this one lady who seemed sincerely interested in who Jesus is. She asked a lot of questions and ended up surrendering her life to Christ. She then asked us to come back with her to her home and meet her family and pray with her. She is a widow with four children. Two of her children were there (they are teenagers) and one of her friends followed us back. We crammed into their small living room and got to share the Gospel with her friend and two children. They surrendered their lives to Christ and asked us to come back to walk them through the Bible while we are here (discipleship, yes please)! " But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us" (2 Corinthians 4:7). " For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:16). Lastly, we came to a group of people sitting out selling fruit and vegetables. When we walked by, they asked us to stop and talk to them. One man caught our attention and asked us to tell him about Jesus. He said he was Muslim. We talked about what he believed for a minute and then he asked me to explain to him who Christ is and what is considered sin. I was thrown a little off guard because I realized that in America we get so caught up in the deep theological discussions, that we forget the simplicity of the gospel. " For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power" ( 1 Corinthians 1: 17). Joel also spent some time discussing with him and then he said he wanted to surrender his life to Christ. He also asked us to come back while we are here and take him through the Word. I will admit I was a little hesitant on his sincerity, but I was immediately reminded who am I to judge? The Lord calls me to tell all about Him and He will do the rest. He will seal them with the promised Holy Spirit. I cannot forgot about the power of God and so quickly I do. " I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth" (1 Corinthians 3:6).

We got back to the school in just enough time to be a part of their devotion. Again, it is the best worship time we have here. They follow singing with prayer. They all prayed at the same time out loud, then they laid hands on each one of us and prayed individually for us. Josh, Carrie's friend that came for the week, gave the message. We sang some more and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon hanging out with the kids.

Also, we found out that Victoria has an enlarged heart. Jay took her the next day to the hospital to get some tests run and they said she will be fine. She does not need surgery. Another answer to our prayers!

The Lord continues to allow us to be a part of His miraculous works that happen daily. I just pray that we would have open eye to see them and willingness to obey Him.

"Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?" Jeremiah 32:27

A month into it all...

We are now about half way through our time here. It is crazy to think that we have already been here a month! This past week the Lord really helped me take a step back from everything and look at all that is taking place. To take a look at how the Lord is intertwining everything together and there is a greater story in process than we can see now. I can see a lot more coming together and know that I am in a season of learning and waiting. Walking by the Spirit and waiting are the two key things now that is a must from us in order to gain discernment and wisdom. The greatest thing to discover for me right now is seeing the work the Lord has done in me since I was young being pieced together and given meaning.

As some of you know we took all 17 of the kids to the doctor for check-ups last week and not one of them have HIV, typhoid, or malaria. Talk about a blessing from the Lord! Seventeen orphans and none of them have HIV! That is a miracle in itself. We did however have some funny stories after our doctor’s visits. Carrie and I took the first five together. Vanita has been sick so she had a permanent IV in her hand and would get medicine put in it everyday. Well, Carrie decided to sit back there with her while they put more medicine in her hand. About 2 minutes into this I hear, “Catherine, Catherine, I can’t do this! I am about to pass out. Catherine!” So I walked back there and Carrie came out to sit on the chair and when I turned around Carrie looked up at me and then just flipped out of her chair! Ha, five minutes into this and Carrie has passed out. I was thinking, if we can’t get Carrie through this there is no way that 17 children are going to make it when they draw their blood. Lets just say that that was Carrie’s last trip to the doctor. Tori and I finished up the rest.

We have also been able to spend a good bit of time at Joel’s school, Rays of Hope. We are helping paint the rooms and are trying to finish up some small projects he has for us. Wednesday’s are their devotion days for the older students and this week we decided to join them. The students led us in singing and dancing. It was probably the best worship time I have had since we have been here. I sat amongst the students this time and sang, danced, and prayed with them and just felt immersed in the love and joy of Christ. Allen ended up giving the message and Joel told him to ask if any of the students wanted to surrender their lives to Christ. As soon as he asked 30-40 students jumped up to the front. I stood amazed for the next fifteen minutes as everything played out. Joel was sure to explain to them that this can’t have anything to do with white people being here. We stood up there with them for the next 15 minutes and explained to them, the best way we could, the Gospel and what it means to surrender your life to Christ.

The Spirit of the Lord is moving, through these kids, through the kids at Sozo, through our time with Kenneth (our driver), and throughout this city as those kids go and tell their parents and as we walk the streets in the community sharing the good news. I am excited about the upcoming week because we will be finishing up our work at Joel’s school so that we can spend our time in the community telling the people about Christ.

Relationships are being reconciled. Opportunities to share Christ are arising left and right. Students are surrendering their lives to Christ. Their parents are hearing the Gospel and seeing the joy of Christ in them. Orphans are being cared for. We are growing and learning. I would say that so far it hasn’t been too bad of a summer. Glory be to the Lord

Just a few fun facts… I tried to kill a chicken last week and got half way through because I could not get through the skin and gave up. It was too much for me to handle. However, I have been told that I would have to try again tomorrow. Jay and Allen have both tried grasshoppers and I too might have to give that a try. Kenneth said he would let me drive the car to the orphanage one day (not to sure about doing that). Bungee jumping is quickly approaching as well… African adventures continue!

The Small Things

This past Sunday we loaded up all the kids again and went to Watoto Church near the home. The pastor talked about the roles of the church and defined their church and their mission in Uganda and in all the nations. It was a really good service. This part of the sermon really intrigued me…

New Testament __ Church Today

Location: house to house - church building

Size: small and intimate - large, impersonal

Activities: daily - weekly service

Ministry: by all believers - fulltime pastors

Pastor’s Duty: equip - preach well

Key Words: Go! Make disciples. - Come, grow with us

Involvement: participate - watch, spectate

Focus: people - programs

May we constantly recognize our need for Christ, and be rooted and grounded in Him, that we may glorify Him by being a church willing to love and serve, thereby becoming His pure bride.

This week I have been more mentally drained then ever, yet at the same time I have never felt more spiritually renewed. If a day went by this week where I was not refocused through Scripture, it was not going to be a good day. I have never felt more reliance on the Word then now. I have also never felt this much intimacy with the Lord. The small things have once again captured my attention and drawn me deeper into His love. We may not have a big day, but when I sat by Lake Victoria and watched all the kids dance to music around the car, knowing where they were a month ago, my heart could do nothing but rejoice. I couldn’t help but see the love of Christ in a little mute and mostly deaf girl that followed us around the school all day with a constant smile, laughing and wanting to play with us. I could see the humbleness of Christ in the Ugandan family who invited us to dinner and served us a Ugandan feast that was probably very expensive for them. The hope of Christ when we do devotion with the kids at night and they each stand up and thank Christ for food, shelter, love, and each other. Just before testimony time they all pray out loud at the same time. We asked Aggie what were some of the things they prayed about and she said they asked for wisdom, prayed for the kids at Mercy Home that are not being taken care of, prayed for the kids on the streets, thanked the Lord for giving them food that day, and Dennis (usually the one getting in trouble) asked that the Lord would change his attitude so that he could be nice and not disobey. The love of Christ is in the conversations, in Victoria’s smile, Fatuma’s laugh, and Vivian’s gentleness. I thank Him for making me aware of the beauty around me and allowing me to take part in it.

Last week we got to spend some time at Rays of Hope with our friend Joel. When we arrived they had a devotion planned. Their choir sang and a few people welcomed us then Carrie, Tori, and Allen led worship for a little while, followed by Mason’s message. Afterwards Joel caught us up on what had happened since we left and it was so encouraging to see that what the Lord started last year was being brought to fruition. Joel said that one particular man we told about Christ last year really did turn his life around and was still seeking the Lord. I got to meet some of the orphans that were now in school because of the money raised, they were being served breakfast everyday now, and they had new desks. Joel’s ministry is still moving forward and the people of Kabalagala are hearing about Christ. I did not know this last year when the Lord placed this area on our hearts, but apparently it is one of the poorer areas, prostitution and drunkenness are prominent, and there are very few people serving there. Joel said that they have been doing devotions once a week for the past year and the children go home and tell their parents about what they have learned, a good bit of them being prostitutes. The Word of God is spreading, people are hearing and believing! I thought this was very encouraging to see the work of the Lord being continued no matter where we are. It is the Lord who gives the growth, not man.

This coming up week we will hopefully be helping Jay and Allen take all the kids to the doctor to get checked out. Please be praying for them. I am sure they will all be tested for HIV. We are going back to Joel’s to work on Wednesday and Friday. Please continue to pray that we would always have a servant’s heart and that we would have opportunities to share the Gospel with people.

Thank you for your prayers!

The first days

Well we’ve been here now for a solid week. Sorry I have not been able to update much lately, but hopefully I will be able to write two blogs a week. We will see though…

Our flights here went well. On the flight from Atlanta to Amsterdam I sat next to a family from India. They had a two year old little boy who quickly became my new best friend. He was full of energy the entire flight until the last thirty minutes. Once we got on the next flight from Amsterdam to Entebbe exhaustion began to settle in, but the lady next to me started up a conversation and we enjoyed hearing each other’s stories for a good bit of the flight. It was cool to see the work of the Lord from the start. In the Atlanta airport we met a man from Louisiana who was headed to Ukraine, but felt the Lord leading him to Uganda and wanted to learn more about what we were doing. On the flight to Entebbe the lady next to me was a professor at Wisconsin and was taking a team to Uganda for nursing. She too was interested in what we were doing. It was also encouraging because our flight to Entebbe was about 70% missionaries. I just love to sit back and watch the people the Lord puts in our paths to further His work. I love meeting new people and seeing what the Lord is doing in their lives and somehow connecting or networking with them to further the work of the Lord. I pray that our eyes would continue to be open so that we would see these opportunities and converse with the people around us.

After naps, food, conversations, sunrises, more food, sunsets, again food, we finally made it to Uganda! Allen, Jay, and Eddie were at the airport to pick us up. We stopped by the orphanage for a minute to meet the kids and then headed to our apartment to get some rest. On Sunday we met Allen and Jay at the orphanage to help them get all 17 children ready for church. This was quite the experience. The girls walked in in their dresses with their chunky, black school shoes on. This is when we realized that they did not have Sunday shoes. I will have to put up some pictures because it was really funny to see them in pretty Sunday dresses with huge, black shoes on. We walked down to the main road; all 23 of us piled into a taxi and off to Watoto church we went. When we arrived we were surprised with an outdoor, celebration service that lasted 3 ½ hours. About 30 minutes into it some of the girls looked miserable, although they did not complain, so Carrie took some of them to sit under a tree. After that came the “I need to susu" ( go to the bathroom) requests began. After our first bathroom break we rotated walking around, sitting under the tree, and taking kids to the bathroom for the next three hours. At one point Mercy took off from the back to the front of the congregation with me chasing after her. It was quite the sight to see I must say. The people there probably thought we were crazy… six muzungus (white people) taking 17 children to church. After the service we loaded them back into the taxi and went to the home for lunch. I was taken back because immediately the kids started doing chores. They washed their clothes, cleaned all the dishes, mopped the floors, and cleaned their rooms. I was told that they do this everyday. The greatest sight was watching two year old Mercy wash her clothes. I don’t think I would ever see this in America. It takes enough for parents to get their 20 year old children to wash their clothes in the washing machine here in the US of A.

Monday was quite the day. We headed back to the home (orphanage) to meet with Jay and Allen and go with them to finish registering the kids for school, get them school supplies, pay the fees for school, get their uniforms, and take them to the doctor for check-ups. Well things did not go as planned. Unexpectedly, a team of 12 showed up to see the home and play with the kids, which was fine, but we were unable to leave. Then Fanitah and Fredah both got sick, so I was going to run them to the doctor. Well just before I left Julius started running a fever, crying, and was having a little bit of trouble breathing, so I hopped in the car with him (we decided not to take all three- The Ugandans there said Fanitah and Fredah probably had malaria so just to get them medicine). Eddie, Julius, and I went to the doctor. (Take note that Eddie speaks a little bit of English and Julius speaks no English) I was about to have some fun. I walked into the doctor with Julius. Eddie walked me in and then sat in the car. When I finally figured out that the chairs were in line to see the doctor (after several people jumped in front of me) we went into her room. She just stared at me when I sat down so I was like “He has a cough, fever, and we think it’s malaria.” I have no idea what she said back so I just pointed to Julius and said talk to him. This was my second day with the kids so at this point I knew very little. She asked me his last name; I had no idea. She asked me where we lived; I again had no idea. (I made something up after she stared at me like who is this person). She asked me our phone number and because it’s a million digits long I had no idea. Also, we ran out the door so Julius did not have shoes on. So this is the picture…. A white person walked in with a child who does not have shoes on, does not know his last name, does not know where she lives or where he lives, does not know her phone number, and honestly does not know what to do at all in this doctor’s office. It was quite the learning experience and to say the least humbling. It made me really want to know Luganda because he had to get his blood taken and a shot and I had no way of comforting him through words, which was really frustrating. We learned a lot that day in the doctor, but due to the length of this blog I will end it there. Nonetheless Julius had malaria, but he is doing great now! I now know how to take a child to the doctor in Uganda, except next time I will know their last name. When we got back to the home Deborah and Dennis were not feeling well. At this point I just felt so bad for Jay and Allen because we had so much to do that day and none of it got done and five of the kids got sick. This was life for them for the past few weeks so we felt the need to try and take a little load off. Also, when 17 children are involved, the word “plan” is not a part of their dictionary.

Tuesday we spent the day in the city trying to round up last minute things for the kids before they started school Wednesday. Yesterday was pretty low key. We had several meetings so our brains were fried, but we enjoyed spending time with the team from North Carolina. Today we slept in and went to eat at Good African Coffee, a taste of American food. We spent the rest of the day playing with the kids, dominating card games (Allen and I dominated Jay and Mason), and enjoying good conversations.

The Lord keeps reminding me to take everything a day at a time. For some reason I feel like it is easier to do that in America than here. Maybe it is because I feel the weight of having things planned for everyone everyday, which to an extent is good, but for one we’re in Africa (where plans are never made) and two I feel that there is a lot the Lord is leading us to do. My prayer is that no matter what the day brings, no matter how frustrating things may make me, no matter what the plan is, I need to set aside my desires, plans, and frustrations and seek out the decisions that will glorify the Lord the most. I desire discernment for decision -making, purity of the heart, and a humble mind. I am very anxious to learn right now and soak in everything. I pray that that eagerness will not fade and that patience and love will abound in my walk with Christ.

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement. Please continue to pray for Sozo as they seek the Lord for guidance and for the children that they know the love of Christ surrounds them. Visit sozochildren.org for updates on the orphanage.

1 Peter 3:8