Thankfulness!

"I'm about to burst with song; I can't keep quiet about you. God, my God, I can't thank you enough."  -Ps.9:1 (MSG)

As I cleaned my house yesterday listening to Christmas music,(which I wouldn't have been able to do if my husband was home because he hates it) I couldn't help but think about many things that make me sad this time of year.  I thought about children that would wake up on Christmas morning without a present to open, but then again how important is getting a present really? I think about people that have no homes and live on the streets.....what do they think of this time of year?  What about the millions of orphans who have no mom or dad to tuck them into bed and give them kisses tonight?  I also started thinking about all the people I had met in Uganda while I was there.....

*Rehema & James (pray for James he is an unbeliever) 2 children and 1 is an orphan
*Scovia -2 children & 1 orphan
*Agnes and her son Steven who we prayed over that was sick and had prayer for the first time
*Aidah Nambogwe was a mother who had 8 total children and most were orphans she had taken in
*Kwanya Benard was the boy who I gave my bible to and his mother was Mbwali Margret who was sick in
Kampala
*My friend Damali who runs Sonrise Baby Home
*My friend Betty that helps at Sonrise Baby Home and is sick all the time.
*My friend Ivan who helps at Sonrise Baby Home and is trying to get Sonrise Church going
Thinking about at all of these people and things made me remember that God loves them just as much as he loves me. It also reminded me that he is the same God here for me as he is for them and he promised to never leave them nor forsake them.   And this Christmas I am thankful for the little things! I am thankful for.....a loving husband, 3 beautiful girls, cutie pie Steven, family, a mom, sister, grandparents, sweet kisses, great friends, a home, food, talks about God with my kids, God's endless mercies, & Jesus!!!

Thank you for your mercy seat where your Grace covers me! Your blood flows freely! He will provide the healing.

I am thankful for these things because of God's grace in my life.  Christmas is about a baby named Jesus that came to save our lives and was cruicified so that you and me would have eternal life.  " For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." -Romans 6:23 You see he came once and he is coming again for his people!One day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.  Our job.....My job is to tell others so they my know too. Others meaning people you meet in the store, on the street, at work, in Uganda!

      Do you not know?....Have you not heard?... Jesus is the Lord!!   Jesus is the Lord!! 

          You're worthy of Worship!   You're worthy of Praise!    Your worthy of Honor!

Coming to a close....

I only spoke to Kim for a couple of minutes today, and those couple of minutes were hindered by a 3 year old needing milk, and two six year olds in desperate life threatening need of some Dill Pickle chips.  I didn't get a lot of info from her, except that she was able to go back to Sonrise for the last full day.  She went by herself, and spent the day there with the babies and the nannies.  The rest of the team went into the villages again. 

I think every mission trip yields fruit, but sometimes it's more visible than others.  According to the team, there have been many people that trusted in Christ for the first time this week, including several Muslims. 
I have to share one story in particular that a friend shared with me today.  Her husband, who is in Uganda, had called her and told her.  They were out ministering in pairs of two with translators again today.  They were told to split up the pairs, and go out by themselves with a translator, so they could reach out to even more people.  Our friend went to the home of a elderly man and woman.  When he came in and started talking, the elderly man told him he had had a dream that God sent a "messenger" that wasn't of his people.  He told our friend that he looked just like the man that God sent in the dream.  Our friend went on to share the Gospel with the man and his wife, and after talking for a while, they both trusted Christ for the first time!  If that doesn't give you chills, nothing will.  God still works miracles.

I mentioned this before, but please be in prayer for the team as they prepare to leave tomorrow.  I promise you, when they return, they WILL NEVER BE THE SAME.  I'm going to go out on limb, and say they are going to be more madly and passionately in love with Jesus than ever before.  They are going to be more passionate about taking Christ to the nations than ever before.  And they are going to be more broken than ever before.  You can't go somewhere like that, or Haiti, or Nicaragua, or Peru, or Sudan, or India, or fill in the blank of any impoverished nation, and not come back broken.  Pray for their safe travel, but more than that pray that their lives as well as ours will take the mission of glorifying Christ throughout the world to a whole new level!

Does the Holy Spirit Still Move........

Throughout the New Testament, we see the Apostles do things that seem absolutely mind boggling, healing the sick, raising the dead, driving out demons, preaching the Gospel and seeing non-believers come to Christ in droves everywhere they went.  So the million dollar question is, does the Holy Spirit still do those same things through God's people?  I mean, let's face it, when we see a "faith healer" nowadays, it's typically someone on tv dressed in a $1000 suit, and right after he "heals" someone, he turns to the camera and asks for your money.  (I'm talking to you Benny Hinn.)  We don't see demons driven out of people on a daily basis, and some churches will go years without seeing anyone come to Christ.  So is God still moving the way He did in the Bible?  Francis Chan talks about this in the book Forgotten God (a must read by the way).  He says we don't see the Holy Spirit move in these ways in our country because we don't allow Him to.  We've got such a fancy production in churches now, that if He did actually move, it would be an annoyance to our pre-planned "show". 

Why do I say all of this?  I won't go into many details, I'll allow the team to do that when they come back.  But I firmly believe they are seeing and experiencing the Holy Spirit moving in ways that we, here in the states, only read about in the Bible, and quite frankly, don't really think God "does" anymore.  The believers in Uganda DESPERATELY NEED God for everything they have.  They rely on the Holy Spirit every single day........not just for 10 minutes on Sunday and Wednesday at "decision time". 

They went to a different village today and shared some more.  They got to go to a school where the children performed for them.  They visited a police station, where (I think) Jeff was able to hand out some of his Homewood P.D. patches.  Sorry I'm not giving many details, but I think some things happened today that will have to be told by those that were there.

When I spoke with Kim this morning, she finally broke down when she was talking about a widow who had two of her own children and cared for six additional orphans in a small one room hut.  The poverty, the need, and the hurting can be overwhelming.  One of my favorite passages from the book, The Hole In The Gospel, by Rich Stearns, is an exhange that goes something like this:
"Sometimes I wonder why God would allow so much suffering, poverty, and need in the world when He could do something about it."
"Why don't you ask Him?"
"Because I'm afraid He would ask me the same thing....."

The idea that "I'm just one person, there's not much I can do, so why bother" is a lie from the pit of hell.  God called everyone of us to care for orphans, widows, the needy, the sick, the least of these.  When are we going to stop turning the other way and acting like this is an optional extra to Christianity? 

Please continue to pray for the the team as they wrap up the last couple of days of their trip.  Pray for the new believers that trusted in Christ today!  Pray for the Ugandan believers.  The Prosperity Gospel is prevelant and they desperately need the truth.  And pray for American believers, that God would put in us a passion for the hurting and the lost worldwide.  Thanks guys!!!!

Into the village.......

I spoke with Kim around lunchtime today.  She was calling from the side of the road......flat tire.  Welcome to global missions!!!  Today, they went into a nearby village.  They initially thought they were going in a large group but that was not the case.  They were sent out in groups of two Americans and a translator, and just basically went and shared with some of the villagers and hung out with them all day.  I believe they began the day as a group at the local church for worship, then split into pairs and their translators.  Kim and Beth Hill went and spent the day with a local widow, and also got to spend time in the home of one of the church members.  The church member's husband was not a believer, so they got the opportunity to share the Gospel with him.  Prayerfully a seed was planted.  They also got the opportunity to pray over a child who had been passing out and was not well at all.  Kim said he just laid in one spot under a tree and never moved. She thought he had cerebal palsy.  They were told it was the first time anyone had ever prayed for him before.  "Whatever you did for the least of these......."

Please continue to pray for Sonrise Community Church.  They are having some issues with the land the church was constructed on.  The enemy clearly doesn't want this church to be built.  Pray for Ivan (the pastor) and the rest of this community.  May this church be a light in a dark world.

Other than that, I think everyone is getting along well.  They are going back into the village for the next couple of days to continue to hang out and love on this community.  Kim is going to get to go back to Sonrise on Saturday before they leave.  Please pray for the group emotionally as they prepare to return home on Monday.  Most of them have seen things that they never have before, and returning back to the prosperity of America is many times very difficult.  You tend to view things a little differently when you've seen how the majority of the rest of the world lives...........God, break our hearts for what breaks yours.

Sonrise Day two

Hey guys.  Sorry for the late update.  It's been a busy day (this is still Josh).  Kim said they spent another day at Sonrise (she's in heaven!).  The ladies got to minister to the staff and nannies.  They did a devotion with them, painted the nannies' fingernails and toenails, and basically helped them perform their daily jobs in order to give them a little break. 

The guys continued to work on the church shelter.  They got a good bit of work done, but as we said before, spiritual warfare is in full swing and the church is now under spiritual attack.  Satan does not want this church built, because God's going to do gigantic things with it!!!  Please pray for the church and Pastor Ivan.  God is going to be glorified through it!

Also, be in prayer for our team tomorrow.  Thursday, Friday, and Saturday will be spent with the missionaries in the villages.  They will be sent out in twos (weird, I've heard that from somewhere! :) )
They will go and minister and share with many different families.  This will stretch their comfort zones to a whole new level!!!  Pray they will have an opportunity to share with many of the lost!!! 

They are about halfway through their time there, and as far as I can tell everyone is still doing great. Please continue to be in prayer for the remainder of the trip that God will bring the lost directly into their path, people will be saved!  Thanks everybody.

Updates........

Hey everybody.  So, it looks like those reading the blog this week are going to be stuck with secondhand info from yours truly (Josh).  Kim said she can't get her IPad to get any kind of WIFI or 3G coverage.  The only ones getting any kind of reception are Beth and Tammy and it's spotty.  Anyway, today the team went over to Sonrise Baby Home.  As most of you know, Kim has been counting down the days to return to the home since last time she got back!  She said as always their time there was incredible.  They delivered the supplies (formula, diapers, etc.) to the home and the nannies were ecstatic.  While they were there, the ladies got to help give all the babies their baths, and spend some time with the nannies.  The guys got started on the church shelter they are building.  Kim said while they were working some people came up and started asking around about what they were doing.  This gave Jeff, Grant, and Jason the opportunity to not only tell them about Sonrise Community Church, but also share the Gospel with them!!!!!  Pray that seeds were planted from this encounter! 

They are returning to Sonrise again tomorrow.  Hopefully the guys can continue to get the church built.  The ladies are going to serve the nannies.  They're going to try to do some devotions with them, and just give them a much needed break from their daily routines.  Thursday, Friday, and Saturday will be spent in the villages with the missionaries they are with.  They have said the missionaries (sorry I can't remember names) have been absolutely amazing.  Our team has been blessed by being with them.  Please continue to pray for construction of the church, and for opportunities to share the Gospel, much like what happened today.  Pray for the ladies as they minister to the women of Sonrise, and show them the love of Christ.  Pray for the missionaries and their family, that God will continue to use them in mighty ways.  I'll try to post more when I hear from her again. 

In Jinja.........

Hey guys.  This is Josh.  Kim took her IPad with her and is hoping to be able to post on the blog some, but the WIFI and 3G, is a little sketchy. I've been able to talk to her a couple of times, and she sounded good.  She said they got into Entebbe late on Sunday night (it was about 2:00 yesterday afternoon our time).  Everybody was tired, but other than that they were good.  I think a couple of bags did get lost though.  If I heard her right, they had a hotel room in Kampala and stayed there.  Monday morning they got up, had breakfast and headed to Jinja, a few hours away. 

When I spoke with her this morning, they had made it to Jinja and gotten checked into the hotel.  The missionaries they are working with were cooking for them today.  They were also going to try to rest up a little more, and maybe go to a couple of markets.  Tomorrow, they are going to Sonrise.  But after that, I'm not real sure what the rest of the week looks like.  Hopefully Kim will be able to get on and post some (it's always hard getting accurate info, when it doesn't come directly from the source).  But other than a minor issue with Kim's ATM card not working, (thank you Jeff Harris!) everything is good.  Everybody feels good and is excited to get going.  God's going to do big things. 

Is it time again?

This is a picture of our team that will be leaving for Uganda on Saturday.  We are all getting really excited as it sets in we will be leaving soon.  Whether you are family or friends, given supplies or praying us through I just want to say thank you for all you've done.  We all are a part of the work that God is doing around us and in Uganda.  There is nothing more that we can do to prepare for this trip but have faith in God and allow him to lead the way.  I would ask you to pray for for safety and health for each one of us while we are gone, but above all else that we bring glory and honor to his name. 

While we are there we are going to be visiting Sonrise Baby Home helping the ladies there with some of the daily chores with the children.  Also, we will be going to help start  build Sonrise Community Church shelter. (pray for the men on that job)  We know that God will do this work.  We will be working with missionaries in Jinja that have been there for quite sometime.  We'll get to go out into the villages visiting different homes meeting the people. We should have plenty of work to do while we're there.

Below are the names of the people going on the trip
Jeff
Grant
Jason
Scott
Stacey
Kim
Joy
Tammy
Beth

Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!  -Revelation 5:12 

Overload!!!

OK, so things have been quite busy lately since I've been back home from my first trip to Uganda this past July.  I believe I've posted how we've been called to adopt and Josh's amazing trip to Haiti he just got back from.  With a horrible computer at home that will not keep up with even how fast I type it's hard to catch everyone up with up with things in between. (we will have a fix to my computer problem soon, yeah! :)  With all the things that Mom & Dad have been doing the girls have also had some things of their own. Soccer games and ballet have been enough excitement for them to handle.

In the mean time we've been going through the homestudy process of Adoption and trying to get things taken care of on this side.  Of course this is a long process with lots of paperwork and stuff I don't even understand.  But, we have finished with all the interviews with our social worker and we are waiting for our finger prints to come in.  She will then be writing up our homestudy that tells all about us to be sent over to Uganda. (again lots of processing) That's it in a nutshell....lots of waiting.  We know that God is in control and we have complete peace knowing this. 

For now, I am excited that in 13 days I am leaving for Uganda once again with a team of 9 other men and women.  We are working with some IMB missionaries that have been there over 15 years working in the local villages doing some church planting and teachings such as Chronological Bible storying.  While we are there we will be going back to Sonrise Baby and Children's home. http://www.sonrisebabies.com/  We hope to be helping them with some projects they are in need of along with loving on some of those precious babies!  Damali the founder of Sonrise was just at our home with her sister Rebecca last weekend sharing with our church her testimony and the needs of the home.  We had a bit of fun with her as she helped Ella & Avery get the insides out of their pumpkins!

Getting the yucky out!

Sharing what God has done in her life.

The children you can sponsor at Sonrise for $30 a month!

http://www.sonrisebabies.com/donate/

Things to buy to support the home. Beautiful handmade necklaces $10.

http://www.sonrisebabies.com/donate/necklaces.html

I know this is a lot of information to pack in one post but I just have to get it all out.  I don't get much time to sit down and write as you can see we are on the go.  Yesterday, after school the girls and two of their friends (another set of twins, Kennan & Kennedy) helped me unpack some of the supplies we are taking over to Sonrise.  We like to get things out of the packages so it will be easier to pack come Sunday when the team comes.  (really I was needing something for them to do to keep them busy) Gave me a chance to take a picture of all the supplies.  We still lack a few things needed to be picked up.  We have some medicine that will be brought over and a few girls have some things at their house.Thank you to everyone who has given us even just one item. God knows what is needed and uses everyone for his purpose. Plain and simple.......PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!!!

                   







    Ella and Avery love to help and have their picture taken ;)
                                             

Lots of helpers!!

Now that's a lot of formula!

Avery kept telling me....."Here mom, here's your band-aids"!

For the ladies.

Diapers for the babies!

More formula!

Heading back.

Josh has told me they have had a change of plans. Still coming back on Sat night but they are heading back to Port au Prince today because the bus driver got confused and came to Petite Riverre last night instead of tonight. At least they won't have to worry about any problems trying to get to the airport in the morning (bus breaking down, etc.) The ladies taught the last sanitation class to the teachers there at the school this morning.  They got to stop at an orphanage on the way out of town. He said the conditions were terrible  and would have broke my heart.  They got to give out all 95 dolls though.  Apparently Elise has a friend in Port au Prince with a large house that they are going to stay at tonight. Pray for safe travels as the team heads back home.  Thanks guys for all your hard work and dedication to the Lord!!

Praise be to God the church is finished!!!

         

A good day.

Josh says today was awesome! Everyone is absolutely exhausted though and they have to get up at 4:30 tomorrow. This morning he got to share the Gospel with about 8 teenage boys hanging out. He asked them if they were Christians and they said yes. He then asked them who they thought Jesus was and they said "he was a spirit." Their Christianity is even tied to voodoo. How scary is that? He said they presented as clear a picture of who Christ is as he could, (I'm betting it was amazing) along with giving them a Desiring God tract. I'm sure a seed was planted.

They got a TON of work done as you could see from the pictures I posted earlier.  He said,  "I can safely say it's the hardest work I've ever done." So it looks like they got the job done and the roof is prepped to get the tin on. I believe he said they worked for around 12 hours today. Tomorrow morning they're going to go out early, as soon as it's daylight, and get started because it will be incredibly hot putting the metal roof on. They hope to wrap the church up by around lunch. They are supposed to have a dedication service around 4:00 with the pastor and church. This is the best thing of all, ( reminds me of what we did at GFBC) they wrote 32 (one on each side of the 16 trusses) passages of scripture or names of God (Yahweh, Jehovah Jireh, etc.) So the building would be covered in scripture! Awesome!


He says Raymond pretty much has the water filtration system done, only a plug has to be wired and it will be up and running. The girls have continued their health surveys in the community. Their big community wide sanitation class will be Friday.

"The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever."  -Isaiah 40:8

So this is what trusses look like. All sixteen built and put in place by hand!  This is a major thing for Josh......around our house the biggest project he does is put up a picture! ;) What a great job men!

Church is coming along

Josh sent an email last night about their day, but I'm just now getting around to posting this. This is a picture that he sent of the church as of yesterday. Although it only looks halfway done in this picture he says that they got  all the trusses done at the site. (whatever those are) Sixteen of them took all day to build. Today they hope to start at least some of the sheet metal on the roof.

He tells me that something very interesting happened yesterday. A man stood staring at them for a long time. Mark went over with a translator and asked him if he went to the church. He responded he went to church "Everywhere". Mark then asked if he knew Christ as his savior. He got real fidgety and then turned and left. He said he came back and even helped a little. They started to ask around and find out who he was. He was the local witch doctor. He continued to stare at them with no emotion, until the church leaders made him leave, because they thought he was calling curses on the church. Josh said that's why he got fidgety and left when Mark mentioned Jesus (demons flee at his name!) Spiritual warfare is alive and well! But praise be to God, He is greater than the enemy!


Please pray for today. They are going to take out the Proclaimers and the Creole booklets. Each day they have had a large crowd hanging around watching them work. Josh feels he knows they will be intrigued by the Proclaimers. They also intend to share the Gospel with as many people as they can! Today should be BIG!!!


He said that he doesn't think they will be able to hike to the voodoo village on Thursday because of the much needed work still to be done on the church.  But it doesn't really matter, because they are surrounded by a voodoo village.  He said, "these people around us all day need Jesus so desperately"


"I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me."   - Acts 26:17-18 

Busy day

I talked to Josh tonight for a very brief time when his phone started cutting out.  I finally told him to just shoot me an email, at least I would be able to understand all of what he was talking about.  It seems like today was a very busy day for everyone, so much that I did hear him tell me on the phone that Bryan was asleep by 7:00.   He was able to send me a very good email about the day so I just posted it below. Just continue for pray for the team the much needed rest they need.

  Initially I'm so overwhelmed by the poverty and my surroundings that I forget that we're down here to actually complete a task. Well today we got to work on that task.  My day got off to a bad start when I wasn't able to go to sleep last night until about 2:30, thanks I think to late cup of strong coffee. Then we had to get up at 4:45! Not good. We got out to our job site about 6:00 and got to work......by walking our gear (a lot of it!) About a quarter mile down a muddy trail. The Haitians had built the walls of the new church AROUND the old church, so our first job was demolishing the old church and removing it so the trusses and roof could go on tomorrow. We did that while Richard, Jeremy, and Elise went and got wood.


We got the church demo'd and removed by around 9 and waited (in the 95 degree heat) until around 11 when they got back with the wood. Then the real work started. We had haul 150 2x4x16s, 10 pieces of plywood, and 99 pieces of sheet metal down the 1/4 mile trail (although we had a small pickup to help with a little of it. We then began working on the trusses. That lasted until about 3:30 when we had to pack up quickly to avoid a coming storm. We got everything packed up and our pickup took everything back to the school 6 miles (30 minutes) away.


While we waited for the truck the storm hit. As it began to rain, a Haitian lady who lived in basically a mud hut, invited us to sit on her "porch". There were 9 of us and somehow she happily got together 9 chairs. She was so proud. She offered to let us sleep there with her family if the storm didn't let up. We found out she was a member of the church we were working on. She reminded me of the widow in the Bible who gave the two coins. The Haitian family had absolutely nothing but she offered us all she had.


Anyway, by the time the rain had "let up" we had to make a break for the truck which was up the trail that was literally now a river. By the time we all got back to the truck another "monsoon" had hit. We had the 30 minute trip in the back of a pickup, in literally tropical storm force rains! We went from worrying about heat stroke and dehydration to worrying about hypothermia! We were freezing,


But we got home and the ladies had a meal prepared of beans, rice, and freshly slaughtered goat! It was awesome everybody is extremely tired.

Day 1

Josh sounded good tonight when he called.  He was able to fill me in on just a few of the things they did today.  This morning they went to church and Mark Harrison preached.  Josh said it was really good and he recorded the whole thing on the flip.  They got to spend some time playing with some of the kids there as well.  When they went into town today to get some supplies for the roof they picked up the common staple, "rice & beans"!  Although he sounded really positive about the project on the roof, I believe what was supposed to be a 2 day job might be more like a 4 day job.  Something like the measurements were not right and it was bigger than first thought.  This is what they talk about when they say you have to be flexible when on a mission trip. I believe Kandy, Jenny, and Mallory, are going to start teaching the sanitation and hygiene to women and children in the community tomorrow.  So it looks like they have lots of work to get done but have plenty of hard workers to do the job.  Lets pray that the roofing job will get done in a timely manner without anything stopping them from getting the job done.  Also that the ladies will be able to communicate well with the women and children.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us....   Ephesians 3:21

Settled in

Well, they are finally to Petite Rivierre and halfway settled in as Josh said. They haven't had too much time to look around because it was dark when they got there. They left Port au Prince around 11:00 and got to the school about 6:30. They got to go through Gonaives which is another very poor area of the country. Tomorrow morning they are going to Elise's church. This is the pastor they have been in contact with and will be working with.  He said the conditions are better than they had last time.The only complaint so far....it's HOT! It's about 85, humid, and no wind. While he said he was sleeping on the porch because the inside of the house was about 10 degrees hotter,  i'm sure this will change when the goats and chickens wake him up and allergies start kicking in. (don't really know...just thinking)  He did get to sleep on the plane and bus ride while I'm not too sure anyone else did.  Josh can pretty much fall asleep anywhere and it takes all of about 5 seconds. He says that he's really excited about the week and thinks it will really be good.

Well they've landed

They've all safely landed in Port au Prince. I believe from there they will drive to Petion-Ville and get a rental truck. They will then begin to head into St Marc to stop for some groceries they'll  need while they're there. Then on through Gonaive and the last 8 miles. It should take about 45 minutes to get though this part and it's on the coast. The picture below is of the grocery store that they stopped at before to get groceries in St Marc. Wonder if it looks the same?



Shifting our focus...

Lots been going on since my last post and I haven't really had time to update on the Moody family, but I will in the near future.  I will on the other hand let you know about the trip Josh is taking with 12 other people from our church to Haiti.  There are 10 men, and 3 women going on the trip.  Back in February, a couple of weeks after the earthquake, they went to Petionville (Port Au Prince), to help with food distribution, medical clinics, and evangelism.  This time they will be going to an area a few hours north of Port Au Prince, called Petite Rivierre des Bayonnaise.  It is near the larger city of Gonaives.  They will be working with some area church plants, and at a school called Holy Bible School.

While they are there, they have several different tasks, that God willing, they will accomplish.  One of the most important, is to install a water filtration system.  It is a system from Living Waters for the World.  This system is capable of producing 3000 gallons of clean water a day.  This is huge considering this area has NEVER had access to clean water before.

With the introduction of clean water, another task will be to teach personal and community hygiene classes.  The women going on the trip (Kandy Sanders, Mallory Hale, and Jenny Pierce) will be teaching these classes, focusing on cleanliness, disease prevention, etc.  We take these simple things for granted, but if you have never had clean water until now, hygiene education can literally be life changing. 

In addition, the men will be going alongside the local church to help roof a new church building.  When I say church building, get images of American churches completely out of your head.  Check out Jeremy's blog, http://gfbc-haiti-2010.blogspot.com/ , for pictures of the block walls they have put up so far.  Please notice I said they are "going alongside" of the Haitians.  This is not a bunch of American coming in to "save the day".  The Haitians are doing the work, the team is simply serving them. 

The men are going to teach some discipleship classes to anyone in the local community that wants to attend.  I believe they are using For Your Joy by John Piper to teach from.  They will also be able to take the audio Bibles called Proclaimers in Haitian Creole just like I got to take to Uganda in their language.  I love how God uses all these things for His glory!

They will all be leaving from GFBC at 1:00am from the church to Atlanta.  They will fly from there to Miami and then into Port au Prince. They should be in Port au Prince about 11AM local time. I will try to update you as much as I can.  I don't know how well I will be able to talk to him.....just depends on phone service. Pray for the team physically, spiritually, and mentally.  Pray for the people they will come into contact with, and the projects they are undertaking.  More than anything else, pray for God to be glorified to the highest through whatever happens.  Here are the list of people on the team.

Jeremy Sanders
Kandy Sanders
Sam Miller
Heath Kyle
Matthew Kyle
Richard Bradley
Mark Harrison
John Byars
Bryan Erbrick
Mallory Hale
Jenny Pierce
Raymond Shackleford
Josh Moody

"Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you...[that] all peoples on earth will be blessed through you"   Genesis: 12:1,3

A long time coming

This post has been a long time coming and finally this past Sunday, God gave me confirmation to post it.  Don't know why it's taken me so long.   Maybe I have been scared as to what people would think.  Maybe I've been scared to say it out loud not knowing what God will do.  I feel I have no other choice but to share what God has been doing in our lives for some time now.  You see I got involved in the Orphan Care Ministry of our church about a year ago not really knowing my real purpose there.  God had been breaking my heart and allowing me to see with His eyes and heart to care for the orphans like in  James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.  I just remember knowing that I was supposed to be helping with this ministry. 

Come November we were recognizing National Orphan Sunday and we all were really excited.  We all had been praying for this day for sometime so that others would become aware to the number of children in the world that have lost their mother or father, are parentless, or have been abandoned and now exceeds 147 million!  Lets just say this day was way more than we could have ever expected.......of course Jesus orchestrated it!  There were people signing up to know more about Foster care and adoption, & sponsoring children worldwide. 

That day was a day I will never forget.  You see that day there was a table set up with necklaces and pictures of beautiful children.  These children were from an orphanage in Uganda and could be sponsored monthly to help take care of the child's food, shelter and medical care along with many other of their basic needs.  We decided to let our children pick out a child to sponsor as we explained to them why we were helping the home. Many of you know that the orphanage is Sonrise Baby Home and our sponsored child is Steven.  When we got home that day they wrote notes to Steven which I still have that say, "Dear God we love Steven."    You see that day God used Sonrise to touch the lives of our family in more ways than I can count. I could never thank Mandi Johnson and Amy Washington enough for allowing God to use them to change my family forever that day.  They said yes to a call from God to bring awareness to the children of Sonrise. That day we put our faith in God with our money in a way we had never done before to take care of a child we had never seen before.  That day God also touched my children's heart and allowed them to love a child they never met.

From this, God has worked on me like never before.  He has opened my eyes to things that I would have never seen before.  You see, if we were supposed to take care of the orphans then what was our roll in that?  God was working on my heart about what we needed to do.  I knew I felt this way, so did Josh feel the same way?  In Psalm 68:5-6  it says A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.  Yes, God was softening my heart towards adoption but I was scared to death.  I guess what I was scared the most of is what everyone else would think and what my husband would say.  Finally after bringing it up time after time, I asked him to pray about it.  He didn't give it a second thought and said he would.  Obviously God had been working on him too.  After months of us both praying over these things we both came to the conclusion that God would have us adopt!  What is it going to look like, I don't know.  In fact it probably will get a bit messy.  But I feel that if we are willing to get our hands dirty, trying to serve the least and the lost then God will show us the way. I would ask for you to pray that God "orders our steps" in this journey of our life.  

Why adoption?
We feel God has called us to this as His way for us to take care of the orphan.  We have become convicted and called out of our complete comfort to try and meet the needs of the fatherless.  All God's children are just like us in need of a loving father.  Adoption is the Gospel! Ephesians 1:5 In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-

Where?
We have chosen Uganda as a place to adopt.  Again we feel God has called us here.  Before I even visited this place, I was in love. My trip to this place only confirmed what God had placed in my heart. In Uganda alone there are 2.5 million orphans so we feel like this is a place where we are needed.

It costs so much!
It does cost a lot, but we feel that God can and will do anything if we are in His perfect will.  He takes care of his children.  Oh does he ever take care of his children! =)

Our family is already big!
I know go figure......God is funny sometimes.  And our children, they already want to know when we are bringing our child home that God is giving us! This blesses our hearts beyond measure.


There are many things I don't know, but what I do know are these three things.....
1. God has a plan for every person!
2. God is always at work behind the scenes!
3. God uses us to accomplish His purpose!

Silence no more!!

I know people have been wondering why in the world I haven't written anything since my trip to Uganda. I mean come on there must be so much to share and so many things to tell, right? Well, the truth is there are sooo many stories to tell you and sooooo many small details that I want to let you in on, but since I've been back I've felt like words would never explain what I've experienced . There are also things that I am really unsure of right now, but I know in time God will show me. I've went through times of being sad, mad, confused and numb. I also have felt like I don't want to forget anything and if I spill it all out then it's gone. This has left me in a really weird place in my life. I go to bed wondering how these children's night was, because as I'm going down they are waking up. There also hasn't been a day since I left that I haven't woke up seeing those sweet brown faces. I've thought about Amina from the village and if she had something to eat as I ate my third meal of the day. Praise the Lord I've found out that Sonrise has now been able to take her in!!  The mother in me wishes I could just do something for Betty who is sick all the time. I think about Steven and his family in the village. All of these things are just the tip of what runs through my mind and in the last couple of days God has been telling me something. My silence is doing nothing for these children and people of Uganda who need someone to speak up for them and defend their rights. Their stories need to be told so that people can become more aware. It's not about me, it's all about Him and I have to get over myself. Although I am being still and quiet and listening to what he wants me to do from here, I will tell their stories. I know there will be confusion sometimes, but he is sovereign and I want to do HIS will. So hopefully this has helped me break the silence but I first wanted to leave you with a video I took of the children at Sonrise Baby Home. They are dancing to a song which means they are flowers in the garden of Jesus! May we all strive to be better flowers in the garden of JESUS!!

           *You may want to pause the music at the bottom of my page to watch the video*

Update and picture

Hey guys.  Just a quick update.  The last day the crew is there, I finally learn to Skype.  In case you don't know, if I "Skype call" to Kim's Ugandan cell phone, it is $0.15/minute.  Otherwise, it's about $2.50/minute.  In other news, this Sunday in church we will be taking a collection to pay my phone bills next month.  Ha!!!

Just a couple of updates from yesterday, Kim said they did not finish the hut, but did get it framed.  The villagers will then go back and fill in the "mud" for the remainder of the hut.  Also, on Amina, there is a lot of paperwork that is required for her to be able to stay at Sonrise, and be cared for.  Please continue to pray for God's Hand to be on this situation with this precious child. 

Today, the team visited several other children's homes in the area.  One was for special needs children.  Another was strictly children that were HIV positive.  Another was a home that Katie Davis with Amazima helps with.  So they stayed busy. 

When I talked to Kim they were getting ready for their farewell dinner tonight.  She said it's a big deal to say goodbye in Uganda, and the staff is planning a big celebration.

I've mentioned this before, but wanted to reiterate it after talking to Kim a little while ago.  Please be in prayer for the team's departure.  Kim was crying about having to leave those babies.  I'm sure the rest of the team feels exactly the same way.  They've been there long enough to bond not only with the children, but also the nannies and staff, and saying goodbye will be very difficult for all involved.  Although, God willing, it will not be the last time any of them see Sonrise again, it will still be hard.  I think it's pretty safe to say that every one on that trip has seen God move over the last week and half in ways that they never imagined, and to have to leave where that took place is very difficult.  I know she wants to see me and the girls, and everybody else wants to see their families as well, but I also know that a part of them will stay at Sonrise.  However, I have a sneaking suspicion that this is only the beginning and that fires me up!

There flight leaves Entebbe at 9:05 a.m. local time (that will be 1:05 a.m. our time).  They land in London around 10:00 a.m. our time tomorrow).  From there they have about a 23 hour layover.  I believe they plan on getting a hotel room to rest, get showers, and maybe sight see in London some before flying out Thursday at 11:00 our time.  They will land in Atlanta at 6:00 (our time). 

Oh yeah, and I wanted to throw in a picture she sent me from the birthday party yesterday!

Prayer points:
-Continue to pray for them emotionally as they leave
-Pray for on time flights, smooth travel, and no issues with baggage, etc.
-Pray for God to work out what needs to be done for baby Amina.

We love you guys!

Winding down.....

Hey everybody!  Unfortunately I didn't get to talk to Kim today, but our friend Tammy (whom I owe her and her husband SEVERAL steak dinners) did get to, so the information I have is passed on.  When she spoke with Kim she said physically they were all spent!  They built the hut in the village today.  From what I gathered, the use of power tools isn't quite as rampant in Uganda as it is in the U.S.  Apparently they will all be sporting some blisters, torn up hands, and sore bodies when they get back to us in a few days.  I believe they got it finished though.  And Kim and the ladies found out that carrying buckets of water on your head is much harder than it appears (please, Lord, let there be pictures)  They also threw the birthday party for the babies.  She said they all had blast.  The kids loved it!!!!

The big news of the day was Amina.  (Sorry, I'm not sure if Amina is a boy or girl.)  But this baby was brought to Sonrise, because she (I'm going with she) was severely malnourished.  The father is in prison, and the mother basically left the baby with the villagers for them to care for her.  In desperate poverty, they obviously can't take care of the baby as needed.  So they brought her to Damali.  (Again, please remember this information is being passed on from the other side of the world, so please bear with me on the details.)  I don't have many details of the condition of the child, but I did understand that she was not well. 

Above is a very tragic story, but it's one that happens literally every hour of everyday all over the world.  We don't really have to think about it, because it's not constantly in our face.  But to be perfectly honest, I just did the readers of this blog a huge disservice by disclosing that information.  No longer will any of us will be able to stand before God one day and say "My bad, God, I had no idea."  So the question is, what do you do?  What will you do?  Continue to look the other way or live out Matthew 10:42 where Jesus says, "And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward." ?  Will you reach out to the "least of these" who are abandoned by their own parents, or continue to build up treasures that won't last?  Will you love the fatherless or continue to build bigger barns (Luke 12:16-21)?  Give more than you think you can give.  Love more than you think you can love.

Prayer points:
-Pray for God to bring baby Amina back to health.
-Pray that the staff will be equipped to care for her. 
-Pray for a "sponsor" quickly for Amina if they can take her in.
-Pray for a smooth "final" day for the team tomorrow.
-Pray that God will prepare them emotionally for leaving Sonrise on Wednesday.
-Continue to pray for Amy and the Washington family as she remains at the home.

Miracles through a bag of cookies????

So, after I talked with Kim a little while ago, there's so much to share that I'm not even sure where I need to start.  Hopefully I won't lose anybody, but hear it goes.  The adventure started last night, when Kim, Amy, Betty (Damali's cousin) had to make a late night run to the hospital with Musa.  He has pneumonia and they had to take him, get him checked out, and get him some meds.  She said it didn't take too long at the hospital, but they do have to go back tonight to give him his next round of medicine.  They said he would be fine, but did need to start the medicine.  Kim said most of the kids there carry around a cough that the nannies call the "African cough".  Please pray for Musa and his recovery.  Hopefully it will be quickly. 

Today they got the babies dressed for church.  Kim said it's definitely interesting getting 19 babies dressed for church, but they did.  Everyone got to go today, including the nannies (who don't typically get to go).  Kim said their worship was awesome.  The pastor of the church prayed over all the babies, and prayed over Amy, Kim, Charli, Jeremy, Mandy, and Kate (she is another American that's there).  Then all of them had to speak in front of the church individually.  If any of you know my wife, you know what a terrifying experience that would've been, but she made it, and I'm sure did an awesome job.  A man even came and got saved during the service.

Now, all of that is good stuff, but here's where it gets truly awesome!  Toward the end of the service some of the babies started getting restless, as do all kids during church.  Apparently that's not just an American thing!!!  Kim and Kate decided to take them outside so as not to disturb the others worshipping.  When they were outside, they were letting the little ones snack on little cookies.  It wasn't long before nearly the entire village of children was gathered around them wanting some of the cookies.  Kim said the team came equipped with a very small pack of snack cookies (just to feed the smaller children during church).  She told me, as the kids came she literally started praying "God, please multiply these cookies.  Please don't let us run out until every one of these little ones has one."  (Not exactly the prayer she thought she'd be praying I'm sure).  The children kept coming and by the time it was all said and done, she said, again through tears "Josh, every one of those kids got a cookie, including our Sonrise children, and we had about three left over."  Something similar comes to mind from the Bible.  I don't know, something to do with fish and loaves.......maybe you've heard of it.  By the way, in case you didn't know, our God is a God who provides.  Below is a picture of Kim outside of the church, post-cookie hand out! (she was able to send me a couple via Facebook.)

That's a bunch of kids!!!!

Also, today they were able to get some brownies cooked, which apparently takes much longer using an African oven, than here.  Something to the tune of about 4-5 hours!  If I heard her right, they are going to try the birthday party tomorrow.

The projects are coming along better than they had hoped.  For the beds, they got all the mattresses, and got the lumber ordered, but they aren't sure if it will get there by the time they leave.  It's not a huge deal, because Kim said they would probably have to have someone else put the toddler bunk beds together anyway.  The new mattresses are what they really needed.  They have those and they are working out great. 
Jeremy was able to get the shelves finished up.  Kim said they look great, and the home really needed them.  Now each baby has their own "space" for their stuff!!!!

As for tomorrow, they are going to work on the hut they are going to build.  Also, they are going to get a "cooking shelter" built at the children's home.  The nannies cook outside, and currently the workers at the children's home have to walk to the baby home to cook.  This will be a huge help for them. 

Lastly, I wanted to post a picture of Kim, Steven, and his dad that was taken yesterday.  I can't wait to see the video that was taken from that meeting:

Prayer points:
-Pray that God will help baby Musa to recover quickly from pneumonia. 
-Pray that the team will be able to get all of the building projects (hut and cooking shelter) completed.
-Pray that God will prepare the team emotionally as they get ready to leave.  (As much as they are all ready to see their families, it is going to be very difficult for them to say goodbye.)

"Amazing" day.

I spoke with Kim this morning, and so far she's been able to put into words what's been going on.......that is, until today.  She told me they went into some of the villages where some of the babies are from.  They were able to take some gifts and supplies to the villages and minister to some of the families of the children.  (Some of the kids at Sonrise have families, they are just unable to provide for the child.)  She said everyone was so appreciative and kind.  She also said the surrounding villages are nothing like Jinja.  I believe the words she used were "the living conditions at Sonrise are 10,000 times better than the villages where these children come from". 

............And then they went to Steven's village.  Kim got to meet Steven's dad.  This is where she choked up.  She said she couldn't tell me over a broken cell phone conversation, but that it was "Amazing".  She just kept saying it over and over again, "Amazing".  After he found out she was Steven's sponsor, he and Kim walked hand in hand down to the Nile (holding hands is a common sign of love and friendship in Uganda).  They were followed by the rest of the village.  I don't know what went on next (it almost sounded like some sort of ceremony), but Kim said God was all over that little village in Uganda this afternoon.  Once again, amazing.  For those that don't think sponsorhips of children overseas (whether it be Sonrise, World Vision, Compassion Int'l., whatever)  "really makes a difference", talk to my wife when she gets back.  Your perspective may change. 

After that (this is where several of you ladies will get jealous........ahem, Joy Hutzler), they went to visit Katie Davis at Amazima.  A lot of you know who Katie is, if not, look around this site for a while,  http://amazima.org/ .  Katie is one of Kim's modern day "heroes of the faith" (kind of like if I got to meet Francis Chan! Ha!).  Katie runs an orphanage and school outside of Jinja as well.   It was late in the afternoon when Kim and everybody got there, so they didn't get to help with the feeding program, like they were hoping.  But they did get to hang out and talk with Katie for a while. 

Overall, it sounded like the most impactful (is that a word?) day so far.  Like I said, Kim could barely talk me through it.  Tomorrow they plan on going to church with the kids, and then having a birthday party for all of the kids!  None of them have ever experienced a birthday party, and many don't even know when or what a birthday is!  I can't even imagine the screams and laughter that will take place.  On Monday, they are going into one of the villages to build a hut.  The team is pitching in and can build one for $200 total!  They are also going to try to hit an "American" restaurant in Jinja for some pizza.  That's a welcomed change for them.   I think it's pretty safe to say my family won't be having any rice or beans for dinner for a while when momma gets home!

Prayer points:
-Pray that the "birthday party" will go off without a hitch
-Pray that the construction of the hut will go well
-Pray for God to continue to open doors to share the Gospel with those who may not know Him
-Pray for continued health for the team

Love you guys!

Baby Duty.......

What's up guys and girls!?  It's me, Josh, yet again.  I just got off the phone with Kim again.  She probably won't be able to post much because the internet coverage is so spotty.  She said it's all she can do to get a Facebook post up.   Everybody is still doing well.  Everybody's healthy and good.

Kim and Charli were pulling "baby duty" tonight.  Donna, help me out with this, but what I gathered is that baby duty is when some of the volunteers sleep with the smaller ones to give the nannies a break and let them get a good night's sleep.  Kim just so happened to be sleeping with Steven tonight.  I wonder if that was rigged ;).  When I was talking to her, I could hear him "talking" and just like any other little one, trying to play instead of going to sleep!!  She's loving it! 

Please be in prayer for Kim, Charli, and another girl named Kate as tomorrow they are going into Steven's village, to meet his birth father and minister to him and Steven's other siblings.  Steven's mother died during child birth and due to poor living conditions, Steven's twin brother died shortly thereafter in their village.  Financially, Steven's father couldn't afford take care of him properly so he was brought to Sonrise.  (You can read more of Steven's story here:  http://www.sonrisebabyhome.org/meet-the-babies/steven/)  I'm sure this will be very emotional for everyone involved.

Other than that, she said they just hung around the home today.  They got a chance to get to know the nannies much better.  Kim said they are all so kind, loving, and happy.  Most of the staff live at the home, but have families and children in other villages.  They have come to Sonrise to make money to send back to their families.  One in particular Kim was talking to, said she was had a one year old back home, and she was trying to raise money to go to school, so she could make a better life for her baby.  Oh, the things we take for granted here in America!!!! 

Prayer Points:
-Pray for the ladies ministering to Steven's family tomorrow.
-Pray for those building the beds, that it will continue to go smoothly.
-Pray for Kim as she is leading devotion for the team and nannies tomorrow.
-Pray for continued health, strength, and rest as the week goes on.
-Pray for the nannies at Sonrise, that those who don't know Christ will come to, and those who do will be strengthened and encouraged in their walk.

Thank you to everyone who is praying.  Kim says they feel it over there.  We love you guys!!!!!   

How Beautiful Are the Feet.........

Paul says in Romans 10:14-15 "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!' ". 

I got off the phone with Kim this morning (Verizon will thank me for that next month!), this is the passage of scripture that immediately came to my mind.  Why?  Thanks to a little device called a Proclaimer.  A Proclaimer looks similar to an alarm clock.  It is produced by a ministry called Faith Comes By Hearing.  It can be charged through a wall outlet, solar power, or hand cranked, so it can work anywhere.  But basically, it plays someone reading the New Testament in whatever different language you choose.  Before Kim left, a good friend of ours (Kandy Sanders) contacted Faith Comes By Hearing and was able to get us three Proclaimers in Lugandan, Uganda's native language (yes, it is Lugandan, not Ugandan, no typo), to take with them and leave there.  Anyway, I was talking to Kim this morning, and she said they got all of their stuff unpacked, including the Proclaimers.  They showed the staff how to use them.  The ladies there loved them, and immediately began listening to them while the babies were playing.  The team left to run into Jinja for supplies for the beds and shelves, and when they returned a couple of hours later.........the ladies were STILL listening to the Proclaimer.  Why is this so important?  Not all of the staff at Sonrise are believers!!!!  This could have absolutely HUGE, ETERNAL implications.  Please pray for God to open eyes and ears!!!

Other than that, Kim sounded MUCH better than yesterday.  They had gotten some good rest last night, and she sounded like a brand new person.  Like I said, they went into Jinja and got matresseses for the children's bunk beds they are building, and got the lumber orderded.  They got all their supplies unpacked.  She also said the staff went absolutely crazy (happy) when they got their new scrubs and Sonrise T-shirts!!!  She's got video of everybody singing and dancing.  It sounded like another very productive day.

Kim's actually been eating some local food, and said she loves the African tea they've been drinking.  She also said the weather is perfect, high's in the 70's and lows in the 60's.  Keep in mind, as she was telling me this, I was standing in my driveway at 7:30 pouring sweat as the temps approached 90 already!!!!  I believe thanks to some sleep and rejuvenation from the Father, the team is in much better spirits!!!! 

Some specific things to pray for:
-That God will allow the men and women to "hear and believe" His Word through the Proclaimers. 
-That construction of the bunk beds will go smoothly.
-That the team will continue to rest well when they can.
-They will all remain healthy.

Thanks everybody!

They've arrived!!!!!

Hey everybody!!!  It's Josh again.  I may have to be posting more for Kim on here, because she said the internet is very spotty.  Anyway, the team has arrived at Sonrise.  I got a call from Amy's (Washington) mom about 3 a.m. this morning saying they had arrived in Entebbe.  But I'm not sure what time they actually made it to Sonrise.  I talked to Kim about 1:30 our time (9:30 Uganda time). 

Kim said Damali (who runs the home) picked them up from the airport and had Steven with her.  Steven is the baby that Kim and I sponsor from Sonrise.  She said Amy handed him to her and she (Kim) just broke down crying when he grabbed hold of her.  She got to hold him the entire ride back to the home.  I think if she left tomorrow, she would say the trip was worth it, just for that. BUUUUUT they are not leaving tomorrow, and now have to get to work.  They will be heading into Jinja tomorrow to buy supplies for the bunk beds and shelves they are building for the children's home.  

She said everybody is doing well, just very, very tired.  They didn't sleep well on the flight to Entebbe either, so that makes approximately 2 days with very little sleep.  Other than that, she is very excited about the upcoming week.  She said it was like Ella, Avery, and Addi multiplied 6 times.  But she's in heaven.  Hearing her voice, I could tell it's going to be a busy, tiring, but awesome week. 

A couple of things in particular to pray for:
-Pray for each team member specifically by  name: Kim, Charli, Amy, Jeremy, and Mandy
-Pray for God to grant them a good night's sleep so they will be well rested for tomorrow. 
-Pray that all will remain healthy and no one will get sick.
-Pray that they will find favor in Jinja tomorrow and be able to get all supplies needed at a reasonable price.
-And lastly, continue to pray for a physical, spiritual, and emotional hedge of protection around them

That's all for now.  Oh yeah, she said they shared the flight from London to Entebbe with the Watoto Children's Choir.  They are a Ugandan kids choir that performs worldwide.   Go to Youtube and search "Watoto Children's Choir".  Very cool.  Either Kim or I will post updates when we can!!!!!  Thanks for the prayers!

A Husband's Perspective

Okay, so I have successfully hacked Kim's blog and am taking the first "official" post of the trip.  (Just kidding.  I told her I was going to post some and she gave me the okay.)  I wanted to take a minute to address some of the questions that I know are swirling around in many people's heads right now.  Namely they why's and how's.  (Disclaimer:  I am speaking for myself, but I can say with a 98.9 degree of certainty that Kim's responses would be nearly word for word the same as mine.)

Let's start with the why's:
1.  "Why the sudden interest and passion in caring for orphans?"  That's an easy one.  James 1:27 says "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after widows and orphans in their time of distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."  Why is looking after an orphan in their time of distress considered pure and faultless?  Simply put, because it's an absolutely beautiful picture of the Gospel.  Think about it.  An orphan is fatherless.  An orphan is helpless, defenseless, and has no representation in the world.  An orphan, without some sort of help will die (literally thousands do, everyday).  Now, before I was a follower of Christ, you could fill in my name where "orphan" is in the few sentences above and it would've been a perfect description of my life.  Before we knew Jesus, we were fatherless, defenseless, starving, helpless, and as good as dead.  Because of what Christ did, I am now an adopted son of God (Ephesians 1:5).  Adoption is a perfect illustration of what Christ accomplished on the cross.  And just in case that's not enough (it is, but just for argument's sake), IT MATTERS TO THE FATHER, SO IT HAD BETTER MATTER TO ME. 

2.  "Why Sonrise/Jinja, Uganda?"  Again, an easy one.  Because this home and this country is where God has undeniably called our family to minister to (another very long post and I won't get into how we know this).  Now, why did He call us to focus our attention there?  You'd have to ask God.  But He did.  Kim and I both know this, and that's really all we need!  Next question.

Now a couple of the how's:
1.  "How are you guys doing this?"  Completely and 100% by faith.  We've been talking a lot in our Sunday school class about living our lives engulfed in situations that if God didn't show up, we'd fail miserably.  That has been what this is.  When the opportunity to go on this Uganda trip and the other one in November came up, along with me going on two trips to Haiti, my first response was "No way."  Financially, on paper, there is no way this could be pulled off.  I am in the mortgage business.  If any of you know anything about what's going on in the mortgage business right now.......well, let's just say the word "lucrative" isn't used in conjunction with my profession much anymore.  Kim told me repeatedly "God can do it."  She was absolutely correct.  We gave it fully to Him.  And He has been more than faithful.  We can no longer use "lack of funds" as an excuse not to do missions.  Again, it would be another separate post, but His provision  has absolutely blown us away!  There is no way this trip could've been pulled off without God's Hands all in it!  To God Be the Glory!

2.  And lastly, (in light of yesterday's tragic bombings in Kampala) "How can you let your wife still go over there with all that mess going on?"  I will answer that with a question of my own.......how can I not?  Just because terrorists bombed some restaurants, does that mean those children all of a sudden don't need to experience the love of Christ anymore?  Does that mean that since it's now "dangerous", that it's not as important that the non-believing Ugandans they WILL come in contact with hear the Gospel perhaps for the first time?  First of all, I couldn't stopped her with a platoon of Navy SEALs.  Secondly, the thought didn't even occur to me to try.  God has called Kim and the rest of this group on this trip.  That has been made clear.  I don't for one second want to attempt to remove her from the will of God, to protect our comfortable, safe life here in Gardendale, Alabama.  He has a plan and a mission for this team.  Regardless of what happens, He will get the glory for it!

So, hopefully that clears up a few things you may have been wondering about.  I'm sure Kim will be along in a day or two to reprimand me for posting first!  All joking aside, please continue to pray for this team.  As much as Satan has tried to derail this trip, that tells us that God has got something huge planned for them while they are there!  Stay tuned for more posts from Kim!!!

Getting there....

I thank God that he holds me up with both hands!  Without Him none of this would even be close to being possible.  Tired is not even the words I have for the state I'm in today.  I believe a bit of my sanity is gone but that's OK.....all for the glory of his name!  Demanding kids do not help the situation at all, but I do love every single one of them a little more for making me work harder at JUST packing supplies.  It does sound simple, but with two mamma's on little sleep and crazy ideas running through their heads, not to mention 4 kids running around, nothing is simple.  But how it blesses my heart at so many willing people to give so much!  The stacks of medicine, shoes, diapers, books, vitamins and formula we just didn't know where to start.  But I promise you we filled as much as those red duffel bags could be filled without busting a seam along with a few suitcases.  God is so good and he uses amazing people to do his work, and I thank all of YOU amazing people out there that have helped and sent in supplies.   

 In all the packing of supplies, the beautiful Sonrise T-shirt has arrived!  It's the best shirt ever and if you haven't gotten yours, well then you should be ashamed of yourself.  Email me and I can get you one!  Or click below and we can get you one shipped. (after the trip of course)

http://sonriseministriesinc.com/babyhomedonation.html