tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4730415811246737492024-02-20T17:23:13.084-08:00Mukama Yebazibwe!!Updates on my mission trips to Uganda. Testimony of God's goodness.BaseballGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13865849650569830799noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-473041581124673749.post-64414501703412760402017-11-15T07:47:00.002-08:002017-11-15T07:47:41.727-08:002017 UpdateIt has been brought to my attention that I haven't made an update here on the blog in over a year. So, here goes. Hopefully I can remember all that has happened. <br />
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I am so grateful for the friends and family that have been regularly sending me funds to continue to sow into my future ministry. Along with the money I am able to set aside each month, we have been able to send quite a bit for projects. There is also a ministry up in WA called WonGeneration that has been doing a lot too. They are responsible for the well and the pigs among other things. Len Bundy just made a trip to visit Alex last month, if you're interested in seeing his thoughts, check out https://www.facebook.com/WonGeneration/ where he has posted some videos he filmed while there. In one of them you can see the cute piggies! <br />
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In the year I've been back home, I've been working a really great job that God dropped in my lap. I make plenty of money, so I have enough to send back to my Ugandan family to continue building our compound. The goal is to get it self sustaining. Alex has been hard at work growing crops both to eat, give, and sell. When I left he had goats and chickens, since then he has added pigs. Breeding animals is a good business. We hope to be able to not only feed ourselves and sell them, but to give to families to help them get something started to earn money as well. That old saying "you've got to spend money to make money" is so true, but when you don't have any money, it's impossible to make more in that context. Giving a family a pair of pigs for example, will allow them to begin breeding and selling and earning more. Not just giving the pigs, but training them in how to make that work. This is one of the most valuable ministry tools that is already at work in the village. <br />
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Since I left, the well was finished and the water tower added behind the house. The railing for the front porch to protect the toddlers is now installed. Little Jerome Jethro (JJ) was born just after I left, so now they have a 1,3, and 5 yr old. Solomon will turn 4 next month. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtC5QwYFmXf2bIqdlvsmTDWg5G1iXclzyAnzmdB0AuoUCsBEjLBVB97ipoQaSWJOLTS8YFiOs7_QC01OThg_pCnGIwdm5AAx0gZJDlLqdbtpHW-UIPSqNK3J3XAYQBgRH6Ikannud1Hc8/s1600/thumbnail+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtC5QwYFmXf2bIqdlvsmTDWg5G1iXclzyAnzmdB0AuoUCsBEjLBVB97ipoQaSWJOLTS8YFiOs7_QC01OThg_pCnGIwdm5AAx0gZJDlLqdbtpHW-UIPSqNK3J3XAYQBgRH6Ikannud1Hc8/s320/thumbnail+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Alex and Violet have done a few projects on their own, outside the chunks of money I've sent over for specific needs. They have a small house being built behind this one. An extra space to house whoever needs a place to stay. This is the most recent picture I have, I'm told the roofing needs to be added soon so the rain doesn't cause any more damage to the bricks. This structure contains their outdoor kitchen (Ugandan style) , 2 bedrooms/ sitting rooms, and a bathroom. Originally he planned for the toilets to be Ugandan style, but now I hear he's turning them western. <br />
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Recently we were able to get the house painted and I think it looks great! <br />
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He even added some color to the interior ceiling decorative piece. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7WPnxGfncFzepQtecfTA0AuZ7LWOljvQv36y2vTgdSHTPgYc23rW7FwnYyYEW04JQ7FjkzYPtscKGBinpEnRjqwFB20djEFdWFPzuwy0HvYQINvFZKUCmC1j10qlhiT2ftDBl4rVrfs/s1600/thumbnail+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7WPnxGfncFzepQtecfTA0AuZ7LWOljvQv36y2vTgdSHTPgYc23rW7FwnYyYEW04JQ7FjkzYPtscKGBinpEnRjqwFB20djEFdWFPzuwy0HvYQINvFZKUCmC1j10qlhiT2ftDBl4rVrfs/s320/thumbnail+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN8_jJa_JXYIi4YScM9Ymzf4PQHE9Pnrs77lvWj7Z5t3as8_LAu08tVKJ_idxJhcxQWCA7J38c_eD-5ZHkeKas23FdxEAQnXoXBu_kdsFVioC3ime1aJwNWOqfa7QPhgVb5jee-CBQsJ8/s1600/rain2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN8_jJa_JXYIi4YScM9Ymzf4PQHE9Pnrs77lvWj7Z5t3as8_LAu08tVKJ_idxJhcxQWCA7J38c_eD-5ZHkeKas23FdxEAQnXoXBu_kdsFVioC3ime1aJwNWOqfa7QPhgVb5jee-CBQsJ8/s200/rain2.jpg" width="200" /></a>Alex decided to create tiers on the land in front of the house. The first part he was working on while I was there, digging, moving dirt, packing it down. He created a level place out front with the intention of paving it. Then a retaining wall was added to contain it, and the next tier down is grass. Now with heavy rains coming in, the upper level was beginning to wash away since the paving hasn't been done yet. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhytqnu4rtTSZRyOvy73FGEppW7PK3pJybQCC4UtnaziU0evH7ny9ZtuS8q15M9hTo-y-h3lGyPuNk33PicFOZBuKKZTUr9dAbjtrQPfehgowQiX2u5nNmUim03YIefvFYl8II6hjteTec/s1600/paving+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhytqnu4rtTSZRyOvy73FGEppW7PK3pJybQCC4UtnaziU0evH7ny9ZtuS8q15M9hTo-y-h3lGyPuNk33PicFOZBuKKZTUr9dAbjtrQPfehgowQiX2u5nNmUim03YIefvFYl8II6hjteTec/s320/paving+2.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Money was sent again, and paving has now begun. They were advised that it needed to go all around the house since currently it is just dirt right up against the veranda, so there is still structural damage danger there. They are laying paving stones and filling around them with cement. This project is still in process. Rainy days slow the work. <br />
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Here's an idea what it will look like. </div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvKhrS4PZOLltsnd4lnn74vUTbVVn33L7trUPxJ8C56xHHtTKY3aPjjjSy-9NU1byIefikJZzcl1Kd4SrrVNmLThoGw-CW7XuM2rj8r-q7b7xjDrUpst3Fu7L7CMkFoU9Q-SD6lxz24RA/s1600/pav3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvKhrS4PZOLltsnd4lnn74vUTbVVn33L7trUPxJ8C56xHHtTKY3aPjjjSy-9NU1byIefikJZzcl1Kd4SrrVNmLThoGw-CW7XuM2rj8r-q7b7xjDrUpst3Fu7L7CMkFoU9Q-SD6lxz24RA/s320/pav3.jpg" width="180" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_XEkzCxvQFafdf2mEENvC_rwueaIW0TzAbhGl6NVcNnkX1nln3MHaBnzqiiBN-iE67SZmzbkhCuYB-aT_axG8lGqIil85ljiOHJLj1ygu1kUjxZBlYfm_k0rP2PNA60LT3bX_VfttOnA/s1600/furn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_XEkzCxvQFafdf2mEENvC_rwueaIW0TzAbhGl6NVcNnkX1nln3MHaBnzqiiBN-iE67SZmzbkhCuYB-aT_axG8lGqIil85ljiOHJLj1ygu1kUjxZBlYfm_k0rP2PNA60LT3bX_VfttOnA/s320/furn.jpg" width="320" /></a>New living room furniture was purchased. Nice to have a place to host friends, have board meetings for WonGeneration Africa, and just a comfortable place to rest after a long day of working. We also added another solar panel and battery. I'm still wanting to buy a refrigerator for Violet. When I first arrived last summer she had one, but we had to get rid of it in the move because the electricity needed was too much for the solar we had at the new house. A fridge would allow food to be stored, so less trips to the market.</div>
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And how about some pics of the beautiful Kalema family? </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2_XNcQWIi2ikiAQ5ZgHKSQxyVrFQoa3mTxvtlmcah6cysxoy03aICceMx4TE34kEsmCE9wKEc5kb5MVM4PMpJctmB9wcFpMKYuSbxh2zZumKzhBOwBJyJR6_fYvUjlyiMCCGM43Gubwk/s1600/fam2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2_XNcQWIi2ikiAQ5ZgHKSQxyVrFQoa3mTxvtlmcah6cysxoy03aICceMx4TE34kEsmCE9wKEc5kb5MVM4PMpJctmB9wcFpMKYuSbxh2zZumKzhBOwBJyJR6_fYvUjlyiMCCGM43Gubwk/s320/fam2.jpg" width="320" /></a>Violet, Solomon, Elijah, Alex</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFLJeoxjbYL9hLPX6_xPA28uETh0WQoEdQKHmmbQcgUp94xdhLHVZLw49WUfsn8FaxAihjBncmK6SQMKWk9_1vuLtHGn_NrWFaAQTQ8e7YhE6PB-phUB-tQO-0O4bJs3Q8v1cad84xsCY/s1600/fam3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFLJeoxjbYL9hLPX6_xPA28uETh0WQoEdQKHmmbQcgUp94xdhLHVZLw49WUfsn8FaxAihjBncmK6SQMKWk9_1vuLtHGn_NrWFaAQTQ8e7YhE6PB-phUB-tQO-0O4bJs3Q8v1cad84xsCY/s320/fam3.jpg" width="320" /></a>Alex and JJ</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLVU96JuCP3uWbYzzQqdQCQoXiFdEyNRa5_3JfIERJDm_hV2Uhd2QKbSXYaZxk_29oUyaW1aHQ-hABhNbBLfuMuFtuLJ1o9jpUwL4qcVIADlBWU1_FqZaGTda4OYEFNSNPJUWQKfDi6jg/s1600/fam4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLVU96JuCP3uWbYzzQqdQCQoXiFdEyNRa5_3JfIERJDm_hV2Uhd2QKbSXYaZxk_29oUyaW1aHQ-hABhNbBLfuMuFtuLJ1o9jpUwL4qcVIADlBWU1_FqZaGTda4OYEFNSNPJUWQKfDi6jg/s320/fam4.jpg" width="177" /></a>Alex, JJ, Solomon in new Soccer cleats</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVRvR9I6CMWztfBG-2EROmPXR4ld6OGt2hCIm1tH3KEtSJXBwYQLtm3qI3ZifUrI7KJ2oyGaZLMY9QIHvdwAislG1LBbP721Tmk_I0qkyzsxmBaA85-O0ADCKicjaLkq314_88t__yUas/s1600/fam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="816" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVRvR9I6CMWztfBG-2EROmPXR4ld6OGt2hCIm1tH3KEtSJXBwYQLtm3qI3ZifUrI7KJ2oyGaZLMY9QIHvdwAislG1LBbP721Tmk_I0qkyzsxmBaA85-O0ADCKicjaLkq314_88t__yUas/s320/fam.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Alex had the opportunity for a multi week soccer mission trip to Burkino Faso a few months ago. That is his Mother on the left. </div>
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I will try to remember to update projects on here more often. The next big thing we are currently talking about is getting a vehicle for the family/ministry. The house is a 20 minute walk from the main part of the village. Elijah was going to school on a Boda Boda (motorcycle taxi) every day, which of course costs money. A couple months ago that Boda Boda crashed with him on it and he was badly injured and now has the fear of getting back on. Having their own vehicle would be a huge blessing and much safer for the little ones. This project could run $3000-6000 depending on what car is chosen. Ultimately we want a van, but we're still discussing whether we should try for that now, or get something smaller for now and upgrade later. This project will take over a year at my current rate of donations and saving. </div>
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If you would like to join us in this venture, or if you are already partnering with me and would like an alternative tax deductible way to give, go to Won Generation and under the donate link, choose 'Won Generation Africa' for your purpose. We may get a specific project page put up, but we're still discussing that, but for now...<br />https://wongeneration.org/donate/</div>
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If you want it to be set aside for the vehicle, just put that in the notes section. Alex can hold onto money as he's saving up. If no note, the money will just be used for whatever ministry projects WGA has going. Otherwise, if you continue sending to me as you have been, I will send it in big chunks as we have the needed amounts for the projects. </div>
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I also take Facebook pay if you are my friend, and I have a Square cash account now ($BaseballGrrl)</div>
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One more big THANK YOU to all who have sown into this ministry. I am so grateful for your belief in me and love for the people I have been connected with to do this thing. We can't do it alone. I am beyond blessed by the body of Christ I've been connected with, even though we're now spread out over a few states. </div>
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BaseballGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13865849650569830799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-473041581124673749.post-32745412357851880022016-09-02T10:55:00.001-07:002016-09-02T10:55:34.387-07:00Uganda 2016 Wrap-UpFor anyone wondering where I went.... <br />I had intended to update this blog while I was away for 3 months, but unfortunately, Google and Yahoo both locked me out of my accounts since I was logging in from another country. Obviously this was done by a computer, not a human, as a human would more likely see that my name on everything includes the word Uganda and my blog is all about going to Uganda. <br />
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I was able to post a couple updates as a "Note" on Facebook if anyone hasn't already seen them. But really, I didn't do that much exciting anyway. If you want to see pictures and you're not my Facebook friend, you can still see them. I've made the albums public. <br />http://www.facebook.com/BaseballGrrl<br />
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I have been home now from Uganda for about a month. People always ask, "how was it?" and honestly, that is hard to answer. It was hard, it was fun, it was interesting, it sucked, it hurt, it was great! 10 weeks is a long time. It was not what I expected at all. I thought I'd go out and start ministering to people, I thought I'd pray for people and see them get healed. That didn't happen. Instead I just kept hearing God say "Be still, sit with Me." So I did. I sat in my chair and read 20 books plus a few books of the Bible, I talked to God and journaled what I heard Him saying to me. I just got to be quiet and let Him speak. He showed me some mindsets that needed to be changed, He talked to me about my dreams, and He gave me promises to hold onto. For that, it was amazing. Life is so busy here it can be hard to make the time to sit still with Papa like that. <br />
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On the other hand, I ended up dealing with multiple illnesses/pains that were difficult. I overheated in my first week. Very strange, just had to sit in front of a fan drinking cold water. For 3 days I did that, then I decided to put on Jesus Culture's latest album and worship. The presence of God was thick around me as I turned my eyes to Him. It was so great! Then song #8, Set Me Ablaze came on and an icy cold feeling started in my toes and traveled up thru my whole body. When it was done, my temperature was back to normal. Yay God! He has such a weird sense of humor. :) <br />
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I got a weird pain in my side a few weeks later. It started after dinner and grew until I threw up, then it just went into a cycle of getting worse and throwing up for a little relief. I was wimpering, crying out to God, praying, singing worship songs... Violet stayed with me the whole time, she was amazing. It went on for 4 hours they told me later, but by God's grace it only felt like 2 hours to me. I still have no clue what that was about, a few theories have been offered up, but no way to know for sure. I even suspected witchcraft. As the only white person in the village, and as white people are usually missionaries, it is feasible that a witch doctor could've sent a curse my way. When I had that thought, and I prayed against that angle, the pain went away shortly after. Coincidence? Maybe. But maybe not. Who knows? <br />
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And of course, a couple weeks before I left I managed to get Malaria. That was fun. Really it wasn't too bad. I had chills and hot spells off and on for about 4 days, then the last day I had 2 hrs of shivering on the couch and when I tried to sit up my whole body felt dead. Alex asked if he could call the doctor now and I finally said yes. The pills were sent over and I took the first dose. Intense sweating immediately broke out (and lasted 6 hrs) and within half an hour I started feeling better! I had no appetite for about 5 days, forcing food down to take the pills and not much else. On the plus side, that was a nice crash diet right at the end allowing me to arrive home down 25 pounds! lol <br />
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I had the chance to observe "real life" during my stay. When you go on a short term missions trip, you often end up in nice housing, everything is set up to accommodate American tastes, and life is all planned out and the schedule full. This wasn't like that. I stayed at first in the Kalema home with an outdoor pit latrine. A month and a half with no running water or toilet. I had to learn to do things like everyone else in the country does it. I had to wash my hair with a bucket and a basin, try to wash my body with washcloths and baby wipes. (Ok, so they don't have baby wipes) I had to learn to not only pee in a hole, but poop as well, and of course, the new diet causes diarrhea for a couple weeks right? Good luck! Real life. It's not pretty. <br />
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I saw how the girls work all day, cooking, washing, cleaning... it all takes so much longer by hand. I asked to help a few times, but they just laughed at me and refused. One time the 17 yr old maid gave me a matooke and a knife and showed me how to peel. Instantly, every kid in the vicinity was there gathered around to watch and laugh. Doing everything by hand takes a long time and is really hard on their backs. <br />
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I saw how hard the men work for so little money. I saw how jobs usually seem to be sunup to sundown, 7 days a week. It made me sad. Where do they do life? When do they get to enjoy time with family, or go do something fun? I asked Alex and he just looked at me in shock. "I never thought about that!" ??? I looked at this culture that is living in survival mode wondering, Why survive if you can't enjoy life at least a little? Harsh reality broke my heart. They work so hard, yet they don't seem to be able to get ahead. They're just surviving. <br />
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I met some amazing wonderful people, the board members of Won Generation Africa. This small band of believers has a goal to find a need and meet it. They don't have a lot of resources, but they're still doing anything they can to help out the people around them. It's so awesome! I will be joining their efforts when I return. So many of the dreams I have had are already beginning to take shape within this little group. What I realized I bring to the table is fresh ideas. Coming from an entirely different culture means I've had the chance to see things that they haven't. I can tell them about things they've never heard of, and together we can make a difference. I'm excited to get back and start dreaming together again and seeing what God will do. <br />
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So all in all, the trip was wonderful. I learned a ton, I suffered a bit, and I made some amazing new friends. I now have a much better idea of what direction to go. Before I had a lot of dreams but no idea how to go about starting anything. God has placed me with a group that is already moving, so I will now just be able to join in and bring my resources to the table. God is so good, so wise. Always knows what's up before we do. He is faithful to provide all we need to do what He has created us to do. <br />
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<br />BaseballGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13865849650569830799noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-473041581124673749.post-65239643610753531592016-05-11T08:10:00.001-07:002016-05-11T08:10:20.788-07:006 DaysA few more pics - the rains have hit hard I'm hearing, so that is slowing things down a bit, but they're still working hard. :) The wood is for the roof / ceiling and the plumbing is being installed as well. <br />
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BaseballGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13865849650569830799noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-473041581124673749.post-14237644758965842622016-05-08T23:19:00.000-07:002016-05-09T15:06:35.454-07:008 DaysJust over a week now until I hop on a plane and fly to another world. It's starting to feel weird. It always does. I love being there so much, but it still feels so strange and scary to make the journey. I don't know why. It's just so unreal. The "goodbye for nows" are starting. I've stopped buying groceries, so I'm scrounging for meals or eating on the go. Trying to think of everything that needs to go in a suitcase, hoping to stay under weight on my luggage... This has all happened so fast, yet at the same time it's taking forever to get there. Time is funny that way. <br />
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I don't have any more house pics to show you, not sure what's happening with that at the moment. I have requested the last chunk from my retirement fund, hopefully it arrives in time. I have all the items I need, just waiting for one thing to come in the mail still. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjadqd1xlpBkHopINNAyWcXGw722SyjcX7mljwfGIs9cQHmLPeAkA26CnbD0nEnqjaA7l4bBXNhHcVfOfnv1Ta7W2WTKx3OlPiC5wMQxjPh1jl-7bdN2mF7LrmptENVDK0wB1AKF8y2fdM/s1600/DSCN6984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjadqd1xlpBkHopINNAyWcXGw722SyjcX7mljwfGIs9cQHmLPeAkA26CnbD0nEnqjaA7l4bBXNhHcVfOfnv1Ta7W2WTKx3OlPiC5wMQxjPh1jl-7bdN2mF7LrmptENVDK0wB1AKF8y2fdM/s320/DSCN6984.JPG" width="320" /></a>I don't know what the next 3 months hold for me. I'm going with no schedule, no agenda to speak of. I am just going on an adventure with Holy Spirit as my guide. I know I will be stretched in new ways, far beyond my comfort zone. I'm on my own, no team to hide behind. Just me, one solo mzungu. It's a huge responsibility, the way they treat us, like we're celebrities almost. It's a strange feeling to drive down the street and have kids come running just because you're white. <br />
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One thing I'm looking forward to so much is the church. I spent a few Sundays at this place and it was so wonderful! These Ugandans know how to worship! The joy in that place is incredible!! So much fun! Amazing singers, fun dancing, and just a beautiful atmosphere to be in. I remember one of the most awesome moments from my 2010 trip was when they took the offering. They had 3 baskets up front, Tithe, Offering, and Charity. The hundreds of people streamed up to drop their offerings in the baskets. Some gave money, others gave a bag of some sort of food, and a couple guys brought up a whole branch of bananas. It was beautiful to see people who have so little being so generous. That's what it should be like. If we all give a little, we can help those who have nothing. This church in Masulita is beautiful. (The church is people, not a building) I look forward to being a part of this church body.<br />
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I will miss the people here, I've felt so accepted into the church here in Yuba City these last 6 months. This is a good place too. This is a people who know how to love well. I hope that I can take all that I've learned from my life's journey from church to church and give what I have to these people and in turn, receive from them what they have and bring it back here. I think that is what the church is supposed to be about. We are diverse, yet united. We each have a flavor, or a piece of the puzzle. When we come together and share our unique pieces, it makes something beautiful. <br />
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As always, I would love to have your prayers. Any time you think of me, just send up a quick prayer to Papa God. :) Pray for safety and health, and pray for divine encounters and that I would embrace the path Holy Spirit is taking me down. Thank you all for your support. BaseballGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13865849650569830799noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-473041581124673749.post-773314549209275962016-04-30T07:57:00.001-07:002016-04-30T07:57:53.762-07:00April 30 updateJust over 2 weeks to go now! I'm both excited and nervous. This is a pretty big ordeal. Lots of money, lots of unknowns, lots of new things... <br />
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Alex tells me the walls are up and ready for the roof now, so this is a view from atop a ladder. Yay! </div>
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I am about to take the last chunk of $$ out of my retirement account on Monday so I can finish the house, get solar panels, and whatever other costs I run into during my 3 month stay. </div>
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What can you do to partner with me in this you ask?? </div>
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I need your prayers first and foremost. My back is still not 100% and I need it to be. I will be doing some physical labor and lots of walking and that will not be very pleasant with a tweaked out back. Pray for safety and health. Pray that God will connect me with people who will be a part of the team on the ground. I am looking for "spiritual parents" to have contact points to send new believers to to help them grow in the Lord. Pray for good connection between myself and Alex and Violet as we brainstorm and pray for what God has for us moving forward. And of course, God will be doing some major renovations in my heart I'm sure. He always does. <br />
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And yes, I could use some financial help as well. I can't know for sure how much I will need to spend while I'm in Uganda, so I am looking at the possibility of returning with no money. I have accounted for August rent already, but any other bills and expenses when I first get back will be up in the air. I have a couple people who have sent me donations regularly, so they will at least get me thru the first week or so. If I end up with leftover money it will just be put into the Uganda account for next time. </div>
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<li>Checks to Jessie Osborne can be mailed to 652 Almond St. Yuba City, CA 95991</li>
<li>Paypal - Jessie Osborne or UgandanMzungu@yahoo.com</li>
<li>Facebook pay - https://www.facebook.com/BaseballGrrl</li>
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Even after I'm gone, these will get into my bank account and I can access with debit card while I'm over there if I need it. </div>
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I'll update this blog regularly while I'm away. Keep me bookmarked and I'll let you know what I'm up to, what needs I've run into, and more specifics on how you can pray. </div>
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Thanks friends. Here is one more picture, Alex tells me this is the view out my bedroom window at sunset . Uganda does have beautiful sunrises / sunsets. :) </div>
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BaseballGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13865849650569830799noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-473041581124673749.post-64597115142439191862016-04-22T11:21:00.001-07:002016-04-22T16:52:48.865-07:0025 Days to GoLess than a month now. I think I've got most of the details taken care of now. I'm waiting on God still to take care of a few things. I would very much appreciate people willing to pray for me while I'm away. This is an intimidating task, to head off to Uganda, just me, hanging out with the local people, only mzungu in sight. lol -- It's a different world and I don't yet know all the rules. I know i'm going to get a rude awakening as to how much work life takes there. Life is so easy here, we're so spoiled with all our appliances and comforts. I look forward to learning, but I know it will be difficult for this old fat body of mine. ;) I will be smaller when I get back I'm sure. :)<br />
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Pray for safety, provision, and that I would see what I need to see to strategize for the future. Pray that I meet awesome people that will join me in my mission as we move forward. <br />
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Thank y'all. If you have any other questions, please feel free to message me. Make sure to bookmark this blog so you don't miss any posts as I'm away. I will update as much as I'm able. Not sure if pictures will be doable, but I'll try. :) <br />
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BaseballGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13865849650569830799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-473041581124673749.post-72408256582259597882016-04-11T11:37:00.000-07:002016-04-11T11:37:23.712-07:00More HouseJust a little over a month to go.... The house will have the basic structure up very soon, the walls are quick!! I have just found that we will need solar power, an added expense I was not figuring into my budget. Alex tells me that the regular electricity will be very expensive as the house is a bit outside the bulk of town, they would charge us for the power poles to get out to our house. He tells me solar panels are $580 each and we need at least 2 of them. If anyone feels led to help us out with this part of the project it would be a huge deal! <br />
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It's happening!! This is for real!! I can't even get my mind around this. If you've ever been to another country, you might know that it is a different world, so much so that it seems unreal from here. I am in a weird emotional state about this trip. I can't quite think it's actually real. I am looking forward to so many things about this visit. I will get to see old friend I haven't seen in 6 yrs, meet my newest nephew, see again the other one... Hanging out in the country I love for almost 3 months!! I know God has great things planned for me, so I'm just leaving myself open to whatever He has in mind. All is well. Uganda, here I come!!</div>
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BaseballGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13865849650569830799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-473041581124673749.post-62597770476019979482016-04-06T12:21:00.001-07:002016-04-07T16:32:57.681-07:00So it BeginsConstruction has begun on the house!! I have wired Alex the majority of the money for the house so they could get started. The rainy season is coming and can make building difficult, so we're trying to get the house up before then. Well, that and I don't want to have to live without a bathroom for too long. ;) <br />
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Very different process, so I'm fascinated to see how this goes. Hopefully Alex will be able to upload more pictures as we go so I can see. I will share as I am able. </div>
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Pretty good sized footprint it looks like. Gonna be awesome!! I will bring another $2K with me when I go to finish out the process. Alex and I will be painting the house ourselves to save on labor costs. It's gonna be fun!</div>
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Please pray for me as I come to mind. This is a pretty big thing I'm doing (in my mind) Pray for my safety and provision and that God will make my path clear as I seek out connections in the village. I will be stepping outside my comfort zone in a major way, so pray for courage. :) Thanks friends!</div>
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And another new picture of another day....</div>
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BaseballGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13865849650569830799noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-473041581124673749.post-74733574692456205142016-03-30T17:58:00.003-07:002016-03-30T18:06:15.950-07:00Update March 30I just passed the '50 days to go' mark. :) If you've ever been out of country you might now the unreal feeling I have at this point. Such a different place to be, it's difficult to even fathom. <br />
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I have sent an initial chunk of money to Alex already and building has begun on the house. Yay!! I wanted to get it started now to avoid too much "white tax" and so I didn't have to live too long without a bathroom. lol - Also Alex told me it was best to get it done before the rainy season. So far his internet has not been good enough to send me pictures, but as I receive them I will post. <br />
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I am excited about the possibilities of this trip. I've realized with short term mission trips we often get more out of it than the people we went to see in terms of inner growth. On my 3 previous trips I was with a group and was able to stay quiet and let the others do most of the talking to people. I won't have that chance this time, so even though it will be a challenge, I am glad to be pushed out of my comfort zone so far. I have been pursuing training all these years, time to get off the bench!! Put me in coach! I'm ready to play. :) <br />
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I don't have a big plan of scheduled events. I know that I will be able to go with Violet to the adult English classes she teaches and learn some Luganda, so I'm looking forward to that. I hope I can spend some time with the kids at the school too, kids are always the best part right? ;) Other than that I want to meet people in the area and get a clearer picture of the needs in this village. When I return full time I want to have a strategy for how I can best serve the people around me. This time I won't have the resources to do much, but next time I hope I will. <br />
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This time will allow me to build a stronger bond with Alex and Violet and their two boys and brainstorm together with Jesus to discover what our future holds. I have a huge vision in my head, but getting it down into a workable form will be helpful. Some things require building time, so we will figure out how best to build what God has been showing me over the years. I will probably give a more precise vision update when I get back.<br />
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I do not want to go build a ministry that depends on me. That is pointless. I want to do what I can to use the gifts God has given me to equip and train those around me, wherever I may be. My goal here is to share whatever I have to share to help the people. I hope to find good solid people that will join me in this mission. I think about that old saying about "give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day, teach him to fish, he'll eat for life." That is pretty much what I am thinking. I want to use my gifts to set something in motion that will continue on far past my time. I will be in search of people that will be disciplers and prayers and worshipers and adoptive parents, and business people... I want to help them help each other. It's not about pouring money in so much as helping them see what they already have and utilize it. As my current church says... "Find a need and meet it, find a hurt and heal it." Everyone is capable of doing that. :)<br />
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Overall I am excited to be back in the country I love. I do not look forward to the long day of travel, but at least I'll have 3 months in between instead of the 2 week normal. I have a 27 hr day on the way there and 33 hrs on the way back. eek! <br />
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I would like to ask for prayers to cover this trip. I wrestle to stay out of the fear zone as I head out alone. I do feel very safe in the village and Alex and Violet are amazing guides, but there is risk always in a foreign land. 3 months is a long time. I know that it will be so hard to come back too. I would love to have people willing to pray for me any time I come to your mind. <br />
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Also when I return I will need to find a job ASAP as I am spending everything I have for this trip. I am trusting God for finances all around. For this trip and after. I haven't worked since Christmas so add a new job to returning culture shock and jet lag.... ug. <br />
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If you have any questions, I'd love to share any answers I have. PM me on Facebook is probably the easiest way to reach me. <br />
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Thank you to all who have shown support and interest in my mission. I am so grateful for those who have believed in me and sown financially into this trip as well. <br />
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BaseballGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13865849650569830799noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-473041581124673749.post-27243894715805666122016-03-19T09:22:00.000-07:002016-03-19T09:22:40.557-07:00Alex has sent me a bunch of pictures of the land we will be building on. He and his friends are working hard to clear land right now to be ready to build starting in April. I am sending money ahead to get the house started so it will be done before the rainy season hits. <br />
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<br />BaseballGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13865849650569830799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-473041581124673749.post-63593647054698709442016-03-11T08:18:00.002-08:002016-04-28T13:21:14.428-07:00Wish ListAs I am preparing to head out, I have received some requests to bring things with me. I thought I'd post here in hopes that someone may be able to help out. I guess this is easiest for locals, but maybe if you are Amazon shoppers you could have them shipped to me. But if you have things laying around the house and are willing to donate, I'd appreciate it and my Ugandan family would be so grateful. If anyone has a Costco / Sam's membership maybe for the spices in larger size?<br />
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<ul>
<li><strike>The Circle Maker</strike> (paperback)</li>
<li><strike>Garlic Salt</strike></li>
<li><strike>Taco Seasoning</strike></li>
<li><strike>Johnny's Seasoning</strike></li>
<li><strike>a frying pan</strike></li>
<li>a lightweight working laptop</li>
<li>books by Kris Vallotton</li>
<li>iPad for Alex</li>
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If you would like to help with the personal items I need on this journey, here are some things I want to take with me.<br />
<ul>
<li><strike>Baby wipes</strike> - </li>
<li>essential oils for mosquito/malaria protection (Lemon Thyme Eucalyptus globulus and Thieves spray)</li>
<li>frisbee or other light fun items to play with the kids.</li>
<li><strike>Vitamin C</strike> </li>
<li>Mosquito Net </li>
<li><strike>Sunscreen</strike> </li>
</ul>
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I will update this as I think of things and receive things. I have to limit my packing, so think light! Thank you for all who join me in fulfilling my calling!! BaseballGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13865849650569830799noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-473041581124673749.post-40957572288949694932016-03-07T13:09:00.000-08:002016-04-05T22:07:43.911-07:00The Details So, I just purchased my ticket to head out May 17 - Aug 3!!! That is just over 2 months away and I'm super excited! If anyone has ever been overseas, you might understand how I'm feeling. Uganda is a different world. When I was there, the US felt like a weird hazy dream, and once I returned here, Uganda felt like a weird hazy dream. The reality of each is so different, it can be difficult to make the mental transition. So I bought a ticket, but the reality is still not catching up. Very strange feeling. <br />
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I've been looking at the numbers, trying to determine how much money this will take, and to give you, my friends, an idea of what is needed. I would very much appreciate any help I can get as I head out to lay the foundations of my future. I am willing to give everything, but I also want to give you the opportunity to sow into what God is doing. We are a body, and we each have a part to play. Will you ask God if He would have you partner with me? <br />
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Plane ticket ................................$1635 (paid)<br />
House ..........................................7000<br />
Ugandan Visa ................................100<br />
3 months of bills here ..............,, 1500 (I am keeping my room so still have rent)<br />
Travel shots ..................................253 (paid)<br />
Travel Medical Ins. .....................130<br />
Misc. expenses while abroad ...... ???<br />
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As you can see, I'm already just over $10,000 for this. I want to have a good cushion for the unexpected and for whatever I will need for the 3 months I'm there. I will probably need to buy water unless I can figure out a good travel filter to take with me. The construction of the house could have additional costs, especially once they see the color of my skin. I won't have to pay for lodging, as I will stay with Alex and Violet, but I'm sure there will be other costs along the way. I will update this as I figure out what they may be. <br />
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If you would like to donate, here are the options for now.<br />
<ul>
<li>checks can be mailed to: Jessie Osborne, 652 Almond St. , Yuba City, CA 95991</li>
<li>Facebook - there is an option in the chat window to send money directly to my account </li>
<li>Paypal - UgandanMzungu@yahoo.com</li>
<li>Venmo - I'm currently having trouble accessing this, so hold off on this option for now. </li>
</ul>
If you'd like to pray:<br />
<ul>
<li>Safety and smooth travels</li>
<li>Health - malaria is a risk </li>
<li>Divine connections - I hope to meet some good local people who will join my team. </li>
<li>Wisdom - To see what I need to see and go where God wants me to go. Dreaming sessions with my local family about what we want to see happen down the road. General good sense while out and about in a strange world. </li>
<li>Courage - As the only mzungu, I will be given opportunities to speak and pray for people most likely, and that can be scary for me. This trip will stretch me in every way. :)</li>
<li>Favor - that I won't get hit too hard with the "white tax"</li>
<li>Provision - finances to do everything and not be completely broke when I return. A job quickly when I get back.</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1FyZbUw4XgylfuLVwQFpLqj8QDe2xEd4TG-BPOcdQ0SK3Z5hwyCGikk2yAOXA9gQKXC7iF99U-1sRdBuSVdkrMl_C-T3STl8NuTzdkFdTGN_2GTku1tGl1PXOApakYGD8z0pTPCYJ5yw/s1600/house.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTcDnb_GjUInPwb6TBEKhrhR1JpFZ3-c2sjZpfBxhti_56w2sZUgkoT4k60r0ci47w4lIEI7G8290E6PDL3EASfvJFwSpaGgi1AkoEZVhW3o66H5LQsZWAVoqwpy_FxkxD7ASgz3POk0o/s1600/food2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTcDnb_GjUInPwb6TBEKhrhR1JpFZ3-c2sjZpfBxhti_56w2sZUgkoT4k60r0ci47w4lIEI7G8290E6PDL3EASfvJFwSpaGgi1AkoEZVhW3o66H5LQsZWAVoqwpy_FxkxD7ASgz3POk0o/s320/food2.jpg" width="320" /></a> <img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1FyZbUw4XgylfuLVwQFpLqj8QDe2xEd4TG-BPOcdQ0SK3Z5hwyCGikk2yAOXA9gQKXC7iF99U-1sRdBuSVdkrMl_C-T3STl8NuTzdkFdTGN_2GTku1tGl1PXOApakYGD8z0pTPCYJ5yw/s320/house.jpg" width="320" /><br />
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Thank you all so much for your support and prayers. :)BaseballGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13865849650569830799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-473041581124673749.post-44599367370146055822016-02-16T04:15:00.000-08:002016-03-14T13:22:13.040-07:00Uganda 2016Time for another update! It's been 3 years 3 months since I last set foot in my beloved Uganda. As of 2/15/16, I have been seriously looking into going back this year for a 3 month trip to build the home that I would live in when I finally get to go back for good. I've been chatting with my mentors and trusted friends and with Alex to get some idea of what that might look like on the ground. He already has a plan in place, he just needs the money. The timing seems right to head over in May or June. Lots of details to be worked out, but for now, this is the basic plan. :) I'm super excited!<br />
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This visit would take every cent I possess, so it's a pretty big deal. I would be cashing out my 401K retirement fund since I quit my long time job (and paying the tax penalty for early withdrawal). The money was already intended to build a house, so that isn't changing, I just see the stocks going down and down and I want to do this before the money disappears altogether. As of right now I think I have just enough for the travel, the building, and my bills back home for the time I'd be gone. Of course this means I'd be broke by the time I got home. I would not have a job to return to this time, so all around this is quite a big exercise in trusting God. To go will be a huge risk, but God has been leading me in risk lately quite often and He has never let me down.<br />
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The house I build is not just for me, it will be occupied by my Ugandan brother Alex and his wife Violet and their two young boys. Alex is the town soccer coach and youth pastor. He is an amazing man of God with a great gift for reaching young people. I have known Alex and Violet since my 2010 trip when I was there for 6 weeks. Alex's ministry is a big deal for the local youth. His coaching talents help them grow their skills so much that they often get scholarships to the bigger and better schools. Education is such a huge deal for these village kids. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKyW_F85pfA30k8moluwZzN9b6fgS5uAvk2kfA93imt7-9h2hh5enrerTK5As4fEkAbkt6KgNJ-RxXRjKnekDXM60o4L3Z2V92LeAq7aVl0bbCyga8AMP4p5tMQuV5uOWYmfJIIRpffpM/s1600/kalemas.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKyW_F85pfA30k8moluwZzN9b6fgS5uAvk2kfA93imt7-9h2hh5enrerTK5As4fEkAbkt6KgNJ-RxXRjKnekDXM60o4L3Z2V92LeAq7aVl0bbCyga8AMP4p5tMQuV5uOWYmfJIIRpffpM/s320/kalemas.jpg" width="320" /></a> The Kalemas in 2010 (my last visit)<br />
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While I am there it will be much easier to lay the groundwork for my future life in Uganda. I will be able to pick the brains of my friends and start strategizing for my ministry. I will have time to start building relationships in the village of Masulita and getting a good idea of where the needs are greatest. My hope is to find creative ways to meet the practical needs of the people, I'm trusting God for strategies to break the cycle of poverty and bring hope where it has gone missing. I want to find ways to make life easier so that parents can have the time to focus on their kids more. This visit would allow me the time to get to know some people and really get an idea of what I'll need for next time. I also hope to find trustworthy people who will join me in my endeavor and be those I can entrust my ministry to when my time is up. I want to build something that the locals will carry on and change their world without me. Being a mzungu, I will most likely have many opportunities to speak to the church and to the schools, I would love to spend time with the kids, help them with their English lessons... and I will in turn work on my Luganda lessons. :) I believe this will be a time of incredible personal growth, preparing me for the work God has called me to. I have been working toward this goal since 2007 and am eager to get over there again. <br />
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I left my heart in Uganda, and I'm really getting excited about the prospect of returning to this beautiful land in the near future. If you would consider teaming with me in prayer and if possible, with finances, I would appreciate it greatly. I do have a chunk to work with at the moment, but as I said, it will drain me completely. I'm told the house is about $7,000 for a 3 bedroom house with a western kitchen and bath. I do not know yet what my living expenses will be while there. I will need to buy water for sure, I'll stay with Alex and eat with the family. Travel plus bills at home will be around $3500. I would like to have a cushion for the unexpected as well. It is very difficult to be surrounded by need and to be unable to help. Leading up to the trip I will need to spend on a new passport (already in process) and my travel shots, as well as supplies to take with me. I'm still working on those figures, but that is my initial estimate. After I return I will need a job ASAP, so a little extra cushion to tide me over would be great too. I had initially planned on looking for a job in March while I still had some money leftover, but now my plans are changing and I'll need a longer timeline. I will be looking into some temporary job options soon. <br />
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I would appreciate your prayers at this time for wisdom and clarity to get all the details worked out. I would also ask if you'd please consider supporting me financially.<br />
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Ways to donate:<br />
1) Facebook - in the chat window there is a $ to send money (username BaseballGrrl or Jessi Dawn )<br />
2) Venmo - send money from your phone (search Jessie Osborne or UgandanMzungu@yahoo.com )<br />
--the methods above go directly to my bank account (with no fee) which would be helpful while I'm gone to replenish, and for those who wish to donate while I'm gone too. :)<br />
3) Paypal - UgandanMzungu@yahoo.com (Jessie Osborne)<br />
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3) Cash or check (message me for address)<br />
4) For locals, I can collect your CRV bottles and cans and take them for recycling<br />
5) I'm willing to work odd jobs as I am able. (Temporary employment would be great too.)<br />
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Thank you to all those who have already been supporting my dream financially and thank you to all who will consider me in the future. I covet your prayers at this time as I make this big decision. Thank you!!<br />
Feel free to ask any questions and I'll do my best to answer them. :) <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVoUqwW324Eehwrq9IZjc45ebJ8njM6sal0gSfX67EX9BJZJPV7pt0MxJOQrMkyyQoR_JmV63VFQL1v1zS66UPhMeJv-YTyePB7aSIQlNrTN-YTZS7PU1yB-c03torHX-cI7VkdLIWETE/s1600/food.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVoUqwW324Eehwrq9IZjc45ebJ8njM6sal0gSfX67EX9BJZJPV7pt0MxJOQrMkyyQoR_JmV63VFQL1v1zS66UPhMeJv-YTyePB7aSIQlNrTN-YTZS7PU1yB-c03torHX-cI7VkdLIWETE/s400/food.jpg" /></a> I miss this food!BaseballGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13865849650569830799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-473041581124673749.post-53345175351277156692014-07-27T08:39:00.000-07:002014-07-27T08:39:27.428-07:00July 2014 UpdateSo, if you're wondering what's happening in my goal to return to Uganda, here's a little update. I feel that the time is getting close, but I still don't have any exact timeline. God is speaking to me so much about my vision, but as far as timing, He's just saying "wait and trust." I am dreaming with Him, writing down the ideas and strategies that He brings to my mind. It has been a wonderful experience, feeling closer to my goal. <br />
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I have begun fundraising. I have dreams of an orphanage and a facility where I can host mission teams, and possible a school someday. Buildings cost money, so I've created an account for people to donate online if that is easier. Find the link here if you are interested. http://www.gofundme.com/7vv030 - I also take personal checks for now, which is better for me since this website takes a small cut. I just know online donation methods are easier. ;)<br />
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I am also collecting recycling and turning it in for money here in California. Friends are bringing me their bags and I am digging in trash cans and picking stuff up off the roads. It's a sticky and tedious job, but I am willing to work for my dreams! For now, I'm working on getting to Uganda, 5 cents at a time! :) I am working 2 part time jobs now, trying to pull ahead financially and pay off my debts. <br />
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On the Uganda front, my brother and ministry partner Alex is planning to start building a home for us in January. His wife Violet will be giving birth to their 2nd child at the end of this year, and he has also adopted a couple older kids so they need a larger home. He plans to build big enough so that I will have a room when I arrive. I would like to begin sending him some of the money I've raised to contribute to the building of the home. He says he can build it for around $5000 and furnish it for another 5000. He's working to get the land planted so we will have food. We will work to minimize living expenses, but that requires some up front money to get started. <br />
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As far as my plans when I get there, what I have concluded right now is that I want to spend my first 6 months to a year just living there and getting to know the people and serving where I can before I launch any teaching type ministry. I want to build relationships and learn the culture. I think it would be arrogant to just hit the ground teaching. I am not 'big super American' with all the answers to their lives. I want to serve, find out where the greatest needs are and find ways I can meet those needs. Hopefully the Mzungu celebrity status will wear off with some time too. lol My hope is to find leaders during that time that will be able to continue what we start after I am gone if that is ever to happen. I want to provide them with whatever training I can so that they can be the leaders in their community. Eventually I want to get a children's home and school going, but that will take some time I believe. I have so many ideas, so many passions, it's hard to know where to start, but hopefully that first time period of building will give me the answers. <br />
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I am so grateful for those who have been contributing monthly to my vision. Knowing that people believe in me and my dream is so encouraging. When I get under the stress of "when" and "how", it helps to know that I have support from my friends and family. I have known since 2007 that Uganda was my destination, but God has been doing a lot of work in my heart to get me ready for this mission. I have grown so much, especially in the last 2 years since I moved to Bethel. I think the time is getting really close. I'm excited to get going, my heart longs to be back in Uganda. BaseballGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13865849650569830799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-473041581124673749.post-41645843359104570992014-04-22T18:14:00.001-07:002014-04-22T18:14:52.183-07:00Vision Update Pt 1I want to share my vision, or at least pieces of it for those of you who want to know what my plans are. I don't know all the details, but I can share my heart and my passion. <br />
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Kids are my main focus at first. I want to be able to provide a home for children who have no one to look after them. It would be great if I could also have a school. Education is so important in Uganda, but I also want to be able to focus on helping the kids find their identity and then pursuing their own passions. I want them to be able to be kids, playing and not worrying about their next meal, or their futures. I want to encourage joy and personal freedom in who they are. <br />
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I will have lots of sports related activities of course, as that is a great way to build relationship and just have fun! Alex is the town soccer coach and has an amazing ministry already with the kids. His wife Violet is great at volleyball and other sports too. The kids love them!! Some may scoff at sports being a ministry, but solving practical needs is as important as anything "religious" might be. Tell a man about Jesus and leave him starving, what do you think will happen? Nothing. Alex has been such a good coach, his players have been receiving scholarships to better schools. Basic education need provided by what Alex is giving them. It's a great thing! I mostly want to have fun, but if there are other opportunities to be had, that's awesome!<br />
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I want to train up local people to love on the kids and become the teachers so that I work myself out of a job. I have watched as the teachers hit the students with sticks for stepping out of line. I hated seeing that! I want to share what I have learned from Danny Silk's book "Loving Your Kids on Purpose" - I want to see the kids grow in freedom and responsibility in the way that God grows us up. Fear of punishment doesn't lead to a lasting life of good choices. Once the fear is removed, they're free to do a lot of things that we thought that we'd convinced them not to do. I want to teach them how to make good choices because of love and understanding of natural consequences. Freedom is what Jesus came to give us, so why shouldn't children have that same right? <br />
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I recently heard of a place in South Africa I think where they housed orphans in homes of 8-10 kids with a set of parents in each home. Multiple homes made up a little community and the children had a chance to be a part of a family! I love this idea! I would love to find local couples that want to pour into the orphan children and love them into wholeness. <br />
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There, that's a good start. I will post more in another update. My vision covers many arenas. BaseballGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13865849650569830799noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-473041581124673749.post-2969290931993457962014-03-28T13:41:00.002-07:002014-03-28T13:42:41.412-07:00I have created a GoFundMe page to begin collecting startup money for my long term life in Uganda. If you're interested in donating now... here's the link.<br />
http://www.gofundme.com/7vv030<br />
Thank you so much!BaseballGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13865849650569830799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-473041581124673749.post-42662793142677327842014-02-16T16:10:00.001-08:002014-02-16T16:10:32.453-08:00To update anyone still following this.... I am still moving toward a goal of full time life in Uganda. I'm currently in Redding, CA attending Bethel Church in order to get as much growth as possible in a short time. I have had an incredible year and a half of encountering God and learning to receive His love and in turn, to trust Him more and more. He has proven Himself so faithful in this process. I'm getting involved as much as possible in all the classes available to me here so I can fill up my toolbelt. I still don't know the exact timeline, but I feel it is soon!! <br /><br />
My in country contact, Alex, is still my ministry partner. He is an amazing man of God who just recently had opportunity to prove how trustworthy he is during a difficult adventure he found himself on in Turkey. I am so proud to call Alex my brother and look forward to what God has for us as we join forces in the future. BaseballGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13865849650569830799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-473041581124673749.post-75942024680637544602012-11-12T17:23:00.004-08:002012-11-12T17:23:49.649-08:00October 29 - Heading homeToday we got a new breakfast! After 2 weeks of eggs and toast, we got pancakes! Everyone was so excited! And that is all my journal says. LOL We had to say goodbye to the interns first, they were heading out for a short vacation to Jinja. Lots of hugs and tears as we said farewell to this amazing group of ladies. : (<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMPUB7lmZ9hMMcyrtsj_RjwUPEQ9ctzlWUN4aysx-3skQd3WXGIRVnoEx5XCPr9fPoWeJWV-Hywh9w31EXxXliiTo2_fpMnZ2TtU-KXPkZQ6f-mJ0ZiXBaTqw00dvw3flJlr420snDo6M/s1600/DSCN1089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMPUB7lmZ9hMMcyrtsj_RjwUPEQ9ctzlWUN4aysx-3skQd3WXGIRVnoEx5XCPr9fPoWeJWV-Hywh9w31EXxXliiTo2_fpMnZ2TtU-KXPkZQ6f-mJ0ZiXBaTqw00dvw3flJlr420snDo6M/s320/DSCN1089.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8mWkrvGJshufMIOSpH8p_nTlB70E4Ykm4ZkFnOQMTKsLQMAJM1Z2y76TafL2md5-ZtYj_GUC36G336shnxwGEX84Ck_5ldsR8GSCAOPh0KHYrDgT0djle15iUb-a7NopB-j7tGAZ_Pk/s1600/DSCN1213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8mWkrvGJshufMIOSpH8p_nTlB70E4Ykm4ZkFnOQMTKsLQMAJM1Z2y76TafL2md5-ZtYj_GUC36G336shnxwGEX84Ck_5ldsR8GSCAOPh0KHYrDgT0djle15iUb-a7NopB-j7tGAZ_Pk/s320/DSCN1213.JPG" width="320" /></a>We left at 11 to go to the airport, had some odd food as we waited. The airport is where we first heard about Sandy, so there was some wondering if we'd make it home. One of our team was from New Jersey, so we weren't sure if she would be able to make it or not. The guys were still up for ministry and had opportunity to pray for this UN soldier from Ghana. We had to say goodbye to 3 more of our team here who had later flights. <br />
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Finally boarded and flew to Ethiopia. It seems that our last stop there landed us in the ghetto section of the airport, cuz where we were this time was really nice. As we headed to our gate, we suddenly heard a familiar voice! Chris O!! His flight the day before had been cancelled because of the hurricane I guess, so he had been put on our flight. That was fun running into him. This was the long flight, so it was awesome that it wasn't full and a few of us had the chance to stretch out across 3 seats and get some rest. We touched down in Rome for a re-fuel, so I can sort of say I've been there. : ) Not quite the way I wanted though. There was an autistic kid a few rows back that kept vocalizing loudly, so that was hard, but I understand. I had headphones to help me sleep. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9uW-1DmbZle9btoc1BDqUSPxwcso8_eyffZOXgA4jHLtiO1BI-HR15MuU1hPve0PV5ZMEQaOgxxPebZsJFA3uX6PojX_sBdB1szNYHbcIbSPmoeNQJhzK1dTSQ0sndrJqHi7_2foLEdU/s1600/DSCN1267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9uW-1DmbZle9btoc1BDqUSPxwcso8_eyffZOXgA4jHLtiO1BI-HR15MuU1hPve0PV5ZMEQaOgxxPebZsJFA3uX6PojX_sBdB1szNYHbcIbSPmoeNQJhzK1dTSQ0sndrJqHi7_2foLEdU/s320/DSCN1267.JPG" width="240" /></a>Landed in Toronto finally and a number of us didn't get our bags. A guy took our luggage tags and went and found most of them, so we headed on through the US Customs (in Canada?) and got some "real food" - The final flight to San Fran and we were almost home. Our ride was waiting for us, so we hopped the Bethel van and headed north. We stopped in Vacaville and ate at In-n-Out. I'm not a huge fan, but a real cheeseburger was wonderful after 2 weeks of Ugandan food! I finished my double burger before the boys, but then they went back for seconds, and I did not. They were sick after that. : ) Here is a pic of the aftermath. We fell asleep in the van after that, arrived at the church after 8 and went our separate ways. <br />
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It was a beautiful trip, sad to see it end, but I know it won't be my last. I know without a doubt that God has built me for Uganda, everything makes sense there and it feels like home to me. I will be back. Thank you Papa for this amazing opportunity, what a precious gift You have given to me! BaseballGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13865849650569830799noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-473041581124673749.post-37409021907420013232012-11-12T17:07:00.001-08:002012-11-12T17:07:11.078-08:00October 28, 2012 - Sunday<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-M1RSn1XG-SkHz2zgWOAsLyW9RIdtH-fGy5Fba8HOhhtFyTJ6SsuKtO0tp3Fm3aWMpK4XiPlH7LrMJxCIwXJ8477AgsOwS9qTSCvgtpv2VCvCWeR_NyBwK0jP7sQECkgenF8xn1w9sMQ/s1600/DSCN0978.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-M1RSn1XG-SkHz2zgWOAsLyW9RIdtH-fGy5Fba8HOhhtFyTJ6SsuKtO0tp3Fm3aWMpK4XiPlH7LrMJxCIwXJ8477AgsOwS9qTSCvgtpv2VCvCWeR_NyBwK0jP7sQECkgenF8xn1w9sMQ/s200/DSCN0978.JPG" width="150" /></a>Sunday's crusade was a morning and evening session. Chris preached again this morning, more to the church this time, not to the unsaved. I remembered to bring my earplugs this time, so I was able to handle the noise much better. After the meeting, a few of our team had to leave. It got pretty sad from here on out. This group has become such good friends, it's hard to start saying goodbye. Chris and Stefanie had to head out to get back to Bethel for a conference, and Maggie, Karen, and Kristy left us as well, and then Ruby. So before everyone left, we got team photos of our 3 smaller teams. That was a lot of fun. <br />
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Team Richard / Sarah<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_t4DHAtPZfg8X1ALfpkzzL_Ym8-setzD3u9DswIGMpsRUWMlnoeSRQcqYU4P-H6sZDQZzdbVCbI3hdE7-y7Y6Lvrp38HgtoaTW4u7GjZUdal_xVkou_vCsnu4Ly2Dm9hoy8tb0ITY6w/s1600/DSCN1017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_t4DHAtPZfg8X1ALfpkzzL_Ym8-setzD3u9DswIGMpsRUWMlnoeSRQcqYU4P-H6sZDQZzdbVCbI3hdE7-y7Y6Lvrp38HgtoaTW4u7GjZUdal_xVkou_vCsnu4Ly2Dm9hoy8tb0ITY6w/s320/DSCN1017.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Team Jacob / Juho <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDVUE3AYYvYa0xImgPnQiKNA4Zdz8CuOmo_nRPM-whczhCv8KM7A6M3vEVBm1Lp9H5GSj9-Y69W_m8jEYTUogDyeAGAK0FNCmIAcr7dLKBfE8BpEPBE_Wni7xJ_KO6DsVnSmGXW3lOssQ/s1600/DSCN1022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDVUE3AYYvYa0xImgPnQiKNA4Zdz8CuOmo_nRPM-whczhCv8KM7A6M3vEVBm1Lp9H5GSj9-Y69W_m8jEYTUogDyeAGAK0FNCmIAcr7dLKBfE8BpEPBE_Wni7xJ_KO6DsVnSmGXW3lOssQ/s320/DSCN1022.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Team Michael / Charlie<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ELDzomUN4ygO93D1oJeGdykF4LwkULqTz9gdGQcPKEYoQO47NNd5dJOgXloihlwiit4uHg_Xgg3ym-oc6Xu02cBpQPUvOvkEZDN6WLs5b5DyJt3mFv6uWfoE9H3heBZ3glshbwW5dAo/s1600/DSCN1026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ELDzomUN4ygO93D1oJeGdykF4LwkULqTz9gdGQcPKEYoQO47NNd5dJOgXloihlwiit4uHg_Xgg3ym-oc6Xu02cBpQPUvOvkEZDN6WLs5b5DyJt3mFv6uWfoE9H3heBZ3glshbwW5dAo/s320/DSCN1026.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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What a fun group!! So, with our fearless leader headed to the airport, someone else had to speak at the evening crusade meeting. Richard led the meeting, and Jacob, Juho, and Brittany spoke. They all did so awesome!! Jacob was funny as he started yelling like Chris. He shared his testimony and we just all had a lot of fun! That's a cool thing about Jacob, he's all about having fun with Holy Spirit! The crowd was loving it, joining him in jumping around and having a blast! Poor Pastor Bob finally lost his voice and had to be replaced as translator in the middle of Juho's speech. He was the best translator we had, so it was sad to see him have to step down. After we finished we headed back to the Field of Dreams and just had a fun last night. </div>
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<br />BaseballGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13865849650569830799noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-473041581124673749.post-57532149946664333902012-11-12T16:55:00.001-08:002012-11-12T16:55:13.212-08:00October 27, 2012<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioS8IOCXtm3hb7cLuQnidvJokTyq8tzoq9CxPMbC6P4YhTzXqhu6iqHnmnrp3pLAsBEyTSqCkdp9Mo5Y9AmCQdg4JfGTLWsabVl5kNXX4J6iNxZNehq-z7PG5KqDhWNR5IC5iuWNLn5pQ/s1600/DSCN0879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioS8IOCXtm3hb7cLuQnidvJokTyq8tzoq9CxPMbC6P4YhTzXqhu6iqHnmnrp3pLAsBEyTSqCkdp9Mo5Y9AmCQdg4JfGTLWsabVl5kNXX4J6iNxZNehq-z7PG5KqDhWNR5IC5iuWNLn5pQ/s200/DSCN0879.JPG" width="150" /></a>Today we did Say No to Hunger again. Last time they had combined two groups into one for the day, but this time we just had the one, a small group of about 10 kids. Some of our team did a lesson on the armor of God for the kids, it was pretty funny. The interns have been teaching this group things like - I am special, I am valuable... It's neat to see them so eager to learn, and so excited to hear that they are worth so much to God, and to us. This picture shows the makeshift armor. It was funny, but you use what you can. I personally liked the baseball bat sword. :) We fed the kids again and then headed out. <br />
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In the afternoon, half the team went back to Kampala for more street ministry, and I stayed back at the base and our group met with the teens again from last week. We wanted to do a follow up and see how things were going since their experience with Holy Spirit last time. A couple people from our team shared some thoughts, then we briefly took them into small groups to talk more. The first girl who shared with us was very talkative and told us all sorts of awesome stories about her week! She told us she used to be a problem kid (which was later confirmed by the interns who know her) and how now she is doing good and being nicer to everyone! The finniest part was when she said, "I used to only be able to pray for 2 hours, now I can pray for 5!!" We were blown away by that, not too many of us can even pray for 2 hours! She was so thrilled with her new relationship to Holy Spirit, it was awesome to see her excitement and passion. I think that girl could be a preacher! <br />
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Another Crusade night. I went into this one with a dehydration style headache coming on, so I was pretty miserable with all the loudness. This was the night of the biggest most tangible miracle we saw though. A crippled girl crawled up on stage, she seemed to walk on her hands and feet, totally doubled over. I looked and saw that her foot was twisted up and curled inward. Chris prayed for her and told her to stand up and walk across the stage. She did it! She was staggering, but what do you expect for someone who has never walked upright? I watched her feet and saw that twisted foot straighten out!! That was crazy amazing!! The smile on her face was so big as she walked back and forth, back and forth! The crowd was going wild, obviously they knew this girl, knew her handicap, and were seeing an awesome miracle! <br />
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<br />BaseballGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13865849650569830799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-473041581124673749.post-9248493915939869292012-11-12T16:36:00.000-08:002012-11-12T16:36:22.329-08:00October 26, 2012 - CrusadeIn the morning we went out into the local village with our list of needy individuals again. We had a little 7 yr old boy named Joshua as a guide this time. He took us to the home of an elderly woman who was caring for her grandsons. We were taking a mosquito net to her. She told us her hands hurt all the time, and her knuckles were all swollen, so we were guessing it was arthritis. Lori asked me to pray for her, and I did. Some others prayed as well, and as the time passed, she said her hands were getting better! Richard gave her the gospel story, she had not heard about Jesus, only His name before. She liked what he was telling her, but she said she was afraid to make the choice because others in the village might hurt her. (the Muslim neighbors) Her two grandsons were there too, listening, and they decided to give their lives to Jesus. (See before and after pictures) <br />
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Later that day, the Crusade began. They started worship around 3 or 4 I think, we could hear it back at our place. We showed up around 6 in time for Chris O to preach. We walked in through the crowd like a pack of celebrities, it's a very strange feeling - all eyes on us, kids rushing in to grab our hands and be the ones to walk us in... We got up on the stage and took our seats behind the worship dancers. I love African worship so much!! It's so filled with joy! I was kinda bummed we only got to be there for a couple songs. Chris preaches like an African preacher, screaming the whole time. Add the translator working at the same intensity, it's comical, but I don't handle the loudness too well. Chris preached an awesome gospel message and many people came forward to get saved at the end! </div>
BaseballGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13865849650569830799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-473041581124673749.post-71637990570556678052012-11-12T16:23:00.000-08:002012-11-12T16:23:18.303-08:00October 25, 2012 - KampalaToday we headed into Kampala to do street ministry. That's another new one for me. It's a super crowded city, a little overwhelming to the senses. I was on a team with Michael and Judy and Paul came along as our translator. We didn't get very far before Paul spotted someone he knew and we stopped. Michael started talking to the people sitting there on the street corner and we ended up just praying for a bunch of them right there. One man got his back healed and that was a lot of fun to see the huge smile on his face when it happened. The weird thing about praying for healing here is that the people often just walk off after the prayer without saying anything. When you ask, they just say they're fine now. I wonder if they're just being nice, or if they are so used to the supernatural here that it isn't a big deal. It's strange. But at least there are those that get really excited, so it's easy to tell that it really did happen. :) <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXEih91U86vP8_V_g0RFHbyeCo6nsOTmntr4GnVBJAs1vnB8NHnsorfyBk73wuvmQdiNCNNxcLtpfyC4879eZ70r9AUL0kww-Tfn5J-mxKRKvOI3d8L6x0kngCsPJYHwlsv600Xbc_aHY/s1600/DSCN0733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXEih91U86vP8_V_g0RFHbyeCo6nsOTmntr4GnVBJAs1vnB8NHnsorfyBk73wuvmQdiNCNNxcLtpfyC4879eZ70r9AUL0kww-Tfn5J-mxKRKvOI3d8L6x0kngCsPJYHwlsv600Xbc_aHY/s320/DSCN0733.JPG" width="320" /></a>Walking back to the bus, Jennie and Jordan and I went into a restaurant to get a soda. Jennie asked at the counter for a bottle of Coke. A lady led us down a dark hallway, it felt like we were being taken to a back alley or something weird. Finally she motioned toward a door. Jordan went over and opened it to find a squatty potty!! We were laughing so hard, and when the lady caught on that she had misheard, she was laughing too. We got our sodas and headed back out to the group. <br />
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We had dropped half our team off at a hospital, so we went to pick them up. We parked at a car wash while we waited for them to come out. The team jumped off the bus and just started talking to people. At least a couple ended up getting saved and at least one was healed!! This guy (left) got his knee healed and he just started jumping up and down and shouting "Jesus healed me!" and telling everyone around. It was really fun! Then after he settled down, Richard told him the gospel and he gave his life to Christ. BaseballGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13865849650569830799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-473041581124673749.post-17520520678880178392012-11-12T12:31:00.000-08:002012-11-12T12:31:04.856-08:00October 24, 2012This trip has been so incredible! So much is happening in my heart that I'm not sharing on this blog. He is teaching me so much about His love, not just for these Ugandan people, but for me. It's been an awesome growing trip! Today's journal entry starts off with my awe at this amazing group of people who God brought together for this mission trip. Very few of us knew anyone else, we just all signed up and were chosen to go. I have never been a part of such a group. I am writing about this because the assembly of this team was a miracle too, not just all the healings we saw. We've all been in groups of people before, and it is inevitable that there is at least one that you can't stand. That was not true here. <br />
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We were 30+ people and every time we came together for a meal, there was no high school lunchroom style table choosing. We were all commenting on it. We could each just set our stuff down at any table and it was great, it didn't matter who we sat with. The only answer to how this was possible is that God was our focus. It says in Galatians 5:16 - "walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh." I have never seen that verse so clearly as I did with this group. Every bit of our time was following the Holy Spirit, so there was no sin present among us. We all chose to love one another and look out for one another. If anyone was down, there was a whole team of people to come around and lift them up. It was like being in Heaven I think. A Kingdom community of people is the best place to be! So much freedom and safety to just be who we are. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZEDbA_9bs6nf2YdQRXn7MUEcSTY5DahZqtqZZbqCdg8n_x-GxdkAQi4Vi5OD_Uy8HYc7z7CMsmV2H7COcgs8hG7B4uF-Lfw5oOMtrh2H_9-VAKQgsY3cghxYi4cL_ufI_KMk-gAjj7Q/s1600/DSCN0629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZEDbA_9bs6nf2YdQRXn7MUEcSTY5DahZqtqZZbqCdg8n_x-GxdkAQi4Vi5OD_Uy8HYc7z7CMsmV2H7COcgs8hG7B4uF-Lfw5oOMtrh2H_9-VAKQgsY3cghxYi4cL_ufI_KMk-gAjj7Q/s320/DSCN0629.JPG" width="240" /></a>Today we hosted a Pastor's Conference at the compound. That meant I didn't have much to do until later in the day. We did prophetic booths again that day. I had gotten a word from 2 different people prior to this that I would give out of what I knew, the Word. So I brought my Kindle to the booth and God helped me to find verses to give to the pastors that came to our booth. It was interesting because only one of the verses I got was a familiar one. The rest were totally random. The first one I read to a man made him cry, so I would say God was really speaking to me because that verse didn't seem all that profound to me, but the pastor sure got something from it. ;)<br />
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This picture is Pastor Bob - I thought he was the most adorable man ever! Such a huge smile all the time, so much joy!!<br />
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<br />BaseballGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13865849650569830799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-473041581124673749.post-87269920167479830652012-11-06T17:03:00.001-08:002012-11-06T17:03:26.610-08:00Oct 23, 2012<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigvJD2qvz89ShvoH3KDYNB6K30wVPr4mbCWj7nvieNzLXpb2f9Aes1Nwy0NPcCcCK7tkeXDdpDxbcthxh8WghSvfSBj4tb8D-O2wRLOisXUBkma_5IWTh9GXUIPlMtJFmGaUgy8JzaE0s/s1600/DSCN0656.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigvJD2qvz89ShvoH3KDYNB6K30wVPr4mbCWj7nvieNzLXpb2f9Aes1Nwy0NPcCcCK7tkeXDdpDxbcthxh8WghSvfSBj4tb8D-O2wRLOisXUBkma_5IWTh9GXUIPlMtJFmGaUgy8JzaE0s/s320/DSCN0656.JPG" width="238" /></a>Tuesday - This week started out easier. We are hosting a pastor's conference here at Field of Dreams. We split up into 2 groups to go to either a school or a clinic in shifts while Chris and some of his leaders were speaking to the pastors. I chose the school of course. This time we took the kids to the big field down the street and played some games with them. Duck duck goose with that big a group, and not speaking the language turned out to be pretty funny. We just ended up with a lot of kids running in a circle, being chased by mzungus. <br />
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I watched a group of teachers sitting on a termite hill suddenly jump up all at once and run away from the hill. I wandered over to them to see what the commotion was all about. This is what I found. <br />
I walked over and picked it up, which isn't something I'd normally do. That really freaked them out! One man asked me, "aren't they poisonous?" to which I responded, "I don't know." : ) Check out the brave mzungu! LOL I don't know why they're so scared of lizards. <br />
<br />BaseballGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13865849650569830799noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-473041581124673749.post-15762524295502978062012-11-06T16:45:00.001-08:002012-11-06T16:45:24.672-08:00Oct 22, 2012Monday - Day off after a super busy week. We drove into Kampala (capital city) and went to the craft market for souvenirs. I didn't have much to spend, but I had fun seeing what all they had and I did get a Uganda Cranes jersey. Adidas brand, only $10 basically. : ) We stopped at a big mall and went to a restaurant that had internet access for those with phones. I had a burger that was just a little odd, and a heavenly fresh pineapple juice to go with it!<br />
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Back at the compound that night we watched Father of Lights. I'd seen it when they premiered it at Bethel a few months ago, but watching it here in this setting was just extra powerful. I was happy to see Bill and Kris when they popped up for their moments on screen. They are amazing! It was also cool that our team leader, Chris Overstreet, is actually in the movie. : ) <br />
<a href="http://fatheroflights.wpfilm.com/">http://fatheroflights.wpfilm.com/</a><br />
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After the movie, we were just instantly moved to worship, so we plugged in an iPod and went at it for an hour and a half until our quiet time curfew and Chris had to shut us down. It was an incredible night! God's amazing goodness is so worth celebrating!!BaseballGrrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13865849650569830799noreply@blogger.com0