He will redeem.

Tiny 20 month old Alex snuggles up against my chest.  My heart cries out, 'why is this happening?  Why is he still losing weight after living at GSF for almost 5 weeks?  Why will he still not eat very much?  Why does he have no will to live?'  Then I stop and I remember.

Precious Alex

I remember when Leticia. '"For I know the plans I have for her", declares the Lord.'*

Leticia Before

Leticia Now

I remember Philip.  'For my plans for him are good'*

Philip Before

Philip's 13th Birthday {A couple days ago}

I remember Isma and Moses. 'For I won't let evil and disaster win against Isma and Moses.'*

Isma on arrival at GSF

Moses Before

Moses and Isma Now

I remember Richard 'For I have given him a hope.'*

Richard Before

Richard Now

I remember Gracie  'I have given her a future.'*

Gracie Before

Gracie Now

I have to think, that if God could redeem Leticia, Philip, Isma, Moses, Richard, Gracie and so many others, he can redeem Alex.

“For I know the plans I have for Alex,” says the Lord.  “Plans for good, not to let evil win against him, to give him a hope and a future.” ~Jeremiah 29:11

Please join us in prayer for little Alex.

*A paraphrase of Jeremiah 29:11, changed to add in the kids names.

City on a Hill

In October of last year, 2 men who work at GSF started a Church in the village.  Although this is not a GSF Church, the GSF family is members there.  The first building we rented was a school during the week and Light of the World Church on the weekends.  There is a passion in this Church.  And seriously ... I never knew such short people could jump so high!  It was very crammed in this little building and very hot, but these people still praised God with all their hearts.

Sunday, June 23, 2013.  One of our members was cleaning out the Church building getting ready for the services that morning when people from the school came several times and told her to get out.  The elders were actually planning to announce to the Church that morning that we would be looking for a new building.  But, it came sooner than they expected and we couldn’t meet there according to these people.  Yes, you read that right.  We were kicked out.  Evicted.  {In Ugandan words…} Fired.  What would we do?  After a little bit of a discussion, it was decided that the best thing to do was just meet right there outside the building.  Pastor Sam preached a powerful message about the Church.  ‘We are the Church, turn to your neighbor and tell them, ‘you and me, we are the Church’.  

When your sitting outside and the hot sun is burning you and you don’t know what will happen next week, you realize that nothing else matters.  All we need is Jesus and a crowd of others who will worship him with us – that is the Church.  When your sitting in front of an empty building and people are throwing dirt inside so you cannot meet – this is when we realize what the Church is.  The CHURCH is a group of believers who stands by each other even in the hardest of times.  It all seemed so surreal.  This could not really be happening.  

At the end, we – the Church – stood in a circle and joined hands and prayed and sang for about 20 – 30 minutes.  And God had already answered our prayers.  It was comforting to know that that morning, God hadn’t freaked out – He already knew what would happen and he had a plan.   As we stood in the circle, we sang a song called, ‘Bind Us’.  It says,

Bind us together, oh bind us dear Lord, with cords that cannot be broken, bind us dear Lord.

And as we stood there, He did just that.  We were bound as the Church.  Watching these people after the service was so hard.  We were going through the fire, but God used this to build an even bigger fire in each of our hearts. 

God surely provided in some amazing ways for Light of the World Church.  As I mentioned before, the Church elders had seen it coming that we would be kicked out, so they were already searching for land.  That very Sunday afternoon, someone who had been offering to sell us land called Pastor Sam to come to his house.  He told Pastor Sam that he knew we did not have enough money for the land but he wanted us to go ahead and use it.  He was fully aware that even within a year we may not have all the money, but he felt called to let us start using it anyways.  The best part?  He didn’t have any idea what had happened that morning.  So Wednesday, the Church elders, after looking at the property decide to go forward with it.  Throughout the week, part of the land was cleared.  It is in total 1 acre, but the man who owns the land has been growing maize on the entire thing.  Part of it has been cleared for our buildings and the rest of it will be left until harvest time.  Throughout the week, many people in the Church volunteered their talents and by Saturday the Church building/operation was in full swing.  They moved incredibly fast – I have never seen something happen so fast in Uganda.  Several people in the Church offered their papyrus leaves, one man volunteered to lead the building project.  The poles are from Eucalyptus trees that we are growing at GSF.  Someone made uniforms for the choir.

This is week 6 in this building and it just keeps growing – there is now a tarp over the roof, the poles inside are painted and they have even built a stage of sorts.  It has been so great to have this new building.  It is bigger than the old building, has so much more airflow and we have more room to renovate it.  We also have enough land for a Jr. Church tent.  This has been great because in the last building we just met standing right outside the Church.  Once the rest of the maize is cleared, the shelter will be moved further away from the main building.  This way we can have Jr. Church without worrying about disturbing main service {Have you ever tried to have 50 kids sing quietly before?  Yeah, not fun.}

One Sunday our pastor announces that Light of the World Church will be having their very first overnight AND they invited 17 other Churches to come and join us.  Let me pause to explain overnights.  Everybody in the Church and normally other Churches, goes to the Church around 8 pm and leaves around 7 am and they all stay up and sing, pray and listen to {Short} sermons.  So, after this announcement, 3 different people came and asked me if I was coming to the overnight.  At first I was not very excited about it, {I mean, just think – 17 Churches invited = about 20 pastors speaking} but, I told them I would try.  So, I asked a couple of people if they would be coming {so I could walk with them since it would be dark} and by the end of the day I found that I was actually very excited about it.  So at 8 PM one Friday night I grabbed my sweater, a cup of tea {so I could stay awake} and my phone.  We were planning to come back at 11 PM so we wouldn’t have to stay up all night.  As soon as we left the compound, I started second-guessing going to this.  The flashlight on my phone suddenly seemed very dim and the 9 girls I was walking with had no light at all.  I was tired and who knew if we would actually make it without someone falling.  It was so dark!  Let’s just say that I was very relieved when we got there!  There is not a single regret now that I went.  Around 500 people showed up!  And God came to that little tiny room and moved in big ways.  Pastor Sam told some guys to ‘tear down the wall in back’ {I’m not kidding} so that other people could sit outside without feeling separated from the rest of the Church.  They had me sitting right up front with all the pastors.  More people kept coming in, so they made me stand up {not that I cared – I felt awkward sitting with the pastors}.  I stood in the doorway because I didn’t want to miss out what was happening inside.  Then my friend from the choir {Esther} came and asked me to sit with her on the ground in front.  I seriously wish I had a picture of where we were sitting.  We sat against the back wall, behind the pastors and the choir with everyone facing us.  My friend put down a scarf on the ground and we just sat on that.  It was such a unique experience that I am forever grateful for!  People danced with all their energy {that was still left by 10:00}, they sang with all their hearts and they prayed what was really deep down inside and they meant every word.  Pastors preached and spoke and introduced themselves.  I could have stayed all night for the singing and dancing.  And the preaching?  Let’s just say I drank a lot of tea during those parts {Especially after 10 PM}.  It was just so amazing to see how God worked through our trials for His glory.  He brought us closer together as a Church, he filled us with more passion for Him and he brought us to the exact location He wanted us to be in.

The pastors and the congregations felt it.  They want more.  They want more of what Light of the World Church has.  There are some amazing things coming in the future for Light of the World.  People are asking for more and we are just waiting for God to put the details into place.  After all, he already brought us through the fire.

On a funnier note.  As we were walking back from the overnight, one of the boys asked me if I had met/seen my friend's sisters.  'No.'  ‘They were there, I saw them!’  Like because I know her I should be able to pick them out of a crowd of 500 dark people in dim light.  But the next story is better.  I went to the toddler house and one of the house mamas was standing outside with a man.  She asked me, ‘Caro, do you remember this one?’  Um, no.  {I honestly couldn’t remember if it was her pastor or her son}.  ‘Eeeehhhh, but you were there ‘together’ at the overnight.  He’s my son.’  ‘Mmm, okay.  Nice to see you again.’  But really inside I’m thinking, I was there ‘together’ with him and 500 other people and she expects me to remember him?  I was not introduced to a single person at the overnight, but they still expected me to pick out and remember people.  Geez, I’ve got a whole lot to work on!

Praise God with us for his grace and provision!  Read more about the big story of this little Church that my dad wrote over on my family's blog.

+3

Today, the GSF family is +3.  Whenever new kids come in it is a bitter-sweet situation.  Bitter because of the situation of why they are at GSF and sweet because they have a good place to live now.  It's like beauty from ashes.  Meet our three newest ...

Daniel (AKA Danny)

Efrance

David

Welcome to the family!  More pictures later!

Big brothers and sisters

I know it has been a long time since I have posted, sorry.  I have been trying to catch up on school and we have been busy with lots of other things.  I have a lot I could tell you about but, I think that I will start by telling you one of the most recent things.  Maybe I will write more things later.
Two weekends ago the kids who used to live at GSF (we like to call them the 'elders' or the 'big brothers and sisters') came home for a little reunion.  It was such a great time of hearing stories from the 'big kids' about what God has done for them.  There are even a few 2nd generation GSF kids in there.  I was having so much fun that I did not really want to take pictures.  My dad took a few and I took a few.  AND ... I took a whole bunch of big group pictures.  I was just snapping as fast as I could to try to get a good one.  Here are a few of my favorites (how good can it get with at least 90 people?)  Sorry there are not that many besides the group ones.

Love this one  - Jane and Auntie Amanda

Me with sweet Allison (or maybe it is Amanda - they are twins) - the daughter of one of the 'big sisters'

Setting up (and being crazy)

Everyone

Getting the 'Mzungus' in the picture

Just the 'elders'

Both babies in this picture are kids of 'big sisters'

Maggie, Big David, little Amanda and Liz

Of course, that cannot give you a very accurate picture of this 'family'.

One last thing, I have a quick little prayer request.  Tomorrow Sebastian will go in to see if they can do the other half of his surgery.  This has been a really long journey.  I don't really want to re-write his whole story but, I will hopefully have a link on the side of the blog where you can read/follow his story soon.  Faziri is four years old.  He looks like he is about one or two years old and has a huge belly.  This is because he has Hertzsprung.  On Tuesday he will go in two see when and if they can do a surgery for him.  Please join us in prayer for these two little boys.

Adopted

Auntie Betty with Patu and Joycie

Since we came to Uganda nine kids have been adopted - Mary (Zuri), Joyce (Joycie), Aaron (Samuel) and Faith (Layla), Brian and Pius, Joshua and Isaac (Adam), and Patricia (Patu). Twin girls, Martha and Grace have just left Uganda. I will write more about them in another post.Mary/Zuri on her first day at GSF

Mary/Zuri and I

About a month after we got to GSF a week old baby with no name arrived at GSF. She was taken in to GSF and named Mary. For the first four months of her life at GSF was spent switching back and forth every week from our house and Auntie Claudia's house. Then, she stayed at Auntie Claudia's house all the time. When she was about 6 months old, the Renslow family came and adopted her. When they adopted her they changed her name to Zuri.

JoycieJoycie and I

Joycie came to GSF before we did. When we got to GSF she was about three years old. I always enjoyed going over to her house and reading books to her and one of the special needs kids, Kathy. In January she was adopted and she now lives in Greensboro. Aaron (Samuel)

Faith (Layla)
Aaron came GSF in 2008; he stayed in our house for a few weeks. I helped him learn how to walk and watched him grow up. In the 'summer' of 2010 Faith was brought to GSF. Faith is Aaron's half-sister. By the beggining of this year Aaron and Faith were on their way home with their forever family! Their names were changed to Samuel and Layla.

Brian and Pius soon after they arrived at GSF

Pius

Brian

Pius and Brian came around December 2008. Pius was four and Brian was two. About two years later their forever family came to get them. Not only their new parents came but so did their big brother and sister. Soon, they too were on their way to their new home. Joshua
Isaac

Joshua and Isaac, unlike most of the other sibling groups that have been adopted from GSF, are not biological brothers. Joshua came a few weeks after we did. He cried a lot and was scared of most people. Very little was known about him, his family, or where he came from. He didn't respond to English or Luganda (the main language spoken here). For about one week Joshua couldn't talk to anyone or understand anyone. Finally, someone tried speaking to him in Swahili. He brightened up and loved everyone who spoke to him in Swahili. He began getting used to life at GSF and learning English as well as some Luganda. After Joshua had been at GSF for about a year and a half Isaac came. The lady who brought him didn't tell us an English name for him but only told us his Luganda name, Musazizi. So, we thought that was his only name and his name was changed to Adam. He had been on GSF's feeding program and was brought to the clinic several times for some time before that. One day we heard the Ugandan nurse call him Isaac. Then, she, as well as some others, kept calling him that. One day she was asked why she called 'Adam' 'Isaac'. She answered, "I always get confused because the name on his file in the clinic is Isaac." So, we started calling him Isaac again. About a year after Isaac came, both he and Joshua became Clarkes, and moved to their new home with their forever family.

Patricia soon before she came to GSF.

Patricia

I met Patricia "Patu" before she lived at GSF. Her JaJa makes baskets and mats and comes to GSF to teach some of the kids. Some days she would bring Patu with her. She used to teach the kids out on our back porch so I would go out and read to Patu while her JaJa taught the others to make baskets. About a year after we came to GSF Patu moved to GSF. At the beginning of this year she was adopted.