A bunch of random things

This week has been so much fun! So much has happened it may be hard to write about all of it. Here are some of the highlights of my week.

Yesterday, I went with my mom, the matron, and the Social Worker to pick-up Baby Favour. She is the baby sister of one of the special needs boys here. As we pulled up to her village I was watching the people. Immediatly, I saw their mom, and I was sure it was her because she looks exactly like Caleb! We took Favour and her Mama to the hospital to get checked out. Right now Favour seems to be a normal little girl! Then, we ate lunch and headed back to GSF. Favour's new Auntie's, and 'Brothers and Sisters' came running out to meet her. Soon she was settled into her new home.

These events are out of order - Oops! The team who is here right now painted some of the kids faces. Seeing all of their faces painted and seeing the smiles when you comment on it was so fun are some pictures.

Titus the Tiger

Princess Vero (Veronica)

The last team that came helped the kids make Tie-Dye shirts. So, we have been seeing a lot of them around. The other day the babies were all wearing them during their daily walk. We had them all hold someone else's hand. They were all so cute and I was able to get some really good pictures of them.

Joseph & EdiEdi & Zai - Brother & Sister

Solome - the housemom - with the babies

Annet & Daniel

All of the babies in their Tie-Dye shirts. It's hard to get a good picture of all of them.

On Friday, Auntie Amanda came back to GSF. She was deathly sick so we were all very glad to see her back at GSF. She came back with a team so they told the team to get out first so the kids would talk to them first. Then, she got off the bus and about 50 kids surrounded her shouting "Auntie Amanda! Auntie Amanda!"

Little Sebastian's Grandparents came to visit him on Friday. It was so fun to see them watch Seb walking around and making nosies and laughing. Here is him with his JaJa in October.

Here is Sebastian now!

One of the other things that has been going on lately is all Primary Schools in Uganda do different sports competitions every school term (there are 3 terms in a year). This term is ball sports (Soccer, Volley Ball, and Net Ball). GSF school has been doing really good this year. They even did some of the competitions at GSF today.

Here are some of the pictures Iv'e taken lately that I really like.

Baby Tuna (Zaitun)

Jarrod

Gayla and Joanne love walking together

Edi (Baby Tuna's brother)

Paul & Gabriel being silly while eating Watermelon.

Veronica

Angel

HOPE

I was trying to figure out what call this post and what to write about and hope came to my mind. There could not be a more perfect subject for this post.

Ssubi's auntie brought her to the clinic about a week ago. She is four years old and has CP and can not talk or walk. She is a beautiful little girl and her auntie loves her very much and does all she can for sweet little Ssubi.

Matthew also has CP but he has lived at GSF since he was 2 days old. He can not walk or talk on his own but is a very smart little boy. He has just recently gotten a new walker and can walk to school with it. He loves to walk around in it.

Lastly, Happy 12th Birthday to another MK at GSF, Hope.

Here is a verse I found about hope and some pictures.

"So the poor have HOPE, and injustice shuts it's mouth." Job 5:16

Ssubi





Matthew

One more thing I wasn't going to write about but I found some songs that I really like so I leave you with some links that you can click on and read the lyrics.
http://www.lyricstime.com/nicole-c-mullen-i-am-lyrics.html ; http://www.lyricstime.com/mullen-nicole-c-come-unto-me-lyrics.html

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.

Nurse Meredith

Nurse Meredith was in Uganda for 6 1/2 months. She was always helping out one of the kids, reading to them, or just holding them. Today, she left and went back home. We all miss her very much here at GSF. Last night, for her last night at GSF she had a sleepover with ALL the girls of GSF ages 3-17 plus 2 special needs kids. It was crazy fun! During Auntie Meredith's time at GSF she went to several villages to check on sick kids and help bring new ones to GSF. She became a good friend to many here. We will miss you!

Where is the love?

People killin', people dyin',

Children hurt and you hear them cryin'

Can you practice what you preach,

And will you turn the other cheek

Father, Father, Father help us,

Send some guidance from above

'Cause people got me, got me questionin'

Where is the love (love)

Where is the love (The love)

Where is the love,

The love, the love

I love this song - it's so true. This is just the chorus but you can find the words for the rest of the song here:http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/blackeyedpeas/whereisthelove.html.

Some days it seems like there is no love anywhere in this world. There are so many children in this world and you sure can hear them crying. But, we can find love in Jesus.

I hope you enjoyed this song as much as I do. :)

A story of Grace and Martha

This morning I saw a picture which made me smile but almost cry. It was a picture posted by the forever mother of Aaron (now called Samuel) and Faith (now called Layla) who were adopted at the beginning of the year. The picture was of her two newest kids being held by Grace and Martha. Grace and Martha left GSF on Friday. Aaron and Faith and their new family went to welcome Grace and Martha.

Grace and Martha are eleven year old twins. On the 27th of May their new family was granted gaurdianship of them. They were going to leave about a week later but the passport system was broken down. Finally, they got their passports and left GSF on Friday. That night they were sitting on the plane ready to leave Uganda. The only problem was the sat on the plane for 5 hours while the plane was under unexpected maintanance. Then, they were taken on a bus to a hotel where they stayed till Sunday night. They finally arrived home sometime yesterday! I am going to miss these girls forever. The many great memories I have made with them over the last three years will stick with me forever.