Thursday, September 5, 2013

Nurture Baby Home

Today I began my stay at Nurture Baby Home in Masaka, Uganda. Its a home for orphaned and abandoned babies and I'll be here until Sunday!
I've really been looking forward to my time spent here and what I would have a chance to learn. When I arrived the first thing I was able to do was meet the older children who were playing in the front yard. They acted so shy when i first got out of the van! Later that night they did not act that way though! 
After I put my things away I went into the baby room and I was immediately drawn to this one little boy. I ended up holding him for a long time. He is such a sweet little chubby, healthy looking baby with a big smile. Later on, at dinner, I asked one of the girls who works there what had happened to the baby who was malnourished and found tied up under his mother's bed. I had seen a video on the Internet with the founder of this baby home talking about that specific child's past..... I was told that it was the baby I has been loving on for like an hour. He was the one so malnourished, so mistreated. If I say that it hit me hard, that would be an understatement. It genuinely shocked me and made me want to cry. To think that he had been made to suffer that way rocked me. It also made me further realize the importance and need of ministries like Nurture Baby Home.  God has so much love for these children that He found a way for them to have a chance. I believe God is going to do big things in and through the life of that baby I held today. He has a great story already of being rescued and taken into the care of people who genuinely love him now because Christ first loved.
It also doesn't seem coincidental to me that the same baby who's story I had heard months ago was the one I unknowingly was drawn to. It truly touched me in a very real way. 
That's all for now.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Killer Storks

Today was my second full day in Uganda!
Finally, I'm over the worst of the jet lag. Its about 8:30pm and I don't feel like crashing. About this time last night I was soooo ready for bed. Time zone change is 7 hours ahead of you all in Eastern time zone.
After lunch today, we began our journey west of the capital. So I got to see a lot of the landscape of Uganda. Its interesting to me how different Uganda looks vs. Tanzania. And they are located so close to each other. Uganda is a country of rolling hills covered with green, tropical looking plants. I actually noticed a reed that grows commonly around here that looks like the plant from the Lorax... they must have come to Africa. The temperatures here are amazing! It hasnt been more than high 70s or low 80s since I've been here... but the sun is so strong!
There is also a stork here that is basically a vulture, they have HUGE bodies and really tall legs and beaks with a wing span of about six feet. They are massive and super creepy looking. I'm hoping I can see one long enough to grab my camera to show you.
This picture was taken along our journey at the Equator line!!
So I got to stand in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Pretty cool!
For the next two weeks I am in a small village called Mbira. The missionaries live in a house on the same property as the orphanage. They have about 80 children! I got to see the kids tonight and tried to say hello, but they were really shy. I am excited to learn  more about the ministry here, and look forward to being able to share more pictures and stories with you!
Bye for now.