Opening my heart!

This week for me was all about opening my heart. Opening my heart to the pain these little ones have gone through. Opening my heart to the overwhelming joy that oozes out of these children. Opening my heart to the staff and community members. Opening my heart and being thankful for the ones I have had the opportunity to encounter. Opening my heart!

The next little one I would like to introduce you to is a child that is one and a half years old named Linnity. This little girl is one precious child. She has a smile that can light up the room from miles away. Her laugh is so distinct, you can hear it from the other room. To top it off this little girl loves to give hugs! The cute thing about her hugs are that she doesn't just stand and give you a hug, she runs at you (full force) and just wraps her whole body around you with a HUGE smile on her face! The reason she was brought to Another Hope was because she lived with her mother and four men who all claimed to be her father. There were major disputes to who her father actually is so she was brought to Another Hope to be safe from the yelling and fighting. They will give this precious one back to her mother once the men have been DNA tested to see who is actually the father. Something that sounds so simple, just get DNA tested, apparently is not. Linnity has been at Another Hope now for four months because of this. None of the possible "fathers" have yet to even test. Through all this, she is still one happy child!

Something that I am extremely thankful for this week is the fact that I got to see my friend Sarah! She is out in a town called Mityana, where she is doing ministry along side of a family who founded five private Christian schools. She called me Tuesday morning and asked if I was free for visitors, OF CORSE I WAS! What an amazing surprise it was to see her! Sarah and the family she stays with asked if I would like to join them for a couple of days, as long as it was alright with Ruth and Daniel. Daniel was like a protective father, but he let me go, but not before I had to fill out every possible contact information I could think of. So I came Tuesday to Mityana and will leave tomorrow morning. The family she is staying with is so welcoming and hospitable. They are about 45 minutes from where I stay in Kkona. Every morning at 6am they get up and greet EVERY child that comes to school that day. So for three days I had the opportunity to start my day that amazing way. We greeted all 400 children into school between 6am and 8am. The smiles and hugs are so amazing! There is a long road leading up to the school and as soon as they are in sight they start sprinting towards your arms for a warm embrace! To see the joy these students have on there face every morning to go to school is so beautiful! 

Last night, thanksgiving evening, Pastor Patrick (the man who founded the schools), Sarah and I had the opportunity to go out into the community and meet two different families and pray with them. How THANKFUL I am for the opportunity to do that! The first family we got to meet, they lost their dad last week because he took his life. We were able to spend time with his eldest daughter and get to know her prayers, desires and dreams for life! What a hard situation the eight children and their mother are going through, but what an amazing opportunity it was to pray with them. The second "family" we got to meet was Nagawa's. She's approximately seven to eight years old (nobody knows her birth date or exact age). She used to live with her grandmother, but the grandmother physically and emotionally abused her. Her grandmother is also an alcoholic who took out her anger on Nagawa. Many nights she had to sleep out with the chicken's. Recently, distant relatives down the road took her in. She has one dress that looks like a potato sack with holes all over, but one thing that does not match the raggedy old dress, is her smile. She is so joyful every time she sees us, especially Sarah! We had the opportunity to meet that family who took her in and pray for safety and healing from the scars Nagawa has from her grandmother. As we were driving out of the small village we saw Nagawa's grandmother. We went over and talked with her for a little while, it was hard to see the house she was abused in and the places she spent most nights, on a cold dirt floor, with the chickens. I am thankful for these opportunities the Lord has given me to pray with these children and their families. Even though I was away for thanksgiving in America, I have plenty to be thankful here in Uganda. Meeting these families, praying with them and getting to know them is exactly what thanksgiving is all about! I am thankful for this opportunity to be here in Uganda serving the Lord!

With love from Uganda,
Nicole