A few Baby Pics..more to come

Eva

Taylor

William...he is 6 months old! So tiny...

Bbira, Suubi, and Gulu

The past few days have been full of so many things...

Sunday we went to church at Watoto, fellowshipped with the people there, and all were challenged by the powerful sermon. That afternoon we headed to the children's village in Bbira to have lunch with some of the kids in their homes. It was so much fun! We got to catch their chickens, see their pigs, and walk around their plantation filled with banana trees, pumpkin plants, watermelon, and more. Sunday night our team host took us to a place called Ndere, which is where they have the traditional Ugandan dancing.

Monday and Tuesday we spent our time at the children's village in Suubi. We met all 30 or so kids there in the baby house. A portion of them had disabilities they were struggling with but it makes me even more thankful for the place they are in. We also painted several rooms that will soon be filled with little ones. The place where Suubi is located is right on top of this gorgeous mountain. Breath taking to say the least. It truly is a place of hope! (Suubi means hope) It currently has 900 kids and can still add more.

Wednesday and thursday we spent in Northern Uganda at Gulu. We visited both the baby house and the childrens village. Watoto Gulu just opened in June 2010. It has 300 kids but will eventually will have close to 700.

Love it here!! I have one more day until I head back to the states...not ready yet. Will write more stories later.

Much Love,
Joy

Oh Baby

kampala, uganda...the pearl of africa. known for the rolling hills. it absolutely is that and more. the scenery is different then what i imagined. honestly, i didn't know what to imagine. i wasn't expecting all the buildings. it seems a though the people of this country are more established in some areas. it's hard to explain but more people in the area we are in live in structures. i am sure we will see more remote areas as we go outside the city when we visit the other baby houses.

a couple of large buildings that can be seen from the guest house we are staying in are 2 huge mosques. both placed in the center of the city and on top of a hill. we actually heard some prayers and singing this morning before we all woke up.

our team just completed day 2 at Watoto Bulrushes. before i jump into day 2 events, i'll summarize day 1...

• orientation at the Watoto Church
• met kids from the Watoto village rehearsing for the Children's Choir. Their tour in the US begins in January
• ate lunch at the Garden City Mall where we were bombarded with waters/waitresses from a variety of places. when we sat down at our table there were literally 20 men and woman places menus and telling us what to order. we were all overwhelmed to say the least and stressed out in choosing what to eat.
• the afternoon was spent at the bulrushes (the name of the baby house here in Kampala). we met all the babies and learned a little bit more of what the next 10 days would be. we are so excited that we will be visiting all 3 baby homes...Bulrushes, Subbi, and Gulu. next week we will be traveling 5 hours north to spend 2 days with the babies up in the northern part of uganda

day 2 was a full day at the bulrushes...and it was sure a FULL day of events

• this morning we took the "elephants" (ages 4-8months) on a walk. i loved getting to walk the streets of kampala with a baby wrapped on me. i slug my little boy, taylor, up i a chitenga (a wrap used in zambia). it was great. he was so happy and loved looking at everything. we went to play at a playground, ate a snack and then walked back. taylor fell asleep on me, which melted my heart.
• the kids we had ate lunch and then had "potty time". literally all the kids were forced to poo in little baby potties. it was chaotic and an experience that affected all of us. haha. my little boy taylor is actually from Subbi so he wasn't used to the things here at the bulrushes. he didn't go in the potty so i took him and changed him to go out for play time. and as soon as i get outside and sit down he decided to go potty. little did i know that it was leaking out his diaper and onto my pants. so in he goes again to have a full changing. oh my..
• once we hit lunch time we all were exhausted. each one of us experience this "potty time" so we were thankful we were done with that. the afternoon we feed the smaller babies and then played outside until we left at 5pm. but of course right before we left, we had one little girl named patricia completely throw up all her lunch. yes it was projectile. that was a nice end to our 2 day here.

so those are our babies...it has been so interesting observing the way things are run at the baby house and how the nannies care for them. it is clear there is a need for educating and training. for medical care and treatment. but what they have is great for now. there are premies at the bulrushes. probably the smallest babies i have ever seen. some have come into the house at 600 grams (about 1.5lbs). they are much healthier and doing well because of Baby Watoto.

hopefully all this makes sense, i didn't go back and proof it. thanks for your emails, notes, and comments of encouragement. it is different, but i have loved seeing a different country. there is definitely a constant need of love for these people and these children.

mukama akuwe omukisa.

Joy

sending off from PCC

i am moved beyond words as i try to find words to describe the movement within the service at Passion City Church tonight. i arrived with Janet (our family friend/team leader) with her 4 kids. not knowing anyone. i left feeling as though i knew everyone. the time of worship and prayer was powerful. the time of fellowship with others was encouraging.

for the first time, i actually now know more about where i will be going and what i will be doing in Kampala. i truly feel so humbled to be able to go. i did get to meet most of the girls on our team. i loved finally putting a name and face together. and what moved me the most was after Louie explained Watoto and described our trip, he asked the congregation to pray for us and they did..but by applauding the Lord in the work that He will do through us. the team was standing up scattered all throughout the gym and all of the sudden everyone began standing up and clapping. it was absolutely breathtaking. they were not clapping for us. but for the Lord. and what God will do. i was overwhelmed by it all.

it was an incredible send off to say the least.

i am so thankful that i came a few days early to spend this time preparing my heart for Uganda, but also worshipping together with a body of believers seeking after the Lord. i could not be more excited for the movement happening here in Atlanta, GA. greater things are still to be done...

i am privileged to be a part of what God is doing...He is good and His faithfulness continues throughout each generation!

departure time!

DALLAS - ATLANTA - AMSTERDAM - ENTEBBE - KAMPALA

the time is here for me to head to the airport. check in. get settled into my seat. and journey across the ocean. i can't wait to see what has been waiting for me there. many days have been leading up to this and i am so thankful it's time. 

my heart is full for many reasons. but today i got a glimpse of what i may be doing for the next 2 weeks...i got to hold my friends 2 day old baby. if he only knew the precious family he has been born in to. if he only knew the love and tender care his parents have been giving him already. if he only knew how much joy and a blessing he is to so many! it's simply beautiful when you think about it. 

and then as i was talking to a dear friend of mine on the phone, i was thinking through that today was almost foreshadowing the next 2 weeks. i will be holding babies that have been recently born and up to 2 year olds. but the kids in the orphanage don't know the life they have been born into. they don't know they've been abandoned. neglected. unwanted. mistreated. unloved. and to their families..they are a burden. my heart breaks thinking about it and i can't even begin to imagine what i will be feeling when i have to walk away from them. 

i don't really know what to expect honestly. i don't really know what all i will be doing there. but that is part of the adventure in it all. not knowing forces me trust Him more. God has been so good in bringing me to this point. i can't wait to see all what He shows me in Uganda. 

i will try to update my blog as much as i can, but i am not sure if there will be internet. i will send either twitter updates, a fb post, or emails if and when i get a chance. thanks for all the prayers and encouragement! 

and as my friend wrote in her text tonight "live unsafe" (meaning trust the Lord in ways you never thought - He will come through)....that is how i will end this...

For His Name, 

joy

Uganda...The Pearl of Africa

as i am down to a few days of leaving, i thought i would share some facts about uganda...

(recently updated 2010)

Population: 32, 369, 558 million

Median age: 15 yrs

Life expectancy: 52.72 yrs

Age Structure:

 0-14yrs 50% of population

15-64yrs 47.9% of population

Religion

Roman Catholic - 41.9%

Protestant - 42%

Muslim 12.1%

Other 3.1%

Population below poverty line: 35%

• About half the population live on less than U.S. $1.25 per day (the international poverty line).
• The official motto of Uganda is ‘For God and My Country’
• Over 80% of workers are employed in the agricultural industry.
• Uganda’s largest export is coffee.
• English and Swahili are the two official languages of Uganda. Luganda is also spoken widely throughout the country. 
• Soccer (football) is the most popular sport in Uganda. However, cricket is becoming increasingly popular with the national side finishing runner-up in Division 3 of the World Cricket League in 2009

More facts from the Watoto Website:

Baby Watoto is a part of the Watoto Orphanage. 

I will be working with babies ranging from 0-2yrs old.

  Read more from their website...