Trip Recap

The trip to Uganda was great. I'm so glad I took a leap of faith, with strangers, to fulfill one of my dreams. If you ever have the opportunity to travel with Linn or her family, do it!! Dwight, Emma and Graham are great and I'm so blessed to have met them. I can't say enough good things about our team and the time we spent together. Thanks for an amazing trip, everyone!!

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Up next, my favorite pictures from the trip!

Observations on Uganda

Uganda is green and lush and beautiful. Not what I expected.

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Ugandans are gorgeous. Perhaps the most beautiful people I've ever seen. Their features are perfect and skin is a deep, dark brown. As dark as it can be.

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Kampala is busy with more taxis (little buses) than one can imagine. Traffic is crazy and it can take forever to go just a few miles.

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Many Ugandans are poor and have less than we could fathom living with. And yet, they are joyful -- the friendliest people/country I've ever visited. Everyone waves and smiles and greets you. Several Americans living in Africa have visited other African countries and told us that Uganda is the most friendly of all the countries.

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In the midst of poverty, Lake Victoria is breathtaking.

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Many of the children who live on the streets have hearts of gold and want to do right and want to grow up to be one of the many "uncles" who mentor them.

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There is a war for the heart of Uganda. While majority Christian, Muslim missionaries are fighting hard to grab the heart of the country. Pray for Uganda.

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God is working in Uganda -- through countless people and organizations from around the world. It's easy to see how people fall in love with Uganda and go back. I will go back. WE will go.

Street Kids

We spent Friday afternoon helping out at the street kid program. This Christian program works with boys that live on the streets, in the slums. The men and women that volunteer in the program are "uncles"and "aunties". It's a great program, giving hope to the hopeless.

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The Friday program starts with learning some English in a one hour class. After the classroom work, they play. We taught them to do the limbo (some of them are really good!) and then organized a couple of soccer games. After playing, the boys came into a covered area where food was being prepared for them to eat. (They get three hot meals a week through the program). The boys also sleep under this pavilion area and the organization hires guards to keep the boys safe. While we were at the kids program, I met Mark. I will point him out in the pictures I'm posting later. He was so much fun. We played and talked and goofed off together. He translated from English to Lugandan when we introduced ourselves. Very impressive! Just before we left, he gave me a necklace which I will treasure. I'm going to write to him through Jess so I can hear what's going on with him -- the sweet boy who lives on the streets and fends for himself. God be with him. Use him for Your will.

Ugandan Adoptions

We had a few meetings this week to discuss adoptions in Uganda. As you may have read, adoptions have screeched to a halt in Uganda in the last year. There's a lot of information (and misinformation) about why that happened. As best I can, I'm going to try to describe what happened as we now understand it.

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Uganda has a law that in order to adopt a child, you must live in Uganda for three years as the child's guardian prior to a final order of adoption. In the past, the courts were entering guardianship orders for non-Ugandan parents who took those orders to their embassies and got visas. Once back in their country, they adopted the child. At some point, one of the ministries in the Ugandan government called the Canadian and U.S. embassies and told them that issuing visas was skirting Ugandan law (the three year requirement) and they should stop. In respect of Ugandan law, the U.S. and Canada stopped issuing visas, thus effectively stopping adoptions. The U.S. suggested to the Ugandan courts that if they included certain language in the guardianship order, adoptions could proceed. For example, including "guardianship with the intention to adopt" would make clear Uganda is aware that when the family left together, they would adopt and fore go the 3 year residency. That way, the U.S. could feel okay about proceeding with the visas. The Ugandan courts took offense to being told by the U.S. what to do and now we are at loggerheads.

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The adoption attorney we met with told us that there are several proposals to fix the holdup. In the meantime, one judge is issuing orders with the U.S.-requested language and visas are being issued. The other judges will not follow suit. But all of the judges will enter adoption orders for children with medical challenges or other special circumstances. The entire situation needs prayer. Prayer for the Ugandan government and prayer for the U.S. state department. There are thousands of children waiting for homes, many of them already matched with families. We need to get them home! Shortly I will be posting a list of names and addresses for letters that we were told might help. Please write. I will post a sample.

Betty -- Part Two

I spent a few hours with Betty on Thursday. She is a funny girl. She has a house mama nearly all to herself (wow!) so she is a little spoiled. (Imagine that at an orphanage....). She appears to be the right size for an 18 month old, that is, she doesn't look small to me. Maybe a little, but not abnormally. I met with the orphanage director when I got there. He was sweet and told me, "you know, she could die". Um, yes. I know that. He told me Betty's story and how she was very sick before meds and now, on anti-viral, she is thriving and meeting milestones. He then asked me to meet with her nurse who assured me she is doing great. Then off to play. Betty is happy and loves to hug her teddy bear. She babbles some but it is hard for me to tell if it is abnormal or just sounds different because Ugandan sounds different. (HIV in young kids can cause brain damage). After a couple of hours together, we had to go. Betty was NOT happy about that. She chased me down the stairs and wailed when we tried to walk away. I decided to carry her into the playground so other kids would distract her from my departure. It worked. For her......

The weird thing is that I have met dozens of adorable children on this trip. Beautiful and healthy. Normal. Betty is cute but she is damaged by the disease and it shows. She is far from the cutest baby I saw and even further from the healthiest. But she's the one that's in my heart. (Sigh).

I met with an adoption attorney on Saturday. Despite legal issues with adoption in Uganda (more on that in a separate post) the attorney told me that I would get an immediate order for adoption (not guardianship) for Betty and a fast Visa given her health. She could be home in a matter of weeks after my decision.

So I pray on. Trusting God will make this clear and soon. Because if Betty is my "Leah Grace" the sooner she gets home the better.

Betty

Yesterday, we visited three orphanages and attended a crusade in the village where we have been working. (My back was thankful for this decision.) I loved seeing the other orphanages. It gives me perspective on the one that I first saw. I'm not a fan of the first one -- the others "appear" nicer.

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We visited an orphanage in Kampala that we think might be run by the Catholic church (although some of the images around the place confused me). The sweet woman social worker showed us around and introduced us to the kids. All of them were so happy and the workers smiled and joked and laughed at us. (Yes, AT us. Ha)

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Dwight's oldest daughter is interested in adopting from Uganda, so Dwight and I started asking the woman in charge about two-year-olds that are available for adoption. In that process, a sweet little girl, Elizabeth ("Betty"), came over. She appeared to be nearing two or so and I asked about her. The woman said, "Oh, she's available, but she's positive." HIV positive? Yep. As the woman turned to walk away, knowing we would not be interested in Betty, something happened in my heart.

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After visiting with the children for a while, we went to another room where the woman could talk with us. She told us their adoption process and that we can use the attorney of our choice (this is key). I asked her about single women adopting and she said that would be fine, but same sex only. (Despite the fact that I have Seth....). Then I asked her if she would allow me to adopt Betty. The look on her face was something. It was as if she couldn't believe her ears. She jumped up and got her file and showed me the pictures of when she arrived. She was found by a busy, busy road at three days old. She has been in the orphanage for 18 months. She was diagnosed as HIV positive at 8 months old and has been on medicine since then.

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Sigh. Pray for me, ok? I'm not sure I can leave little Elizabeth here. No one wants the HIV positive babies. We all (self included) want the healthy, happy boys and girls I've been playing with all week. But God intends ALL children to have parents. Even sick little Betty. I'm going to beg Dwight to be allowed to go back to the orphanage tomorrow so I can spent more time with Betty and Paul (a little guy that Dwight's Abi just might love...) and pray and think and talk. It's Thursday, we leave Sunday. All is well. Much love.

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"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge HIM and HE will make your path's straight."

Work and work

We have spent a few days working at one of the African Hearts homes for boys. African Hearts was started by a young Ugandan man with a heart for Jesus and for the lost boys of Uganda. At the home in Senge, we are helping them with a second building (that last year's team started) as well as planting trees for a hedge around their property, painting rooms, and doing other hard labor work. We moved lots of bricks and dug a hole for some cows they have coming. (The hole isn't for the cows--it's for run off from the stalls). It's great fun to be with the boys but also lots of hard work. I feel myself getting worn out but am determined not to get sick!!

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Last night, we had the founder of African hearts to our Guest House for dinner with his fiance. They are an adorable couple. When they became engaged, Abbi learned that the bride price for his love would be 10 cows. That's a lot! After he shared that challenge with Dwight, his church went to work. Last night, after dinner, in dramatic fashion we presented Abbi and his bride with eight cows, two having already been provided. They were overwhelmed. They both wept and were speechless. I think they had resolved themselves to not get married for a couple of years because the price was so high. We said, "Get married!!!" It was a blast to watch God use the Church to provide the needs of this faithful man. Amen. I can't wait to share the pictures with you.

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Today we are off to a few orphanages and maybe the slums to give our muscles a rest. Dwight is much better but others on the trip are getting sick. Three so far. Keep praying.

Now THAT's Church!!

Yesterday, we had a great church service in a small village. There was a lot of worship and singing and dancing and offering and teaching (by Pastor Dwight). I loved it. The little church was packed. People just kept coming! And there were hundreds of kids. We started sitting them on our laps because there was no more room.

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After Dwight taught, we invited folks to come forward to pray. Sarah and I prayed together for at least half a dozen women. The first woman that approached us was a sweet woman who appeared to be in her 50s or 60s, but after I met her children later, I'm not so sure. I asked her, "what do you want prayer for?" All she said was, "AIDS." Bam. That hit me like a load of bricks. As she started to weep, I started to bawl. How do I pray for someone with AIDS, Lord? Help! I know the answer, and I prayed like I've never prayed before. For healing from the top of her head to the soles of her feet. I prayed and prayed. And she wept. It was powerful and wrenching. I will never forget her and I will pray on.

Days one and two

Internet is sketchy over here, to say the least, so I'm not even going to try to upload pictures until I get home. We got to Uganda on Friday afternoon and all of the luggage made it (praise the Lord!) with the exception of Emma's guitar. UGH! But we are thankful for all of the other supplies that did make it.

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We left the airport and headed to our first hotel. At the airport, we were greeted by the African Hearts team who we are working with this week. I'm so impressed by the work they are doing with street children and to help orphans in Uganda. The "My Journal" blog on the right is written by Jess, one of the workers here. She rocks!

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The ride from the airport was a great way to see Uganda. Took about an hour and was beautiful. Uganda is lush and green and the people are stunning. It reminds me of many third world countries like India or Costa Rica or Tijuana. The Ugandan people are extraordinarily kind and friendly. It makes walking around (or riding) a load of fun. :-)

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We had a great dinner at a place close to the hotel and hit the sack. Unfortunately, I didn't sleep much more than two hours for the second night in a row, so I feel the weariness coming. Also, if you could say a prayer or two for Pastor Dwight, he is very sick and we need him well!!

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Today, we worked at African Hearts -- building a building and planting trees. Lots of mud and fun. The boys that stay at the house where we were working are complete dolls. Former street kids who have found a home at African Hearts. They took my camera for an hour or two so I'm filled up with adorable pictures of each of them and our hard work. Can't wait to show you. God is really working there.

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From there, we went to visit a new orphanage started by some Americans. They have 12 (?) kids or so who range in age from about 6 - 12. Suffice it to say, I have a seven year old that I'd like to bring home with me. They will be approved for adoptions in about two months. Pray.

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Then, the baby home (orphanage). It's almost too much to write about here. They have probably 50 kids and the conditions are not great. That's an understatement. I hated it there. And loved it. So, I have about fifteen other kids ranging from new born to 7 that I want to bring home. Oy. I jest, but only a little. After seeing where these children are, it is hard not to feel moved. It is hard not to think that I need to move mountains to bring these kiddos home to forever families. Let's face it, it's just plain hard. We can't take pictures there and I understand that. On the other hand, I had this idea about orphanages -- and it wasn't any utopia -- but seeing it and working in it and snuggling in it. . . . . That's a completely different story. The kids all called me "Mama." That doesn't help. People, they need homes. Consider it. Do something about it. If you aren't called to adopt, GIVE. So someone else doesn't face the financial burden of doing so without help.

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Anyway, I'm rambling. I'm sure I'll have more to say, but not now. Mosquitos are waking up and it's almost time to eat. Things are great here and, as you can see from Seth's blog, http://sethcameron.blogspot.com, things are great there too. Hope to post again tomorrow night.

Safe

We are safe in Uganda. All is well. Can't wait to say more but we are off to bed.
Blessings!
Deb