Today I went with Beth, Anne and Laney on an adventure. We first went and ate at an amazing coffee/pastry shop. It’s like paradise. We bought four things and then ate a bit of each. My personal favorite was the lemon. Yummy!Then from there we went to meet with a headteacher at a nearby school. A neighbor asked Beth to consider paying the school fees for her nephew that is living with her. So we went to verify all of the information and get a better idea of this student’s needs. It was great to be back on campus at a Ugandan school. I wish we’d had more time to spend there. But it was a great experience talking to the headteacher about the needs they face and how they are trying to give a quality education to the “urban poor”, as he called them. It is overwhelming though when you hear of the needs of so many and so many children forced to quit school because of a lack of funds. And you could hear these same stories at virtually any school in Uganda. .
Then we jumped on some bodas and headed off to visit Sanyu Babies Home. This is a home many Americans have adopted from in the past couple of years. It is next door to the guesthouse I’ve stayed at on previous trips to Uganda. I’ve heard and read so much about this place, it was great to finally get to see it in person. Beth and I talked to one of the leaders of the home for a while and got more information on their program and also on foster care in Uganda… or the lack thereof. Then we got to go see the children. They were just waking up from their naps and they were ready to play and get some love and attention. We each grabbed a kid or two and played for a while. It started pouring down rain, so we had to move inside… where the workers quickly put sweaters on all of the children so they would not get ill from “the cold”. The children were precious and so hungry for love. We heard about a few of the kids that are not eligible for adoption. These are the children that most break my heart . No child should have to live their childhood in an institution away from the love and attention of a real family. My visit to this home today really reminded me of the great need for more people to step up and care for these kids. There are millions of orphans in this world, and unfortunately ,that number grows every day. I know I can not adopt them all and neither can you, but we can do our part. If you’ve ever considered adoption or foster care, I say, “Do it!” Step out in faith, follow in obedience, and watch as God blows your mind with His provision and love.
Court attempt #4 is tomorrow (Friday) at 9am (1am CST). Please pray for us. Pray for the judge to show up and his heart to be softened. Pray for Mercy to deal well with the stress and boredom of court. Pray for this first legal step towards adoption… I’m ready to move on to the next step toward getting us home and reuniting my family.
