Shoe Frenzy

Today was an exciting day for the kids of Oasis of Life.  New shoes for everyone!  I headed to Owino, which is the craziest market in the country.  It’s sort of like a flea market, but more crammed, crowded, and claustrophobic than you can imagine.  I took the group of college students from OBU with me and my friend, Billy.  Thankfully, Harriet and Ellen decided I better leave Mercy at home with them. (Bless them both, especially since they ended up with her all day!  Love them!)  Last night I divided the tracings of all of the kids’ and caretakers’ feet into groups.  Then I divided up the money and got everyone a roll of tape and a pen to label the shoes as we went.  I’m so glad I thought to do that ahead of time.  We bought each child a pair of school shoes (they must wear sturdy black dress shoes to school) and then a pair of plastic sandals or croc-type shoes to wear when not at school or church.  We also bought each caretaker a pair of sandals and a pair of rubber work boots.  It ended up being more than 150 pairs of shoes.  We also bought socks and some of the school supplies they’ve needed desperately.



Picture I found online of Owino.  I'm not brave enough to take out my camera and take pics.  This is the outside of the market, and then you walk in deeper and deeper.  It goes on forever.

After the market, we headed to the orphanage to drop off our purchases.  The children who were at home were so excited to see the shoes.  The rest of the team had to head back, so Billy and I stayed to sort out the shoes.  We had to match up the school shoes, sandals, and socks for each child.  The children who were at home tried them on.  Overall we did very well on the fit.  One of the caretakers promised to have all of the other children try their shoes on when they returned from school and make sure they fit.  I can’t wait to see all of the kids in their new shoes.



The boys' shoes



The girls' stash



I was hard at work sorting socks.

Today was long, exhausting, and a bit overwhelming.  We sat in traffic, waded through people, and spent lots of money.  But it’s all worth it when I see children going from this….   



To this.  



One little boy, Elisha, was so excited about his new school shoes that he came up and bowed down in thanks three times and then gave me the biggest hug.  That is what this is all about.  

Sweet Elisha



Happy Father's Day!

There are so many things I could write about my sweet husband this Father’s Day. I have been truly blessed to have an amazing best friend and partner in parenting. He really is a partner. Part of why we are able to make this time apart work is because Cody has always been a hands-on father. He’s always jumped in and helped with every aspect of the children’s lives. He’s changed diapers, given baths, made meals, and taken kids to the doctor. He’s never considered it “babysitting” to watch his own children. He’s always been invested in their lives.

Two years ago tomorrow I met a baby girl in a clinic in a remote village. I held her in my arms and knew she was to be our daughter. I wondered how Cody would react to the news. I should have known. I emailed him about Mercy and he replied right away and said, “Let’s do it.” No hesitation. He’s always had a heart for adoption. He knew that I was serious when I told him God had directed this.

In this past year I’ve seen him grow closer to all three of his daughters. He’s the master of the ponytail. He’s packed too many lunches to count. He’s taken trips to the park, the movies, and even the nail salon. He’s now bought clothes for every season. He’s sent me numerous care packages looking all over the house and town for just the right things to send me and Mercy. He stays up late every night so he can say “Good morning” to me and Mercy. When he’s visited here he’s done everything possible to give me a break and to bond with Mercy. And I can say that all three of his daughters love him dearly.

One of the first questions I get whenever I tell anyone our story is, “How in the world is your husband doing?” I can say he’s doing well. It’s not easy. I know he gets frustrated and his schedule gets crazy. But he knows there is a purpose in all of this. His love for Mercy has never wavered. His obedience remains steady. His love for the Father shines through him. He’s willing to sacrifice for the love of our children. Few men would be willing to live that life that Cody has the past 10 months. Few children get to have the love and bond with a father like my girls. And I am forever grateful.

Happy Father’s Day my Love.  I can't wait until I can see you with all three of your girls at once!

Oh my!  Father's Day 2010

I love this.

A Work in Progress

Mercy and I had a very busy week working on things for Oasis of Life. It’s never easy to get things done here. You are always fighting traffic, rain, and lots of waiting. But there are good distractions too… singing and dancing with children, prayer times, warm hellos and goodbyes with friends.

As I told you in my last post, we had a mission team come and paint the girls house on Tuesday. The fresh coat of paint makes a huge difference on the inside and really brightens things up. On Wednesday I met with the director and tried to prioritize needs and get a handle on the budget. On Thursday the mission team from OBU came to paint the boys’ house. This was no easy feat with limited supplies and no running water at the house. They were real troopers and did a great job. They got most of it done and might be able to finish up this next week. It’s been such a blessing to have these two mission teams just fall in my lap and be open and willing to help! I love to see how God provides. And it sure makes these kids feel special to have so many visitors to love on them.

The boys using extra paint to do the outside walls

 

Fresh paint on the inside!

 

Sometimes you just have to play in it too!

On Friday, I got to go pay some bills! Thank you so much for being patient and willing to move your donations from PayPal to “The Hope Venture”. I am glad to say that most of you took the time to do that and I really appreciate it. Friday some of that money was wired to me. So I got to go pay for school fees and uniforms for the children. I also paid off the water and electric bills, which were a few months overdue. I can’t tell you how excited and grateful Pastor Robert was to have this weight off of his shoulders. He was literally bouncing around with excitement. The children should receive their uniforms in the next week or so. Pastor Robert traced the bottoms of all of the kids’ feet. So this next week we’ll go to the giant flea market to buy school shoes and sandals for all of the children. We’ll also pick up school supplies for them too. We’ve put in a request with the utility companies to get water and electricity hooked up at the boys’ house. I think this will make a huge difference for them. Can you imagine trying to keep a house of thirty boys clean and their laundry washed with no running water?

Mercy and our new friend, Kristen, hiding in the laundry lines

I am also excited to tell you that the kids are going to get medical exams! This week God placed an amazing mission team here at the house with us. The team includes some doctors and nurses that are going to be doing medical checks on children at a nearby orphanage (I’ll write more about it later!). When they heard about Oasis they decided they needed to check out these kids too. It really is remarkable how God is putting all of these pieces of this together. I was just thinking the other day that it would be great to get all of the children checked over, but a logistical nightmare to try to get them all to a clinic, especially one with qualified doctors. The next day, this mission team offered. Love it!

Hanging out on the bunk outside while the house is painted!

 

We hope these new nets help fight off malaria



Mercy and I took this sweet boy to the clinic the other day for the worst ear infection I've ever seen. 

I really can’t thank you enough. Your money is in action here and making an immediate difference in the lives of these children.

Too Good...

You all just blessed us too much with the Oasis of Life Project, so much so that it shut down my PayPal account. Ha! But seriously, I do not have access to the donations. Apparently they thought it was fishy to have nearly $20,000 come in within 48 hours. I thought it was pretty crazy myself! I am glad that they look out for these types of things, but it has caused a problem for us. So, I have to refund all of the money donated through PayPal. I am now asking you to give your donations through the non-profit “The Hope Venture” which is partnering with our Oasis of Life project. If you made a donation through PayPal you’ll receive a refund notice and an email telling you how to give through The Hope Venture. I am so sorry for the confusion and extra hassle. I also fear that this may lower our donation total. I am asking you to please take the extra few minutes to continue with your donation on the other website. The sooner we can get access to your donation dollars, the sooner I can bless these children with the food, clothes, and education they desperately need.
In other Oasis news… It was another big day for the kids. Remember a while back I told you about the amazing woman who writes on the blog “A Place Called Simplicity”. Her husband is here leading a mission team. When I met his team for dinner last week he mentioned that their plans for today fell through. I told him about Oasis and he said they’d love to help. So the whole team came today and blessed the children in so many ways. Some of the team washed and scrubbed all of the walls and then put up a fresh coat of paint on the inside of the girls’ house. It looks amazing and it makes such a difference to the rooms! The rest of the team spent time singing and playing with the kids. Some of them worked to make paper beads, others had their hair braided, and others just rocked and loved on the little ones. They even treated everyone to a soda with their lunch. The kids were pumped up about it. It was truly a blessing and it always amazes me how much work can get done with a large group of eager and willing volunteers! The team was able to prep the boys’ house for paint, but they didn’t get a chance to actually paint it. But guess what?? This afternoon I met with a team of college students from my Alma Mater ( OBU, Go Bison!) and they are looking for things to do in the Kampala area. They agreed to come paint the boys’ house on Thursday. I love it!!

On a side note, I love how small the world really is. Today I met a woman on the mission team who lives about 5 minutes from my house and we know lots of the same people. Then I met with the OBU team, and although they make me feel ancient, we still knew people in common. And this won’t mean anything to most of you, but two of the guys are members of the “Daad Club” at OBU. I can’t believe the legend of my husband and his crazy friends is still alive and well on Bison Hill.

I didn’t have time to copy and of the pictures from today, but I promise to post some soon. And thanks to my awesome friend Stephanie for taking lots of awesome pictures when I am running around not thinking about it.

To make a donation through “The Hope Venture” go to their donation page, click on “general donation” and then write “Oasis of Life” in the comments section. And look for an “Oasis” donation option very soon, maybe by the end of this week!

Unbelievable

I cannot tell you how blown away I have been the past few days over your love and support for the children of Oasis. I still continue to get donations and right now the total stands at over $19,000. Can you believe it? I know God is in this and has big plans. I want to make sure that every penny is spent in the right way. Please pray for me and my friends as we try to figure out the best way to meet the current needs, as well as helping to establish some long-term goals and funds to sustain the home. I am totally and completely humbled that God is allowing me to play a small part in this work. Thank you so much for your generosity and look for more updates through out this week.  It looks like I'll get to do a lot of shopping... one of my favorite things to do.

THANK YOU

When I wrote yesterday's blog about Oasis I was hoping and praying that I would get enough money to buy them some food for the next week and maybe, just maybe, get enough to make a dent in the school fees, uniforms, and shoes. Right before I went to bed last night, I checked my email. There was a notice about the first donation and it was a sizeable amount. It would be more than enough to buy the food and also get started on the other things. I started crying and thanking God for His provision. I kept thinking about how excited Pastor Robert would be when I told him and thinking of what exactly to buy with the money.

When I woke up this morning (bed time for most of you!) I know there would be more donations, but I couldn't imagine how much. Let me just tell you that God and you, my dear friends, completely and totally blew me away. In the past 24 hours you've donated more than $8000 for the children of Oasis of Life. That is not a typo... $8000! I cannot get over it. People from all over the world have given, people I do not know at all. It is crazy! Only God could orchestrate it.


Can you tell I was a bit excited?!

Today, I was able to go shopping, and it was so much fun! First off, we bought stuff to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. My friend, Janelle, made a good point. She said we needed to have something handy and easy to make to fill their tummies right away since some of them had not eaten in a day or two. We also bought them a week's worth of posho and beans. We got formula for the babies and powdered milk for the toddlers. I bought all of the mosquito nets and hooks to hang them from the ceiling. 

Today's purchases.  There will be many more in the days to come!

So right after we arrived I got to tell the kids the good news. I told them they were each getting food to eat right then. I told them there would be beans and posho for later. I told them there were new mosquito nets for all of the beds. They were thrilled!! Then I got to tell them the amazing news. I told them that not only did they get the nets and food, but that my wonderful friends had given enough money to pay for all of their school fees, uniforms, and shoes. They were shouting and dancing around for joy. Poor Pastor Robert could not contain himself.   He immediately started singing the song, "This is the Day".  It was so much fun to watch.

So excited to see all of the things coming in!

My friends, Stephanie and Janelle, helped me with the delivery today. We were all crying off and on the whole time. It was crazy to see such joy and gratitude over things that seem so simple. Janelle and her sweet girls that she's adopting made sandwiches for all of the kid and passed out boxes of milk to each child. As you can see they were a hit!


One of the Mamas, Janelle and her daughter making sandwiches



Yummy!

Such a doll!



Many of the older children helped the younger ones and also shared some of their food.

The boyz!

Tomorrow we're going to work on getting shoe sizes for everyone. Next week we'll pay their school fees, buy uniforms, and stock up on more food! Pray for me and the women I'm working on this project with as we use the money you so generously donated. We want to make sure we use the money wisely. So pray for wisdom and guidance as we prioritize needs and make decisions.

One of the mamas told our driver that they'd been fasting and praying for God to provide. She said that this morning she really felt that something good was coming and that she could go ahead and claim the victory in Jesus' name. I cannot thank you enough for being a part of that victory.


These smiles are victory!



Oasis of Life

A friend of mine that’s spent time here in Kampala emailed me a few weeks back and asked if I would be willing to help with a project. She’d visited this orphanage and saw their great needs. She and her husband had raised some money to help them out and she wondered if she could wire the money to me and I would use it for supplies and to pay bills for the home. I told her that it would be no problem. I knew she’d said that this home could use some help, but I did not realize how much help, until I got there.



Children of Oasis

The home currently has more than 60 children from 8 months old to 17 years. The boys’ house has no running water or electricity. The children sleep 2 or 3 to a twin size bed. A few kids just sleep with a blanket on the floor. I only saw mosquito nets on about 4 of the beds, which could explain the huge medical bill that had built up from all of the cases of malaria. The children are fed once per day a bowl of posho (corn meal) and beans, if there is enough food. Many of the children had very tattered clothes and no shoes. To be honest, the conditions really reminded me of “M” the children’s rehabilitation center where “SixtyFeet” began their work. The difference… the director and people working at Oasis love the children and treat them with respect. The man, Pastor Robert, that oversees the home has a huge smile, tons of energy and really seems to love each child. 

Girls' Bedroom.



Room where the babies sleep



Only water source for girls' and boys' home

When I arrived at Oasis for the first time the children swarmed to the car and gave me hugs and started shouting and dancing. They were thrilled with the food I brought. I also brought new underwear for all of the kids and sanitary pads for the girls. They were ecstatic and kept thanking me over and over. I tried to explain to them that I was merely delivering them for my friend, but they wouldn’t hear of it. I could not stay long and did not get to visit with the children that day. It had already taken hours to pay the bills and do the shopping, but I told them I would try to come back on Saturday when the kids would be out of school.
Saturday rolled around and Mercy and I were tired. I decided that I wouldn’t go to Oasis that day. I could always go another day. Then my phone rang, it was Pastor Robert from Oasis. “When are you coming? The children are waiting. Some of them are so excited they did not sleep well.” How could I say no to that because I was merely tired. I told him I would be there in a couple of hours. I rounded up some of the other people staying at the house with me and we headed out. I wanted them to experience this place with me and get their thoughts on what to do next. And I am so glad we made the effort to go.

Again the kids greeted us with singing, dancing, drumming, and shouting. I gave everyone that I could reach a huge hug. Pastor Robert had them sing a few songs for us, then gave us a tour. As I expected, my friends also could not believe the conditions. After the tour of the girls’ house, the kids put on a dance contest for us. It was so much fun to watch them all “bust a move” and to see their different personalities. Then I got the chance to lead them in some silly songs. We laughed and laughed. We took some pictures and loved on the kids the best that we could. Then Pastor Robert led the kids in prayer time for us. Wow!! So sweet.


The Welcome Song



Dancing a song of thanks for their gifts

 

Oh yes, there was breakdancing and tumbling

 

Making Melodies

As one of my friends was hugging one little girl, she realized she was burning up with fever. She seemed very lethargic. We decided that on our way back to town we’d take her and Robert to the clinic. Sure enough, she had malaria. After a blood test and a few shots ( all for $12), she was on the road to recovery.
I am not telling you about this place or this experience in any way to bring glory or attention to myself. I have not really done anything in this situation except for shopping and pay bills with someone else’s money. You can ask Cody… that comes naturally to me, ha! I tell you about this place because they need help.

There is a group in the US that wants to partner with Oasis and help with some long term needs. They want to help with budgets, training, buildings, child sponsorship, and finding ways to be self-sustaining. But in the meantime, this place just needs resources. I believe this place is run with a good heart, but with very few resources. The home is sponsored by a church in a poor community that is filled with people barely able to feed their own families. As I said before, Pastor Robert has a big heart, which means it’s very hard for him to turn any child away, although they are struggling with the ones they have.


Pastor Robery singing with the children

Last week my friends were able to pay off medical and school debts, pay part of the water bill, buy underwear and sanitary pads, and buy a week’s worth of food. Last Saturday, we also collected money to have the latrine emptied and buy mosquito nets for every set of bunk beds.
But there are more very important needs that we need to meet as soon as possible. FOOD! I talked to Pastor Robert today about bringing the mosquito nets to him tomorrow. I asked how they were doing on food. I knew they were waiting on a donation from another group. He told me they ran out of food today. He would not have told me that if I had not asked. I would love to be able to bring them another week’s worth of food tomorrow. I can’t stand the thought of them going hungry another day.


All of the remaining food last Saturday.  Now it is all gone.

Also, at least 12 of the children cannot attend school because they do not have shoes. All of the children need school fees for the current term. They all need school uniforms. Imagine being singled out every day at school because you are wearing tattered street clothes, instead of a uniform. But let me tell you how much I appreciate the headmasters at these schools that allow the children to attend when their fees are not up to date and they do not have the uniforms. That does not usually happen! The headmaster of the primary school told me he lets them come because all children should be educated and because the children of Oasis are also always among the top performers in the whole school. 

Children needing shoes for school

They also need money for their electricity bill and for the balance on their water bill. Also the babies at the home do not currently drink any sort of formula or milk. I’d love to be able to buy them several cans of formula. They need more clothes, shoes, blankets, mattresses… the list goes on and on.

It is overwhelming to have to try to prioritize these things and figure out what is most important. I hate questions like, “Should they get two meals a day or get their school fees paid?” “Should we pay for shoes or underwear?” I hate that we ever have to consider these things. I know that we cannot meet all of their financial needs, but I would love to be able to help these precious children and tell them that God loves them and that God is the one who sent us to help meet their needs.

Would you be willing to help? I promise you that any money given for this project will be spent entirely on their needs. I will pay each bill directly and purchase all items myself. I know I’ve often told you about different needs and places you can donate money to help the children of Uganda. They are all great causes. But I want you to know that this place really touched my heart. These children desperately need help. I was so touched by their gratitude, happiness, and love in the midst of such dire circumstances. And we can easily meet so many of their needs.

I’m asking for donations of any amount to help these children. I need at least $150 to buy them food for the next week. You can donate by clicking the PayPal ‘Mama Kit’ Donation button on the top right of this page. Put “Oasis” in the notes and all money will go towards these children. If you would like to make a sizeable donation to this project and need it to be tax exempt, please let me know (melissabusby@hotmail.com) and I will get you in contact with the right people.

I am so grateful to have wonderful friends and supporters like you that see the benefits of helping others.



Matthew 25: 35-40 “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’”