10 July 2010

10 July 2010


I know it has been weeks since my last email home and I am so sorry for that. We
have not had a good Internet connections in a while now. I have now been in
Africa almost 4 months and as most of you know I had to leave Uganda and return
in order to renew my visa for another 3 months. So I to a little 3 1/2 day trip
over to Kenya to visit with Martin and PA.

It was wonderful to see Martin and Pastor Rodgers and to meet Sylvia who
manages PA's office and helps with their children programs. She is truly
amazing, I enjoyed getting to know her and to get to spend time with her. She
and Stephen took me to do a lot of very interesting things while I was there
like see baby elephants, feeding giraffes, seeing tribal huts & dances and how
an orphanages in Kenya are ran compared to Uganda. It was a great time of
christian fellowship and rest. I am very thankful to each of them for
everything they did for me while I was there. I went to Kenya in hopes of
helping PA with somethings and they ended up ministering to me instead. It was
an amazing and awesome few days. They put me up in a wonderful guesthouse called
the Mayfield which mostly houses missionaries with Africa Inland Mission
International. It was wonderful to meet all this missionaries from all over the
world and to hear their stories.

I then I flew back to Uganda to say good bye to Stephanie and her family ( this
is Danynee's the director of Amani's sister) and to pick up Danynee's two little
girls. Stephanie has been in Uganda for 8 months now working on her 3rd
adoption from Amani. Her and her mom moved me into her parents house just
before I left for Kenya so I can house sit for them while they are back in the
states. So I am no longer sleeping at the babies home or sharing a small room
with 4 to 5 other people. I am now in the Big house all by myself. I am not
sure I really like all the alone time. I am about a 15 min walk from here to
the babies home (it is like walking from Larry Anderson's to Shop Rite twice a
day). So for safety reasons I have to be home before dark (between 6:45pm &
7:15pm) unless I am with a group of people. And since I have been here there was
a break-in two house down from me. I am in a fenced in compound with a guard
but even that does not always keep you safe here. I have an attic full of bats
so I don't know which is worse crying babies all night or screeching bats. And I
also have electrical problems here, I have been shocked really bad about 4 time
now since I moved in. But the one good thing about being in this compound is
that out behind me in the boys quarters lives Lois and her family (she is the
head Ugandan Mama at the babies home). I told her if she hears me scream she
better come running.

I have to be honest with all of you, there are still days that I struggle here
to feel like I fit in and my not all alone here. And there a days that I really
wonder what good I am doing here and why GOD would want to use me here or for
that matter any where else. There are days I am ready to call all of you back
home and say go head get me a ticket out of here I am ready to come back to the
states. Last week was defiantly one of those weeks. There were several days
that I sit in the office all day long trying to get numbers to balance and
mama's paid and wondering what is the point of me being here. There were also days
last week that I held a very sick child in my arm wondering if he would even make it or not. ( I praise GOD he has improved but we are still not sure what he had and if there will be any
lasting effects from it.) I have never felt so helpless so scared. Later on in
the week Mama Lucy told me & some of the ladies that she throw that child in my
arms on Monday because she thought he was going to die in hers.

So I have had a hard time last week knowing what good am I here? What have a
truly accomplished these last 4 months? Have I really done anything to further
the kingdom of GOD. Then I walk out into the yard where the most of our 55 kids
play everyday and the start yelling "Auntie Tracey" "You go where?" "You do
what? and then they come running to hug me or I come home walk into my compound
to two little girls running across the yard to jump in my arms and yell "Auntie
we have missed you, welcome back" or have Danynee's two little girls tell me for
a week when we get ungrounded on Friday and we want to come to your house to
spend the night with you.

Then there is days like yesterday where I spent my whole day in the village
given out meds to disabled kids with "SPRING OF HOPE". Where I rocked a child
(Betty) in my arms that was not much taller then Ty or Jase and couldn't have
weighed more than 20 pounds and her arms and legs are no bigger around then a
stick. The really sad thing is that she Taylor's age (she is 14 years old) and
has never walked or talked, her hand stay closed up in a fist all the time.

Thank GOD that I have had the honor of help provide food for her for the last 2
months. And to see her yesterday and to see that she has started to improved
from when I first met her last month was amazing and I praise GOD for the
improvement & so very thankful. Betty is not out of the woods by no means and
they is still a chance we could lose her. But I praise GOD for this months
improvment.

I have also started teaching a group of 18 boys one day a week that use to live
on the street. I was so excited for them this week because they all knew their
bible verse. I was very proud of them for all their hard work. They don't know
English so the young man who lives with them at the home and takes care of them
(Jonathan) translates for me when I tell them there story each week. But they
are learning their bible verse and songs in English and doing a really awesome
job. I wish Ms. June was here to teach them all her little motions and songs.

I have been told that the first year in a foreign country is always the hardest
and that it will get better. I have to say that these last 4 months have truly
been a lot harder than I ever imagined it would be. Being away from all of you
and my beloved church and being here all by myself has been very difficult at
times. I know GOD has a purpose and a plan for my being here and I will give
HIM the honor and glory for everything that HE has done and is still doing
here. I know HE will continue to provide for me and keep me safe and keep me
as healthy as possible here or where ever HE sends me. I also know that I can't
run home until HE is through with me here.

Thank you for all your prayers and love. Thank you to all of you who have sent
me care packages and thank you to those who are working on care packages right
now. I love hearing and receiving things from home and so do my kids and mama's
that I share with. Thank you for all that you do for me and have done for me. I am so
grateful to all of you for everything. I can not tell you enough just how much it all means
to me and how I look forward to hearing from all of you. Please keep your prays and
emails coming and all your love.

Please continue to pray for me that GOD'S will is done in my life and that HE
would have the honor and glory for it all. Pray for my saftey and health that I
would get rid of this bug that I have had now for 2 months. I am suppose to go
to Kampala next week to have lab work drawn to see what is going on and what I
have pick up here. Pray for the baby boy and Betty the 14 yr old girl I told you
about. Pray for Ashley and her two little girls they both are sick and her
youngest Peace may not make it. Continue to pray for the 55 kids we still have
at the babies home that they will get families ( in the 4 months I have been
here 4 have been adopted to the states, 1 foster in Ungana and 3 have gone back
to there family with 2 more getting ready to return to their family). Pray for
"SPRING OF HOPE" and all that they are trying to do. Pray for Judy as she and
here little girl are still waiting for her visa to go home and pray for Amy as
she is waiting for her court date to take her 2 boys home. Also pray for Kelly
who broke her leg here last week and she has to be off of it for 4 weeks. There
so many other thing so please pray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I better close for now, please know that I am praying for all of you. And I look
forward to hearing from all of you soon.

Blessings In Christ,

Tracey