Kelly Says It Big

Shalom!

Well...i'm back in business! After not writing for a good 2 months, here's a little update!

i got back from Uganda, Africa on July 18th, Wednesday. After a 4 hour delay in Entebbe Airport Uganda 'cause a bird flew into the engine, we made it safe & sound back to cold Trondheim. The cold was awaiting us i think!

i have to admit something. i haven't been out of my house since wed.!! i've somehow gotten a cold since we've gotten back so i've been resting and trying to adapt back into this life here in Europe. i can't believe i'm approaching my 1 year mark! has it really been 1 year?? i think it's gone by tremendously fast & i'm sure this next one will too!

so...enough blabbing. here's some stories about Africa & of course pics!! i took over 1,200 pics so it was kinda hard to pick & choose so this post is pretty lengthy. but...ENJOY!!

Elisabeth & I were able to spend a whole month in Uganda!! 3 weeks of that we were with a family in Soroti. It's in the mid-eastern north part of Uganda. We stayed with Michael & Deborah along w/ their 5 kids & 2 orphans! Michael is a lay reader(pastor) & Missions Coordinator for the Church of Uganda and is also running his own brick making company & Deborah is longing to become a lay reader as well, but for now she's a teacher in a primary school about an hour away. What an AMAZING family! They blessed us beyond words. We were SO LOVED & so taken care of. When we arrived they welcomed us with open arms, praising God with many songs & shed tears! I couldn't help but be filled w/ love for them & cry my eyes out too!!!




Their compound is located near the largest IDP camp where @ one point there were over 15,000 people crammed into a VERY SMALL area due to the LRA. It was so great to share life with this family. We had time to listen to their stories, make food w/ them, wash clothes with them, minister with them & pray & praise the Lord with them @ 5AM every morning!! now that's discipline!!




Their children are absolutely beautiful & we really became a part of their family. calling Deborah, Toto (mom in their language, Ateso) or mamma, & Michael, pappa. We were even able to hold small conversations with the kids in Ateso. haha yoga noi! i think that was one of the best parts of this trip, just being involved with a normal family who love the Lord, SO MUCH!!!


Elisabeth & I were able to use this trip not just as 'vacation' but we devoted it to the Lord long before departing. He opened up so many GREAT opportunities for us to minister to many different types of people.

We visited a YWAM orphanage to love, hold, play w/, & pray for AIDS babies! WOW. it was very intense. All of these children have AIDS & have lost their parents to AIDS. it was a very sobering time. They're so beautiful. I couldn't help but pray, "God ,HEAL these babies!!" the whole time i was with them!




We partnered with Church of Uganda & jumped on board with all their outreaches. We went to the local prison to preach to over 500 men & Elisabeth & I were the only females around. What an amazing time. Many received Jesus that day & also wanted prayer for healing. The church has been devoted to visiting this place weekly & you can really see the fruit! When we arrived, there were men playing on their traditional instruments & praising God! So great to see & hear!! As we left, we were like, "I don't wanna leave!" haha kinda a funny response when leaving a prison, but you could see how God was moving in the lives of those men.


The church also is devoted to visiting the sick, so we went to the local hospital. But they had never been to the maternity ward before & decided to go the day we were there.
My impressions:
1. We walked into the compound to find hundreds of people flooding the lawn. I was told that these were all the family members of those in the hospital. Many had traveled for days to get their loved ones care. They will stay there until their family member gets well again or passes away. WOW!!!
2. As we walked into the maternity ward, there were hundreds of beds just lined up in 2 rows, as far as you could see. People everywhere on the floor & mammas moaning & babies crying. I thought to myself, how do you even walk through here, but we did.

So...My translater, Nathan & I started with the first bed on the right & Elisabeth(Betty Atim while in Africa) & Deborah (mamma) started on the left, just kept making our way down the lines. We would ask the women how they were doing & talk with them if they were up to it. I explained why i was there & that i wanted to share with them about Jesus & also pray with them. It was very crazy the whole time, but Nathan & I managed to really have some great conversations with some of the women, even though i needed to be translated almost the whole time. God really was there with us as we prayed and shared the Love of Christ with these women & their families!!

We took a trip up north to a village called Amuria. There, the principal of the Bible school that Elisabeth went to, started an all girls hostel. This whole entire village was rampaged by the LRA during the war about 3 years ago. It left thousands of people without homes, children as orphans & with many emotional/physical wounds. Many of these girls have been directly affected by the war & diseases. Their parents & siblings have been killed, they themselves have been abducted & escaped, or their family members have died of AIDS leaving them as orphans to take care of the younger children in their families. These are just a few of the stories that were shared with us. This led many of the girls who are orphans to find other means of getting money to provide for their families & school fees. Many have sold themselves for money or have been brewing local beer just to make a few extra shillings. This girls hostel has provided a way for the young girls in this village to focus on their studies, to be encouraged in the Lord & to have a safe place to live. We were able to share with them about their value & identity. That no matter what happens to them, they are STILL VALUABLE & LOVED BY GOD!! that God has a purpose & a plan for their lives. it was an amazing time of sharing & prayer. I think this experience really opened up my eyes to the need in this single village alone. I pray that God will open up a way for us to return to Amuria & to see these girls again!



We showed the Jesus film in their local language while in Amuria! Over 1,000 people were there!! Many received Jesus & were clapping & crying by the end of the film! It was amazing!




We also went to local primary & secondary schools to share about Jesus & be the the kids! So great to let God lead!



We were also able to meet up with Inge's family (a friend who was getting married to a Ugandan, William) We took a long drive up to Masindi & headed towards Murchenson(sp?) Falls, one of the National Parks. It's located in the north-western part of Uganda. We got to see so many awesome animals!! what a blessed time it was to see so much nature & wildlife. i felt like i was on national geographic @ one point! hehe


here are a few pics from the introduction in William's village & the wedding:



Overall, my African experience was unforgettable!!! I'm praying that in God's timing i will be able to return to these amazing friends & family that i now have in Uganda.


As for the rest of my life....i'm just preparing to receive another new member to our team, Jessica!! She's arriving on Tuesday, the 24th! i'm really excited to meet her & to introduce her to good 'ole Trondheim! I haven't seen Cort & Brett yet, even though they're in NORWAY! they've been traveling w/ Brett's parents for 2 weeks. I'm so excited to see them. it's been FOREVER!!! we're also preparing for our 2 week adventure for CSM(College of Student Ministry) in Brussels, Belgium from July 31st- Aug.11th!! It will be a blast i'm sure! reunion w/ old friends & a great time to learn more about student ministry, especially in Europe!

Hope you're all doing well & find yourselves blessed. I sure hope it's warmer where you are than it is here. i'm really sad to say that i'm freezing, i even had to get out the wool socks! YIKES!! and this is the middle of JULY!!! so sad...*tear* i pray the weather will get better, SOON!

posted by Keldog @ 1:27 PM 4 comments