The other Sunday morning, we walked into church, and I was struck with the vibrant life that I felt as we entered the lobby. There were dozens of people standing around chatting. Our children ran to their favorite people and greeted them with hugs.
There were people of all ages from various backgrounds, businessmen and women, Amish families, moms and dads, and loads of children everywhere. Nearly everyone was talking and smiling and appeared genuinely pleased to be at church.
We checked our children in for kid’s church and then headed into the sanctuary to get settled before worship. As we walked into church, a group of girls near our daughters’ ages ran up, and they all greeted each other with enthusiasm. We went to a bench and got things organized and settled. As I looked around the auditorium, I saw people walking in to find their seats. But they weren’t just filing in solemnly and quietly. No, there were moms and dads corraling multiple children while juggling coffee cups and diaper bags. There were people walking across the room to greet a friend before they sat down. There were waves and greetings tossed back and forth across the room. And it felt alive!
When worship started, there was a group of kids in the back worshipping in their own way with coloring and drawing and chatting to each other. Other children went to their favorite adults to worship with them. I sat back in my seat and took a moment to realize just how absolutely blessed we are to have this church community in our lives right now.
Children are celebrated and welcomed. The children are welcome to go to kid’s church after worship or they are welcome to stay with their parents and listen to the message. If there is extended prayer or ministry time at the end of a service, parents are encouraged to bring their children up from kid’s church so they can be part of it. When the children are dismissed to go to kid’s church, the rest of the church speaks a blessing over them that declares that the children are “safe, wanted, and loved.”
At the weekly prayer and worship night, you are likely to find children either participating by waving ribbons around, coloring in their color books, or playing with their friends in the family room.
I’ve been in churches where children were expected to not be seen or heard. It was almost as if they didn’t actually exist in the church. I’ve also been in churches where children were expected to be completely silent and still, no exceptions. I wonder how those churches survive.
I’ve heard a saying, “If a church isn’t crying, it’s dying.” Our church is rarely silent on Sunday mornings, and I can’t help but think that’s how it should be. We are blessed to find ourselves in a church where children are so welcomed. To have unmarried men and women so selflessly pour their time and energy into our children’s lives. To have other children who will be our children’s friends.
Our church has grown significantly since we started attending in the fall of 2020, and I can’t help but wonder if it’s partially due to the way they view children. 🤔
Anyways, all that to say, I love the church we find ourselves at right now, and I will continue to enjoy it for however long God allows us. And if anyone finds themselves in need of a church in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, feel free to check out Branch Community in Gordonville.
Isa 40:11b “and [He] shall gently lead those that are with young.”
God, I’m so tired! I don’t know why!
I
What is wrong with my brain? Why can’t I find the joy I know you have?
Shall
I feel like I’m spiraling! I feel like a terrible mom!
Gently
I have so many tears!
Lead
Please make the children sleep! I can’t do another night with so little sleep!
Those
I’m begging You for help! I literally am unable to do this right now!
That
You promised to lead those with young gently. I’m not feeling the gentleness right now! I need more gentleness!
Are
You’re here. I sense Your presence beside me. I want You. I crave You.
With
Please give me Your peace. Please comfort my soul.
Young.
Please just hold me while I cry. Please make it all better and help me to remember that You do care.Thank you.
Gently: to lead, give rest, lead with care, guide to a watering place or station, cause to rest, bring to a station or place of rest, guide, refresh (Strong’s Concordance)
Rest sometimes looks different as a mama in the thick of raising little ones. And yet in the darkest of nights, when I’m up again for the tenth time and I’m exhausted and begging God to please somehow make it better, I feel Him come beside me, lift my weary arms, and strengthen me to keep going and give comfort to the children who call me mom, the children who call for me in the middle of the night like I call for God. And I am so thankful for His promise to give us rest and refreshment in the middle of the intensity.
Today I decided to go with a “just for fun” post. I scoured the interwebs and picked twenty random “get to know me” questions to answer. I decided that this will be my random post for the week. I have more posts that are brewing, but they are potentially more controversial, so I’m deciding when I actually feel brave enough to put them out. (Posts dealing with such things like Christian “indoctrination”, honor and submission and such like things.)
What song makes you feel better?20:17 (Raise the Banner) by Audio Adrenaline
What’s your feel-good movie?Zootopia, I’ve watched it a bunch of times and love it every time. What can I say? I love a good animated kid’s movie.
What’s your favorite candle scent?citrus or coffee if its not too strong. I likemore gentle scents, because if they’re too strong, I likely won’t use the candle at all and it will just go in the cupboard with all the other candles to be forgotten, until I open the cupboard and wonder why it smells so strong.
What flower would you like to be given?tulips or dahlias or roses or anything brightly colored
Who do you feel most “you” around?100% my husband, Aaron. He is the best person ever and the one personthat I am completely myself around.
Say three nice things about yourself, 3 physical and 3 non-physical.1) I have nice hair. 2) I am fairly flexible. 3) I can walk a mile without being winded. 4) I am strong-willed. 5) I like to research things. 6) I love teaching our children.
What color brings you peace?my favorite color is a royal blue or any royal or neon color. I love bright rich colors and they make me happy.
What calms you down?Hugging my husband. Journaling. Playing the keyboard.
What’s something you’re excited about? Having our fourth child join us earthside this summer.
What is the craziest thing you have ever done? I don’t know. Crazy by who’s standards? Cuz I have done several things that others have considered crazy. Drove 5 hours one way by myself without cell service at the age of 17 to attend a friend’s high school graduation. Took a Greyhound bus by myself for 60 hours from the west coast to northwestern Ontario Canada with no way to contact anyone.Left my job that I had just been promoted at to move across the country to teach school at a place where I knew almost no one.But then I’ve also gone snowboarding and skydiving which some others think are crazy enough. So it depends on who you ask. What’s your definition of crazy?
What is your dream car?an old-style Ford Bronco or a Suburban or an old muscle car such as a Mustang or Charger. I love old cars.
If you could be on any reality TV show, what would it be? Probably “Best Leftovers Ever”. I mean, it’s kind of my life already as a mom when I’m trying to clean out the fridge of random stuff. I just don’t make it as nice as they do on the show. (Does a cooking show count as reality TV? I have no idea, but I’m counting it.)
Favorite feel-good show?I rarely watch any shows, but if I do, it’s likely a cooking competition of some kind, so I guess that’s my feel-good show, Is It Cake?, Masterchef Jr, Iron Chef, and Chopped are all some recent ones that I’ve watched
What do you say during awkward silences?I rarely find silence awkward, and as the mom of three littles, I rarely get to experience silence. I am most likely to continue sitting in silence if I do happen to find some.
Do you still love stuffed animals?I’ve never been a really big fan of stuffed animals, and now that I’m a mom, I like them even less. They seem to have some kind of life of their own and there always seems to be more of them around than I remembered last.
Most important thing in your life?Definitely being the best mom I can be to our children and educating them and helping them grow into the best adults they can be. That, and being the best wife I can to my most amazing husband.
What do you want most in the world right now?For our children to grow up and change the world for the better
In how many languages can you say “hello”?English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Cree, and Mayan, so 8 languages I guess. That’s all I could think of off the top of my head. There might be a few more roaming around in my brain that I’ve forgotten at the moment.
What is the oldest item you have in your closet?A black skirt that I got when I first switched to wearing skirts from dresses, so I’ve had it probably about 10 or 12 years now, and somehow it keeps fitting me and keeps looking nice. I have no idea the brand or anything, but it was one piece that I bought brand new, which is rare for me.
What quote inspires you? I have a whole bunch of quotes that I have collected since childhood. Here are a few of my favorites. “Others can not make full use of my talents, I have to use them and not let them go to waste.” -Unknown “Stop feeling sorry for your kids and grandkids. Why would we raise generations of dragon slayers and be disappointed to have dragons for them to fight? Cheer up, it’s more dangerous than you thought.” -Douglas Wilson And finally, my favorite. “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, ‘Wow! What a ride!” -Hunter S Thompson (disclaimer with regard to the last quote. I do not take this one as meaning you should not care for yourself, but rather that whatever you do, do it with all your might.)
After reading this, are there any other questions you wish I would have answered? What would your answers be to these questions? Let me know in the comments below!
We went to see Cabrini in theaters today, and this woman who I had never heard of suddenly struck me as the kind of woman I want our children, especially our girls, to know about.
Francis Xavier Cabrini was an Italian nun who came to New York City and fought the system to make things better for Italian immigrants. She made a home for street children living in the sewer. She saw prostitutes with the eyes of Jesus. She spoke up for those with no voice and stayed in authority while going up the chain of command for help. She even went as far as going back to Italy in order to follow her orders to only solicit money from Italians.
And as I watched the story of this incredible woman and recognized traits that I already see developing in our daughters (ages 3 & almost 5), I found myself wondering what they will accomplish in the future. I also found myself with a desire to teach our girls about women like Cabrini, who created lasting change and created a legacy of hope and healing. I want our girls not to be afraid of speaking in places where people say they don’t belong. I want them to have the courage and wisdom to use whatever resources are at their disposal to further God’s kingdom. I want them to walk fearlessly in places where even the police won’t go. I want them to have a mission from God so bold that they are willing to risk everything to accomplish it. I want to empower them even now with the tools and beliefs that they need to make things happen in the future. I want them to learn the stories of women like Cabrini, Amy Carmichael, Gladys Aylward, and Elisabeth Elliott.
I believe that we are raising the next generation of world changers, and I believe that they will do great things. I love this quote from Douglas Wilson, “Stop feeling sorry for your kids and grandkids. Why would we raise generations of dragon slayers and be disappointed to have dragons for them to fight? Cheer up. It’s more dangerous than you thought.”
And that is the gist of it, I think. There are still “dragons” loose in the world that need conquering. While I can not fight them all by myself, I can empower our children and broaden my influence on future generations. In turn, they can influence the generations after them. And so I will teach them. I will teach them to stand up for what is right. I will teach them to use their voices and their influence to change the world. I will instill confidence in them and a deep faith in God’s goodness and power. I will help them see people as Jesus sees them. I will point them to God as the source of power and authority. And I will cheer them on as they make their way in the world.
Thus ends Women’s History Month for 2024 with my belief that I am currently raising female future history-makers.
Today, I was putting away laundry. Aaron was practicing reading with our 4 year old, and our 1 year old was taking a nap. Our 2, almost 3 year old, was hanging out with me in our room. She was getting a little bored and happened to notice that there was dust on the top of our headboard, so I told her that if she wanted to, she could clean it with a rag.
She immediately ran out to the kitchen, grabbed a rag, got it wet, and came back. She proceeded to thoroughly clean all the dust and cobwebs off of our headboard. Then she noticed that the fan in our room was dirty too. I took the front cover off and handed it to her. She scrubbed it clean. Then she scrubbed the blades.
After she had those two pieces clean, she saw that there was dirt on the back piece, but she couldn’t figure out how to get the dirt behind the blades. She asked me for help. I ended up taking the fan completely apart, and it is now scrubbed clean and white again! I was actually quite impressed at her cleaning abilities.
Later, I asked the girls to clean up the living room. They quickly worked together, and soon, both the living room and their bedroom/toy room were all cleaned up with very minimal supervision for me. Things were even put away correctly.
I had a sudden realization that I already have quite capable household assistants, and they haven’t even reached 5 years old! They can clean up the floor and vacuum. They can wash and dry loads of laundry. They can put away their clothes and hang up their jackets. They help bring in groceries and watch their little brother while playing outside. They can even warm up leftovers for their lunches! And I find myself wondering how and when they became so capable!
Our 2 year old will frequently ask me what she can clean and will go around scrubbing her little brother’s marks off the walls. Our 4 year old will notice when there are items that need to be taken to the recycle bin and will take them out without prompting. Even our 1 year old loves to help by pushing kitchen chairs back to their places and putting sippy cups and bibs away in the proper drawer.
They all love to be helpful and be included in whatever I’m doing. And I love that they have finally reached the age where they can do things on their own without constant strict supervision from me.
Toddlers and preschoolers may just be my favorite ages yet. 😍 I love the way they help, the way they play together, and the hilarious and the deep conversations we have.
I think sometimes there is a tendency to underestimate young children, but from my experience, they are smarter, more empathetic, and more helpful than we often think is possible. I find that when I take a minute to stop and make sure they know how to do something, they are often quite pleased to show me what they are capable of.
I so look forward to seeing them continue to grow and mature and take more initiative. We have three amazing little humans in our household, and I just wanted to share that with everyone. 😉
These are the moments that I want to remember. The memories I want to cherish on the days when things are not going as well as I wish they would. I want to remember that these children are the future, and they are good, helpful, and loving already. ❤️
In this blog, I shall attempt to finish sharing about our trip to Uganda. Part 1 finished with our pool day in Masaka on Thursday, January 11.
Friday, Jan 12, dawned as another cloudy rainy morning. Sarah came and picked us up in her 4-wheel drive van, and we headed up the mountain to the children’s home. We handed out sidewalk chalk to any child who wanted some, and the floor of the church was soon covered with large pictures and notes of thanks to the team. We also did some stamping and making cards, and then a big thunderstorm came up. Thunder roared and rain poured down. We decided to abandon any further activities with the children. Nothing could be heard in the church anyway over the noise of the rain and thunder.
Neighborhood chalk dealer
Covering the church floor with chalk art
The rain quickly turned the dirt driveway to a sea of mud
John came up with the idea that we should head into town and get coffee, so we did that. We all piled into the van and ventured off to town in search of coffee. We found some at a local cafe and enjoyed sipping our coffee under a roof with large open sides.
That evening we headed to Darren and Mama Fatuma’s house. Mama Fatuma made us a large feast with all kinds of delicious foods including her “famous” chips (fries) and delicious fresh mangoes. We enjoyed a relaxing meal and evening in their large welcoming house.
After supper, Mama Fatuma shared her story. She became a street kid at the tender age of 8 and lived on the streets until she was 19. After she was off the streets, she opened her home to other street children, and that’s how Love and Care Children’s Home was started. Darren also shared his story of growing up in the US, being a suicidal teen, and then being in and out of prison for various drug offenses, finding God, and eventually coming to Uganda, and meeting and eventually marrying Mama Fatuma. Their story is one of incredible hardship and also incredible blessing. It was amazing to listen to them.
Darren and Mama Fatuma
Saturday was a “get-immersed-in-the-culture” day, and four of the team were assigned to complete a scavenger hunt. They were given a list of items to complete, dropped off in Masaka, and given a time limit to complete all the tasks. They had a preassigned meeting place to be at by 1. Naomi and Katie Ann took our children and some of Sarah’s children to Plot 99, and Sarah and I went to town to withdraw cash and get our nails done.
The scavenger hunt team had to do things like figure out what certain words in Lugandan meant and bargain for fair prices for other items. They also had to take pictures with Ugandan police and get a picture with a mosque. When the time was up, they had to walk up the hill from where they had been dropped off to Plot 99 where they met up with the rest of us.
Scavenger hunt team with Ugandan police officers
Children with their own special drinks at Plot 99
Sarah and I parked along a busy street in town and then walked quickly through all the street merchants to a sort of mall building, where we climbed the stairs to the 3rd or 4th floor. There we found a tiny nail salon run by two men. They heated water in a tea kettle to soak our hands and feet and sat themselves on the floor to do our feet. One of the men also ran out, at Sarah’s direction, and bought us cold bottled water after I had an awful coughing fit. (Side note: that was one of the only times I had actual cold water in Uganda, and it was amazing!) When we were done, we headed to Plot 99 to meet everyone else.
In the nail salon
That evening we went to a local cafe, Banda, where they had prepared a large barbecue feast. The meat was amazing! They had fish, chicken, beef, and pork, as well as many side dishes, fresh fruit, plus dessert.
Aaron and I shared this dessert, fresh pineapple split
After supper, John shared his testimony of growing up Amish, getting into drugs, and eventually finding Jesus. He ended up moving to Uganda, marrying Stellah (a Ugandan), and starting a family with her. Hearing people’s stories was honestly one of my favorite things about the trip.
The next day we headed up the mountain again for church. This time we didn’t go up until 10:30 am and still sat in church for the next 4 hours. According to the more experienced, both church services we were part of were actually quite short by Ugandan standards. After church, we were fed a feast of rice, beans, and boiled goat meat. The rice and beans were actually quite delicious, and the children filled their bellies Ugandan style–they ate with their hands. When lunch was over, Mama Fatuma agreed to give us a grand tour of the children’s home property. We saw the dorms, the multiple chicken barns, the water tower, the kitchen, the pig pens, the laundry room, everything. After the tour, our whole family went back to the guest house to have some family time, while the rest of the team spent the afternoon at the mountain with all the children.
Dorms on the left, laundry and water tower in the center, and chicken barns on the right
Katie Ann has been to the home quite a few times over the last 5 or 6 years. She knows many of the children, so she wrote notes to all of them. Here they are each waiting eagerly for their note.
Monday was our last day in Masaka. In the morning, we split into two teams and walked door to door in Kigato village (the village where the guest house was actually located). We prayed for people and shared the gospel if they were open. In Uganda, there seem to be three main religion identifiers, Catholic, Muslim, and born-agains (Christian believers), but nearly everyone was open to pray with us.
Auntie Esther with our two girls on the walk through Kigato village. Auntie Esther was their favorite auntie.
Saw this darling child in the village at our last stop
Monday evening, I stayed home with our two youngest and put them to bed while the rest of the team went to the mountain and had a big bonfire and dance party with all the children. Many of the team members said that was their favorite part of the whole trip.
The bonfire
Tuesday morning, bright and early, we loaded all our luggage up into Sarah’s and John’s vans and left the guest house to drive 5 hours north to Jinja for a couple of days to debrief and relax before flying home. Along the way, we stopped first at the equator and then for breakfast.
Our family at the “center of the earth” as our 4-year-old refers to the equator
We finally made it to our resort late that afternoon. We checked in. Ida and I took naps as many of the others swam in the pool. After naps, I got up, and most of us made our way down the most precarious steep set of stairs that I have ever seen to the Nile River. We boarded a boat and set out for a sunset cruise. It was gorgeous on the water, and we got to see a lot of cool birds as well as an otter and a small monitor lizard. When we got back to the resort, it was time for supper.
This was the least steep part of the staircase
Sunset on the Nile River
The next day we ate breakfast at the resort, packed up all of our stuff, and moved it all into Sarah’s cabin. Some of the team went down a straight-down water slide onto the Nile and had a blast doing that. Then we all headed out to Jinja to get lunch and do some souvenir shopping.
The waterslide
The whole team: Katie Ann, Jonathan, me, Sarah, Damaris, Aaron, Jason, Ida, Lena, John, Gloria, Simon, Lovi, Waswa, Brian, Naomi, Angel, and Lillian
That night we left the resort around 12:30 am to drive 3 hours to the airport. We checked in quite uneventfully, bought some water, and got ready for the first 8-hour flight back to Istanbul. This time the flight was quite smooth. The children mostly slept, as it was still nighttime on their body clocks. I didn’t get much sleep, as I had a most kind gentleman sitting on the other side of Jason who woke me up every few minutes because he was sure that Jason must be uncomfortable. I also got a chance to finish a movie that I had started a year or so ago on a cross-country flight, so that was great. I rarely get to watch anything anymore on flights, so I love the rare chances I get.
Getting checked in in Entebbe
This time in Istanbul, we remembered the fiasco of last time. We chose a food court that seemed to be located pretty centrally and got the most expensive fast food meal we have ever gotten. We spent nearly $100 USD for four burger meals for our family. Lena spent $13 USD on a 6″ sub from Subway. Istanbul is expensive! After we ate, we looked for a children’s play area that was also more central. We found one in the D gate area, which was fortunate for us because our flight ended up leaving from a D gate just a little ways down from the play area.
On the last flight to NYC, the children mostly slept once again, and I even slept a little while. We got back to NYC around 11 pm, cleared customs very quickly once again, and then proceeded to spend over an hour waiting for all of our luggage (much less than in Uganda) to show up! Aaron’s parents picked us up, and we headed the three hours to home. Since we ended up going right past our house before reaching the meeting place, they just dropped us off at home and we got home around 3:30 am.
That’s when jet lag kicked in hardcore for the children, and they all decided to wake up. We let them run a little before convincing them that it was actually still nighttime and they slept about three hours. It took a couple days til we were all switched back, but spending the day playing in the snow and sledding helped them stay awake longer which helped the switch go faster. We went from 70s-80s to 20s and snow. It was glorious!
And that’s the story of our trip to Uganda. Of course, I glossed over a few things, such as the fact that two of our team members got bacterial infections, and one was quite sick for a couple days. We had a lot of rainy mornings which led to laundry not drying well, and it ended up taking 3 days to complete one load. The rain also contributed to us running out of solar power quite frequently, which meant we had no lights or internet. We did still however have hot water, so we could shower in the dark. We also had to be careful to avoid things that could give us malaria, typhoid, or other diseases. We had to make sure that the children only drank the right water and not tap water and that they always had their shoes on to avoid parasites invading their feet. However, it was still a good time, and we ended up with no ill effects from the whole experience.
Would I do it again? Would I take three small children halfway around the world to a third-world country? Yes. I would. Besides they all have their yellow fever shots now, might as well make use of having them. It does take a lot of energy and finances, but it’s worth it. So let me know, do you travel with small children?
(PS. Many thanks to everyone who let me steal their pictures for these blog posts.)
Earlier this month we took our three children, ages 4, 2, and 1, with us on a 2.5-week trip to rural Uganda. We went with a team of five others, Katie Ann, Lena, Lillian, Naomi, and Jonathan, and spent the majority of our time in Masaka, Uganda, at Love and Care Children’s Home and with the families that live and work there. Overall, it was a really great experience, and by the time we were done, our oldest did not want to leave.
Around noon on Tuesday, January 2, we piled all our luggage into a trailer and all our people into a 12-passenger van, and we left from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania to head 3 hours north to New York City’s JFK airport.
Our team with Samuel (front left) who drove the van back to Lancaster County for us.
Once at the airport, we unloaded our piles of luggage, got in line, and waited patiently (?) for the desk to open so we could check in. There were some tears from small humans and a discovery of a couple of large knives left in someone’s carry-on backpack. Finally, the customer service desk opened, and we took turns checking in. There was a slight issue with several bags being overweight, including carry-ons! So we took things out, rearranged them, and eventually got all the bags to be the proper weight. Then we piled backpacks onto our backs, grabbed the hands of the children, and began walking to our gate.
We took along a lot of things for families over there, plus all our own personal luggage.
Finally, that evening we all boarded the flight, got settled in, and began our first 8-hour flight to Istanbul, Turkey. I sat with our youngest. Our 2-year-old sat with my husband, Aaron, and our 4-year-old sat with her two aunts, Kate and Lena. The children did well, but didn’t sleep much. We took along a harness for Jason, our youngest, to help him stay in his own seat, plus we also took along “hammocks” for our two youngest that hung between the back of their seat and the seatback table in front of them. That allowed them to stretch out and sleep a little more comfortably. We were also served two meals on the plane, which weren’t too bad. They also gave me baby food for Jason as well as milk for his bottle, which was helpful.
We left NYC around 8 in the evening and landed in Istanbul around 2 in the afternoon. It was an 8-hour time difference. Once in Istanbul, we had about a 5-hour layover, which we spent walking from one side of the airport to the other and back again. There was some miscommunication about which gate we needed to go to for our next flight which resulted in us walking literally a couple miles. Istanbul airport is huge, and there are not any shuttles or anything. You get to use your own legs and walk. Fortunately, for the second half of the long walk we found an abandoned airport stroller (they have strollers available for rent in the airport) and an abandoned luggage cart. We quickly commandeered them and used them to haul all the luggage and some very tired, less-than-cheerful children.
Walking through Istanbul airport
By the time we found the correct gate, they were pre-boarding, so we walked right onto the plane with family boarding. Once again we got everyone settled in for another 8-hour flight into Entebbe, Uganda. This flight was a little more eventful as the children hadn’t slept much at this point and were overtired. The girls used their headphones, watched movies, and listened to music which helped distract them til they fell asleep. One of them though ended up getting airsick and threw up over everything, so we had to clean her up and change her clothes. Thankfully, we were sitting near the bathrooms; I had extra clothes along; and I had plenty of baby wipes. The stewardesses were nowhere to be found, so I couldn’t ask them for any assistance, but we did get it sorted. Kate ended up walking around until she found a stewardess who gave her some napkins for clean-up.
The flight also stopped in Rwanda on the way to Uganda. It was supposed to be a quick drop-off and pick-up about an hour stop. However, it turned into a couple hours since they had to wait for the fog to clear up enough off of Lake Victoria. After about 30 hours of travel, we finally made it to Entebbe, Uganda, around 5 in the morning on Jan 4.
We fairly quickly cleared customs, gathered all of our luggage (that all made it! PTL!), and found John waiting to pick us up outside. We walked through the cool early morning darkness to his van and began to load everything up. The children were just happy to be outside and not in the plane or airport anymore. Then we loaded all 11 of us into the 8-passenger van and began the 3-hour drive to Masaka, where we would be staying.
On the way, a few of us dozed, but mostly we stayed awake because the outside scenery was so fascinating. Driving on the “wrong” side of the road, “bodas” (motorcycles) with 4 or 5 people on them, cows tethered on the roadside, scaffolding built out of tree branches on construction sites, people everywhere dressed immaculately, merchants selling their wares, buses and taxis and people everywhere going every which direction! It was chaotic and thrilling and so fun!
Eventually, we made it to the guest house compound that would be our base for our stay. Aaron and I immediately took naps while the children hung out with Sarah’s children. By suppertime that evening, the children were so tired that they all fell asleep early. The girls slept for about 14 hours straight and by about day 2 were completely adjusted to the 8-hour time difference. Jason took a few more days and a couple of micro-doses of Melatonin before he was completely switched.
That evening we also had a short orientation to the country and were alerted to certain things that could be viewed as offensive, like the way we motioned for our children to come or females wearing pants or men wearing shorts outside of the compound.
The children sleeping in the gazebo that was our outdoor living/dining room
The next day, Friday, we were given a grand tour of all the properties that belonged to the mission there. Zion Christian School, the farm that produces food for the children’s home, Sarah’s house, John’s house, Darren’s house, and finally, Love and Care Children’s home. By the time we got to the children’s home, the children there were pretty convinced that we were never going to show up. For some reason, they thought that we would be arriving at 10am, but we didn’t get there til 2 or 3 pm. We were warmly welcomed with music and dancing, as well as a mud sign on the front ramp. After the welcome, we all introduced ourselves and Lena handed out candy to all the children. There were around 100 children, I think, that were there. The rest were home for school holidays.
Looking out from Zion Christian school. The top of the far mountain is where the children’s home is.
The dirt sign welcoming us
Saturday, we had a chill morning, ate lunch at a local cafe called Plot 99, and spent the afternoon getting ready for leading church the next day at the children’s home.
Sunday morning, we showed up to church around 9:30 am. The older children had the first service where they preached and led some worship. There was a small break, and then the second service began. The dance teams did some more welcome dances for us that they had not been able to finish on Friday, and finally, around 1pm or so it was our turn. I had a chance to share my testimony of being healed from my mental health struggles to children who have faced huge obstacles in life, abuse, abandonment, street life, and more. I hope that I was able to give them hope that things can get better.
Roadblock on the way to church
Sharing my testimony through our interpreter, Winy
On Monday, we went to Sarah’s house. Sarah is a single woman from our church who moved to Uganda 6 years ago or so, is in the process of adopting 5 children, and fosters 4 more who were too young to stay at the children’s home. Most of the team spent the morning cleaning out her chicken barn and replacing dried coffee shells that she uses for flooring. They also picked coffee for her. The afternoon was spent playing games, and in the evening we had a campfire and talked. Meanwhile, all the children played and played, imagining great and marvelous stories.
Helping to sort dried coffee
Moving chickens to the other section so they could clean out this section
On Tuesday, I woke up with a slight fever, so the team took the children along and they all went to the mountain to the children’s home and did a bunch of activities with the children there. I slept most of that day, so I’m not sure what all they did. In the afternoon, the older girls from Love and Care came down to the guest house and Katie Ann did some fun things with them. Aaron helped John work on building a swingset for the children’s home. In the evening, we held a little birthday party for two of Sarah’s children who turned 3.
Children eagerly waiting for birthday cake
On Wednesday, I was still not feeling great, plus I had already planned to keep the children home with me that day since they planned to work on the farm. However, the girls wanted to go with Sarah, so I let them go, and Jason and I hung out at the guest house and slept. Lena and Lillian went to the school and helped work on the foundation for the new teacher’s quarters that they are building. Aaron went and worked some more on the swing set. That evening a bunch of locals came and we joined in their weekly prayer meeting.
Thursday morning was cloudy and drizzly. We had planned a pool day at a local resort, but we discussed changing the day. Eventually, we decided to just go with it as it usually cleared up in the afternoons, so we went and had a wonderful time. The resort had a large pool and waterslide just for the children, as well as a playground. The cool water felt great, and the children all played so hard that they ended up napping on benches in the shade. I did get a little sunburned on my shoulders, but it was worth it.
The children’s pool and waterslide. (The electric went out for a short time which is why the slide is a little deflated.)
Sarah and I watching our two little boys and cooling off in the water
That evening we got to hear Mama Hawah’s story of being raised a Muslim and then finding Christ and coming to work at the children’s home and school. Mama Hawah was one of our local team leaders and our resident expert on all things Uganda and was always happy to answer our questions about Ugandan culture. (Calling an older woman “mama” is a sign of respect. “Auntie” is reserved for nannies or younger women, and “jaaja” is used for all elders, male and female.)
Mama Hawah in all her beauty
Thus ended week 1. I will do another post about the second half of our time since this one is getting longer and longer.
Some people have suggested that I am brave for going so far with three small children while also being 10 weeks pregnant, but it’s part of how I want to raise our children. I want them to become comfortable in other cultures. I want them to be adaptable if the solar runs out and we have no electricity. I want them to see others as potential friends. I want them to be able to use “squatty pottys” or latrines without thinking. I want to expand their worlds to include so much. I want their passports to be full of visas and stamps. I want them to be able to see God in others. And this trip was a great way to add to those goals.
Squatty potty referenced above
Ida, 4, said her favorite part of the trip was making friends, and make friends she did. She talked to everyone, whether they spoke English or not. She also went a long way in conquering her fear of dogs. She has a long list of all her friends that she left in Uganda, and she asks nearly daily when we can return.
Damaris, 2, loved making friends also, even though she’s much more introverted and needed more chill time at the compound. Her favorite people were the aunties at the children’s home.
Jason, 1, loved the music and the fact that he was allowed to be outside all day every day. I would bathe him and five minutes later, he was covered in dirt again. He was completely happy that way. He also loved playing with all the dogs and not having to ride in a carseat.
My favorite part was watching the children adapt to and thrive in a new culture. I loved watching them make new friends. And even though the majority of my trip was spent taking care of our children rather than fully immersing in all the activities we did, it was still fun. I would still do it all over again. (Just maybe wait a little while.)
Let me know in the comments if you have any questions while you wait to hear about the second half of our trip.
It’s Wednesday afternoon. That means it’s time to load up our three children and the little boy I babysit into their carseats and head off to church for an hour.
Every Wednesday afternoon from 2 to 3, you will find me and four children in the prayer room at our church. Why? Because we are taking what is called a “prayer watch.” We spend one hour playing worship music and spending time in the presence of God.
Sometimes we dance or spin in circles with the ribbon flags. Sometimes, the children “play” the keyboard and sing along with the songs. Sometimes, the girls draw pictures while I supervise the two one year old boys’ explorations of all the sound equipment. Every once in a while, I get to do about 2 minutes of sitting in quiet conversation with God. Most of the time, tho, I am worshipping Him as I chase down one toddler and settle a dispute over the crayons with another one.
Why do I do this? Why do I prioritize taking four children ages 4, 2, 1, and 1 to church to worship for one hour? Because it is important to me to cultivate a heart of worship in each of our children. I want them to have conversations with God as easily as they have them with me. I want to build their faith that their prayers make a difference. I want to set an example of prioritizing time in God’s presence, no matter what else is going on in our lives. I want them to see that no matter how seemingly inconvenient it might be to do this every Wednesday afternoon, it is still important enough to me that we do it. I want prayer and worship, singing and dancing, and listening to hear what God is saying to be a normal part of our children’s lives.
The other week, we found our 4 year old’s little purse that she has been missing for months! Her immediate response was to say, “Thank you. God! I love you!” and then she drew a picture for Him to show her gratitude.
Once the song “Make Room” by Casting Crowns was playing. One of the lines in the song says, “Is there room in your heart for God to write His story?” Our daughter turned to me and said, “Mom, I can see God writing His story.” She went on to list ways she sees God writing His story in her life.
I imagine that God smiles when He sees the children’s pure worship. It doesn’t bother His ears when the notes they play aren’t perfectly in tune with the song. He delights in the colors that they choose for their pictures. I can almost hear Him chuckle when He sees their portraits of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He isn’t bothered that their worship sometimes looks like running in circles and giggling as they chase each other around the room. Their freedom in His presence is a delight. Their confident faith and sweet sensitivity to His voice is amazing.
Our children have so much delight in taking part in prayer watch that they ask if it’s time to go yet whenever they know it’s Wednesday.
It’s only one hour a week. Sometimes, it can seem like maybe I did nothing except try to calm the waves that are toddlerhood, and I wonder if God really cares about this one mother and the four tiny humans she brings. I sometimes feel guilty that my prayer watch is not as deeply reverent as some of the others that also hold prayer watches. I don’t get grand revelations or big breakthroughs, but still I go. And I do enjoy it.
No matter what chaos we bring into the room. No matter how frustrated I was trying to get everyone fed, changed, dressed, out the door, and loaded up to leave on time. No matter what. I walk into that room, crank the worship up, and I feel peace. I know that in His presence, there is rest. And it restores and energizes me. And by the time we leave, everyone is in a good mood and relaxed. That’s what the presence of God brings.
We’ve been having a rough couple of weeks with our one child breaking her leg and having to be non-weight-bearing and another child battling a virus that makes her cough violently at random intervals. The coughing leads to less sleep for me as she wakes up multiple times a night and sometimes wakes up the other child in the room from her coughing and crying. And then today, Aaron got a surprise out of town work trip on the truck, so he’s gone till Saturday. And still there is good.
I have worked to cultivate my ability to seek positive in nearly every situation. To find something to be thankful for. And since it is Thanksgiving next week, it seemed appropriate to share my list of little blessings today.
1. I had about an hour notice that Aaron was leaving for 2.5 days. I was grateful to have canned ground beef and just enough tortillas to make a quick batch of flautas to pack in his lunch.
2. Two of the children simultaneously took hour+ naps today, which is a rarity these days, so I was able to have some uninterrupted time working on a writing project.
3. My great aunt and uncle stopped by for a quick visit, and it warmed my heart. My aunt also brought some delicious cookies and banana bread that we had for an afternoon snack.
4. The child who is sick willingly takes “medicine” (home remedies) and asks for it so I don’t have to expend energy to fight her about it.
5. I have nothing that won’t wait so I can spend hours every day holding children who just need a little extra snuggles.
6. I have pre-made espresso shots in the fridge so I can quickly make myself an iced Maple breve to help caffeinate my day.
7. We finally found a gym that will suit for the next pickleball tournament that we are hosting.
8. I can quickly fill the dishwasher and run a load so I don’t get dreadfully behind on dishes while mothering the sick and injured.
9. I live in such a modern time that I can simply pre-order the things on my grocery list, and they will be ready and waiting at the store when I go to pick them up. And someone will even load them into my vehicle for me! I might as well be a queen!
10. Most of all, I can feel Jesus’s presence very near me and sustaining me through this intense mothering season, and it feels good.
So there’s my list of 10 things I’m grateful for today. What’s on your list?
I have so many questions. A lot of them are from my past healing journey. What does one do with all the questions?
Why did that couple move me into their house against advice from other couples? Why can I not remember hardly anything from being at their house? Did I really leave their house in the middle of the night and send evil spirits to them in their room? Was I really such a lazy, undisciplined person who did not know how to clean properly? Was my drama really the reason that they failed to notice the changes in their child indicative of sexual assault? Was I such an awful person that they now refuse to acknowledge me in any way, shape, or form?
Why did my friend find it acceptable to send me sexually explicit pictures and messages even after I said no and reported it to the police? Why did my friend never want me around in person because I was “too pure” to witness the effects of addiction?
Why do my memories consist of either remembering every single detail down to how someone’s skin felt or a completely blank black hole where I can not tell, despite hard evidence and witnesses, if I was even present at the time? (I’m sure that psychologist I saw once would tell me it’s just part of having Borderline Personality Disorder.)
These are just some of the questions that I find myself pondering on occasion when I don’t have much else to think about. Just kidding. 😄 but I do find myself thinking about them sometimes. And I wonder if I will ever know or if I should ever voice them. Maybe they don’t actually matter.
I have made peace with the fact that I may never know the answers to so many of my questions. I know I can find and have found healing in spite of not knowing or remembering. When you release the control of needing to know, it releases healing into those places. The questions may never leave, but they don’t control my life.
And then the other day, I came across a little something I wrote back in 2012 while I was in some of the seasons mentioned above. It seems a fitting ending to this post now.
Questions and Silence June 2012
“God, why???” silence “I don’t get it!!” silence “I am so sick of everything!!” … silence “Don’t you even care??” one hand comes up to rub my back “Can’t You just make everything better already?” silence Question after question being screamed into my Father God’s chest. He just holds me Tight And lets me yell… Screaming… Crying… Tears… Questions… Yes, even furious pounding… Thru it all, He just quietly sits there. He’s big enough to handle it. Finally… When all my emotion is spent, and I am completely exhausted, I collapse against Him. Yes, He never let me go even thru all that. He holds me close Tight to his chest And lets me cry. Why? I don’t know. I still don’t understand, But Somehow it’s okay now. My Papa has me. He’s holding me. He’ll never let me go. I don’t scare Him. Finally, He speaks, Four words… “Child, I love you.” All I have to do is sit there. As I sit in His lap, I feel His love flowing over me. It overwhelms me. And somehow heals the hurt in my heart. He doesn’t answer all my questions exactly as I wish He would, but He gives me peace and for now, that’s enough. He’s holding me I have peace in the midst of turmoil and questions. I love Him. He loves me. Everything is okay… My Papa is in control
So, if you find yourself with unanswered questions about your past. It’s OK. They don’t threaten God. Throw them at Him. He’s big enough to handle the questions and the emotions. Release the need to know and see what good releases in your life.
Adventurer with God 