After we landed at Entebee International Airport
we quickly loaded up into 3 different taxi's and begun the trip to our 'African
hotel' where we would be staying for the next 2 weeks.
Like I mentioned
before, I thought I knew what it would be like.
What it would look
like. What it would NOT smell like.
I clearly had no
idea.
For the next hour we
drove through town-after-town, passing
village-after-village
straight into the capital city of Kampala.
My mind could not
accept all that I was seeing.
For miles upon miles,
as far as the eye could see:
Poverty.
100% poverty!
Aside every dirt road
Behind every "house"
Up every hill
Around every corner…
POVERTY.
complete POVERTY all around.
Little toddler
children alone next to extremely busy roads.
Dogs wondering the
street. Sleeping anywhere they could.
(Some piled 3 high, dead on the roadside,
(Some piled 3 high, dead on the roadside,
waiting to be burned.)
Goats roaming the streets looking for anything to eat.
Mopeds called
"bota-bota's" (taxi's) coming within HAIRS of slamming head-on into your
vehicle.
People everywhere.
Dirt everywhere.
No running water.
No trash system.
No plumbing.
No sanitation.
No sanitation.
The ‘homes’ are
mounded together by cardboard boxes, brick and mud.
Children everywhere.
Babies with no
diapers.
Toddlers with no
clothes.
Shoes? You tell me.
My mind was spinning.
I believe it was at
this point that my spirit
and my heart went into a bit of a shock.
and my heart went into a bit of a shock.
I truly had no clue
how to process or make sense
of much of what I was seeing.
of much of what I was seeing.
Maybe it was just me.
Perhaps everyone expected it to be like this…
I sure didn’t
I sure didn’t
My spirit was
paralyzed.
As bad as it may
sound (and at times I admit it sounds negative)
it is truly not the case...
it is truly not the case...
I fell in love with Uganda.
In all the chaos, in
all the filth,
in all the pollution, in all the need,
the Lord was revealing Himself to me
in ways that only He can
in a situation like this.
To the average Joe, it looked horrible.
It smelled horrible.
No one in their right mind would bring their family
here for a vacation.
This would be absurd.
in all the pollution, in all the need,
the Lord was revealing Himself to me
in ways that only He can
in a situation like this.
To the average Joe, it looked horrible.
It smelled horrible.
No one in their right mind would bring their family
here for a vacation.
This would be absurd.
However, as my spirit
went into shock,
my God was there ministering to me.
It was as if He was sitting right next to me
in the taxi whispering in my ear.
It was as if I could hear Him say,
my God was there ministering to me.
It was as if He was sitting right next to me
in the taxi whispering in my ear.
It was as if I could hear Him say,
“These are my people.
The children represent me.
What will you do?
Will you humble yourself and love my people
or will you turn your heart against them?
I did not call you for your own selfish gain.
I called you to deny yourself,
pick up your cross and follow Me,
no matter what it looks like.
I am calling you.
The children represent me.
What will you do?
Will you humble yourself and love my people
or will you turn your heart against them?
I did not call you for your own selfish gain.
I called you to deny yourself,
pick up your cross and follow Me,
no matter what it looks like.
I am calling you.
What will it be?”
The taxi ride to our
hotel was a great trial for me.
Every ounce of my spirit was tested
in ways I could not explain.
However, I can tell you this,
I weep now at the thought of going back.
I would leave tomorrow if I could.
The smells, the filth, the poverty,
the hunger, the needs… the children… the people…
they have stolen my heart.
Every ounce of my spirit was tested
in ways I could not explain.
However, I can tell you this,
I weep now at the thought of going back.
I would leave tomorrow if I could.
The smells, the filth, the poverty,
the hunger, the needs… the children… the people…
they have stolen my heart.
I asked the Lord months ago
to break my heart for what breaks His…
I believe He has started His work.
"He defended the cause of the poor and needy,
and so all went well.
Is that not what it means to know me?'
declares the Lord."
Jeremiah 22:16
Today our family is on a mission. However, our story began back in 2003. We were married, blessed with 3 beautiful children and the world’s best loving little Shiz-Tu of a man-dog! (We really love him. Probably too much. But that is not what this blog is about!)
My husbands name is Chris but my kids and I call him ‘Papa’! We have been married for over 8 years. We have seen some amazing mountain tops in our marriage and we have also swam in the depths of the oceans floor. We know that God is alive, working and ALL POWERFUL. We are living proof!
Our children are amazing. They REALLY do make us laugh. So many times we just look at each other and shake our heads because they are so cute and unpredictable. They force us to learn humility, mercy and grace constantly and we fail daily. It’s actually very sobering.
We are completely broken people. Sinners in need of grace, forgiveness and mercy like you need air and water. We give our brokenness to Jesus. We turn in all our failures and sinful ways in hopes that Jesus will use these vessels (our lives, our bodies) for His ultimate and complete Glory and unto His Kingdom.
What is this blog about? It’s about Jesus and Orphans!
As you will read, we are now on a mission. To love the orphan! To serve HIS children and help provide for any urgent needs we encounter.
We originally were praying about adoption. However, we are now praying that the Lord would just SEND US, if that is His plan.
We have started a ministry called, "Bread For Life" and we bake and sell bread to help raise money for children in need. It began in December of 2011, we have raised almost $20,000! This little ministry is being turned into a non-profit and we are seeking the Lord for what He has in store for us next.
If you can get past all the misspelled words, run on sentences and confusing grammar than sit back and be encouraged! God is on the move in our hearts and we are thrilled! We invite you to laugh, cry, pray, rejoice and hope that Christ be glorified through our lives.
There is a war to fight and we are headed to battle!
This is our mission, Our Story.
(To start at the beginning of our blog, 
Adoption Timeline: May 23, 2011 Passports * June 6, 2011 Fingerprinting * Getting paperwork completed for homestudy * Woe, hold up... Lord are you calling us... are we to "GO!" and adopt/serve/teach/love/feed? ... Hold on. This calling just got a lot more exciting! Stay tuned!
Beautiful, Robin....heartbreaking, heart opening and the way you write I can taste and see and feel small portions of what you tasted saw and felt. Thank you for sharing it with us.
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