Dreaming of Uganda's people

After I returned from Uganda in 2008, I started thinking about my next trip to that country. I had had an incredible experience and I could hardly think of anything else. Dreams of smiling brown faces frequented my mind and my heart quickened as I thought about the possiblity of returning. I attended the GENEROSITY CONFERENCE at CCC at the Yellow Box and got fired up about how I might "cut down on my spending" so I could save money for more meaningful investments in my life. I decided right away that I would use my own money from working at the high school to pay for my flight ticket instead of fundraising for it. (I would fundraise later for medicine and other items I knew would be helpful for the people we sponsored or met on this future trip) So, every month throughout the school year, I placed one of my paychecks in my Uganda Fund and the second check was for me. I also wanted to involve the students in the Alternative Program so they could see the value of helping people who are poverty stricken. I asked Jerome and Idah in Uganda to provide a student who needed help. They sent me a photo of 13 year old GLORIA who suffers from elephantitis. (Our team had actually met her during the 2008 trip.) I placed her photo in a prominent place in our classroom and told her story to the class. They responded with dismay about her physical condition but wondered what we could do in Ottawa to improve her life in Uganda. Since I like to bake and the students like to EAT, I began bringing in treats weekly for the students to purchase. Even peanut butter and jelly sandwiches showed up on the 'menu' and were eagerly purchased and devoured by the kids. The Uganda Jar began to fill quickly and at Christmas, we had raised $250 for Gloria's medicine. The students' enthusiasm for the project grew as our fund grew and I frequently heard them say, "keep the change for Gloria", or "I don't want anything today, but here's some money for Gloria". I was very proud of their desire to help a needy child they would never meet.
THEN, ON FEB 23, MY PERSONAL LIFE THE MOST UNBELIEVABLE THING HAPPENED! JOHN, MY HUSBAND, HAD A STROKE!!!! As I watched him leave Ottawa in the Life Flight helicopter, I was sure that our lives had been changed forever. We spent the next 2 weeks at Methodist Hospital in Peoria as John's brain stem healed and he began intense therapy. The good news is that he was able to return to work 2 months after the stroke and he is nearly 100% healed! Throughout those early weeks of recovery, I had decided that my mission trip to Uganda would have to wait until another year. John's health was much more important to me. But as God would have it, John experienced a speedy and miraculous recovery. And with John's encouragement, I began to believe again that Uganda was still an option for me.

The students at OHS continued to help fill the Uganda Jar and our final total amounted to $400 for Gloria! This will surely make a huge impact on her life! With additional fundraising at First Pres in Ottawa and other donations, Dianne, Jessica and I will be able to personally assist the 'poorest of the poor' in Uganda with bicycles, medicine, toys, clothes, and daily necessities. So as our departure day approaches, I just pray that God will protect our team and create a strong bond between us that will deepen our faith as Christians. I pray for safety, health, great joy in seeing the many orphans and our sponsored families, and unfailing strength in this 'old body' as we work to build a home. I also pray that all the people who have so unselfishly donated to this trip will be blessed abundantly!!