Lately, amongst the stress with my daughter's medical needs, I have a heavy burden on my heart for the orphans. Night and day I think about God's next mission work for our family, for me in particular.
I have read stories of starvation, homelessness, and utter despair amongst a people that I have never met. I cannot make this make sense to anyone, nor would I even attempt to try. I just know, what I know, what I know.
Now, there are many things that lie in my heart that I share with no one, not my husband, not my best friend, no one, but God.He knows all my thoughts, cares, burdens, and quirkinesses, and for some crazy reason, he still chooses to hang out with me on many occasions.
I have felt a tugging towards "this" place for awhile now. I know nothing about "this" place except that I am needed, not because I have o so many gifts, talents, or an abundance of dollars to share. None of that truly matters. I have been notified, let's say, "I got the memo" that I am needed, called, to love on the orphans and the people of Uganda.
Half a world away, I do not know them, they do not know me, yet I am called to stop my hustle and bustle and go love. Not called to speak their language, not called to know the ache they must feel, but simply to love.
While speaking with a girlfriend the other day, she told me that she would love to go to Uganda, but just couldn't. Why, I asked? Why couldn't you?
You see the first response from most people is......well, I just can't go half way across the world. I mean what kind of sense does that make?
Let's just say that I have never been called a woman with "alot of sense."
I have always said that my heart is much bigger than my brain, just how God made me I suppose.
I always tell my husband that I am the heart and he is the brains of this crazy operation we got going.
Ever since God sent us to China, and then Vietnam for our 2 daughters, I have felt that I was a nomad......nothing really ties me here, to America per say. My life's dream is to build an orphanage, half way around the world and be a Mommy to the Mommy-less. Really, even typing this makes my heart jump up and down.
I am a CrAzY girl/friend. I need no plans, no agendas, not time schedules, NO WAY (those of you who know me are saying a BIG AMEN to this one!!)no clean socks, just say let's go......ANYWHERE and I am game. Wanna move to China? Sure! Have you ever thought about Florida? As long as my sista moves with us, I'm good!
So, I figure I will break the news to my husband. Ya, this should be interesting I was thinkin!
So, tonight, like a school bus hitting an old lady in a wheelchair, I oh so delicately explained to my husband where my next venture, mission, trip would be. Here's how it went.
He, watching some crazy show like How I Met Your Mother is laughing hysterically while the both of us are sitting on the bed.
Now, let me just put it out there that I was doing, EXTENSIVE MEDICAL RESEARCH SO THAT I COULD help the doctors out IN DIAGNOSING MY DAUGHTER'S MEDICAL ISSUES,(Yes, of coarse they need my help DUH!!) while he is watching How I Met Your Mother, which is hysterical, yet senseless, dumb comedy.
Not sure how he got to be the BRAINS of this thing, but we will just let him hold that title for a wee bit longer as long as he stays on my good side! :)
So, while he is in mid-laugh, I say, "So, if I go to Uganda for a week or two, you got the kids right?"
What, he says? I repeat the line above. He now pauses (yes this is a glorious feature called DVR) the tv and says, well......................
You see whether it be new shoes, adoption, moving, whatever the case may be, he ALWAYS shoots me down first. So, I knew what I was up against, but I am a fighter....and GOOD AT IT I AM!
He said, "Sure, I mean, I don't see why that would be a problem, we will just need to figure out the details with the kids."
OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGOODNESS! I swear it was like I had one of those EASY BUTTONS off of those Staples commercial.
He said, Why Uganda? I say, I don't know but I have felt drawn to those people for awhile now. He says, I know nothing about them. I say,, ME EITHER!!!
So, this is where the story begins.
I am not sure what the future holds for me, my sista, (oh yes, you WILL go)my family, but I feel Uganda is on our map, God's map for us.
I have been reading my favorite blog almost daily at www.aplacecalledsimplicity.blogspot.com
My friend, Linny, over there has a daughter, husband and a whole team in Uganda right now.
I would highly encourage you to read and follow Em's blog at http://emonamission.blogspot.com/
This is the header of her blog:
Em ON A MISSION
The story of a girl who is following God's calling to change the world one life at a time!
Below is an excerpt from Em's blog.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Uganda Uganda you smell so sweet?!
The fan is blowing in my face..
I am laying on my bed exhausted.
But a good exhausted its an awesome feeling.
The kind you get when you have traveled and traveled for 4 days straight.
The kind you get after a long day of hard work of sanding and painting until your hands start to have the forming of blisters.
Yes yes this kind of exhausted is good!
It makes you know your alive.
It makes you know yes yes your here in Uganda.
Where you have longed to be for so long!!
Where you worked hard and saw God provide and provide.
Yes yes this exhausted awesome feeling is the feeling of being here..
In my Uganda.
When I first read her words, "In MY Uganda," my heart skipped a beat. I soooooooooooooooo know what she means, what she is talking about, I know THAT feeling of being on a mission and knowing exactly where God wants you to be.
Another life changing post from Em's blog: Tonight I went down to sanyu babies home
My heart was melted.
You see Josh and I
had noticed that none of the lightbulbs had been working.
They are up really high
and in Uganda there is no such thing as like a ladder
so Josh and I decided to go buy some and replace the broken lightbulbs in the eating room,sleeping room,and changing room.
we counted how many we needed and decided to go buy some
We got there this evening and went right to it putting them in..
Josh had to stand on the changing table, then put a chair on top
and then stand on the chair on his tipi toes
to change the lightbulb.
Then in came Gideon.
He is about 3 years old.
And soo precious.
He knows every baby's name at the baby home.
He is such a good english speaker and talks and talks and talks!!
I picked him up as we watched Josh change the lightbulbs.
He looked up at me and said...
"Mama Emma"
Yes
Yes
"Mama Emma"
It was so darling and makes me realize how much he must long for a Mama.
How much he must long for a family.
How he has watched his friends be taken and still he waits.
and waits.
My heart is breaking
Dear God please bring sweet Gideon a family!
Friends, I cannot remember how old sweet Emma is, but she is young, just a baby in my eyes, yet already follows where God has chosen to lead her, and she has followed. To me, that says alot!
I am unsure of exact details, but know where I am to go. Only God can map out each and every single detail for this trip, and so I wait.....until he sends me.
Next week won't work for me God but the week after that, I'M FREE!!!
SCHEDULE AWAY!!!
I want to love on these people, the deprived, starved, God-less people of Uganda.
Now, who wants to go with me?? YOU, YES YOU.... Will you be going with me??
Bambi
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