Reflections

I have been home for four weeks now and am just starting to grasp glimpses of what God did with my heart while I was in Kenya and Uganda. Here are a few of my reflections... A Glimpse of my Experience: God is doing a mighty work as he raises up his beloved sons and daughters- like Bud and Kimberly Huffman of the Mattaw Children's Village and the Kampala Pentecostal Church, home of the Watoto Project, to create a radical change in lives and communities throughout Africa. It was very encouraging to see the work that both organizations are doing. They are not building orphanages that were under staffed and lacking basic essentials but they are building homes for children to experience what it means to have a family. They are not focusing on meeting the basic needs of the children and adults they serve but they are focusing educating and growing a healthy child in all aspects of their development. They are not sending over a group of foreign missionaries to do all the work, although they have partnerships with various foreign ministries, they are utilizing the people within the communities they live and work in. They are building future leaders that can impact their communities and their world with the love and hope of Jesus! David, a boy soldier, spoke at the Watoto Conference and what he said touched my heart deeply. David began by sharing how he was forced to kill his own family members, burn down villages and strap infants to trees and cane them to death in order to save his own life. He spoke of the guilt he lived with and the nightmares he was tormented by. Through Gulu project, a new project by Watoto to support child soldiers in Northern Uganda, he learned of a new life and the hope of Jesus as his personal Savior. David concluded his message by saying, "I no longer have nightmares, but I now have a dream." The words David spoke pierced my heart as I considered that David's statement was only made possible by the power of Jesus Christ and his church willing to fight injustice. Both at Mattaw Children's Village and throughout the Watoto Conference and Projects I saw the face of Christ over and over again through his church creating a love revolution to change eternity one person at a time. Time and time again I was challenged by the stories I heard much like David's. Some were told by those caring for the small infants and children left to die in a toilet or orphaned from AIDS, some told by the widows tattered and bruised left with only the scars on their bodies to remind them of the horrors of their past, others simply told by looking into the pain and suffering in the eyes of a woman sitting on the road side or by a teenage street boy sniffing glue as he walked along trying to earn a bit more cash for the next bottle to suppress his hurt and hunger. But the reality is I can choose to be overwhelmed by the each story or I can choose to do something about the injustices I encountered. God Spoke: "Justice can't be a fad in your life Katie but part of your DNA. As Christians justice is in our DNA." God grabbed my heart as I heard these words spoken to me, conviction flowed over me. How can I possibly turn my back on these children, men and women who have nothing but the clothes on their back when I have so much at my finger tips? As an individual living in the developed world I have so many resources that can go so far in a town or village in Africa. But more so, as Christians we have the Creator of the Universe on our side, so what am I waiting for? If Christ is with us who can be against us! How can I possibly neglect my responsibility to help break down the walls of injustice going on throughout Africa, and throughout the world? I can't, therefore, I will be an advocate from wherever God has me. While in Kenya God made it clear that Africa was not where he is directing me now. He pressed upon my heart the importance of raising awareness of the injustices going on in Africa and challenging others, especially his Church to take action. God is opening my eyes to what it means for me defend the cause of the oppressed and to seek justice! What Now: During my time at the Mattaw Children's Village I was able to observe the school one morning. Kimberly had asked me to make suggestions of how one might make schooling more interactive and fun! I was thrilled with the invitation to provide some new ideas and suggestions! While I was able to provide some ideas on the spot, I continue to work on a few projects/game ideas that we had discussed for the teachers to use at school and send them to Bud and Kimberly as they are completed. There is much that can be done to help those in need both in our own communities and throughout the world. I challenge you to consider what you can do to touch a life of a stranger in need and fight the injustices occurring in our world. I have attached the websites of the Mattaw Children's Village and the Watoto Project below if you are interested in more information on either organization. Mattaw Children's Village: http://www.katalystministries.org *Bud and Kimberly Huffman's Blog: http://huffmansinkenya.blogspot.com/ Watoto Project: www.watoto.com

Welcome to the great adventure I call my life...

It has been about a week since I have returned from a two week experience to Kitale, Kenya; where I visited the Mattaw Children's Village and the Watoto Villages in Kampala, Uganda. The work there that Bud and Kimberly Huffman and all of their staff are doing is quite incredible and encouraging. People ask me how my trip was and I have a hard time saying good or amazing as I might label other excursions I have been on...when you have traveled to a third world country and see, hear and smell the horrific things that go on in ones life, you see the trauma and tragedy in the eyes of the people your heart breaks and you just can't say that it was a "good" trip. So for those of you who want to ask me it was a life changing trip...one can never be the same after an experience like that. Praise God for people like Bud and Kimberly who are being obedient to the call the Lord has set upon them to assist the people of Kitale out of dispair and be blessed with the hope of Jesus Christ. Jesus, your name is a shelter like no other...what power that has as I think about the Kenyan people who some literally have nothing, no shelter other than their hope and faith in Jesus Christ, and then those many that literally have nothing because they have never heard of Jesus. I apologize as I realize this is me processing on a blog...needless to say I have a lot more thinking to do, a lot more heart work to do and I am excited to see what continues to reveal through it all! As for now I am on a new road...not certain where it will lead but excited to see what the next little adventures are to come in this journey called life. I have a job interview on Monday for a position where I would assist elderly people in tasks that they can not complete on their own and provide them some companionship. I am hoping I get a job soon or the substitute teaching positions begin to roll in or I just might find myself getting into trouble with too much time in on my hands! :)