Adventures In Africa!

                    

With the children of Kubi, South Sudan

Back home in New Zealand reflecting on the amazing time we had on outreach in Africa....

Our team spent five weeks traveling by bus throughout Uganda and South Sudan, visiting villages, schools, churches and Children's Homes, sharing the message of the gospel and the Father's love with the African people.

We arrived in Entebbe, where we met up with our Ugandan staff from Tent Peg Missions, who traveled along with us.  We developed wonderful friendships and became like family over the weeks we spent together.  It was such a blessing to do ministry with them and to see their love and passion to serve God and their people!

Traveling through Africa was quite an adventure and stretch from the norm!  Experiencing new sights, sounds, and smells so totally different from anything familiar....

I found myself spending much time staring out the window of our bus pondering what I saw as we traveled from one village to another.  It was difficult seeing the poverty and living conditions that were beyond anything I had ever imagined, but it gave me a deeper sense of love and compassion for the beautiful people of this nation! 

Visit to Kubi, South Sudan

Village of Kubi

Our arrival in Kubi was one of the highlights of the trip for me....
We arrived in the evening a few hours late due to poor road conditions, quite tired after a very long, bumpy bus ride and were greeted with cheers and singing by the children of the village who had been waiting along the roadside for several hours to greet us....IT WAS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL WELCOME! 

My dreams of Africa became reality as we stepped off the bus to children surrounding us clapping and singing "We are happy to welcome you, we are happy to see you!"

These children captured my heart from the very first moment!!!  

The village children of Kubi

We had many opportunities to minister and love on these children and people from the neighboring villages. We held a two day conference for the local church leaders. Our small team spent time with the Sunday School leaders and the children, telling Bible stories, teaching them songs and games, and praying with them. 

Our Team leading Sunday School

Kubi Guest House 

Our room and donated beds

We were so blessed to find that the church congregation had spent the past two months completing the building of a guest house especially for our visit and had also graciously donated their own beds!  

We returned to Uganda and spent two weeks in Lira. We traveled from there to the neighboring villages of Adwari and Abako, where we ministered and prayed with many villagers who had been affected by the war and the LRA, and had lost loved ones. 

In Adwari I had the pleasure of meeting Kristin, a former abducted child soldier with the LRA who God has healed from the pain of her tragic past, and is now ministering to others in her village.

I also had the opportunity to share a message about Hope and Healing at a church conference, and pray with women who had experienced the pain of losing a child.

Speaking at Conference at Adwari Victory Outreach Church

With the children of Adwari

At the conference and everywhere we went we found ourselves surrounded by children who were so hungry for our love and attention! They just loved having their pictures taken with us!!  

With Kristin, former child soldier with the LRA

Another highlight of the trip was during our last two weeks of outreach in Jinja when we visited the children at the House of Aroha, a home for orphaned children, St. Paul's Primary School where the children attend, Jesu Melungi Church under the tree, and our visit to Home of Hope, a home for disabled children.  All these children truly touched my heart!  

Yesu Melungi Church under the tree

Surrounded by children from St. Paul's Primary School

House of Aroha-

Children at House of Aroha wearing new donated clothes

At the House of Aroha I met this precious family of five children.  Their father died several years ago and their mother brought them to the home and then abandoned them. God has given me a special place in my heart for this family. My prayer is to return next year to see them again and be able to invest more into their lives, and to find sponsors to help provide for each of these precious ones.

  (Anyone interested in being a sponsor, please contact me!)

Jamil, Isima, Madina, Dahia, and little Janat

Visiting Amani Baby Cottage

A few of us had an opportunity to visit the Amani Baby Cottage, an American sponsored orphanage in Jinja. Spending time there holding the babies was another highlight for me and I would love to be able return and volunteer some day.  

These are two of the precious children I got to hold and love on at the baby home...

HOPE  
HOPE’S MOTHER, AFTER DELIVERING HER, TRIED TO DISPOSE OF HER IN A PIT LATRINE BUT HOPE WAS LATER RESCUED. HOPE WAS 1 WEEK AND 2 DAYS OLD WHEN SHE BECAME PART OF THE AMANI FAMILY.

Holding baby Hope

 









ERIC 
ERIC WAS ABANDONED AROUND THE MATERNITY WARD AT MBARARA HOSPITAL. 
ERIC WAS ESTIMATED TO BE EIGHT DAYS OLD WHEN HE BECAME PART OF THE AMANI FAMILY.

With Sunday School children at Rivers of Life Church, Jinja

I've returned from Africa with a full heart, feeling blessed to have had the privilege to share the Father's love and touch the lives of His beautiful children of Africa. Treasuring all the opportunities we were given to share what God has done in our lives and the hope that we have in Him, and through it all..... seeing lives changed! 

I had the opportunity to share my story with our interpreter, Stella as we walked and ministered together in the villages.  On our last day in Africa, as we were saying goodbye, Stella hugged me and reminded me how the Lord has truly "restored the years the locusts have eaten" and had made "beauty for ashes" of my life, and was now making my life a blessing to others.

"We are blessed in order to be a blessing"
Genesis 12:2

Thank you to all who helped make this trip possible!

Children of the House of Aroha