Jesus Loves the Little Children!

In our typical fashion, we are once again a little behind on the blogging. BUT we have a good excuse this time, seeing as we have only had power for a couple of hours in the past 5 days, it has been near impossible to keep these posts up to date! Therefore, as always, I have a million things to say, and because I didn't space them out over many days like I should have, I will just pile them all into one blog:)

Let's see, so Wednesday as school was finishing up for the day and Mary and I were about to make our walk back home, Patrick (the Zana school Headmaster) offered to give us a ride home because it looked like it was going to rain. I was of course like, "Oh no, we're fine, we'll just walk don't worry!" But he insisted, and so just as we pulled out of the school in his car, it began to rain. But not just rain, I mean like it began to absolutely POUR!! We were having to take another teacher to a school about 15 minutes away, and let me tell you, it was one of the scariest car rides I have ever been in. The rain was coming down so hard that the road were becoming rivers, everything was flooding, you could not see 2 feet in front of you, and to make matters worse, Patrick's windshield was fogging up horribly. It was literally like driving a car blindly, and with Ugandan traffic, you do NOT want any more factors to be added to the already crazy roads! All to say, we made it home safely, and I am SO grateful for Patrick's wisdom in not letting the little American girl walk just because she thinks she can:) With that storm though, our power was knocked out, and besides it coming on for a few hours Saturday evening, we have been without it since Wednesday until this very moment. There are times when it is fun to brush your teeth or read by candlelight, or eat dinner with candles, but then there are those moments in the middle of the night when you need to get to the bathroom realllyyy badddllyyy but you run in to four walls trying to get there... doesn't seem as fun then. Needless to say, I will not be taking the power here for granted anymore and am EXTREMELY grateful for the days it is working!

The past few days we have continued to enjoy teaching, learning more and more of the what the children are like as individuals, learning personalities, and FINALLY memorizing all the names! They continue to wear me out with their energy and at the age of 6, everyone loves to tattle on their neighbor. Thus, I get a constant stream of "Teacher, this one's beating me!" "Teacher, teacher, this one is shouting!" "Teacher, give me rubber!" (which is the eraser). It is constantly overwhelming for sure, but I continue to do my best to teach them things like sharing and forgiving. It is so funny here too, because being from the south and just having been raised with manners, I am all about saying "Please" and "Thank You", but that is not something that they really say here culturally. So every time the kids want something, they say, "Give me this one." "You go away" "Hand me!" I am constantly telling them, "Say Please", but I am not exactly sure it is going to stick. I have just had to come to terms with the fact that they are not being rude at all, they  just say things by their tone of voice rather than words.

We had our first biblestudy on Thursday afternoon with ten of the 16 and 17 year old girls, and I am SO encouraged and excited to have this opportunity to be with them. Mary and I are going to go through what a Proverbs 31 woman looks like, and really challenge them on what it means to be a woman of God.  They were so precious, and already I can't wait to be asked questions and teach them, but also ask them questions and learn more about their culture and ideas too. On Sunday afternoon, we began our other biblestudy we are doing with the girls that board at Zana School. We had 18 girls come, and spent time singing worship music, praying together, and just answering any and all questions they had for us. We are going to be spending time going in depth on the fruits of the spirit these next few weeks with them, and learning how to apply them to our life, and then pray for each other to be filled with these fruits also. All these girls, younger or older, are constantly thanking us for our time and for wanting to teach them. What I wish they could understand is how much of a blessing and honor it is for Mary and I to even be given this opportunity. The Lord has opened doors for us to teach the young children, and now minister to the older. It is just such a testament of the countless ways the Lord is allowing us to be His vessels!

So that is kind of a summary of the highlights of the past few days, but the biggest news for me personally is about Anisha! After talking to the school, I discovered that Anisha does not have parents paying for her education, and in fact, she has not even paid for this past term and was about to be turned away for next semester. Although my heart is broken for her and her story, I am thanking God so much for opening a door for me to help her and be a part of her life! I have no idea why God placed her so heavily on my heart, or why I ended up getting to teach her class, but I am thrilled by how the Lord can use me and my family in her life! Sunday, Patrick took me to go to her home and speak with her aunt who keeps her. As I heard the aunt tell me her story, my heart broke. Anisha's father died years ago, and when this happened, her mom realized she couldn't provide for her anymore. Her mother lives in a very very rural village about 80 miles away, and gets to see Anisha VERY seldomnly, whenever she can save enough money to make the trip. Anisha was sent to live with her aunt in the city, in Zana. The aunt does not even have the funds to take care of her really either, and the best she can do is have her a meal to eat every night. Neighbors have helped buy her books occasionally, or her uniform, but at the end of the day, Anisha plays a guessing game of when the school will tell her she can't come back because she hasn't paid. This little 6 year old girl has had to drop out of school once before when they ran out of money, but my prayer is that through me and my family, she will never have to face that situation again! I am talking with two organizations this week about what sponsoring Anisha will look like, and how we can make this tangibly happen. My parents have been incredible, and are all on board for us being a part of this precious girls life!

Anisha, her aunt, and myself at Anisha's home!

After watching a movie on the Lost Boys of Sudan the other night, my eyes were really opened to so many things, and Mr. Dave said something that was such a great reminder, "To whom much is given, much is required." As Americans, we have been blessed far beyond most, but with that, we are called to give freely and help increase the Kingdom of Heaven. To help keep Anisha in school, with food at lunch, a uniform, books, pencils, and a medical checkup, it will only cost roughly $30 a month. THIRTY DOLLARS A MONTH!? Think about what $30 usually means to you. Going to two movies maybe. Eating out 2 or 3 times. But, that money is also enough to help give children here a future and an opportunity to be educated and continue to be taught the Word of God at Zana. Anisha is not the only one who needs help financially. There are countless children who do not have parents, or have families that can't provide for them no matter how hard they try. I just want to challenge everyone to have an eternal outlook, and to really ask the Lord where you can begin to give your money, time and life away to. I know not everyone can adopt a child from another country, and some may not even be able to sponsor them financially, but you CAN keep these children in your thoughts and prayers. It has been overwhelming to watch the joy that these children have, when they literally have nothing possession wise. I know people say that all time about 3rd world country kids, but I truly mean it. There are two girls at Zana, Queen and Howa, who are sisters. Years ago, their father abandoned them and their mother is an alcoholic who won't take care of them. They were always seen peaking into Zana school, when finally Patrick asked if they wanted to attend school there. He took a leap of faith, that God would provide, and he allowed them to begin school as he paid for it little by little himself. The girls were Muslims, and have now become Christians. When they were given their first Bible's they took them home, where their mother took them from them and tried to sell them for money for alcohol. The girls now live at Zana, in a more safe environment, and the mother has nothing to do with them any longer.

I want to share these stories, because I hope it stirs you to realize how incredibly blessed we are, but also how God calls us to love and take care of the orphans and widows, and maybe through this God can pull at your heart to help a child just like He has for me and my family. I am in not asking everyone to call me up and ask to sponsor a child, (although I would LOVE if you did!...seriously!), but mostly I ask that you keep these children close to your heart through prayer, and that you do not forget that Jesus is our ultimate joy and satisfaction, just like these children display for me everyday. God is doing incredible things through Zana school, the leaders who give their time and love so freely, and I am humbled beyond belief to even get to be a small part of it. God is opening my eyes to so many of my own sins and complacency, and my greatest prayer is that I never return to Montgomery or Auburn the same, but that I will always remember His faithfulness while here, and the things I have seen. Please keep Anisha in your prayers also, and that God would give me guidance and direction on how to best serve her and show her the love of Jesus!!

As always, this is way too much for people to read again, but I want everyone to see the splendor and love and graciousness of our God that I am getting to see everyday here! We are excited about this week ahead of us, and can't believe how quickly it is all flying by. Also, please keep Mr. Dave in your prayers as he files to Atlanta for a few days on Wednesday. Praying that God is more real to you all with every passing moment, and that you cherish Christ more everyday.

-KK