Name above all names

When I moved to Jinja, I began praying about the women at the Pregnancy Center. I knew it wasn't possible to disciple and mentor every woman. I wanted Him to show me who I was supposed to fully invest in. I asked many people to join me in praying that He would show me who to mentor.

The first week I was there, I noticed a small little baby with a cleft lip and palate. It reminded me of the NICU and I liked this little baby a lot. I assumed the baby was a few months old based on his size. Weeks later, I found out that this little baby was over a year old. He weighed about 11 pounds. I began to talk to the mom, named Sumaya, about how she was feeding him. Because of his cleft palate, he isn't able to eat well.  I started inquiring about options here to repair his cleft palate and talking about ways to get more nutrients into his body. In talking to her, I learned that she was pregnant with a third child. So, I also began following her during her pregnancy.

Meeting Baby Mujo, as I call him. 

In October, I walked into the center and saw Sumaya sitting on the sofa. She looked exhausted and explained that Baby Mujo was sick. I could hear this little baby moaning and watched him struggle to breathe. He looked like he was wasting away. His mom said he had stopped eating. He now weighed 9 pounds at 11 months of age. His skin was sloughing off and breaking down. His hair was falling out. I tried to offer him a banana and other things to eat and he wouldn't take anything. I called the director of the center to see what options were available for helping this child. I knew he couldn't survive much longer without intervention. He was so malnourished.We drove immediately to the closest clinic.

He tested positive for malaria. We could easily start him on treatment for malaria, but we had to do something about his malnutrition. The doctor at the clinic told us to take the baby to an inpatient malnutrition center where he would be hospitalized and monitored closely. The social worker and I crammed into a small truck with Sumaya and her baby and headed out to the malnutrition center. We got him admitted, said a quick prayer asking for healing, and headed back to a busy day at the center.

I was sad to leave Sumaya there. I thought she was one of the people God was leading me to, but I wrongly assumed this meant that she wasn't who God was leading me to . I knew she would be at this center for a while with her baby and I wouldn't see her.

As life went on, I couldn't stop thinking about Sumaya. It felt like He had something in store. She was on my heart so much that I decided to visit her at the malnutrition hospital. But when I got there, she had just been discharged. I was excited to hear a good report on Baby Mujo, but sad that I had missed Sumaya. I prayed that she would come back to the center at some point. She lives far away and traveling into the center is more difficult for her.

The next Wednesday, she came back! Baby Mujo looked so much better. Sumaya looked so happy. I was teaching on malnutrition and I asked Sumaya to share what she learned during her time at the malnutrition center. She ended up teaching the class and didn't stop smiling the whole time. I was so impressed with everything she had learned about malnutrition. The other ladies enjoyed learning from her.

After class Sumaya asked one of our counselors if she could talk to her. She told her that there was a reason why she was so happy. While she was a the malnutrition center, a pastor spent a lot of time talking with her and he and his wife begin sharing the gospel with her. Sumaya was Muslim and the pastor shared the differences in the Muslim faith and Christian faith. He taught her about the character of Christ. She said that the day I prayed for God to heal her baby, I prayed in the name of Jesus. When her baby was discharged, she believed it was because Jesus healed him. She wanted to know this Jesus. She prayed with the pastor that day, moments before I went to visit her and didn't find her, and accepted Christ.

She was so excited so share her news with our counselor. Then, she called me over and asked our counselor to tell me about what happened to her at the malnutrition hospital. It was one of those moments where the power of God was so evident. I felt God telling me that Sumaya would be one of the girls I would invest in, and now here was a brand new believer wanting to know more about this Jesus that was giving her peace and joy. I asked her if we could start meeting with her and helping her understand the bible.

I have enjoyed getting to know Sumaya even better this past month. We have spent time hanging out at the center, finding her a church, finding out the sex of her baby, going to doctors appointments, and talking about her faith. Baby Mujo is consistently gaining wait and will have surgery in the spring to repair his cleft palate. It's so neat to see what God is doing in the life of Sumaya.

This week, she gave birth to a baby boy. Her Muslim family wanted to give him a Muslim name. But, Sumaya wanted him to have a "Christian" name. She came into the center today with her brand new baby and gave me the honor of naming him. I told her that I wanted to name him after a family who taught me more about Jesus. And, I named him Mitchell. She shared how excited she is that God is working in her life and giving her a joy that she has never experienced. It is so evident to me every time I see her.

The point of this blog isn't to boast in my name or the Mitchell family, but in the name of Christ. His name is the name that is worth praising. In the midst of a bad situation, He brought redemption.

Jesus, name above all names
Beautiful Savior, Glorious Lord
Emmanuel, God is with us.
Blessed Redeemer, Living Word.

interruptions

Ever have those days when He interrupts your plans and you are so thankful? I just got off the phone with my dear friend and she asked me to share stories, write more, and write about what a day looks like here. So often life gets busy and I don't take the time to sit down and reflect on my day. So Emily, this one's for you :). Thank you for the challenge and I hope I can do this more often.

My days normally begin at 8 am with staff prayer. On Wednesdays, I teach health class in the morning and spend the afternoon in a village with teenage girls. This morning I slept through my alarm and woke up in a panic at 9 am. I was teaching a health class at 9:30. I quickly threw on some clothes, grabbed a breakfast bar, and quickly walked to the pregnancy center. I usually have a morning routine that includes coffee, so I was extremely tired this morning and hoping it was an easy day. The ladies begin arriving with their babies and, unfortunately, most all the babies were sick today. We begin taking temperatures and sent a mom with a febrile baby to the clinic immediately to be tested for malaria. She came back an hour later. The baby was positive for malaria and started on medication. 

I am currently following five pregnant mothers closely. Two of these five are in the Wednesday morning class. I sit down with them and spend time teaching them about pregnancy related issues. Today, both of them were having problems. One had a urinary tract infection and "labor pains". I spent most of my time with her trying to figure out if she was having contractions as she is only 24 weeks pregnant. She was not :).

I was stopped by a few other moms who had questions about their babies being sick. I finally made my way over to Sumaya, the other pregnant mother who was having headaches. As I was taking her blood pressure, I was looking at her one year old baby. The baby looked absolutely terrible. He was dehydrated and malnourished to the point of his skin sloughing off and breaking down. This baby has a cleft palate and has recently started having a lot trouble eating. Since Monday, Sumaya said she couldn't get him to eat anything and he barely would drink. At one years old, he weighs 10 pounds with clothes on. I tried to get the baby to eat or drink something. He was lethargic and wouldn't take anything.

We headed to the clinic for IV fluids and a malaria test. Another positive and the baby was started on treatment. Then, a long talk with the doctor about the baby's nutritional status. I admire this doctor a lot. He and I both felt that the baby would need some intense treatment for malnutrition. He consulted a malnutrition rehabilitation program who was able to admit the baby. 

We drove out to Serving His Children where the baby will be admitted for a minimum of 2 to 3 weeks. Sumaya was worried and I could see the fear in her face. We made arrangements for her to stay there with the baby, and then it came time to leave. I asked if I could pray with her and the baby before I left. So,we had a sweet time of prayer before I headed back to the center. 

Back at the center, we all agreed that today was a "divide and conquer" kind of day.  One of the staff members said, "God changed our plans today". Each day we pray and ask Him to show us who we need to minister to that day. One of the most valuable things I have learned here is that there is ministry in availability. Each day, we commit to being available to help people in times of need and to allowing Him to "interrupt" the plans we had for the day. Today, I missed teaching my girls in the village, but He had different plans. I'm thankful for His interruption of what I thought today would look like. And at the end of a busy day, I'm rejoicing in His faithfulness and provision. 

Yesterday I wrote a blog entry on the blog for A Child's Voice. You can read it here!

http://a-childs-voice.org/sarah-pt1/

Baby Nate - Part II

The story of Jesus feeding the five thousand comes to mind frequently here. The disciples see the need and know they don't have what it takes to provide food for everyone. He is capable of turning 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish into a meal for five thousand people. Knowing that He is able, we walk forward in obedience in supporting and cheering on a disabled grandmother to care for her grandchild. We watch as He performs a miracle of provision.

I wrote about Baby Nate's story and the response was overwhelming. So many people have joined us in praying for and cheering for Hannifah. She is doing it, guys. She is raising Nate and he loves his jaja. He is thriving and it has been so neat to see his personality develop. He is walking, laughing, and starting to say words. Everyone at the office adores him and he is never starved for attention here. But, more than anything, he loves the attention and love his jaja (grandmother) gives him.

I want to share with everyone what happened after writing about Baby Nate. I received an email from a friend from college. I haven't seen or really even talked to this girl in years. I open up my email and read this,
How can I support you and Nathan? Random story, but in March I had a vision during our womens bible studys praise and worship time of me holding a little black boy around 1 1/2 or 2. Never had a vision before but it was so vivid and clear! I instantly began to pray about the meaning of it and particularly the little boy. The following week in our church service I really felt like God was telling me Uganda is where he is.I know, it sounds crazy. I've looked at various ministries but I never had a peace about any of them. Regardless I've been praying for the little boy I never met ever since. I don't know if I'm supposed to support him financially or personally, I just know he is mine to pray for and hold (in my heart for now) Anyways, since you are there and ironically Nathan looks very much like the little boy in my mind love on him lots! 

The conversation continues over the next few days. Immediately after seeing her email, I show it to our social workers and director. Our social worker says, "I know this is the baby God showed her. That is how God works." Another worker says, "We are seeing the power of God."  

Around the time of Nate's mother trying to kill him, God gives my friend in America a vision of a baby in need of prayer. She has faithfully prayed for this child, not knowing where he is and how he will come into her life. And, then I post a picture on my blog and this is the baby God put on her heart. I have chills all over my body, in the heat of the day, as I try to write my friend back.  I am in awe of who God is. Even now, I am struggling to find words to express how powerful and good He is. There is no other explanation for why my friend in America was given a vision of a boy in Uganda in need of prayers, other than Christ. We know Jesus loves Baby Nate,  and now He has given us a glimpse of  just how deep His love is for His children.

We begin talking about Nate's needs and how she can help. She and her husband want to fully cover his needs. And just like that, Nate has a family in America who is praying for him, providing for his needs, and cheering on Hannifah as she raises him.  I asked her if I could share this part of the story. She said I could as long as He gets the glory. 

No mother should ever abandon her baby, but that is the reality of the sinful world we live in. But, as believers, we live with the hope of glory. We know that one day He will return and all things will be reconciled to Him. So many times in Scripture, God gives us a vision of His glory. The truth of who He is keeps us going. We were made for the glory of God. God has written this story of Nate's life in a way that shows us more of who He is. I needed a glimpse of His glory. I want the vision of His glory to change the way I live life, to stir my affections for Jesus. Holding Jesus in our mind transforms us and strengthens our confidence in Him. So in sharing Baby Nate's story, I pray that He will give you confidence in His grace and a vision of future glory that awaits us.

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart. 

Today was an unexpected gift

Whenever there is doubt and difficulty, God is faithful to remind us of His plans to prosper us. This week started with challenges and difficulty and today God sends a reminder, in the form of a baby, of His love for His children. 

It was a typical day here at the CAA office. The women were outside learning to sew. The social workers were busy on cases. Then, one of the women in our sewing program walks into the compound carrying a baby. She tells our social workers that this baby had been abandoned. Her exact words are, "I'm dead. I don't know what to do. I can't keep this child because I have no means of doing so, so the police gave me the option of Naguru, the government orphanage, but I am terrified." Hannifah, the woman carrying the baby, is a vulnerable mother/grandmother who is struggling to make ends meet. She is disabled and has difficulty walking. She is in our program learning to sew in hopes of developing a skill and eventually starting a business to provide for her family. She normally arrives smiling, and today I could see the stress in her as she told us she couldn't afford this child. Her disability makes caring for a baby even more challenging.We sit down as a staff and listen to the child's story.

Hannifah has a daughter that she doesn't have much contact with. This daughter gave birth to a baby boy about a year ago. The daughter never told anyone who the father of the baby was. Since delivering a baby, she has a new husband. The new husband is unwilling to care for her baby. Most likely the daughter is dependent on this man for food and housing. A few weeks ago, the mother attempted to kill this baby. She, fortunately, was unsuccessful. Then a few nights ago at 11 pm, people in a nearby village heard this baby crying. He had been abandoned at a building not far from the office. The neighbors recognized the child as belonging to this mother and took the child to the police. The mother had run away and police are still not able to locate her. One neighbor knew of the birth mothers house and where her mother lived. Police located the baby's "grandmother". So over the weekend, our Hannifah was handed a baby that police told her was her grandchild. She had never met the baby or knew of his existence. 

The police asked if she wanted to care for the baby. If not, they would take the baby to the government run orphanage. I imagine the stress Hannifah was under as she struggled with her decision. She doesn't want her grandchild to grow up in an institution, but she lives in extreme poverty and knows she can not provide for the baby's basic needs. She keeps the baby and today comes to us for help. We all notice Hannifah's stress today. She is quiet and looks exhausted. She is overwhelmed at the thought of raising another child and the costs of caring for a baby . But, she is willing and wanting to care for her grandchild. She says she can't allow her own grandchild to grow up at a baby home. 

Poverty should never be the reason why a child is forced to leave their family and be placed in an orphanage. We want to work to keep kids in their families. Hannifah wants to be a grandmother to this baby and raise him. There are challenges, but we want to support her and cheer her on. We sat down as a team and discussed how we can support her to care for this child.

I am amazed by our director and social workers here. They are so passionate about keeping children with their families. While they worked in great detail on this case, I was blessed to be able to love on this little guy. MJ fed him some rice and beans. Then I fed him some bananas. He ate and ate and ate and we wondered when the last time was that he received a full meal. We got him some diapers, cleaned him up, and then Hannifah gave us the privilege of giving him a name. Without skipping a beat, I said I think his name should be Nathan. I have multiple people in my life who I admire named Nathan. We looked up the name Nathan in the bible. It was the name of a prophet who God used to speak truth over King David. We pray that this baby will be used to speak the truth of His goodness and provision. God spared his life and rescued him from evil. His family is Muslim but they were ok with giving him a Christian name. We told Hannifah what we wanted to name him and why. She smiled and said "That is a good name.". Because Nathan is hard for Ugandans to say, we are calling him "Nate". 

He spent the afternoon napping in the office. We picked out clothes for him that were donated to us. Hannifah was so grateful for all the help she received. She left with a big smile on her face, feeling more confident in her ability to care for the child. We told her we are cheering her on. She comes here 3 times a week to be a part of our program and so we are excited for Baby Nate to come with her.

So, meet Baby Nate. We are so thankful for him!

New beginning

Sometimes in life, you need to hit the restart button. That's where I am, needing a new beginning. I heard the hymn, "Spirit of the Living God,"  last night and I can resonate with those lyrics. Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me. Then I read Revelation 21:5 where he says, "Behold I am making all things new." We know this to mean redemption of the earth and the entire creation, but I feel like this verse was His way of telling me that there is redemption for my first few weeks in Uganda.

I was naive, and perhaps arrogant, to think that starting life here would be easy. It has not been. I have spent the past 3 weeks struggling with health problems on top of other problems. I woke up most mornings with severe itching and hives. One day, I woke up at 3 in the morning with my eye swollen shut. Other times, I would notice my tongue and lips swelling. Then my throat would get a little tighter and I would start to panic. I had no idea what was happening to me and why (from a medical standpoint, from a spiritual standpoint I knew this to be intense spiritual warfare). I am normally healthy and rarely get sick so it was discouraging that I was having allergies here that I had never before. The ICU nurse in me worried  I would end up in anaphylactic shock. But, it could all be treated with Benedryl and I was taking Benedryl like it was ice cream. I was so tired and felt like life was a blur. Then, the vomiting started and wouldn't stop. I was laying on my bathroom floor in complete exhaustion from being so sick, staring at Hebrews 6:19 that I had posted on the wall. He reminded me that He is a trustworthy anchor for our souls, even when your laying on the bathroom floor because you don't have the energy to keep running to the bathroom to throw up. The next day I sent out a Facebook post asking for prayer for my health. The next morning, I felt prompted to look into allergic reactions to Doxycycline. I have taken this medication every time I have come to Uganda for malaria prevention, so I convinced myself that I couldn't be allergic to the medication. Then, I read article after article that perfectly described what I had been going thru for 3 weeks.

I ended up at a clinic. The doctor ran some labs and everything looked ok. He agreed that I should stop taking doxycycline and see what happened. He had me come back a few days later when the medication was out of my system. I am so happy to say that I am back to myself now! I have not had to take Benedryl in 7 days and we determined that I am very allergic to doxycycline.

On top of not feeling well, we have had many cultural lessons to learn. We have failed, miserably at times. Without meaning to, we have done things that are offensive. Americans and Ugandans are different. We think differently. We problem solve differently. We handle stress differently. We handle illness differently. It has been an adjustment to us and to the Ugandans we are living and working with to have two Americans join an all Ugandan staff.  Our differences have created conflict at times and have also led to some sweet times of sitting down and asking for grace and forgiveness. Americans and Ugandans are different, but the God we serve is the same. And we have determined that we can find unity in Him. We have also laughed a lot and learned a lot from each other.

We have had situations occur that don't happen in America. Today, we didn't have water and power for most of the day. Earlier this week, the water was out for an extended amount of time. As an American, I'm sad to say that I barely know how to function without water and power. The rest of the staff are not inconvenienced at all. They remain content and make the needed preparations for a day without water. This afternoon, we got home and turned on the water and I found myself thanking God that I now had the opportunity to shower. I have never thanked God for the opportunity to shower or wash clothes in America, because I really don't remember a time when I have been without water. These new circumstances are frustrating but also humbling. I find myself dependent on Him in ways that I have never had to depend on Him.

On week 2, I found myself questioning whether or not I was going to make it here.  That's exactly what the enemy wants, for me to question and give up. I am thankful for sweet time with the Lord and the reminder that He has called me here. A lot of what I have done here so far has been uncomfortable, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I dropped a friend off at the airport last night and there wasn't any part of me that wanted to get on a plane and head back to America. He gave me the assurance that this is where I am supposed to be. A friend told me that the greater the measure of opposition prior to a work correlates with the measure of how God intends to work. The enemy has tried so hard to strip me of health, water, power, access to community through internet/phone, and so many other comfort measures. And the great thing about Jesus is that He keeps giving grace and strength to carry on in the midst of it all. And somehow He finds a way to reveal His nearness in it all and you are assured that He loves you and has big plans for you even as you lay on a bathroom floor praying you don't throw up again.

 I am so inspired by what is happening at A Child's Voice and I am thankful to get to be a part of it. The staff here are really doing amazing things and I am excited to be able to share more. I could listen to Freda tell her stories all day and I sit in awe of the things He is accomplishing through her and other staff members. For now, I am focusing on learning the language and learning the culture. I have a lot to learn. Pray for me as I try to learn how to do life here. Pray for the staff of A Child's Voice as we learn how to be a powerful team, united in Christ, who advocates for orphans and vulnerable children. Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me.

It's 6/17

I want to share what I wrote on my flight from Atlanta to New Jersey. I was hoping to be able to share this before I left the US, but I didn't have time in the airport to post......

Sometimes you have to go through deep waters so that you know how deep He anchors us. I read something along those lines today. Hebrews 6: 19 says that He is the sure and steadfast anchor of our souls. That verse brings so much comfort when you are embarking on a journey that requires complete faith and trust in Him. That's been my life since January and ya'll, He did it! I walked forward in obedience (often fearfully) and He continued to assure me that He would provide. Since the end of January, the most amazing things have happened that I can take no credit for. I wasn't a big fan of having to raise support. It's a humbling process that I struggled with in the beginning, but now I am so thankful for. It's hard for me to quit a job that pays and do something that depends on faith and monetary donations. But, he continued to remind me that I didn't have to carry the burden of raising almost 50,000 dollars. He was bigger than that and He is more than capable of providing financial needs. The support came in and continues to come, allowing me to have more opportunities in ministry (the fundraising meter is not fully updated if you are looking at it). The same is true for my ministry partner and He answered prayers that we could leave on the same day to begin our teamwork in Uganda. 

I want to share two of my stories. I have so many wonderful ones! I received a large donation from a person in Dadeville, Alabama that I have never met. She saw me on TV (my parents church in Montgomery, Alabama broadcasts their services). She wrote me a note and said she felt God leading her to send a check to me to support my work in Uganda. No one at my parents church has connections to this lady and she remains a complete stranger. That's how God works y'all. I am so thankful for her obedience to what she felt God asking her to do.

The next story is about another couple I had never met. My mom met a lady and told her that she had a daughter moving to Africa. This lady said she always thought she would move to Africa. God gave her a heart for Africa and due to circumstances in life, she has never made it. But, now she felt like God was telling her to send me. This couple are now faithful supporters. I got to meet them when I was home and it was neat to hear her tell me that God had a purpose for her heart for Africa years later. She wanted to use her heart for Africa to help send me. Wow!

The next big challenge I faced was selling my house. I knew I couldn't leave until it sold. And, of course, it did sell and in perfect timing. And, I got what I wanted for it. I have no ability to sell a house and as great as my realtor is, I give credit to the One who provided a buyer in perfect timing.

Then I worried about my emotional state. How could I leave my family? It got harder when I found out that I would miss the birth of my niece. I also have the greatest friends in Nashville and the thought of leaving them was overwhelming at times. My church family is incredible. No church is perfect, but gosh Grace Community Church is a place where I have grown so much and been able to live in community with church members like never before. There is a family who took me in and loved me and kinda became my extended family since mine lived far away. I knew saying goodbye to them would be hard for me. And then God reminded me that all these people were going to struggle too. And somehow in the combination of my sadness and their sadness, I felt so loved and comforted knowing that I was leaving with a lot of people supporting me and loving me. And again the Lord continued to remind me that He would take care of my family and friends.

Many people have been asking me how i am doing with all the goodbyes, and I really am ok. God has brought me so far and done so much and shown me all these people who love me and support me. That leaves me thankful and rejoicing even when goodbyes are hard. 

I don't want to give the impression that this whole journey has been smooth and easy. There have been challenges along the way that have been very stressful. There is a lot of planning that has to take place when you move overseas. Not all of the planning has gone smoothly. There are friendships that have had to change and that has been hard. There are people that don't fully support what I'm doing and have become distant and that's hard. But in all these challenges, He has kept me and reminded me  that He is our anchor.

I am about to board this plane to Uganda and I am so excited. He broke my heart for these children in need of love, hope, safety, and family. But when He breaks us, it is for His glory and He is faithful to put us back together. And He puts us back together in a way that prepares us for what He has in store. He gives us passions and abilities to do great things in His name. He gives us mercy and grace when we don't get it right in a new environment. He helps us overcome our fears. He heals us and makes us brave. And, He makes us ready to leave at the time He ordains. So, Im ready. MJ is ready and we rejoice in all that He has done to bring us to this day. So as you pray, thank Him for getting us to this point and know that whatever you have in front of you, He is able to do more than you can ask or imagine. Hopefully our stories are living proof of that.