a labor of love.

First week on ground in Kitende, Uganda and it has been nothing short of incredible!!! Actually, we flew in Monday evening, so we are on our 4th day and our time has already been so full of adventures that it feels like day 44.

House 1 Education/tutoring, House 4, Family-to-Family in the village, New Years Eve, House 2, CoRSU Hospital meeting.........

December/January our 115 Sozo Children kids are out of school on holiday break for 8 weeks. Holiday breaks occur 3 times a year but this is the longest break for them now. During "holiday" the kids receive almost daily education classes, by our Sozo staff and volunteers, to stay on top of their studies. In addition to tutoring, the kids participate in a daily morning devotion at 7am each morning they are on holiday. The day goes like this: devotion, chores until around 10am, breakfast, education until around 12pm, play time, night devotion at 6:30pm, dinner, dishes, bed. 

So we woke up Tuesday and after the morning routine the "muzungus" (white people) each took a different age group based on their grade in school and executed an educational course. I took P3 students (comparable to 2nd grade) and Amanda took P7 (comparable to 6th grade). Let's just say I was better in corporate America than teaching and keeping 2nd graders in line while teaching through group activities. But it is a fun task and we have much more tutoring to come over the next few weeks so we're looking forward to working with other age groups as well. 

Wednesday! I would sum it up by saying it was pretty much the best day ever! It was "Family to Family" day in the village, mentioned in the last blog post. It was a day that our orphaned children whom Sozo cares for went to the village to share the Gospel and hand out bags of food and essentials to 150 families. Powerful experience!! Sozo kids have learned we don't need a reason to serve others. We are to just reach out and give, love, and serve. This is how Jesus lived. To see these women and children, grandmothers and (few) men graciously welcome us with handmade benches and straw mats to sit on the dirt ground outside their hut it is overwhelming as you see in once glance what they own to their name. We split into groups and walked 5 miles over three hours to share with as many as we possibly could. We all shared, loved, and played with the babies we would encounter every few feet along the way. Children FLOCK to us upon every arrival in the village wanting the muzungus to hold them, love on them, and play with them. They don't let go of your fingers until you make them. And it's heart breaking when they beg for a drink of water or a bite of a snack. None of us can help everyone but all of us can help someone and this what we have to constantly remind ourselves. On a more uplifting note MANY came to accept Christ!... and another praise is that so many told us they had already become Christians through Sozo Children praying with them over the last 2 years of Sozo occasionally visiting their village. Many asked for us to bring back bibles and the women were very excited to hear we will start working with them twice a week! Praise God!  It is impossible for us not  to have been touched and blessed by this experience and by the hearts we encountered. We saw some of the poorest conditions (pictures below) but even so these people give God all the glory for life and were so thankful for our visit. Family to Family occurs every December 31, so until next year we'll reminisce on the priceless memories from this day. 

New Years Eve is quite a celebration in Uganda. We stayed on the Sozo compound in our houses watching the clock waiting for our 82 in-house Sozo kids to loudly celebrate with screams, whistles, balloon popping, and pure chaos. But before midnight much time was spent worshipping and in prayer in preparation for the new year!

We are staying at House 1 so spend a lot of time with the younger kids here but have been able to spend time with the kids at House 4 and 2 already, too. We look forward to spending the day at House 3 with our older boys tomorrow. There's always a game to be played with them whether volleyball, basketball, or soccer. 

And this morning's meeting.... At CoRSU Hospital went great! We plan to start volunteering at this burn and orthopedic hospital at least once a week during our team here. We met with the CEO, head surgeon, medical director, head of administration and others. We love the mission behind CoRSU, a local non-profit facility providing free surgeries to children across Uganda. One of Sozo's kids had a surgery here in August for his severe burns from his childhood and this started the partnership. We are open to fulfilling whatever needs they have whether it may be in the rehab area helping these children learn how to walk or bend their burnt arms again, or teaching the children education during their stay in the hospital. We will certainly be sharing more on this experience as it unfolds and we literally cannot wait! 

Giving thanks for our short time here so far and it couldn't be happening without all of our donor support and friends' prayers. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Overwhelmed, to say the least, by all the last minute 2014 contributions along with everyone else's along this journey. We pray for you every day and are thankful you're in this with us! 

Mark 9:41 

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." Winston Churchill

Giving thanks and to Him all the glory,

Chelsie & Amanda