Mustafa

Mustafa is a Muslim and a father to 7 children. He couldn't work because he was paralyzed on the left side of his body 4 years ago. Mustafa had to stay seated in front of his house (one small room) and babysit his baby as his wife works to keep the family alive.
Sometimes they went for weeks without food, depending on only water because there was no money to take care of his family. His wife earned 20,000 Uganda shillings every month ($7) and this money was meant to pay for rent, tuition for the children, and food.

Mustafa and his family was in a very hard place, like many other families in Uganda. But God brought Ezra and Peter the opportunity to meet this man as they were taking a short cut to make their was back to the highway on one of their ministry outing with a team from Idaho. When they came upon Mustafa, he was seated right where he had been seated for the past 4 years, in front of his home. I think Ezra and Peter felt God leading them to talk to this man. Right there they shared Christ with Mustafa. As they talked with him he repeated over and over that he had never heard these words before in his life. He couldn't believe someone LOVES him just the way he is and had given him the opportunity to be a part of this one big eternal family.

Over the past years that he had been paralyzed, Mustafa tried to commit suicide several times.
For about an hour Ezra, and those with him,  shared Jesus Christ with Mustafa. And later he accepted to receive Christ as his Lord and Savior.
Through Ezra, Peter, and the Team that was with them...God brought healing to Mustafa's life. He now walks, Praise God! And is able to work to earn money and provide for his family.


Brenna and I were blessed to join Ezra and Peter one Sunday evening as they went back to Mustafa's village to have bible study. To my surprise a large group of Mustafa's family and neighbors also came to hear what these Christians had to share.  God is doing great things in those people. And it was exciting to witness(:

Later at the end of our three weeks in Uganda, Papa Hunter asked Brenna and I if we would be willing to use some of the money that had been given us to buy food for Mustafa and his family. Brenna and I were overjoyed to bless this family in that way(: and they were even more joyous and thankful to receive the food.

 

14 things I learned in/about Uganda. . .

1. Always say hello.

Ugandans are so so so welcoming. Literally everywhere you go, “you are welcome” or “you are most welcome”. Ugandans are just friendly people in general, and many will give a polite wave or smile when you pass them on the street
And I have begun to really notice in coming back this time that almost every white person I pass on a "street" (in stores..etc) makes a deliberate intention to 'not' make eye contact with me. And I'm trying to figure out why that is.


2. Life goes on, with or without electricity.

It is not uncommon to wake up with no electricity, or to have the electricity go out at bed time and stay out till the next day at bed time. Still, life goes on. Not much changes except the careful usage of water.


3. You don’t have to have money to be rich.

Some of the happiest most generous and welcoming people I met in Uganda were not rich in possession, but rather were some of the poorest people who face many hardships, and suffering I had never laid eyes on....but oh, the treasure they held inside of their souls – joy, love, and peace from our Heavenly Father.


4. People with the least are often willing to give the most.


5. Moments would last longer if we would move slower.

Let me just tell you.....No one moves quickly in Uganda, and yet..everyone completes their daily tasks, and being productive happens without the stress and anxiety and rushing about (like chickens with their heads cut off) That is one thing I Love about Uganda.
Maybe, If we were to slowed down, we might find slowing down is one of the most productive things we can do?



6. The simple raising of the eyebrows can mean a dozen different things from a greeting, to agreement, or even telling someone to "come here."


7. A common phrase is "TIA" (This is Africa)
When you are driving through the city of Kampala and see a herd of cows waiting to cross the highway..."This is Africa"

Or when you see a 6 year old girl crying a tiny baby on her back..."This is Africa"
When the power goes out..."This is Africa"

When you see an entire dinning room set being transportation on a boda boda? "TIA"



8. When Someone says you "look smart" it means you look nice.



9. “Let me come” means the same thing as “I will be right back.”


10. “well done” is a typical Ugandan greeting "Jebole"



11. “Muzungu” means white person. If you’re white, get used to hearing it 800 times every time you walk outside. “Muzungu, how are you!?”


12. also, You will shake hands with at least 50 people a day.....after all.....this is Africa



13. You're time means more

You don’t always have something (material things) you can do or give to help someone in need, but that doesn't even matter in most cases....what you do have is you presence to give. Quality time spent with someone, listening and talking to them is just about the greatest things you can do for someone in Uganda. And they will cherish those moments with you for a long long time...if not forever.



14. God is the same God in Uganda and the United States.

God seemed closer and more real while in Uganda, but does this mean God is not as close or real here? I think no – God is God wherever you are. I do think we have more luxuries, distractions, and potential idols in our middle-class American lives. As a result, living a life devoted to God takes a more conscious focus on giving up of oneself – something that felt so natural in Uganda.

Olivia Kirabo

Olivia got pregnant in high school. When she went to the government hospital to deliver the baby, they took her to the operating room for a Cesarean. She walked in under her own power, but has never walked since. She was given a spinal in the wrong place and is now a paraplegic. She had serious wounds on both buttocks from sitting in her wheel chair. By the time the sores were discovered they were large enough to hold a small mango!

Since the discovery of the sores in late January, Olivia has been in the hospital under nursing care, and went through surgery just a few weeks before our arrival in Uganda. 

Brenna and I had been following Olivia's story even before we made our trip to Uganda, so we were very excited to meet this young lady and build a friendship with her. Knowing that Olivia has very little, we came with a gift for her, a couple of shirts and a pair of socks. I think she was very happy(: 

After our second visit with Olivia at Al Shafa Modern Hospital where she had been recovering from her surgery, we learned that Olivia loves to draw and write. She had already filled up one journal that had been given to her by another team back in march. So, Brenna and I excitedly went to town to perches a couple of journals, and some pens for her. I wish you could have seen the beautiful hand writing this lady has!

On April 28th, just a day after we had visited and given the journals to Olivia, Papa Hunter took her to Kampala for a check up with her surgeon. They returned with the news that her wounds were healing so nicely that she could return home the very next day! So, on Wednesday in the late morning, we all piled into the van and headed to the hospital to take Olivia back home to her village with her mother and two year old son.

Mama Olivia (Olivia's mom) could not stop thanking people for loving and caring for her daughter. She was just SO excited. Nearly three months is a long time to be without the daughter you have cared for from the beginning and especially after she was paralyzed from the waist down.

In addition to the journals Brenna and I also got Olivia a smart phone that will connect to the internet, so that she would be able to stay connected with friends such as Papa Hunter and NGM, and also us!

It was so exciting to see Olivia reunited with her family, but it was so sad to say goodbye to her. I am looking forward to hearing updates from Olivia about the things God is doing in her life. Continue to pray for this girl and her complete recovery, as well as health, and her spiritual growth too.

God has been so good in Olivia's life, and I know he will continue to work in her and through her.

 

Little Sharon

This is Sharon. Another sweet girl that Brenna and I met on our first day in Uganda.

Several weeks ago, Sharon was knocked down by a boda (Motorcycle taxi) and then ran over by a second boda, breaking both arms and one leg. It appeared that both arms needed surgery and a plate attached to the bones. Thankful no surgery need to be done on the femur, it only required a cast. All together she had FIVE fractures, had some initial internal bleeding, but no bleeding in the brain. She was in intense pain.   As Sharon lay in the hospital in, NGM created a funding account for her to raise support, as her family had no money to pay for the sugary and medications. They appeared to be the poorest among the poor.

She was in the Jinja Main Hospital in Uganda, but as she did not receive the medical attention she needed, Paul Hunter went through great efforts to discharge Sharon from there and transport her to IHK (international hospital Kampala) Where (Thanks to the love of those who have volunteered to contribute to the medical expenses) Sharon underwent the sugary she needed. 

But she has healed amazingly! And that following week we got to take her to Kampala to have her cast removed. :)



I think she was pretty excited to get that cast off her leg :) Thou I'm sure there was some fear when they took the blade to cute the cast off. And in a year Sharon go back to IHK to have the screws and plates removed from her arms.  Praise the Lord!





We made another visit to see Sharon a week after her visit to IHK to get her cast off.  We had received a call from her family that one of the surgery incisions in her arm had broken open and had started to leak puss. Andrew Snyder, came to the rescue. A little antibiotic ointment, and a bandage, and she was good to go.





It's incredible to see how God works and brings people into the lives of Paul Hunter and the people of Next Generation Ministries.
Because Sharon was brought into their lives, she got the help she needed. And by God's grace, this little girl is alive...and walking again! I think God has great plans for this precious girl. :)

A day of swimming

God put us in touch with a wonderful family on our very first day in Uganda!
And in the three weeks we've been here, Brenna and were able to spend several days getting to know these sweet sweet kids and their mom.

A little story behind this family . . .

Sarah is a single mother with three biological daughters. But, she has taken on the responsibility of bringing up half a dozen other children in her home.

Brenna and I have been blessed to get to know 7 of those kids(:
Being a single mother is not easy, especially with that many children.
Sarah buys clothes and re-sells them to provide for her family, but that business is not always successful.
What we heard from one of her older daughters is that many nights, they go to bed hungry. Sometimes just partaking in one meal a day. NGM blessed Sarah and her family with some food a couple of weeks ago, on our first day in Uganda, and we accompanied Pap Hunter and Chris in taking the food to their home. Since then, we have been building relationship with them, and spending time with them whenever we have had the chance.

This beautiful lady is Mama Sarah

At the end of our first week here in Uganda, we were blessed to take Sarah's kids swimming for their first time ever. We went to the market to buy "swimming costumes" (as they are called here) and then we went to Hotel Paradise where we spent nearly 6 hours enjoying the water and each others company. 

We had lunch together. 

We played long and hard in the water. 

It was such a wonderful time, I think everyone would agree!

And I'm sure we all slept very well that night :):)

Even Peter (our taxi driver and dear friend) came to have fun in the pool with us!

Precious, Patience, and Grace

Some of the girls feared the water a little :P

Brenna and Ezra drying off before lunch

Everyone was so happy and joyfilled

The view of the Nile River from the hotel pool

Beautiful Brenna catching some sun (maybe more than she intended)

There was so much laughter and excitement through the whole day

Andrew giving some small lessons on swimming

 

I know these faces don't look like they enjoyed their day, but in truth they really did! Everyone was just so tired from playing hard and being in the sun, and ready to go home to rest. So we caught a few boda's that delivered everyone safe to Paul and Pams home on Muvuli Crescent.

We love this family so so much! And we are so grateful to have had our paths cross with Sarah and her beautiful Children.

Make Me Broken

There is a song by sidewalk Prophets that Brenna and I have been singing over and over. First we just chose this song to play for a benefit concert before we came to Uganda, but then.. . when we reached Africa and sang it one afternoon Paul Hunter asked us to share the song at Church; So we got up and sang it our very first Sunday in Africa in front of 800 people!

 We have continued to share the message in this song at different events, including a Teen Challenge meeting we went to last week in Kampala.
Each time we sing this song I just come to love it more and more.
I found out that the verses which inspired this song came from Psalm 51:1-2, 10-11 which says, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.”

Most of the time I would never think of asking God to make me broken, but I think it is something that I need...to be made uncomfortable so that I might be in a place to do great things for him. I've gotten too comfortable where I am. 

Another thing that I have realized is that I'm not as free, and open as I thought I was. When it comes to sharing our heart on the veranda each morning, I find it so so hard to communicate even with those I know. 

Its not a good thing, because if I can not even share the gospel with the people I am close to, how can I go out and share the love of God when I struggle so much just within myself?

So I have just been asking God to break my down, and show me please how to be free. 

Make me broken
So I can be healed
‘Cause I’m so calloused
And now I can’t feel
I want to run to You
With heart wide open
Make me broken

Make me empty
So I can be filled
‘Cause I’m still holding
Onto my will
And I’m completed
When you are with me
Make me empty

[Chorus:]
‘Til You are my one desire
‘Til You are my one true love
‘Til You are my breath, my everything
Lord, please keep making me

Make me lonely
So I can be Yours
‘Til I want no one
More than You, Lord
‘Cause in the darkness
I know You will hold me
Make me lonely

[Chorus:]
‘Til You are my one desire
‘Til You are my one true love
‘Til You are my breath, my everything
Lord, please keep making me

---

I wrote what is above just a day ago, and there is so much that has gone on in my heart since then. And I know that God is doing what I asked. . . he's breaking me down, and its hard and painful somehow.

Im struggling to connect to people that I am living with here. . .I feel very far, and I dont know if it is because I have been too dependent on my friendships and relationships with people. . . Is this Gods way of showing me I need to depend more on him and less on the people around me? . . . It is very hard for me to be distant from people, cause I feel like I need them. 

 There is so much that I'm thinking about, and so much in me that I know needs to grow. Papa Hunter has so much good teahing, so much to say, and its hard for me to prosses it all and apply it to my life.

I know who I am, and I think I know why I am here . . . 

. . . but I dont know if I know where I am going.  

What I am doing. . . I dont want it to be for me. It is to be for God, for his kingdom, and for his glory.