Blessed Hope = Love of my Life

    First, I'll start with an update on Ivan. If you didn't get a chance to read that part of an earlier blog. He was a little 6 year old boy that Jen, Gary, Josephine, and I happened upon when we arrived in the subcounty of Gulu. He had epilepsy and had fallen into the boiling water and fire the day before. The mother who spoke no English had no money or means of transportation. The boy had received 2nd and 3rd degree burns on over half of his small little body. I am so thankful that we arrived when we did. Jen and Gary quickly said they would pay for anything he needed and sent him in a vehicle to the hospital. As for the update...he is now doing much better. He is able to use his arm and has been able to open his eye that was so badly burned! Thank you for all your prayers!
    Today, I went back to Blessed Hope. I can't remember if I shared this or not..but the children don't say "Ms. Amanda"; they always call women Auntie Amanda and they call men Uncle 'insert name'. It was so wonderful getting to see all their smiling faces and here "Good morning Auntie Amanda" They just get so excited :)
    Flexibility is a key word here in Africa. Instead of teaching math, I worked with the baby class today teaching about animals. I was helping them draw the various animals and talk about the sounds and names...apparently I am an artist over here in Africa. The teacher asked if she could keep my drawings and laminate them for the baby class to use over the next couple of years. For a good laugh...here are the drawings...

    Are those not the most hilarious things you've ever seen? I guess I will be leaving behind some artistic drawings...haha. Here is a photo of the baby class in action...

     Our team was able to take digital photos of all of the children and get them printed at a shop here in Kampala. The children really don't get a chance to see themselves very often and I had the great joy of passing out the photos to the baby class. They could not stop giggling...

    I have enjoyed every moment of my time there, and I can't wait to get back on Monday. I want to get an opportunity to spend more time getting to know some of these children's stories. Today, I was able to really talk to a boy named Ben. He is from Northern Uganda. This is the area that was struck so harshly by the LRA during the warfare. Ben shared with me that he was in fact victim of the warfare. At the age of 5 his home was raided during the night and his father was shot. His mother was killed shortly after that. Ben was living as an orphan at a church at the age of 10 when Pastor Joel (the founder of Blessed Hope) brought him to the school He has lived there ever since. He does have two brothers that still live with his grandmother in Northern Uganda and gets to see them on some holidays. Ben is a wonderful boy and so deeply in love with God. Please pray that overtime Ben will be healed like only God can heal. I will be returning on Monday to the orphanage to help with math and hopefully learn more about the children there.
    Tomorrow is Saturday, and Josephine and I will be going to the zoo and the Uganda museum. Since I have seen so many animals on the side of the road, I am very interested to see this zoo! I am getting the opportunity to attend church on Sunday with Josephine and eat lunch with her family!
     To end the blog, I'll show you what the inside of a taxi looks like on my way to the orphanage and on the way home (aka around 2 hours worth...)

Buuuuut tonight I got to end my day with a little taste of home (Josephine is amazing and took me here for dinner so I could "not feel homesick!" she said....she rocks!!) PIZZA!