My sweet Elizabeth...

Hello Friends,

Wow, I can't believe how long it has taken me to actually be able to write about this since I returned from Africa. However, I feel like it is time for me to share the experience that changed my life this summer.

On July 24th, we went to an area outside of Kampala called Masaka in Uganda. One of the pastors from One Love Church, Jerome, told us we were going to an orphanage for special needs children. Of course, I was absolutely ecstatic about loving on some sweet children. After riding on a bus for about an hour, we arrived at a village. The bus had to park on one side of the road so we had to cross the street to the where the orphanage was (that was an experience in itself since pedestrians DO NOT have the right a way in Uganda). We all started walking when out of nowhere, these children run up to us and hug us with big smiles on their faces. I didn't even look at the children, I just remember doing the same thing and hugging them back! One particular little girl wrapped her arms around my waist and hugged me tightly. I fell in love immediately, no question about it.

We finally made it to the orphanage which was a small house with three small bedrooms. Right away this little girl and I found a place to sit on the floor right outside their house. I looked her right in the eyes and told her "You are beautiful!". She then caressed my face and said, "You too!". We kept telling each other this for a few minutes and then I asked her for her name. She said, "My name is Elizabeth." with the biggest smile I have ever seen in my life. I hugged her and told her "I love you Elizabeth!". It was the kind of love that had no explanation or needed time to develop, it simply flowed between us. I truly fell in love with her instantly.


This is Elizabeth...

 

 

That's exactly how we hugged each other the whole time I was there.

 

Jerome then called us and told us that the woman who started the orphanage wanted to tell us her story. Her name is Noelina and this is a picture of her...

 

Noelina does not have legs and gets around by crawling with her arms. This has not stopped her from being obedient to God's calling for her life. Noelina told us that God called her to care for orphans when she met a little girl also with disabilities. This little girl was treated like an outcast by her family. Her family built a hut away from their home and kept her there naked. She was fed like a dog by her family and had no interactions with anyone. Noelina found her and God told her to take this little girl under her care. As Noelina talked to this little girl and tried to convince her to go with her, the little girl had many questions for her. Questions such as "What did I steal from God?" and "Why do you want to care for me?" Noelina told her that she also had disabilities and that together they could survive. Noelina told her that God loved her more than she could imagine, and that it wasn't God that did that to her. After talking to the little girl for hours, she finally agreed to go with Noelina. Noelina started to take care of her and raised her as her own daughter. This little girl grew up and started her own business in the capital of Kampala. Before she left she told her mother "Momma, you can't stop here. We have to help more children like me." Noelina agreed and started the orphanage out of her home.

 

Children with special needs are abandoned in Uganda because their parents do not know how to care for them. It is easier for them to abandon them rather than to figure out how to take care of them. Many of them are afraid and take the easy way out. Noelina has her own disabilities, she is unable to walk and is also deaf. Nevertheless, she listened to God's call and obeyed Him. Now she has 27 orphans under her care in a small three bedroom home. She tries her best to send them all to school, feed them and care for them. However, the needs are many. As I spoke more to Elizabeth, I found out that these children have one meal a day most of the time because that is all they can afford. These children would love to go to school but there is no money to send them. In Uganda, you have to pay to go to school, buy uniforms, books, and school supplies.

 

As I spoke to Elizabeth, I asked her if she liked school. She immediately looked at me and said, "Yes! I want to be a doctor!" I answered, "I believe you can be a doctor, Elizabeth." Elizabeth smiled again, hugged me, and said, "I love you!"

 

My heart broke and I didn't know how I could make a difference in the lives of these children, of Noelina, who has given her entire life for the sake of these children. She gave everything up in order to take care of the children who no one else wanted. What impacted me the most about all this was how happy the children are even though they only eat once a day and will most likely not go to school again this year because of the lack of resources. That is what is all about. Noelina tries her best to provide for these children but above all, she loves them with the kind of love that only God can offer. Noelina understands that because of the love Jesus has for her, she is able to offer that kind of love to these precious children.  

 

The hardest part about relating to these children is having to say goodbye to them. Our leader came around and told us it was time to go, and to start saying our goodbyes. I dreaded telling Elizabeth that but I had no choice. As we walked back to the front of the orphanage, I asked Elizabeth if she would make a heart with her hands with me and take a picture. She smiled and said, "Yes!" Here is the picture...

 

After we took the picture, I turned around and realized Elizabeth was crying. That's when I lost it and I just hugged her. I kept telling her that I loved her and that I would never forget her. I told her I would tell her story and that God would make a way to bring us back together. My friend was snapping pictures and she got this one...

This is what inspired me to come back to the United States and not just tell Elizabeth's story. I wanted to take my faith and put it into action. I cried so much after I left. My heart was truly broken for what breaks God's heart.

So, here I am telling you about Elizabeth. I did some research with the people in Uganda and found out that it costs $100 per year to send a child to school in Uganda. That cost pays for school fees, uniforms, shoes, books, and school supplies for an entire year. I want US to ask ourselves this question. Let's take a few seconds to look around and ask "How much did I pay for this phone/computer/ipad/ipod/lap top I am using to read this blog right now? $100? $200? $300? Perhaps even $400? I know that I paid $300 for this lap top I am using to type up this blog. It's so easy to spend that amount of money in a few minutes. We spend $20 in going out to eat.

Friends, I have answered to God's call and have decided to sponsor Elizabeth so she can go to school and continue her way to becoming a doctor in the future. I want to help her achieve her dreams because I know she can do it. The most awesome thing about it was when she told me she wanted to be a doctor so she can help people with disabilities like herself.

As part of my answer to God's call to help, I have decided to tell people Elizabeth's story at churches, homes, meetings, etc... There are many who went on this mission trip who have been called in different ways to help Noelina, this orphanage, and the precious children who live there. I would LOVE to tell you about those plans if you are interested.

If God has touched your heart as you read this and would like to help, please let me know. I would love to talk to you about how together we can make a difference in the lives of these children. The need is there, all we need to do is to be obedient and answer to God's command to take care of His orphans.

Thank you again for allowing me to pour out my heart to you tonight. God bless you!

San Juanita

 



The Messsage of Purity and Christ...

Dear Friends,

The reason I signed up to go on this mission trip was first of all because God called me to go. Secondly, I fell in love with the kind of ministry we were going to do in Uganda. The main goal was to take the message of purity and Christ to the people of Uganda.

As you know, AIDS/HIV is one of the leading causes of death in Africa. Many young people (as young as 10 years old) become sexually active, and with multiple partners. They see it as normal and since everyone else is doing it, they want to do it too. Unfortunately, many of these young people get infected and end up infecting others, and the chain goes on and on. We wanted to tell these young people that it is possible to stay pure. We shared Scripture verses with them to help them understand that sex is not bad, God created it and therefore it is good. However, He gave us boundaries. He gave us the command to stay pure until we marry our spouse. Unfortunately, our society and all sorts of media tell us otherwise. When we talked to students in schools, many of them said that America says it is okay to have sex and have multiple partners because that's what they see in the movies produced by Hollywood. When we told them that it was possible to stay pure until they married, many of them could not believe what they were hearing. It was amazing to see how they asked questions and desired to better understand the Word of God. Many came to know Christ and committed their lives to Him. Many more committed themselves to a life of purity. The church we worked with in Uganda, One Love Church, had these purity cards called "True Love Waits". The card had three parts to it. The first part was a contact information card. The young people would give us their personal contact information so that One Love Church could stay in contact with them, pray for them, and disciple them further. The second part of the card was the commitment to which these young people committed to by signing the card. The commitment was this...

Believing that TRUE LOVE WAITS, I make a commitment to God, myself, my family, my country, my friends, my future spouse, and my future children to a life time of sexual purity, waiting until the day I give myself only to my marriage partner in a FAITHFUL MARRIAGE RELATIONSHIP.

 

So many young people signed these cards! No one had ever taken the time to tell them about purity and how that affects their lives. The third part of the card was a part that they could share with someone they trusted, and that could be their accountability partner. It was amazing to be able to take this message to these young people.

 

I know that the message of purity may be "old fashion" to many, but God doesn't give us a command just for no reason. He always has our best interest in mind. God knows the destruction a life of sexual immorality leads to, and how it breaks the lives of so many. So many feelings and things happen to us when we give ourselves to another person, and no matter how many people say that "it doesn't matter", it does. You always end up giving a part of your heart to that person that you will never get back. Then, when it's time to marry your spouse, you always end up with a partial heart to give to that person because you gave pieces away to each person you ever dated.

 

We were able to see God work in miraculous ways. Young people came to know Jesus as their personal Savior and start a personal relationship with them. That is why I go on mission trips. People need to hear the Good News and know that the God who created this world loves them more than they will ever comprehend. Furthermore, He wants the best for them, and He has plans to prosper them not to harm them, to give them hope and a future.

 

On my next post, I will share what happened on our very first day of ministry to a secondary school in Kampala. God did some amazing things!

 

Love In Him,

San Juanita 

Uganda 2013: My Story

Hello Friends & Family!

I'm so excited you are interested in hearing my story as I went on my life changing experience in Uganda, Africa this summer. So many of you have asked me about my trip, and I'm thrilled to share everything I experienced with you. However, God is still helping me process some of the things I saw in this beautiful country. While so many people were joyful, I still saw a lot of brokenness, loneliness, poverty, and need.

So, I have decided to start this blog to tell you about my experiences. I wrote so much on my journal and that is how I will tell you my story. I am excited to look back at all that God did in the lives of so many children, women, and men in Uganda. However, I want to do more than just look back and remember. I want God to continue to stir my heart to put my faith into action and do something about the situations I saw. There is one in particular that absolutely broke my heart. Like so many Christians that go on mission trips, I asked God to break my heart on this trip with what breaks His. That's exactly what He did on many occasions but more than in any other, in one specific orphanage I visited. You will find out more about this orphanage as you read my blog entries.

I hope you enjoy reading my blog. I hope and pray that as me, you too get your heart broken so that it leads you to take action to help so many people in need.

The first thing I want to tell you about my experience in Uganda is that God taught me the most important lesson of my life. As many of you know, I have been on many mission trips before. I have seen all kinds of heartbreaking things. Most of the time, I come back discouraged. Discouraged because even though I desired with all my heart to end people's hurt, loneliness, brokenness, poverty, etc...I just couldn't. I had to come back to my comfortable life in the USA. Of course, we all have problems, but nothing compares to what these people encounter on a daily basis. During my trip in Uganda, there was one day I felt so discouraged. I was so upset that I couldn't do anything to change the circumstances of one of the most beautiful girls I have ever met. Then God brought to mind a paragraph I had read earlier on the trip from the book No Greater Love by Mother Teresa. It made me realize that the God who created the heavens and the Earth is the only One who can do something about these people's circumstances. He is our Heavenly Father who will always make a way to provide for all our needs and comfort us always, in His own power and in His perfect timing. This is what the book says...

If you are discouraged, it is a sign of pride because it shows you trust in your own powers. Never bother about people's opinions. Be humble and you will never be disturbed. The Lord has willed me where I am. He will offer a solution.

-Mother Teresa

 

I know I am only one person, but with God's help, I know I can make a difference. Perhaps I can't change the circumstances of all the people I encountered, but I know I can change the life of one person through my actions. This is why my desire is to put my faith into action just like James urges us to do in the Bible.

 

You are more than welcome to share this blog with your friends. I want people to learn the stories of the people I met in Uganda. This is how change happens and I want YOU to be part of the change for some amazing children who became orphans here on Earth but who have a Heavenly Father who will provide for their needs through people like US.

 

Thank you for allowing me to share my life changing experience through this blog!

 

All My Love,

San Juanita