Uganda or bust part 3

I finally filled out the volunteer application of the orphanage that I had up on my laptop.....but it wasn't until a few weeks later that I did. I really didn't want to rush into this if it wasn't truly God's will for me. I filled out the app and sent it in. I actually got a very quick reply from the orphanage with more information. Reading through the volunteer facts and questions I just got this really uneasy feeling. Honestly I was disappointed because I was for sure this is where God wanted me to go. Now what?!

I left it for a while and was trying to figure out how to find another orphanage. During this time I thought - hey, why not go find an orphanage in a country that I've always wanted to visit. So, the search widened to India, Thailand, and the PI. I've been to the PI before, but have wanted to go back. Thailand would be a great fit since I've been somewhat immersed in the Asian culture for several years and as someone who is gluten free, I can eat plenty rice! I've always been fascinated with India....so why not serve there. 

I Googled "Christian orphanage" and found a website that had a massive listing. I sent out several e-mails and didn't hear back from practically all of them. I had been praying the whole time that only one orphanage would say yes to me. I didn't want to have to choose. I had given up a little on trying to find a place to serve. Wait on the Lord.....such a hard thing to do! 

I finally went online again and searched some more and found a few orphanages to send e-mails and applications to. There were three in particular that I got a little excited about, one in India, one in Thailand, and Amani Baby Cottage. I will say, that through this search I have felt so inadequate in what I could to do to help out at an orphanage. Many were looking for specific needs - medical, teaching, carpentry, etc... Yep, I had none of them. Anyways, I heard back from the orphanage in India and was told that I was accepted. I got rather excited....until I started reading through volunteer information. Something was a little off, a little sketchy with what they wanted their volunteers to do. 

About a week later (4 weeks after I had heard initially from Amani) I got accepted! WOO HOO!!!! It was a Friday and I had decided to check my gmail right before I left for work. I called my mom and told her I had something to tell her, but I would call her when I got home. Unbeknowst to me, she chose that time to read the information I had sent her on the Indian orphanage. After I told her that I got the position at ABC, she then told me that she did not feel right about the Indian orphanage. Wow - God is so good!!!!!

Source found here

Uganda or bust part 2

Almost 2 years ago I read the book titled Radical by David Platt. -----------I highly recommend you stop reading my blog, go to Amazon or CBD and look that up if you don't know about it already. Go.....NOW! Ok, now that you're back and went ahead and bought a copy for yourself, let's pick the story up again.------------- I know everything is not based on feelings, but bear with me....I felt a stirring inside when I was finished with the book. I felt ancy and started looking for ways to serve here on island. Maybe I didn't look hard enough, but everything I saw I wasn't necessarily drawn to. Looking back, I was looking for that one big thing to serve for or in....when God was just telling me to serve where I was and those around me.

I know I messed up. I overlooked those in need and opportunities God had made just for me. I am thankful for the times I have grasped the fact that God was hitting me over the head and telling me....DO! Thanking Him for His patience with me. Last November I was reading a book that mentioned an orphanage in Uganda. The name sounded familiar, so I went to look it up. I spent some time looking over their website and then noticed that they accept volunteers. I was intrigued and left the website open, but closed my laptop.

At the time my sister had encouraged me to read through James. The day after finding the website, I read James 1:27 which states, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." Um, God, are you talking to me through this verse? How many times have I read this particular verse, but it wasn't until that time where it hit me like a ton of bricks. The ESV uses the word "visit"....I felt God saying I needed to go to them.

The very next day (day 3 in this succession), I read an article (which has since been taken down from the world wide web) about ways singles can serve that married people can't. The first way was to "Go big for Jesus." Are you kidding me right now? I'm getting the sense that God wants me to go serve Him at an orphanage overseas. But where? How (I live paycheck to paycheck right now)? When?

Uganda or bust part 1

Source found here

In college I had the amazing opportunity to travel with a retired missionary (at the time) to Kenya for 5 weeks. I had never flown before....so I went big by making my first flight to London. I had worked myself up so much that when I walked off the plane people were commenting that I looked green. I definitely felt it! I have come a long way since that first flight. I've had many overseas flights in the last 10 years alone. Here's to a few more to get me to Uganda and back, Lord willing.

While in Kenya we came across many street kids as well as glue kids. The glue kids were very easy to spot, even though they thought they were being very tricky. These kids would get plastic bottles, such as water bottles, put glue in them, stuff them up their sleeves, and sniff it all day long. Their life expectancy, as you can imagine, was not very old. They wanted money from you to help fuel their addiction. They had no mother, no father, no family to look after them. My heart broke for them. I wanted to give them everything I had...but that wouldn't be wise. It's a long term process to change someone like that, not a quick fix.

Coming away from that particular experience a seed was planted for wanting to work in an orphanage in a 3rd world country. I didn't know why God put that in me, but 12 years later I'm able to act on that desire. It's not exactly what I was planning, but God's ways are best and His timing is so much better than ours!

Until next time....blessed be the name of the Lord, my heart will choose to say Lord, blessed be Your name!