Our Adoption Journey

High and low, celebration and mourning… that is how today began an ended.

This morning we went to church here at the orphanage. The church is a very simple yet beautiful building. It is very open and has some beautiful stained glass windows which let in a cool breeze. The service began with some of the older kids leading worship. They had a simple PA and were accompanied by a keyboard player. Then one of the missionary’s fathers spoke. He had a translator speaking with him which really added to the cultural vibe. He spoke on the hope we find during the Christmas season in Jesus coming to Earth to rescue us. As I listened to his message, I was reminded of God’s radical love for us and the extreme measures he took to reveal that love to us. It was a great celebration of hope and life in Christ and a great way to start the day.

The end of the day took a much unexpected turn. When we went to court on Monday, there was a mother there with a little baby who was probably 10 months old. The baby was having a very difficult time breathing and was very lethargic. One of the missionaries with us sent someone to the drugstore to buy some medicine for the baby and told the mom she needed to take the baby to the hospital immediately. It was a very heartbreaking scene, but to be honest I have not thought about that baby again…until tonight. We just got word as we were eating dinner with the missionary that bought the medicine for the baby that the he passed away today.  

I have never had such a surreal experience. It really made me realize how fragile and temporary life truly is, especially here in Uganda.  I mean, I just held this baby’s head on Monday, and now he is gone. The only comforting thought I have as I sit here and type this post is that he is with his creator and will never suffer again. I am also even more grateful for God’s provision in Joyce’s life and for the amazing, selfless work of these missionaries. Having been here twice now, I have gotten a pretty good understanding of just how difficult life here can be, and I will be forever grateful for their sacrifice and commitment to these amazing children.  

So, lessons from today…God came to Earth to give us hope and life. That life (here on Earth) is a temporary gift that God has entrusted to us as stewards. As faithful stewards, we should use that life to make a difference in the lives of others for the Glory of God.

Thankful for life in Uganda.

Our internet service here is really sketchy!! I haven’t been able to get on and update as much as I would like, so here is a rundown of the last couple days!

Yesterday our luggage finally arrived! And it only cost me $60 and 3 hours in the car to go get it. The orphanage is located in a really rural area in the middle of acres of sugarcane fields. Nothing is close and you don’t get anywhere fast! We had to go to Kampala, the capital of Uganda, to go to the Embassy and get Joyce’s medical exam. It’s a good 2 hr drive from the orphanage. Amy stayed with Joyce to get her physical, and I hired a driver to take me to the airport in Entebbe to pick up the luggage. It is normally a 45min drive from Kampala. However, with “Holiday” right around the corner, the traffic was ridiculous! It took me 3 hours to get there and back and about thirty minutes in the airport! We finally got back to the orphanage at 10:30! It was a loooooong day!

We spent a total of about 8 hours in the car yesterday. It’s hard to explain just how much traffic there is here once you get into the city. There are thousands of cars, trucks, buses and vans…not to mention all the Boda-Boda’s (motorcycle taxis). They don’t really have lanes and everybody is zigging in and out trying to get where they are going as fast as they can. Almost every car here runs on diesel, and the exhaust is so thick it looks like a storm is coming in the horizon. It’s really hot and you have to ride with all the windows down. Sometimes you breathe in so much exhaust it literally takes your breath away. I will never complain about having to get my car inspected again!!

While Joyce was getting her physical, she had to get a TB test. When the Dr. stuck her with the needle, she grabbed his arm and yanked the needle out of her arm! She did not want to talk to us for a little while after that!!

Today we finally got a chance to take it easy. We got to sleep in a bit, take a shower and put on some clean clothes!! We just hung out around our house all day and recouped. It was very relaxing! Tonight we went into Jinja, a little town about 30 minutes away and did a little shopping at some of the little local shops. It is absolutely amazing how talented Ugandans are and the street side shops are full of handmade items. Afterwards we ate a cool little pizza place. There were about fifteen of us and we had a great time.

Tomorrow, we get to experience our first African church service. I can’t wait! But right now its 11:30 pm Saturday night and I’m exhausted, as you can probably tell by my very direct, undescriptive writing tonight. So, you will have to read about that tomorrow!

Good night from Uganda.