Peter Leaves : (

So the oldest boy in the house left today. Peter as well as the Aunties and Uncles decided it was for the best. Peter is 16 and he has outgrown the home.  Peter was the main one wanting to leave, he wants to go out and finish school. His hopes are to become a Doctor one day and I truly feel in my heart he will make it.  It was really sad to say Goodbye to Peter. He is turning into a strong christian man and I hope he will continue on that path.  Other than that today has been pretty normal.  Gina comes tonight so me and Abby have spent most of the day after church cleaning out Gina's room and getting it ready for her arrival.  The boys have been such a big help they helped us mop the room and wash her sheets.  They are all such big helpers.  I love them so much and  its starting to hit me that I'm leaving in less than 2 weeks : ( Emma cries everyday.  He comes to me and is like please don't leave Auntie Carla and starts crying. It's going to break my heart to say goodbye to these boys.  They have truly stolen my heart and will always have a place in it.  

Hard Week

So this week, to say the least, has been a very humbling, emotional, exhausting week.  We took one of the most adorable street kids, named Cato, to the hospital. He was beaten with a stone on his foot and could barely walk and so we decided it was best he go to the hospital and get checked out. The wound was infected, he had a blood clot, and his foot was so swollen.  The doctor was able to get most of the blood clot out, stitched, and bandaged the wound.  Poor Cato cried his little eyes out, here medical attention is a little harsher than in the US. In the states you receive anesthesia for the littlest of things but not here. Its almost like the suck it up and stick it out motto. We took him back to the hospital today to get re-bandaged and let the Doctor take another look at it but he seems to be just fine and will make a full recovery.  On top of that just yesterday one of the street kids told us he wanted us to try and resettle him with his family.  Moses has been living on the streets for about 6 months now and hasn't seen or spoken to his family. So as they reached his village and his house it was abandoned and closed down.  His parents and 2 of his sisters had died of HIV about 2 months after he ran to the streets. Talk about breaking your heart. He had NO IDEA. Can you imagine being a 10 year old and deciding to take your life off the streets and go back home to be with your family. Getting there and realizing they had died without you knowing. Its been really sad around here this week, between hospital visits and seeing little boys cry over the loss of parents this week has really opened my eyes. Its taught me to be so thankful for what the Lord has given to me and the simple things he provides. Please keep these 2 precious boys in your prayers.  They truly are wonderful boys and need lots of prayers and love.

<3 Carla

Street Kids Ministry

Yesterday was AWESOME! Me, Stephany, and Amanda went to David's Street Kid Ministry. The kids there are so adorable and are so lovable. Stephany brought a new soccer ball for the boys. These are boys that come to the Church every wednesday, they have no where to live, no food, no clothes, nothing. So every wednesday they come and David and Robert and some of the other guys teach them english and mathematics. Yesterday we went and took a soccer ball for the boys to play with. They had so much fun, after soccer they had a lesson and then ate some Posha and Beans. While they were eating I just hung around them and talked and all of them offered me their food. Little boys that have no food EVER were offereing me there food. I was like no you eat and they insisted. That's a loving child if I don't know what is. After it was over one of the boys named Joseph asked me if I wanted to go to Church with him and a couple of the other boys. I was like SURE!!!!!!!! So me, Amanda, Stephany, Joseph, Matheus, Moses, and Gabriel went to Church. They were so cute Joseph even took notes during church. I was really scared the Church wasn't going to let them in because they were dirty and had no shoes on, especially seeing as one Sunday we saw Joseph begging for money outside of the Church and asked him to come with us and the Church refused.  : ( After church we decided to take the boys to get dinner. We took them to get there favorite "Chips and Chicken". And of course as we walked into the restaurant EVERYONE turned around and stared at us, it really frustrated me but what can you do. We sat down and the boys were so good. They even used the forks and napkins. After 2 weeks with these boys I love them. The kids here are so easy to fall in love with and you just want to help them all and take them all home with you. 

Thanks for everything! 

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Emma's Birthday!

Emma's Birthday!

 Me and Dissan <3 

 Me and the Boys : ) 

Emma's birthday was Monday night and it was so much fun. We played games and had birthday cake. They played Limbo and bobbing for apples and they loved it. The winning teams got fried grasshoppers as a prize, which is a huge treat here. People here in Africa love Grasshoppers.After the games we sang happy birthday and had cake with the boys.  It was an awesome birthday party and I think Emma really liked it.  

Then last night Stephanie, our new volunteer, brought all new soccer gear for the boys. Her church donated brand new cleats, soccer balls, shin guards, shirts, and shorts for the boys. It was awesome how much they sent for the boys. They were so excited like it was Christmas, these boys love soccer soooooo much.  They were screaming and shouting as we were laying all the new stuff out.  The smallest things excite these children and they are so happy just to have new cleats, shirts, and shorts. After we gave out all the new stuff we had devotion and the boys brought out the African drums and we all did traditional African dance. Well I tried anyways haha. White girl trying to do traditional African dance is pretty funny but atleast I tried haha. 

Today we went to Oweno Market to get 200 shirts, shorts, and shoes for a new house that's just been started for a group of 50 street kids. They have nothing and not alot of financial support so we wanted to do something nice for them. We had an amazing woman give a donation so we used that money to get all the stuff. Were going to give it to the new house on Thursday night before our handi-cap street ministry.  Oweno market is like walking in a very dark narrow hall way with thousands of people grabbing your arms saying come here come here see what I have. Its exciting and a little stressful at the same time but we bought everything we needed in about 2 hours which is amazing. We hope God will continue to bless this new house and they will continue to get the financial back they need to survive. 

Thank you all for your prayers and support. <3 Carla

Emma and Meha

The Bandages are Off

Today we took Emma back to the Hospital to get the bandages and stitches removed. Needless to say he was not a happy camper.  His face is healing fine and will make a full recovery yay! This week has been busy, I cannot believe its already Wednesday. 

Yesterday was bible study at Calvary, I love it so much! After bible study we took Amanda (our newest addition to the house) around town to get more acclimated with Kampala. Shes a really great girl and I think will be an awesome new part of the family here.  She was a teacher in the States and that is going to be a great help here with the boys. They need alot of help in reading and writing in English. We have decided to implement 1 hour a day from 7pm-8pm for quiet/homework time.  Even if they boys don't have homework they have to use that time for reading or doing some school related. They are also going to have an hour reading time on Saturdays where they must take turns reading with the Aunties and Uncles in English.  Do to living on the streets these boys are really behind in school and we're trying our hardest to help them in that area.  

I love these boys so much and have become so attached. Last night as all 20 of us were crowded around the dinner table Uncle Stephen began telling me a joke, as I was listening the boys began sneaking under the table and crowding all around me and out of no where began fiercely tickling me. I laughed so hard; they really know how to brighten my heart and my day.  One glance from these boys and I smile, and I fall even more in love with them everyday.  They truly are a blessing sent from God to me and I'm so thankful Iv been given the time to get to know them. 

Tomorrow is my day to lead bible study at the girls program. I always love doing that. I feel like I grow closer to the girls through bible study.  They have really began opening up and sharing with us and that is amazing.  Please keep all of these ministries in your prayers and I thank you all so much for your support. 

<3 Carla

Football

The Boys loooooove to play football. They had a football game this Saturday so I went with them and cheered them on. They are so good.  Football here is the same thing as soccer in America, the boys are so active and would play play play all day long if they could.  Today we went to Calvary Chapel and took William and Bashil with us and after church Abby, Amanda ( our new arrive : )  and I took the boys to get chips and chicken. Which is basically fried chicken and french fries. Omg the boys love some Chips and Chicken.  Other than the good parts of the weekend, Emma had a little accident. Dissan and Emma got home early from playing football and little Dissan came running up to me going Auntie Carla Auntie Carla Emmas beating me haha. I told them to stop playing around that someone would get hurt but boys will be boys. About 2 minutes later Dissan came running through our iron barred gate and slammed it behind him and Emma accidentally slammed into it. He got a huge gash on his head and hurt his shoulder and we had to rush him to the hospital. He's okay but I was so worried about him. Hes a trooper he was out playing with the boys today with a bandage over his eye haha. I love these boys so much and I think of them as my own. Tomorrow we have to take Emma back to the hospital to get restitched and bandaged and wednesday the stitches are supposed to come out. Be praying everything goes ok, a centimeter closer and he would have really messed up his eye.

The weathers starting to get a little hotter but I still love it here. I'm going to miss it so much : (

Thanks for all the prayers and support <3 Carla

Friday

So its Friday! I love Fridays it means the weekend is fastly approaching and that means I get to spend more time with the boys. Last night was awesome, we went to the streets to talk with the Handi-Cap people. They are so awesome, last night we took 2 of the boys from the house with us. We took Peter and Sadic and I was so proud of them. Peter actually prayed with some of the people and Sadic brought his adorable smile and talked with a few of them as well. Me and Abby went to different groups of the people and talked with them and asked them if they knew Christ and tried to share about the Lord with them. They are all such a blessing and a joy in my life.  I got to talk to Benson last night hes so precious. As I was talking to him he began to tell me about how he got to Kampala, and how his whole village was burned down and the people in it migrated to Kampala but now they have to live on the streets. They have no where to go and barely anything to their name.  I asked Benson if he had a bible and he told me it was burned along with everything else in his house so next week i'm going to take him a bible. He's such an amazing man and has such a heart for the Lord, I love every moment I get to spend with him. 

I also did bible study with the girls program yesterday. These women are such amazing people and they truly want to learn about the Lord. I took pictures of them yesterday to put on the website and the bracelets are coming along very nicely. We hope we'll have enough ready soon to start sending to the states to sell. Please keep us in your prayers and we continue the ministries here with the boys in the house, the girls program, and the new ministry reaching out to the streets we have our hands full. We're faithful the Lord will continue to provide.

<3 Carla

Rainy Season Begins

Well its officially rainy season here in Uganda. During rainy season it rains so much almost everyday.  It doesn't rain all day just part of the day.  Well Sunday while we were in Church the roof started leaking and the water came rushing into. Needless to say we all had to cuddle in church haha! The rain had three hours to stop so after Church as we were walking home we saw numerous houses that had been flooded and water was everywhere. Much to our surprise as we reached home half of our brick gate had been crushed do to so much water and actually fell on our neighbors house and crushed it. One guy was in the house when it came caving in and had to be rushed to the hospital.  Everyone luckily has turned out to be okay but the damage to our gate and their house is alot.  My prayers go out to them and I hope they will be able to find a new place to stay soon. 

Today Abby and I had a lot of errands to run. We went to the girls program. They're doing great on the bracelets and then we grabbed lunch. We had to run to the market for her to get some earrings to sell in America then on our way home she saw roasted grasshoppers. She was like Carla you have got to try one and I was a little unsure but what the heck "when in Africa" so I went for it. It was actually pretty good taste wise but I just couldn't get my head around the fact that it was a grasshopper with they eyes and everything : 0

So the boys just got home I going to go play with them but I'll post more soon! <3 Carla

A New Ministry

So last night was AWESOME! Me, Abby, David, Robert, and Bony went to minister to handi-cap people living on the street. We left the house around 8:00 pm and David was carrying blankets for them in a huge bag. We took a taxi then we took Boda's to get to where they were staying.  As we walked all I saw was a line of people sitting on the cold ground wrapped up with a garbage bag eating food that a lady was serving them.  This woman comes every night and feeds them rice, meat, and casava (which is sort of like a chunk of potato) but they have to pay for it.  She serves them that and hot tea for 1,500 shillings which is about .75 cents American Money. It was so sad but awe inspiring at the same time. Right as we got there this man in a wheelchair came up to me grabbed my hand and started talking. He was so sweet, he had no use of his legs and they were pretty much whittled down to nothing.  I'm not sure what the disease or what it is that they have but alot of them have no use of their legs. Their upper body seems completely fine but they have to crawl around on their hands and knees to move. I saw a man doing this last night and all I wanted to do was go pick him up and take him to where he needed to go. Some of them have been able to afford wheelchairs others get around by their hands and knees on the cold hard concrete. I began talking to the adorable, sweet man in the wheelchair and he knew pretty good English, I found out his name was Benson and that he had traveled here from Northern Uganda.  He was a very sweet man and wanted to know all about me and what I was doing here. So after we talked for a bit David asked me if I'd speak to the group. Talk about putting the pressure on.  Well I knew this was my opportunity to talk to these people about Christ so I went for it. I just told them how thankful I was to be here with them and that I was so humbled to be able to meet them. I told them that Christ loved them very much and that he created us all in his own image.  I told them that the Lord had placed them on our hearts and that we would love to come back and see them every Thursday Night. Essentially David is trying to start a home for Handi-cap people, a place they can eat and have a bed and learn more about Christ. What David is trying to do with these people is amazing and I'm so thankful I can be a part of it.  After I talked to them for a few minutes they passed out the blankets. We didn't bring enough for everybody we could only carry about 20 and there was about 40 people when we got there. We gave all the ladies some young, some old, and the children blankets first and told the men we would bring more next time. We also told them that when we come on Thursday nights we would like to buy their food for them.  These people cannot work so the only way they have money for food is from begging. They sit on the side of the road and beg all day and pray they have enough for supper that night.  After we passed out the blankets and David was talking to them the Lord spoke to me and I felt this burning desire to go get them something to drink. So Robert and I walked down to the closest store and I bough 3 cases of juice for them to have. You should have seen their faces when we came back with juice, something as simple and little as juice lit up their world. After we passed out the Juice we talked a little bit more about Christ and decided it was getting late and time for us to leave. We told them all we would be back next week and couldn't wait to see them.  As I walked away I fought back the tears, 2 nights with these people and they already have a place in my heart. I never knew I could love so many people and that the Lord could put so many people on my heart to minister to, but hes definitely doing a work in me here. Between loving my boys here at the house, the girls in hope house, and the new ministry working with the handi-cap people I just don't know how I'll ever be able to leave them all. I'm so thankful to be here in Uganda, yes I have hard days and days where I miss home and my family but for the most part I am beyond thankful for this experience and getting to meet all of these wonderful people. Please continue to pray for the ministries here and what the Lords trying to do!

<3 Always Carla

Today was Hard.....

Today was a hard day for me. I had a sad day today, a boda driver tried to rip me off halfway home and another one got lost.  I realized how much I missed my family and friends today.  I guess I just experienced a little bit of home sickness today.  Don't get me wrong I love it here but I do miss everyone back home so much.  The day got better as it went on.  The boys always know how to cheer me up.  They got home from school and Abby had bought these fake animal tattoos so we spent the next hour putting tattoos on. I have monkeys and bananas on my wrist and a cat on my back haha! Then me and Abby decided it would be a special treat to cook pancakes, scrambled eggs, and yogurt for dinner. OMG talk about boys that were super excited over pancakes and yogurt. The boys don't get yogurt here and to them its almost like icecream, its a special treat. So me and Abby made 35 pancakes and had strawberry yogurt with it. When you see boys get excited over pancakes and yogurt its hard not to let all your other emotional feelings go away. The boys were so excited over the pancakes two of them danced while me and Abby cooked them. They literally danced for more pancakes it was the cutest thing.  After dinner I prepared my bible study for the girls program tomorrow. As I was preparing Davis came and gave me a foot massage.  What 13 year old boy decides that they want to give someone a foot massage when he has 15 other kids he could be playing with? I love these boys more and more everyday and I'm so thankful they're in my life. Tomorrow they don't have school so I'm sure I'll be playing with them all day.  I get really excited when its my time to lead bible study at the girls program, they are opening up so much and I love sharing about the Lord with them. I pray that each day they will yearn to grow closer to the Lord. A lot of them are sick, some have been in and out of the hospital quite a bit lately. They've been getting treatment for aids, some are doing well and others are going through some rough spells. I pray the Lord will continue to be with them and watch over them during this time.  Its really sad knowing they are living with aids but I'm so proud of them for continuing to have faith in the Lord and not get angry or turn away from him. 

Thank you so much for all the prayers <3 Carla  

Pics of my boys!

Typical Dinner Time with the Boys! Digging in! 

Me and Sweet Mondae! Probably one of the most Precious Boys I'v ever met!

Bashir trying out the new roller blades my mom sent the boys! 

Thanks mom they loved them!!!

 Godfrey, Me, and Emma @ the house!

Unconditional Love

So I have to say it. I Love these boys so much and they have taught me an unconditional love. I thought I new what it was to love unconditionally but to be here with them and live with them I have had the chance to experience something so different and amazing.  These boys have come from parents that are on drugs, abuse them, want nothing to do with them, or have died.  I found out the other other day about Emma's story. My heart broke and made me love him even more than I already did. The other day I found out that Emma's dad was blind and when he was little he and his dad were crossing the street and he told his dad to wait and not go, his dad didn't hear him and got hit by an 18 wheeler right in front of Emma and died.  Talk about the saddest thing I've ever heard : ( Emma is the sweetest, most loving, vivacious kid.  A lot of times he uses his humor and funny ways to hide his insecurities and the things going on inside of him, but regardless I love him just the same and think hes an amazing kid.  He has truly stolen my heart and even though these kids have been through some rough times the Lord has blessed each of them and turned their lives around for the best.  They all see Christian Counselors weekly and I think that really helps them cope with whats going on inside of them.  I truly feel I'm mom to 16 of the sweetest boys in the world.  They're not perfect but they look after me and love me like I'm one of them and they mean the world to me.  When I walk through the gate to the house they all run to greet me and help me with any bags I'm carrying.  They want to be near and around me at all times. I love that the smallest things in the world mean so much to them. I bought a pineapple yesterday to share with the boys and getting 2 pieces of a pineapple made them smile and so happy. Life can't get much more rewarding than that. To see them smile and to see them happy gives me so much joy.  On Saturday I made spaghetti in my room and about 6 of the boys all crowded around my door and wanted to help me cook. So I put on a movie on my laptop and let them help me make spaghetti and it was the sweetest thing ever. They were so happy to help and sit there on the cold floor and cook noodles over a gas grill and watch a movie over a laptop.  That humbles me so much and teaches me about the little things in life. I know I will be forever changed from this experience and it will be so hard for me to leave these boys. I took the three oldest boys in the house to the movies the other day; they had never in their life been to a movie.  They later told Abby about their day and it was so cute to see how they described it. They described going to the movies as this momentous event when I look at it as a natural occurrence at home. They didn't care what they saw they just loved being there and getting that opportunity.  I am so humbled and thankful by the fact I can be here with these boys and learn their type of love.  Unconditional Love!

Sunday!

Me and Emma <3 

Today was awesome.  I went to church with the boys, which is a traditional 3 1/2 hour African Service. It was so much fun.  The choir is right up my alley.  They dance and sing and the whole church is bouncing around praising the Lord. I absolutely love it.  After church me, Emma and Davis went to the Market, I needed to get some peas, carrots, potatoes, and I bought a pineapple to share with the boys.  They love fruit and hear anytime you get fruit its considered a really special treat.  I love getting special things for the boys when I can, I love how happy it makes them. So after church we ate lunch really quick. Sunday is the day the boys get a really special lunch and dinner. They get rice with geanut sauce which is basically smashed peanuts and matoke which is mashed bananas. I dont like the Matoke but the geanut sauce is pretty good. After lunch we went with the boys to their school. I felt like a proud mom.  Today was basically like PTA for the kids.  Emma came up to me as we were approaching the school and was like your my mom, I want you to be my mom and come with me to my class.  Ahh talk about making me smile and breaking my heart at the same time. He chose me to be his mom and felt loved enough by me to give me that honor. I love Emma so much and I was so proud of him today. I was proud of all the boys. For kids that really haven't had any schooling in their whole life they're doing a great job.  Their school is a really good one and teaches them everything in English.  A lot of the boys struggle in reading but are pretty good in math.  So after PTA we came back home, the boys went and played soccer and me and Abby went to the supermarket to get some more groceries and she wanted to buy cookies for the boys.  Saturdays and Sundays are movie day so after dinner they got to watch a movie.  I love these boys so much and each day I fall even more in love with them and Africa.  I just don't know how or if I'm going to be able to leave them : ( 

I'm praying for God's will in my life and praying he will direct me in the path he wants for me.  I do miss everyone back home very much and I thank you all everyday for the prayers and support. <3 Carla 

Adorable Dissan @ PTA <3 <3 <3

The Most Amazing Experience

Today was AWESOME!!!! I led bible study again today. Thursday's are my day to lead and I love it.  I try to make my bible studies as interactive as possible. I want the girls to feel like they can open up and talk about their story. I want them to feel safe and loved.  So during bible study I decided to share my personal testimony.  Most of the girls only understand a little bit of English so Alice translates for me during bible study.  While I was giving my testimony I could tell the girls were accepting and loving towards my story and where I've been and how my walk with the Lord has really grown and matured over the past 4-5 years.  After I shared my testimony the girls really began opening up and I can tell that most of them are believers and that they are willing to learn about the Lord.  Which is a huge praise report for me, I've been praying that these women would be willing to accept Christ in the heart and be willing to learn more and grow towards him. My biggest prayer request is that these women will become saved before I leave.  I want them all to have a personal relationship with Christ.  Almost every one of the 15 girls shared today that they are living with Aids.  It broke my heart to hear that, but they are living with that not angry with God which is a huge step in the right direction.  So after bible study I went to the internet cafe to get some work done with Abby then we went grocery shopping at quality.  Its pretty much the most Americanized grocery store here. Its pretty cheap too I bought about a weeks worth of groceries for 40 dollars plus candy and surprises for the boys.  So after that we went back to the house and just hung out with the boys after they got home from school.  I helped them with their homework and helped Dissan write a letter to his prayer sponsor.  After dinner and prayer me, Abby, David, and Robert went to minister and take food to handi-cap people that live on the street.  It was probably one of the most profound experiences of my life.  It was late and a little scary but with David and Robert being there I felt safe.  We got there around 11pm and it was so sad. It was nothing but person after person sleeping on the street with nothing but a trash bag covering them to keep warm.  I have never seen anything like it before.  We had a guy there that new English and Swahili that could help translate for us. The man told us the best thing for us to do would be wait and come back next Thursday night around 8:30 and he would let them all know we're coming.  So after we left them we saw a group of about 15 street kids sitting on the side of the road.  They were so skinny and dirty and they were all really cold.  We began talking to them and they were so excited we were there just to talk to them.  So after we had been talking to them for a bit I noticed all of them had like a cloth or a napkin in their hand and they kept sniffing it. I asked Abby what they were doing and she said they were all high on Kan-ge which is pretty much aviation fluid. They stay high so they don't have to feel the hunger pains or the fact their freezing.  Basically Kan-ge numbs all senses. Its really bad for your brain cells and is very bad for their body.  Its very strong and smells kind of like spray paint.  One boy had a huge chunk taken out of his leg and he showed it to us and I asked if it hurt and he said no. There is no way that wound wouldn't hurt a person not under the influence of something very powerful. But being high on Kan-ge he couldn't feel it at all.  Its so sad and all I wanted to do was take every single one of them home and feed them give them a bath and put them in a warm bed.  David paid for each boy to have their own plate of rice and we talked to them a little bit more before we had to leave. It was midnight by now and time to for us to get home.  As we were leaving this one boy that was all skin and bones followed us and grabbed my hand. He began crying and I had to let go. He begged David to come back with us, he started sobbing begging us to put him in school. He said his mother had died and his father remarried and his step mom abused him so he ran to the streets. It broke my heart and all I could do was walk away.  They're are so many children here with no home, no food, in pain.  Yes these kids are not perfect, they all do drugs but if you think of the circumstances in which they live its really hard not to understand it. 

I can't wait to go back next week to reach out to these people. I pray the Lord will shine through me and that with humility I can do his work and talk to these people about the Lord.

We need all the prayers we can get.   <3 Carla

Its Monday Again!

The time has been flying here. Even though I miss everyone back home a lot I really love it here.  I'm really getting used to the area and learning to be a little more independent and willing to try things on my own.  I've actually been taking boda boda's by myself which is awesome. I've learned the prices and that makes it so much easier for me to get around. Here someone see's an American coming and the price of anything, no matter what, automatically doubles. So because I've been here 3 weeks and gotten to know the prices of things I make sure to get the "Ugandan" price. 

Today I woke up around 7:30 to get to the girls project by 8:30.  They girls are doing great on the jewelry, they're making it really quickly and pretty good quality for their first couple of pieces. Abby and I basically go to the house each day for about 2-3 hours just to make sure the women are making the jewelry to American standards and to make sure they understand they have love and support.  I had my tutoring session today, which is going really good. Everyone keeps saying I'm learning Luganda really quickly.  Its a pretty interesting language but something cool to learn.  The boys are doing great, my favorite part of the day with them is at night prayer and bible study.  We usually spend about an hour to an hour and a half singing praise and worship songs, doing a bible study lesson, the boys talk about what they learned in the lesson, then we pray.  Its awesome to see how much these kids love the Lord. After each lesson you would think they're all tired and ready to go to bed and ready to get it over with, but actually they all want to speak and talk about what they took from the lesson and what it meant to them. I think its amazing. 

I have found a very Americanized cafe that I love a ton, me and Abby come alot and get Cappuccino's.  Its called Java's, and serves awesome food and coffee.  I come here during the day to get work done, writing emails, working on the blogs, and handling correspondence stuff for the house.  Abby has put me in charge of most of the marketing and correspondence stuff for A Perfect Injustice and Hope House so that keeps me pretty busy during the day. Between that, tutoring, and working with Hope House my days are filled. By 4:30 I try to be back to the house because that's when the boys get home from school and I love playing cards with them, coloring, or reading books. So my days are pretty busy and they go by super quick.

I love it here and I cannot believe how the times flying. <3 Always Carla

The Weekend!

 Emma, Monday, and Godfrey

@ the house!

Well its Saturday, a beautiful day here.  I went with the boys this morning to "the peach" its what they call their soccer field. It was alot of fun, I actually got out there and played soccer with them : ) Then we came home and I made rice with peas and carrots with cream of chicken soup for me and all the boys to have for lunch. It was alot of fun. They love to help in any way possible.  You know the Love of the Lord is in the house because today when I got home my shoes, socks, and feet were very muddy.  Just as soon as I got home Monday came up to me and asked if he could wash my socks and shoes and Emma grabbed a basin without hesitation and asked if he could wash my feet. It made me think of the verse in the bible where God talks about the symbolism of washing feet.  It was such a humbling experience to see these boys jump to help in any way possible.  So after lunch we played cards. I think these boys could play cards all day long.  Before I forget thanks for all the prayers for Davis, He came back!!!!!!!!!!! He didn't really have a reason for why he chose to leave but he came back high off Chan-ge which in Africa is Airplane fuel.  Chan-ge is very cheap here its like 200 shillings a high which is about 10cent American money. Chan-ge is basically an anti-depressant it completely numbs you. It numbs you of feelings, hunger, pain, everything. Abby talked to Davis and gave him severe consequences and told him if he ran away again he wouldn't be able to come back into the house. Its not healthy for him or the structure of the boys and the house for kids to be able to run away and come back. Its really hard to work with street kids because alot of them lived on the streets most of their lives before coming here. Davis lived on the streets for 8 years, its all he knows but at the same time he's been in the house for 2 years and he has had time to learn what was right and wrong.  Drugs are not allowed in the house and during prayer last night Davis had to get up in front of everyone and apologize and everyone was allowed to say anything they wanted or talk about how they felt. Overall I'm glad Davis is back, street boys lived a hard life in the past and its not as easy as you think to give it all up. But being in this house these boys are so loving, and they all really love the Lord.  They show that to me everyday in how they act and treat me. They are very protective of me and watch out for me here at the house or out in the street.  Overall this weekend has been really good so far. Tomorrow is Sunday! Yay my favorite day, I love church here its amazing.  The girls project is going well. The girls are coming along with the jewelry and it looks really good.

Thanks for all the prayers and support <3 Always, Carla

Pictures

Here are some pictures of the boys!

Amos and I washing Clothes! 

Little Innocent

 Peter, Me, Monday, Abby, and Amos

 

God is Good

A lot of powerful things happen here everyday which is amazing. Today I lead bible study for the girls program. It was so amazing, it was probably one of the most moving experiences I've ever had. I read out of Lamentations, Romans, and Psalms 126:5-6. The summary of the lesson was God can take your trouble and change it into treasure. Your sorrow can become joy, not just a momentary smile but a deep, new joy. It will be a bubbling experience of new hope that puts a brightness in your eyes and a song in your heart. In the midst of the darkness you will learn lessons you might never have learned in the day. We all have seen dreams turn to ashes, ugly things, hopeless experiences but beauty for ashes is God's exchange. Offer yourself to God and ask for a spirit of praise so your whole being will be restored. I never expected the Girls to open up to us like they did. One girl started crying talking about how ashamed she was of herself.  She's so ashamed that she prostitutes for a living and sometimes its so hard she can barely look at herself. It broke my heart but I told her that we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We all sin and do wrong and Jesus died on the cross to forgive us of our sins. That no matter what he will always love us. A lot of girls spoke about how they hated the life they were living, and are so thankful for this opportunity. One girl even shared a testimony about how the Friday before we began the program she had a dream that she was walking in a dark forest. She could barely see and she came to a road and ran across and almost got hit by cars. On the other side of the road were a group of girls waiting for her. In the dream they told her that a new day was coming and she was going to be given a wonderful opportunity to leave her old lifestyle behind. When she told us about that dream we were all amazed and knew it was the Lord speaking to her. All of these girls seem to be making huge steps forward. A couple of them shared how when they were going back home each day, people (other bad influences they were usually involved in with everyday) would ask them where have you been all day? What are you doing? And they told us they were telling them that they had been given an amazing opportunity and were so thankful and wanted to leave that old lifestyle behind. God is so Good. For a moment I was getting a little discouraged with the girls but by them sharing today I know they want this so badly and want to learn about the Lord and grow in his light. My prayer is that the Lord will continue to provide the funds to help these women. They are making jewelry and then were are purchasing the jewelry from them to sell in the US. They have started and are making beautiful pieces so far. I pray the Lord will open the doors for the jewelry to be sold.
I will put more pics of the jewelry and the girls soon. <3 always Carla

Abby and I with the Women of Hope House 

Before leaving for the Zoo

Cato, Abby, Ashlaf, Me, Monday,
and Mrs. Tracy (Abby's mom) 

This is right before we left to go to the zoo! What a great time. 

The Worst and Best Day So Far.

Monday, Me, and Emma

Yesterday was a very interesting day.  I attended my first bible study lesson yesterday and I love it.  Jill is our teacher and she is awesome.  She's American and has been living here for a couple of years now.  She's married to a Christian Ugandan Man and has a beautiful son named Luke.  Our bible study is entitled Reflecting God's Journal and its such a great study.  Its 2 hours long every Tuesday; we spend the first hour reviewing the last weeks lesson and an hour reading and sorting through the new material.  This week our lesson is entitled "She Continually Grows." This lesson was basically about how we should always be growing and maturing in the Lord - never allowing ourselves to become dormant in our spiritual lives.  In this weeks lesson we compared our spiritual complacency and growth to the life of a plant. Its a very interesting comparison and very understandable.  To say the least I cannot wait to go back each week and continue to grow and learn in our study.  After bible study I came home and cleaned up my room and did some laundry.  After that it was time for the boys to come home.  I love them so much and they're always so excited to see me; it makes me feel loved and appreciated.  Abby's mom has been here for the past 8 days and today she was leaving so I helped Abby take her mom's stuff to the hotel.  I took a boda boda all by myself, I even bargained prices with the guy.  I was so proud ; ) I got back to the house and I helped the boys with their homework and we played cards then it was time for dinner. After dinner it was prayer time and I noticed one of the boys wasn't there. I said where's Davis and everyone was like he's sleeping. Which I thought was really weird. Davis never sleeps at 8pm before prayer. I just assumed they knew what he was doing so I left it alone. After prayer I went to my room and Moreen my roommate came in and was like Davis ran away. I was so surprised I knew something weird was going on but I couldn't put my finger on it. Davis is the last boy in the house I thought would ever run away.  These boys are all street boys, they all have lived on the streets for some time in their life and occasionally they will run back. Why I don't know? In my mind I ask myself why would you want to go back and live on the streets without a roof over your heard, a bed, no food, no one that loves you? Why would you want that when you can live in a house filled with people that love you, care for you, teach you about God, and want nothing but the best for you.  I talked to Abby about it for a while today and she said the majority of the time the boys come back begging to be allowed back in the house. Every situation is circumstantial and is treated differently.  However when the boys run they do have consequences some are even not allowed back in the house.  My prayers go out to Davis that he will come back and we can figure out what was going on in his head, what made him feel like he had to run? It broke my heart when I found out Davis was gone. I care about each of these boys so much and I want nothing but the best for them, from what Abby's told me they have all come such a far way and are continuing to grow in the Lord. I just pray for the work that's being done in the house Lord. These boys are all so special and wonderful in their own way, but their young and have a lot of spiritual maturing to do.

Love always, Carla 

Sunday...My Favorite Day of the Weeeeek!

Today a bird woke me up @ 5:30am . The birds here make this really weird noise and did it for an hour. As you can tell I'm still getting used to the animals and their sounds.I got up and got ready for church, I love my church here. Its called Calvary Chapel and its amazing. The people are so welcoming here at the Church and they treat you like family.  I'm really starting to love Uganda. They're parts about Uganda that are a little scary but for the most part I absolutely love it.  We went to the zoo yesterday and it was so much fun. We saw lions, zebras, monkeys actually came so close that you could pet them. The monkeys swarmed us because Davis kept feeding them candy haha. After the zoo we walked over to Lake Victoria and the boys swam and me and Abby sat on the sandy beach part and watched. These boys are such a joy in my life and I'm so thankful I've had the opportunity to meet them.  

Tomorrow we start our woman's program, Hope House.  I'm excited and nervous at the same time. We've rented the house its been renovated and we purchased things for the kitchen so we can supply the girls with lunch everyday.  The girls are coming @ 8:30 in the morning and staying until 4:30. I'm so excited about what the Lords going to do with these girls. I pray that I can be an example of God's love to them.  They want a better life for themselves; and Abby and I are so excited about that, but at the same time its really scary. Abby financially had only planned on about 5 girls coming and 18 showed up. I know the Lord wouldn't have sent those girls if he didn't have a purpose or reason for each of them. And in return I have faith he will provide for each one.  I'm so excited about what the Lord's going to do here not only with the girls program but with the children here at the home.  All of these boys have such unique personalities and want to be loved. If I'm home and Emmanuel knows I'm here he wants to be next to me at all times. I cannot leave his side without him saying Kwagala Nyo which means I love you so much. He always wants to know where I'm going and when I'll be back.  Emmanuel has truly touched my heart and he is such a sweet and funny boy.

Well I have to be up at 7 for the girls project but I thank you all so much for the prayers and support.

Katonda Ayogera Eri Abaana Be

The reason I chose this for the title of this post is because it has something to do with 1 of 2 amazing things that truly touched my heart today. Its the name of the Luganda Bible Derek gave me.  Tonight I was in my room talking to Abby and Josephine the boys counselor and Derek came to the door. He was like Auntie Carla I have something for you. He went out on his own and bought me a bible in Luganda. I was so thankful and it melted my heart. Once again these boys are showing me the meaning of true love. These boys have come from such hard backgrounds but are so thankful to have people in their life that love them and want the best for them.  They protect me and love me so much and look to me for guidance everyday. When in fact their the ones teaching me how to selflessly love.  The other thing that happened today that really touched me was what little Godffrey did. Me and Moreen (my awesome roomate) were cleaning out our room today and rearranging it and I asked little Godffrey to come take out my trash. Here in Africa all the boys go through the trash. Mostly because thats how they survived on the streets, its all they know, so they do it here in the house as well. Anyways 2 seconds later I had a knock on my door and it was little Godffrey "Auntie, Auntie I found something. He found 10,000 shillings that I had accidentally thrown away and instead of keeping it himself and not saying anything he brought it to me and that made me realize how honest, loyal, and loving he was. I was so proud of him. And tonight in bible study/prayer I commended him in front of all the boys on his honesty. I even gave him a portion of the money to prove a point to the boys about honesty and respect. These boys truly have stolen my heart and I will forever Love them.  They have their problems and bad histories but are making such huge strides to have a prosperous future with the Lord by their side.


Tomorrow is going to be busy but fun. We meet with our girls at the Hope House in the morning for a few hours and then were taking the boys to the zoo. CANT WAIT!


I love you all so much and please continue to send prayers our way. <3 Carla

Me Godffrey and Emmanuel

And the Training Begins

For the past couple of days we have been in non-stop training for this new program we are trying to start. Its called Hope House and its for sexually exploited women. Abby's mom got here yesterday and she has been a licensed counselor for 15 years and for the past 2 years has worked with sexually exploited women. She spoke to us today during our training about how to properly interact with these women. We are trying to prepare our self on how to show these women love and co-exist in a very open and safe environment.

So after our meeting I went and ate lunch in town with Abby and her Mom. We ate at Antonio's, my favorite place in Africa to eat. I got sweet and sour chicken with steamed rice. Its actually really good. I was scared the first time I ate because my dad freaked me out about African meat before I came. He was like you never know what your gonna get; monkey, dog, cat. But I love it now and it tastes like chicken so I'm going for it haha. Plus when you eat beans and rice everyday all day you'll take ANYTHING.  I'm growing to love Africa. I know this is where the Lord wanted me because the whole time I've been here I've felt a very calming peace. The staff in the house is super nice and I love them all so much. Last night something discouraging happened. Momma Dunn our super sweet cook informed our house director that her husband had written a letter for him.  The letter said that by Friday she had to quit. After she left David asked me to come talk.  Basically he feels he's at a crossroads. The reason her husband wants her to quit is because she makes more money than him and he wants her home to be with the kids. Momma Dunn knows if she quits her children will have to go without. They are not poverty stricken but without Momma Dunn's income it will be very hard for them to survive. The problem is Momma Dunn's husband has been somewhat abusive before and shes afraid if she doesn't quit he'll try to hurt her but she knows if she does her family will really struggle.  My prayer is the Lord will intervene in this situation and reach her husbands heart and help him realize he must swallow his pride and be thankful she has a job.

Anyways on to a light note. My mom sent roller blades for the boys to play with and yesterday they did and they had sooooo much fun.  They played with the skates all afternoon after school.  Then we had dinner and made cards for Abby's mom. Then we had prayer like we do every night. The boys usually play the piano and we sing a couple of songs, do a bible lesson, then pray. After that its bed time.

Well the boys are getting home for school so I have to run, but I miss you all very much and love you <3

Sweet Treats

Here's a video of the boys making rice krispy treats! So Cute!

A Beautiful Day

Its another beautiful day here in Uganda.  The weather so far has been so wonderful.  I'm so thankful to be here with this team and these wonderful children.  For not having a birth mother and father these children truly understand and express the meaning of Love. The boys here are so wonderful, they constantly want to love on and be loved on.  They are generous, respectful, and compassionate.  Today is my 5th day here and I love this place so much.  I have even grown to like taking a bath in a basin, the rice and beans for every meal is gonna take a little more time getting used to but I'm sure I'll get there.  Even though that's all these boys eat for every meal, they never complain they never get mad or upset, its actually quite the opposite.  Every meal time these children are just so excited to have something to put in their belly that they jump with excitement to eat and to fellowship with one another.  I'll admit yesterday Abby and I were out in town running errands I saw this place and at first I was like MCDONALDS then I realized not quite. Its called steer and its the closest thing to a McDonalds I'm going to find here. So we went in and I thought I was in heaven. I actually got a burger and fries and it tasted like an American Burger and Fries.  I'll definitely be going back over the next 2 months haha. So now that I'm here and settled in me and Abby have gotten down to business.  I'm going to be creating two new blogs and taking over alot of the emails.  She basically needs me to do alot of the marketing/correspondent work for the house.  She is so busy with everything else she just doesn't have time to do blog updates, check emails, upload pictures and videos so I'll be doing most of that. I had to get internet for the house because the internet cafes are so slow here. To do everything I need to do for the blogs and emails it would take me all day in the Internet Cafes so I'll now be able to do it alot quicker and more efficiently at the house.  That's my hope anyways. Today I took a boda (motorcycle) by myself. I was a little nervous about it but it went fine. I went to meet Abby for lunch at the African Market and we went around town to do some shopping and get some things for the house.  We got back just in time for the boys to get home for school.  Tomorrow were meeting with our Hope House staff.  The Hope House is a new project under A Perfect Injustice that were staring to help get young women off the streets.  Were trying to help these young girls that are prostitutes find another way to make a living.  We've found a 2 bedroom house for the girls where we will all meet Monday-Friday 9-4 to make jewelry.  We have staff to come and train the girls how to make the jewelry, during the day we will also be having bible study, counseling, lunch, and most importantly jewelry making.  I'm so excited the Lord has placed this on everyone's heart.  The first day we met we only expected about 5 girls but 16 showed up.  Its a little scary but we know the Lord put those women there for a reason and were going to pray and continue to have faith he will provide. We are praying the jewelry turns out beautiful and we can find people to buy it in the States.  The girls are so thankful for this opportunity, overtime we will truly see and understand the hearts of each of the women.  We hope this will help them leave their old life behind not only their "job" life but we hope they will begin to receive the Lord.  

I will be creating a blog for these girls with pictures of them and the jewelry, so if you would like to learn more information about the Hope House please feel free to check out that blog as well.  Thanks for all the support and prayers. With Love Always, Carla

1st Full Day Here

Its about 2:00 pm here.  I'm still trying to adjust to everything. It has definitely been a culture shock but I know the Lord is going to open my heart and mind to doing his work while I'm here.  I've been with the children one night and they have already stolen my heart.  Last night after Bible Study one of the boys in the house named Davis came up to me and gave me his bracelet and necklace. I thought I was going to burst into tears. Children that have nothing want to give me things that mean alot to them.  If thats not the Lords Love I dont know what is.  They are selfless and loving. They want to be held and loved on all the time.  They are all so sweet and energetic.  I came to dinner last night and the table and chairs were all filled, one little boy got up and gave me his seat.  Without anyone saying a word to him.  Then this morning right as I woke up I had little Deshir at my door with a cup of tea.  These boys already mean so much to me and its only been 24 hours, I cannot even imagine what it will be like in 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 3 months? 

Abby, Moren, Alice, Josephine, and I are trying to start a home like situation to get young women off the streets working as prostitutes, just to feed their families. We met with them today, and they are so thankful the opportunity we are presenting them.  They will come meet at the center 5 days a week to learn how to make jewelry. Our prayer and hope will be that they will make beautiful jewelry to sell and use that money to support their family and be able to leave their old lifestyle.  We have been praying about this and Abby and the other women have been working and praying towards this for months. We all feel in our heart this is what the Lord is leading us to do.   Prayers are so important for these women, we hope they will come everyday and really give this a chance to better themselves as well as their families.

I cannot wait to see what else the Lord is going to use me for here.  I truly feel the children and people here are going to impact my life more than I will theirs.  They mean so much to me and I cannot wait to continue my time here.  

Thanks to everyone for their support, love, and prayers.  Without you all I could not be here to live out what I feel in my heart the Lord has called me to do.  

I have to run the children have a boxing match @ 3 and I promised I would be there.  Love, Carla

The Night Before I leave!

Its 11:32 and I'm sitting here with my best friend after we've been packing for 5 hours. I'm really excited yet nervous to leave for Africa. I'll be flying out @ 6:30 am. I'll be posting just as soon as I get there and have had time to settle down and get to know the little ones. Thank you all so much for your prayers and support.  

<3 Always, Carla

Carla's leaving tomorrow!

Carla is leaving in less than 12 hours for Uganda, Africa.  We will all miss her very much, but know she is going to impact the lives of others tremendously. 

She will hopefully post soon!!!

Pray for a safe arrival!

Love,

Anna (BFF)  ;-)