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Isaiah 1:17 (ESV)

Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression, bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.

Still wondering?

Psalm 146:9 ESV 

The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

Still not sure?

James 1:27 ESV 

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.

They are our responsibility and there are millions of them worldwide. Won't you prayerfully consider partnering with us to do more?

I'm not beautiful

The first time I took one of the boys to register at school, the man registering him asked him if he was a Christian.  I am sure the man was expecting him to say yes.  Actually I was too.

But my dear Dunkan said, "No. I don't pray."

I almost died.

He had only been in the home for a few days at that point.  So with the man's judgmental stare killing me slowly, I explained how he just came of the street and hurried to the next question.

And sure enough at devotions that night, he didn't pray.

He didn't listen.

He didn't seem to care.

I don't know how I never noticed it before.

He didn't believe in God.

I couldn't be angry.  I couldn't even blame him.  The thought of someone that sees everything and knows everything and loves you anyway is hard to comprehend when you aren't struggling each day to survive, let alone when you are.  I am sure we have all been there when we are at a point and think our lives are over and we can't take anymore and we get angry at God.

That point is EVERYDAY for a boy living on the streets.  Each day he is abused and beaten, treated like less than trash, arrested and chased for no reason, forced to steal to eat, and turns to drugs to escape.

Each day, he falls asleep cold and alone and thinks he can't take any more.

Each day, he wakes up and it is the same.

No one loves him.  No one has kind words, instead they hurl insults.  He eats from the trash.  What little he does have is stolen from him.  He runs and hides so no one can get him.  He dreams of seeing his family or being in school but knows his family doesn't care and probably isn't even missing him and school will never happen for him.

He begins to think he is worthless because that is what he hears everyday.

He begins to believe he is unlovable because that is how he is treated.

He begins to lose hope and faith because life is just too much.

No wonder he said he didn't pray.  He probably felt like there was no use.  He probably felt so worthless and useless, he couldn't even begin to believe that anyone could love him, including God.

What drew me to Dunkan was his laugh.  He hides his pain behind jokes.  I think he feels happiness when he sees others laughing.  His laugh is infectious.  Just hearing it makes me laugh with joy.  Every time he gets on the phone I smile and it erupts into a laugh and he asks me why.  His laugh is beautiful.  His smile is even more beautiful.  He is beautiful.

It has been so difficult for him in the home.  Lately, when I call we have been having very long conversations.  Today was no different.  He is doing better but I think it is still hard for him.  He keeps bringing up that he doesn't understand why I chose him.  Today his words broke my heart.  He said, "Don't you remember that I told you I was sitting here wondering why you took me?"  I answered and said, "Yes but don't you remember what I said?"  He assured me he did and I asked him what.  He said, "Because you love me."  I told him that was right, I do.  He responded by saying, "I still wonder.  I thought to myself, 'I am so bad.  I am not beautiful.  Why me?"

"I am not beautiful."

I think those words are difficult to hear from anyone but have a greater sting from someone you love and adore.  It is a sign that he is so hurt and broken from his time on the streets and probably even from his life before.  He hasn't known kindness, love or forgiveness.  All things that God represents.

But now he has.

Our conversation ended with him telling me thank you for choosing him.  He told me that I am everything to him because I have helped him.  I am like his mother and his father.  I am everything.

But then he stopped and changed his mind.

He said, "Sorry, actually you are second.  God is my real father and you are second to Him."

I couldn't believe it.  My heart has never felt happier.

What do you think would have happened if I would have gotten angry at him and not allowed him to be in the house because he didn't believe?

As Christians, our lives are a reflection of what we believe and who Jesus is.  I know we are flawed.  I know I am not perfect and make many mistakes everyday.  But I ask you to think about it.  Is your life reflecting Jesus' love?  Is your life reflecting Jesus at all?

Beautiful Dunkan

God is good

About 5 months ago, I dropped my wallet when getting out of a taxi.  It caused so many headaches and phone calls to Chase.  I was continually frustrated because I could not get a bank card and it was causing such difficulties trying to get money; people had to wire, I had to transfer, it was a mess.  Finally, about a month ago, I got my bank card.

When I take a boda from the house, 8 out of 10 times, I take the same guy.  He is nice, knows all the places I want to go, and doesn't over charge me so much.  Yesterday, when I got off a boda at my street and was walking towards the house, my normal boda driver walked up to me.  He asked me if I lost my documents. I was so shocked and told him yeah but it was a really long time ago.  He was surprised by that also.  He pulled out of his pocket my driver's license and bank card.  He told me he had found them while driving.  5 months later, my stuff shows up.  Incredible...

After the initial annoyance that this is my life right now (I had just gotten back from fighting to shut a door that absolutely refused at the women's program and was super annoyed.) I realized how amazing it really was.  Where my things were for the last 5 months, I don't know, but they are safe now.

God continues to amaze and surprise me here.  Things I thought were impossible, He has done.  The other day, I was telling a friend I hadn't talked to in a while all the ways God is working here.  It is pretty amazing.

Last night I visited the same house I do every Thursday.  I arrived late and found the boys already in devotions, leading themselves.  They continue to amaze me.  Sometimes it is easy to think that the kids just pray or read the Bible because we are around, but it is totally not the case with these kids.  They really believe and really worship, without being forced or supervised.

I told my friend about Ronald.  How he has started to come to the programs and he even let me treat his wound the other day.  It was a big scratch but it definitely didn't require serious attention.  He came over and sat and waited for me to treat it and even said thank you.  He is an amazing kid and I am so happy he is coming closer.  God heard my prayers to bring him close and he answered them.  An uncle told me that he has been on the streets a long time and works so hard because he refuses to steal.  Ronald is always working and that was why he usually didn't come to programs.  But now he is around and I know great things are going to happen.

Yesterday the church partnered with another organization and came and did HIV testing.  I was really afraid for some of the boys but all the boys tested (most got tested but some are afraid of needles and refused and some weren't around) were negative...including mine :-).


Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26


**If you are interested in supporting me and my mission/work here (everything helps!) you can give online at www.globaltrainingnetwork.org and all donations are tax-deductible, just go to the support tab and preference my ministry.

Day 6

Today made the whole week worth it but it didn't start out that way....

I woke up to Gina cooking food with the boys.  I was a little bitter and annoyed by this seeing as how I wasn't going to get to eat.  So I decided to stay in my room most of the morning.  As if that was tempting enough, I got home from taking Richard to the hospital(He is fine, just has ear infection) and lunch was waiting on the table.  I was really ready to give in.  It is amazing how much you think about food when you can't eat.

We went to the market afterwards and you would have thought I was buying food for 50 people, not 15.  Gina just kept looking at me funny as I was taking more and more vegetables.  My stomach was doing the shopping...

We decided to visit one of the uncles and cook for him and the boys he stays with.  We bought spaghetti which is a huge treat for the boys.  What was supposed to be a simple evening hanging out, turned into one of the best nights I have had in Uganda.  The uncle has about 7/8 other boys staying with him these days.  In addition to the 3 that were already there.  When we got to his house everyone was around and ready to help.  Soon other boys from the program started showing up.  His door is always open and the boys from the street will come by to visit, say hello, take a nap, etc.  We ended up with around 20 people in all.  Me, Gina, 3 uncles, 2 of my boys, and 12 others.  Dinner became a group project and everyone did something from washing vegetables, chopping, cooking.  We had so much fun cooking.  The kids love to help and it isn't something that they get to experience too often.  We had so much food (thanks to my hungry stomach ;-) and all of the boys had more than enough.  As we were listening to the uncle share from the Bible after dinner, the boys got the super special treat of tea also.

Dan was there, which made me super happy.  He is absolutely adorable to me and each day I am loving him even more.  He used to be a quiet kid that wouldn't get too close.  But these days, he has started hanging around more and more.  We now play around by saying the same thing over and over to each other.  I will greet him over and over and eventually it will just leave us laughing.

One of the best things of the night was the boys' gratitude.  Besides each boy saying thank you like 5 times, several got up in front of everyone to say thank you.  The boys are so humble and so grateful for the smallest things, it makes me want to give them the moon.  One boy, Peter, told us thank you because they are going to sleep with full stomachs tonight and that doesn't happen very much.

Again my hope was restored tonight.  When it was time to pray, each kid prayed and for some it was obvious that they were praying with all of their hearts.  They believe in the God that I love and worship and believe that He will deliver them from their situation.  Seeing them with hope, gives me so much more....

God bless!! :-)

Day 4

Today was the hardest day so far.  All I could think about was food.  Everyone seemed to be eating, except me.  I thought 7pm was never going to arrive.  In the afternoon, I needed to go home before I went to the street program but was afraid because I seriously felt like if I saw food I was going to lose it and just eat everything.


Needless to say, I kept it together and made it through the day.  Being hungry has made me think about so many food related issues.  For one, in the afternoon I was so hungry and was getting really grumpy.  Made me think, how many of these kids are just moody and grumpy because they are hungry?  Probably a lot of them.  Some days I feel like some of the boys are ticking time bombs, ready to explode at any second over nothing.  And it is always before we eat.  Food has a huge impact on your mood and I never considered it before.


Ok so it was just one food issue.  :-)  but I thought about food so much today, it felt like much more...


Today was a great time with the boys.  I took the boys from the home where I stay, my 3 boys, an uncle and all of the boys from his house, 2 of another aunt's, and about 4 other boys that stay with my 3.  We were close to 40 in all.  The highlight of swimming was Bwanika and his dog.  Bwanika is staying with another aunt and has a dog that follows him everywhere.  The dog is still on the streets so when the dog sees him, he is so happy.  As I was at the main entrance of the swimming pool, counting the boys, the dog runs past me.  I was SO positive they were going to scream at us and kick the dog out, but they didn't.  So it was 40 of us and a dog.  The boys all jumped in the pool and the dog was running around the pool wherever his friends were swimming.  It was the cutest thing ever.  Towards the end, this man came and was disturbing me and the other aunt and the dog came up to us.  The man freaked out and the other aunt said to him, "Oh, he's fine.  He's ours."  To which the man responded, "He's vaccinated?"  We just had to laugh and then she tells him, "No, he's a street dog."  The man was so unhappy and disturbed by that that he left very shortly after.

Alfonde, the dog that follows everywhere and went swimming

Bwanika

Police

The other highlight of my day, was Ronald again.  All of the boys know that if I am around they cannot be mean to the dogs(there are many street dogs/puppies around).  I will get up and chase them and do to them whatever they did to the dog.  Sometimes this backfires on me because they will bother the dogs just to bother me or they think it is funny.  Today one of the boys, Junior, was bothering a dog named Police.  She is always around and the kids will feed her.  He kept bothering her, pouring water on her, pushing her, etc. and I kept telling him to stop.  Then he kicked her and I got up.  Ronald was standing by and another boy picked Junior up and brought him over to Ronald at his request.  Ronald then started yelling at Junior for kicking Police.  Not sure what all was said but the message was definitely delivered.  As I was leaving later, I walked by Ronald and told him I would see him tomorrow and he didn't seem to care but then said, "Tomorrow?  Ok."  We are making progress...


On to day 5...




**If you are interested in supporting me and my mission/work here (everything helps!) you can give online at www.globaltrainingnetwork.org and all donations are tax-deductible, just go to the support tab and preference my ministry

Day 3-Brian

Today was day 3.  At one point during the day, I thought I wasn't going to make it...but I did.  Today was actually the first day that after finally eating, my stomach didn't hurt so bad.  The past 2 days, after I ate my stomach was very unhappy, which you think it wouldn't be.


The absolutely amazing thing of today was a boy named Brian.  Normally, he is a bundle of anger ALL the time.  If you talk to him, he acts like you are not and will rarely respond.  If he does, it is a mumble.  He is always dirty and refuses to bathe or let us cut his hair.  I have never really seen him hanging out with any of the other boys.  He had a dog that it was obvious he loved and it followed him everywhere, but it died.  So now it is just him.  


Today I was walking back from the soccer field and I looked behind me and there was Brian.  I greeted him and he actually answered.  AND THEN he even asked me how I was!  As if that wasn't shocking enough, after I asked him if he was playing soccer, he grabbed my hand and held it as we were walking.  NEVER in a million, qazillion years did I ever expect that to happen.  I think I almost fell over.  He held my hand all the way back to the church and then went to sit down.  When I told the other aunt what happened, she jokingly told me she felt like our work was done. After everyone ate, she asked if we could cut his hair and he actually agreed! He looked so clean and so smart and so cute afterwards. 


I could say that I don't know what made him change, but I do.  While we are patiently waiting for a solution, God is giving us so many reasons to not lose hope. Today, Brian is the reason. With God anything is possible and I know soon these boys will not have to scatter around the city to sleep in fields, drainage pipes, and verandas. 


God is good all the time.  And all the time God is good.  And He loves these kids so much.  And He hears our prayers and answers them.  John 14:14 "You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."


Please continue to pray for these boys with me!

Brian is the boy on the left wearing the hat.

**If you are interested in supporting me and my mission/work here (everything helps!) you can give online at www.globaltrainingnetwork.org and all donations are tax-deductible, just go to the support tab and preference my ministry