[to love and be loved]

"We must know that we have been created for greater things,

not just to be a number in the world...

we have been created in order to love and to be loved."

-Mother Theresa

Mother Theresa lived love OUT LOUD! But it wasn’t her original idea when she says we are to love others. My Savior commands it in His word, so that’s what I strive to do. I don’t want to waste my life being grumpy and holding grudges (although trust me, there are definitely people I struggle to love and be patient towards!)

Loving with God’s love is POWERFUL. It can transform someone. I have literally witnessed the “before” and “after” stages w/ some of these kids. I’ve watched hurting, introverted children recognize that the staff at Dwelling Places (and God!) love them. They now are joyful and engage with the other children. Never underestimate the difference that love can make…always be willing to wrap that child in your arms and give them a hug. Always be willing to encourage and point out peoples’ strengths.

At DP, we are currently rescuing children off of the city streets. They’re now living at our transitional rehabilitation home (down the street from the office.) Since I spend my days working in the office, I don’t get to engage with our kids as much as I’d like. So I’ve been trying to stop by the home and visit with the kids several nights a week when I get off work.

On Tuesday, I brought along some nail polish for pedicures (thanks to my dear friend, Amy, who sent them from the U.S!) The girls went CRAZY with excitement. Their toes never looked better : ) Before I left, they wanted to return the favor….what’s the result when you have FOUR young kids simultaneously painting the nails on each limb of your body? Let’s just say I looked like a (very pink) nail salon threw up on me! And I loved every minute of it. (No photos were taken, unfortunately ;)

My beautiful, talented friend (Maria) and I stopped by to visit the kids this afternoon. We had a blast playing Duck-Duck-Goose (which many of them have NEVER played before!) and just lovin’ on the kiddos. I snapped some photos that I want to share with you.

Don’t their smiles melt your heart?? It’s hard to believe that even just a few weeks ago, they were facing hardships such as: abuse, struggling to find food, not having a place to sleep, and the list goes on.

[Juma, age 4. I'm smitten, I'll admit it...]

[Holding sweet Patricia and also Shadiya....and half of Daniel!]

[I believe this cutie just came last week, and I haven't yet learned the names of all the brand-new ones :/ ]

[Juma again....he was toting around baby Silas who's about 9 months old! Too cute.]

[I caught Silas in an adorable, candid moment...]

[Could their smiles get any bigger? These two (like MANY of our DP kids) actually attend a nearby boarding school; this was a few weeks ago during their break.]

[Playing Duck-Duck-Goose today! Well, certain individuals were distracted by the camera. My dear friend, Maria, is in the striped shirt on the right; she has recently started volunteering with us. She's so talented and great with the kids.]

[Patricia again--this little girl melts my heart. Note the dust on my toes--I will NOT miss that aspect of Uganda ;) ]

Please keep these precious children in your prayers this week, as they are still adjusting to life at DP. Pray that it soon begins to feel like “home”; pray that all 20+ of them get along and love each other like family (Since MOST of them are fresh-off-the-streets, they’re hitting and punching each other if they don’t get their way.) And consider sponsoring a child; let me know if you’re interested!

do you agree?

“Laundry is the only thing that should be separated by color.”

[Photo: Old town Mombasa, Kenya]

Who says?

Who says you can't be a blessing to children in Uganda from your living room in America?

A few weeks ago on my blog, I explained how my friend, Lauren, decided to contribute to Dwelling Places. She's been making/selling these purses (<---click there to go to the website and order! :) 100% of the money ($20 per purse) goes to DP. Thank you SO much to everyone who has ordered one so far....when you wear it, don't be shy--please spread the word about the beautiful children at DP and encourage others to get involved (sponsor a child, buy a purse, etc.)

[Lauren and her adorable son.....he doesn't do the sewing, but I'm sure he cheers her on :) ]

The money has been accumulating in my bank account, and I've been waiting for an opportunity to use it...the opportunity came this week!

I found out that some of our kids were unable to go back to school on Monday (here in Uganda, the holiday break lasts until Feb.) Why did they have to stay behind when the rest of their friends went back to school? Because they didn't have sturdy shoes that the school requires of them (they were either lost, stolen, etc over holiday break.)

I checked my bank account and had the PERFECT amount (thanks to everyone who bought purses!) so that was all the confirmation I needed. One of our staff members went into the city that same afternoon and used the money to buy shoes for the kids.

Because of your generosity, those kids were able to start school today instead of sitting around for a number of days wishing they were studying again. The kids were SO happy when I told them about Lauren's purses...I gave them a serious talk about how they MUST be responsible with these shoes because God has provided them (and someone in America spent HOURS making purses to make it possible :) They nodded in agreement and clapped enthusiastically when they found out they'd be starting school today.

[The kiddos!]

Please let this encourage you--you CAN be a blessing to children in Africa even without traveling here. One small, creative idea may spark a way that you can get involved with ministries like DP even from your own home.

Now that I have seen... [Rwanda]

Now that I have seen, I am responsible

Faith without deeds is dead.

I will tell the world,

I will tell them where I've been

I will keep my word

I will tell them,

Albertine

Brooke Fraser//"Albertine"

Singer/song-writer, Brooke Fraser (you may know her from Hillsong United) traveled to Rwanda and met a young girl named Albertine, who was orphaned by the 1994 genocide.

Brooke was so deeply touched that she wrote a song to share with the world...I am echoing her thoughts: "I will tell the world...." I met a young man who miraculously survived a very violent, bloody event during the genocide. One of the most moving, powerful testimonies I've ever heard. And I've been sharing his story with friends/family back home, co-workers and friends in Uganda, etc. Sharing such stories (especially through the use of media) is a great reminder about the world that exists outside of our bubbles...With his permission, I hope to blog again soon and share his story with you all.

This music video was recorded in Rwanda, and having been there two weeks ago I absolutely loved watching it. I hope you do as well!

(Random side note: 2 minutes and 28 seconds into it, you'll see a bicycle boda. I rode on the back of one through the gorgeous, Rwandan countryside. The hills were a bit scary, but I got some great photos and Flipcam footage! The first two photos below were taken while I was on the back of the bike...)

Two young friends, fetching water in gerry cans...not an easy task, especially in heat.

10,000 people were murdered here at this church during the Genocide.

Today it is a Genocide memorial site.

arm hair, hammocks +sunsets

Hope you all are enjoying your Sunday--perhaps my favorite day of the week here in Uganda. My new Sunday schedule consists of being away from the house from 9am until 7pm, so it's exhausting but very rewarding. Church is always encouraging and convicting (I have never loved a church more than this one). Then I grab lunch at a local joint, followed by spending the afternoon (until 6pm) at nearby slums helping with a ministry to street boys.

We play games, help them wash their clothes (and give them the opportunity to bathe), teach them about the Lord, love on them (my favorite part--tons of hugs every week!!), etc. I was asked by my friend to lead a small group of boys (ages 11-17), and I can already tell I'm going to LOVE it. Today I had a muslim teen in my group; I hope he comes back, because it's an awesome opportunity for him to see Christ in others. Please pray for wisdom for me!

Humorous moment of the day: as I was about to head home, I felt some of the young boys pulling my arm hair! "What are you doing?," I exclaimed. "Auntie, to remember you....to remember you...." So silly! They're not used to seeing arm hair (ugandans have such smooth arms!)

Highlight of my day was the following situation: I was walking with a few of our boys, and a man rolled down his car window and tried "warning" me by saying, "Those street boys--they have bad manners." My response: "I love them. They need LOVE and JESUS." Then one of the boys walks over, sticks his head in the window and tells the man, "I'll pray for YOU!" That put the man in his place! Something we're telling the boys must be sinking in :)

Ok, on another note...

Many of you back home are bundled up in scarves, boots, and skinny jeans. To be honest, I'm jealous--I miss the snow and the cold weather! But I can't complain, especially because we've had some beautiful days here in Uganda recently (65-70 degrees F). Some of my Ugandan friends have been walking around wearing jackets, scarves, and gloves (yeah I'm serious right now...) but this American is embracing the "chilly" weather in capris and tshirts.

This past Friday after work, I had a few hours to relax at home before going out with some friends (every Fri there's live jazz music at a fancy shmancy hotel about 45 minutes from my flat. Can not WAIT to go back. It was phenomenal to enjoy a classy place for freeeee.)

I immediately hung up my new roommate's hammock on our veranda and was asleep within a matter of several minutes. Before I knew it, I was joined by my darling neighbor girl (her mom is the one who cooked those grasshoppers for me back in Nov!) She was overjoyed when I pulled her into the hammock with me....

Welcome to my veranda: my favorite place to drink coffee, think, journal, people-watch (there are always neighbors outside!), etc.

I'm incredibly spoiled by our fourth-floor view of the neighborhood and nearby hills (Last week I moved to a flat upstairs, so it's an even better view!)

Light, subject, composition--SHOOT!

You know the classic game "rock, paper, scissors--SHOOT", right? Well I'm titling this blog post (which is about photography): "light, subject, composition--SHOOT!" Ok it doesn't quite have the same ring to it, but it's 1:30am so my sleepy self thinks it's quite clever.

Hopefully you caught the "shoot" pun!

A photo always contains a subject, composition, and light (the word photography comes from two Greek words, which translated means "drawing with light"--just incase you were wondering!)

My goal of the photography class: to equip the 10 Ugandan teens with techniques/concepts which will help them take better photos. I didn't want to bog them down with lots of technical information regarding ISO, shutter speed, aperture, etc ("Bueller....? Bueller....?") so instead I took a practical, artistic approach and decided to focus on the creative aspects. I hope I stretched their brains and got them to think outside the box so that next time they take a photo, they really give it thought.

A friend of mine is doing a photo advocacy project with these teenagers (who are actually part of the Dwelling Places program); the teens are photographing their world and telling their stories in the form of a book (the final product). It's my dream to one day do an in-depth photo project with Ugandan kids/teens, but it will take a LOT of thought, planning, and purpose--so it won't be happening in the next few months. For now, I'm just excited I could spend a few hours sharing my passion with some young people.

I couldn't have asked for better students. When I entered the "classroom," I was unsure what their response would be....and I was pleasantly surprised by their enthusiasm! Not only did they have incredible eye contact while I spoke, but as I spoke they also asked various questions about lighting, the rule of 3rds, converging lines, etc. One of the biggest things I stressed to them was: "Please please please do not be afraid to get up close and personal with your subject!" to which one of them replied, "But Auntie, what if it's a dangerous subject--like a lion!?" Those are the Q's you get while teaching a photography class in Africa.

We spent some time outside so they could practice the various techniques I taught them, and I couldn't stop smiling as I watched them get creative and have fun taking photos. As they photographed various things (and each other!) they ran over to me--they showed me their camera, and said, "Auntie look at this photo! What about this one?" and I did my best to point out something positive (many of the photos were excellent) while also offering constructive criticism so they can improve.

I giggled quite a lot when I saw one of the boys grab an innocent chicken passing by; the boy lifted the chicken high above his head and then took a photo. He certainly took my advice seriously when I spoke about taking creative angles of the subject! :)

My point-and-shoot camera has not been used in a while, but I brought it along today and handed it over to one of the kids to use. I'm not sure which child took this photo of their friend, but I'm proud of them for demonstrating the "rule of thirds" which they learned about in class. (Placing the subject on a horizontal or vertical "third"--not in the middle of the photo.)

This One's for Africa...

As Shakira sings in one of her hit songs, "this one's for Africa...." Lauren, a friend that I've grown up with, is a talented and creative individual. She's sewing purses and giving 100% of the proceeds to Dwelling Places (the ministry where I'm volunteering in Uganda.)

Check them out--how cute are they? And Lauren will even customize the lining of the purse for you; you can choose the pattern that you want! Click here to visit her Etsy site. This would make a fantastic gift (for you or a friend ;) and hey, you're helping street children in Uganda as well! So no need to feel guilty while you shop.

I am so touched by Lauren's kind heart and generosity, and thank you to everyone who has already purchased a purse!

On an unrelated note, one of my favorite things about my daily life in Uganda is riding boda-bodas ("bodas" for short.) They're definitely not safe, but when you're caught in a traffic jam in the city you are VERY thankful for bodas (they weave in and out of the traffic--no need to wait :) Another missionary took this photo when he visited Kampala. This is in my neighborhood, on my way to work. You can't see his face, but that's Robert--my trusty boda driver and friend. I honestly am going to go through major withdrawal when I'm back in the states--bodas are a blast! (hmmm maybe I'll have to buy a motorcycle ;)

I just returned yesterday from 9 days in Rwanda which was fantastic. I'm way behind on blogging and sharing photos with you all---I still have lots of great shots from Kenya!