Reflecting on an AMAZING journey

Wow, just WOW! I am aware of how much I overuse the word amazing but I really am struggling to find any other word that fits our experience in Uganda better. It was AMAZING! We met some great people, saw some things that will change us forever and left a bit of our hearts in Uganda.

Making friends at Rukungiri Modern Primary school

We were incredibly blessed to be joining an awesome team 3 for our trip. As we were going with just 2 of us I worried how well we would fit into a large team made up of families and friends. Well that was a silly thing to worry about, Chipman was off sitting next to his mate for the trip after only knowing him for the previous 7 hour flight! Team 3 in my opinion was the best team. It really made the whole experience even more special to share it with them all. As well as making friends with the team we also met lots of people in Uganda. Wherever we went we always greeted with smiles, sometimes even song. We went out there to help but what we did was small in comparision to what the people we met are doing everyday. Meeting people with hearts equipped and prepared to serve the Ugandan people and the Lord was a great experience. What we did in 2 weeks is but a drop in the ocean compared to what these people are doing everyday!



Seeing how different people live is always an eye opening experience, whether it be looking at rich and famous people's houses on MTV's Cribs (showing my age now) to driving through towns and villages in Rukungiri. You can tell a lot from where people live. In Uganda there were big houses (although not very many) you would expect to see at home next to run down homes without running water and electricity. Shops are painted in bright advertising colours, paid for by the companies themselves, and because taxation is only due once a building is completed many unfinished homes. It was not like anything you would see here in the UK or on Cribs! Even in these sorts of living conditions where poverty screams from the streets they still had time and patience to welcome us in to share in their lives.

Rukungiri town

I knew that I always wanted to go to Africa, I knew I would enjoy my time there, I thought I would travel round many African nations before I fell in love. All it took was to land on Ugandan soil to realise that Africa is all I hoped it would be. It took 2 days to realise I would love my time there and only 2 weeks to fall head over heels in love. Uganda is a beautifully green landscaped country. It boasts people who are welcoming and greet you with a hug and a smile the first time they meet you. It has a spirit of survival and people willing to help as much as they can. Uganda has stolen my heart and I will return!

The view from our walk to prayer mountain

The final countdown

Well we are nearly there. Tomorrow evening we will be at Heathrow airport waiting to board our first flight on our way to Uganda! We have 2 days of traveling to get to Rukungiri. I'm so excited I wish I could just click my fingers and be there now! Yesterday we received an update on all that team 2 had been doing and what team 3 (that's our team) would be doing. It sure is going to be a busy 2 weeks as we refurbish a dormitory and build the internal walls of a new dorm. These dormitories will make a huge difference to the children that will be using the latest addition to the school. I have to be truthful and admit that I am lazy, I love nothing more than to spend the weekend in my onesie watching trashy T.V so this is probably going to be the hardest I've ever worked! If you're the praying type please pray for energy and a hardworking spirit for the trip!

Before I go and leave the other half and my youngest daughter we're spending some quality time today. Chipman is off at work with Dad so they can spend father son time and Beebie is at home with me watching movies in our pj's before heading out for lunch  with Grandma. The most exciting bit is date night tonight. My husband and I rarely get the chance to go out together without children so we are both looking forward to an evening out tonight. The plan is to have a lovely dinner together in town and I have to say I can't wait. We have never been away from each other or the children for this long before so that brings challenges all of it's own. Please pray for strength as we prepare to spend this time apart and that we can find comfort in God when we feel lonely.

While I'm in Uganda I am really looking forward to sharing God's love with those we meet. I have been thinking, as Mission Direct recommend in their handbook, about my testimony and have really been struck by Paul's words in Ephesians chapter 2 verses 7-10. We all try and change things in our lives for the better but ultimately it is God's grace given to us through Christ Jesus that will change everything! I am really holding these verses close to my heart as I prepare for our trip, without God I would not be embarking on this great journey. If you get a chance please pray that as a team we can show those we meet in Rukungiri why God is so great and to share His grace.

Checklist ticked by God

Well our checklist is going well, we've had all our jabs, got our malaria and chorea medication, a suitcase full of aid and raised all the funds we need. I am so grateful to everyone who has donated, sponsored my silence, bid on auction items or bought crafty bits from me to help us raise all we needed plus an extra £6 for the project. God has provided so well for us both and I feel incredibly blessed!

Now that our trip is only 7 days away I am a big ball of emotions. My tummy is full of butterflies which are equal parts excitement and trepidation. I am so excited to see what God has planned for me In Uganda, to see what the country and people are like and to get stuck into building and immersing myself in a different culture. I am nervous about what the food will be like, how well Chipman will travel and how we will cope without all the modern conveniences we are used to here in the UK!

So with all of this whirring around sleep has been hard to come by so at 1am the other morning I decided to put it all down in my journal. As I was writing I glanced up at my last entry, which I'm slightly ashamed to say was in January, and my closing prayer caught my eye. As I re-read through it I saw that all that I had prayed for had been answered. Not just one thing but all of them. Chipman had his injections and even though he really didn't want to he bravely battled through and even had 2 in one sitting! Our funds have been raised and we have even had enough to give a small amount extra to the project. £6 might not be a lot but considering that 7 weeks ago we still had £700 to raise it's not bad! We have got loads of toiletries, clothes and teaching stuff to give to those we will meet in Rukungiri. And lastly after emailing the team to explain a little of Chipman's difficulties with Aspergers and ADHD I got a beautiful email from another team member that made me feel so reassured that we would be well supported. These were not small things to ask for but then God is not exactly small himself and has been known to do much bigger things - I could list them all but that would make a very long blog post and they're all in the Bible! So when I looked back at that journal entry and saw how God had answered all my prayers I was blown away by God's faithfulness that was there in black and white.

 As soon as we booked our trip people have been asking how we will do it all in time, what will we do if we can't and my answer has been that it's in God's hands. Sometimes when I gave that answer it was because it was the right thing to say but in reality there was a little bit of doubt as the date drew nearer and the funds left to raise remained the same. But it really was in His hands. He has been in control of it all, my trust was not misplaced, even when i didn't feel it. He was right there orchestrating this amazing trip. God is one who fulfils His promises, is always there and listens to little ol' us. Our God is quite simply AMAZING!

Preparing for our travels

After attending our orientation for our trip to Rukungiri we have been so excited to get prepared. And there is still lots to prepare. First on our list is injections, for needle phobic Chipman this is not filling him with much joy! He has been incredibly brave so far and on Tuesday went for our next lot of immunisations. As a mum this process has been difficult. I am taking my son to the doctor to be protected against some pretty nasty and sometimes fatal diseases. Doing everything I can with my mothering instincts in overdrive to protect. I know for Chipman this is the best thing I can do for him before travelling but it also makes me realise how privileged I am. Those we will be serving in Uganda do not have this opportunity, the medicines which we take for granted are not readily accessible. The mother's in Uganda have the same motherly instincts to protect their children as we have here in the UK but only 52% of children in Uganda are fully immunised, which it gives it the lowest immunisations statistics in Eastern Africa. So as I went to the doctor's surgery on Tuesday I am incredibly grateful for the medicines we have available for myself and Chipman but I also had a prayerful heart for those that are not in the same situation as us, in Rukungiri, across Uganda and the world.

If you would like to support Chipman and I in prayer then please pray for us as we continue with our injections, that Chipman will be brave and that all goes smoothly. Also pray for us that God is in control of our fundraising as we are on the final stretch to our end goal. Please pray for all the others on our trip that their preparations go well. Most importantly please lift up in prayer all those in Uganda and across the globe who do not have access to the immunisations they need, that those in control make wise decisions.

As always I value your feedback!

Our first stop......

A little background of who I am and what myself and my 12 year old son Chipman are doing would probably be helpful right about now, so here's the low down on all you need to know. I am Helen, I am a mum of 2, my daughter Beebie is 6 and as I mentioned before Chipman is 12. My husband Mark is a motorcycle mechanic and loves his bikes almost as much as us! We are not a perfect family, we fight, we forgive, we fall out and we love just like everyone else. Our family does have added pressures in that Chipman has Aspergers and ADHD and Beebie has speech and language problems. There is never a dull moment in our house!

So now you have a picture of who we are, what on earth are we doing? Well Chipman and I are heading off to Uganda in July, not on an exotic 2 week relax by the pool type of thing but a getting our hands dirty, building, visiting and helping type of trip. All of this has been made possible by a fantastic charity called Mission Direct. They work in 11 different countries building with bricks and mortar and with God in people's hearts. The trip we are going on is to a town called Rukungiri, Mission Direct have done lots of work there already building schools, boring water holes, and now they have a new project. The mainstream primary school is amazing, it has a class especially for deaf children and it is giving the children a future but there are a group of children missing out. Disabled children. They have no opportunity to learn, that is until now. A and I will be going with a team of 18 others to help build an extension onto the existing school just for disabled children. They too will soon have the chance to learn and a better future too.

As you may have guessed with the list of diagnosis our children have, helping others with disabilities is something very close to our hearts. We have been so amazingly blessed by God with this opportunity to not only build buildings with physical materials but also help build his kingdom too. If you are reading this and would like to know how you could support Chipman and I as we embark on our adventure then I would love to ask that if you are the praying kind that you pray for our family, the team going and also the staff team who will be in Uganda organising everything for 4 months (they are all volunteers which I think is amazing).

For our family in particular I would love Chipman to be surrounded by prayer for the change, having Aspergers means that he likes structure and routine to be the same, Uganda will be very different. Please pray that he can enjoy the time in Rukungiri and grow and give to the best of his ability. For me I would love prayer for patience, dealing with Chipman on my own without my husband especially on a long flight will be demanding. Please pray for all of our team that vaccination plans, fundraising and practical preparations go smoothly. Please also pray that we are quick at learning how to lay bricks and are given opportunities to share God's love with those we meet.

 

Keep checking back to see what is happening on our journey to Rukungiri!