To see all of my adventures in Uganda (or at least the ones I've posted so far), click on the "Ugandan Adventures" tag at the bottom of this post.
Here's the message I posted to my secret/private facebook group from the last few days of my first trip to Uganda.
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8/12/2011
My last few days...
Hello sweet friends!!
I can hardly believe that my time here is coming to a close! I'm leaving tomorrow night (my flight leaves at 1:45 CST)...I can totally tell how many people are praying for me. I feel sad to leave M, but also very strong and confident in the Lord's goodness no matter how this part of the story ends!
I'm feeling much better - after spending all day yesterday (Thursday) in bed. On top of the headcold I had, yesterday I woke up with "a bad tummy", as they say here. Ick. Thankfully that seems to be out of my system. Thankful that it happened yesterday and not tomorrow...and thankful if I had to miss a day in the babies home that it was yesterday, since I heard that a BUNCH of the kids were also sick, and some of the teachers, so there were feverish, throwing up kids everywhere. Double Ick.
Today I'm spending as much time with M as possible... I'll probably get my stuff packed tonight... Tomorrow I'm meeting with my lawyer in the morning (thanks for praying, I heard from her within HOURS of asking y'all to pray!!), will spend the afternoon with M, and the taxi is picking me up at 6:30pm to head to the airport. I have 4ish hours in Brussels, and a couple of hours in Chicago... Can't remember what time I get home - around 5 maybe? And if I'm up for it, I'm hoping for a birthday dinner at PF Changs in Omaha before we head back to Lincoln (too bad the rumored Omaha On the Border isn't open yet, because that? Sounds DELICIOUS to me right about now!) I've really enjoyed the food here, but that hasn't stopped us from having numerous conversations about the foods from our homelands that we miss. I'm really missing my boys (and Man. :D) and looking forward to being with them again. Hoping for a very quick recovery from jetlag, since I have to jump right back into normal life... Luke starts 6th grade (middle school!!) on Tuesday, and we have leadership training for the college ministry on Saturday. I'll have to shift gears quickly!
Things I'm going to miss (besides the bleedingly obvious... Little Mister himself)
... The way M's face lights up and he runs to me when I come into the babies home
... the way Ugandans break into wide smiles when you greet them
... Sleeping under a mosquito net, which looks like a princess bed
...The community/family feeling in the guest house. I've really enjoyed being around so many different people, from different cultures and places and faiths = who all get along so well. The people I've been here with have been a real blessing.
...Chipati (it's a kind of flatbread)
...All the kids here - I feel so attached to so many of them. I'm going to miss the way they all run and hug me and say "ha-LOW MAMA MARVIN!"
... Bedtime. I love (as tiring as it is) the naked running around baby game, but I especially love getting to pray over each child before putting him/her to bed. I've prayed the same things for them I pray for my own kids every night... "The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make His face shine up you, be gracious to you and give you peace." I've also prayed for each one, that they would know Him as the Father of the Fatherless, that He would give them a hope and a future. It is such a privilege!
OK... I'd better run. The comp is getting really slow, afraid I'm going to lose this! Unless something wierd happens, you won't hear from me again until I'm home!!
8/13/2011
so I lied...
I needed to come to the internet cafe after all (to try to verify my flight...although I've been unable to do that because I'm on an AA flight, but this leg is Brussels Air. Neither of them is recognizing my flight number. Sigh. I'm going to call the help people before I leave the cafe.)
I've also turned my comments about feeling really strong into lies... I woke up WEEPY this morning. I cried on the phone to Matt. And the first few people whom I saw this morning who asked me, "How are you feeling about your last day?" were met with tears as well. I am SO SAD.
I'll be saying goodbye to M around 10AM CST, so as you wake up and get this, please pray for me! To keep it under control...but still feel my feelings (no stuffing my emotions for me...but surely there's a balance between stuffing and bursting into tears whenever someone speaks to you!)...and to trust the Lord with the unknown end of this story...and of course for little M's heart.
I took pictures of our family to hang over his bed today, which he was delighted about (when I carried him over to his bed, he thought I was putting him back in there, so he was THRILLED to see we were just hanging pictures!) I have 2 little books of pictures of us to leave with him (leaving one with the home and one with a volunteer who's going to be here for longer.) He pointed to Matt in all the pictures and said, "Daddy?" I don't know that he even knows what that word means, but he likes it! He doesn't know what brothers are either, but he's really interested in Luke and Tobin. And the picture of Dudley? Is everyone's favorite. I told them (ALL the kids wanted to see M's picture book) that was M's Dog, and they all point to it and (sort of) take turns looking at it. M is ramming his whole mouth onto the picture, I think it's his version of a kiss!
That is precious...what is harder is that one little girl (who is not available for international adoption b/c of her family situation) kept trying to get the pictures away from M. She asked me for a picture to hang over her bed...for a book of pictures for her. My heart. I have to keep reminding myself that this is REALITY for so many children worldwide (even in the states.) And Jesus loves each of them WAY more than I do...He sees, He knows... and as the Jesus Storybook Bible says (my favorite kids' Bible...from which I'm sure I learn more than Tobin does!), He has come to make all the sad things come untrue. Come Lord Jesus!
Love to you all and thanks for praying for me and loving little M!!!
R
