Two Worlds

I feel like since we arrived in Uganda (October 26) I've been living in two very opposite worlds mentally and emotionally. The "I have more than enough and live a spoiled-rotten life" world and the "wow, there is such poverty and sadness within a few degrees of separation from us" world. 

One thing that is continually on Jonathan's and my heart is E and K's biological family. God knit us together and we want to be faithful to them. I know every adoption is different and I think most closed adoptions means no contact with the birth family. But ours is a little different. We feel like God has not just given us 2 beautiful babies to take care of in our home, but also a family literally across the world to love too. And I don't really know what that is going to look like but God is so faithful to direct us. I just hope we hear Him loud and clear. 

Just last week, Jonathan and I decided to send money to Rashid (the orphanage director, pastor, school director) to get a few things done. We emailed him a list of things we want to happen. It is such a blessing to have a man of God on the ground over there willing to help us with this. 

First, it is going to pay for Pauline and her five year old daughter Catherine, who are both HIV positive, to have medical treatment that will give them a better quality of life and hopefully extent their lives, plus transportation to and from the city and some food for the day. This is a monthly payment we are making. If anyone is interested in contributing to this monthly or yearly, please let me know. We are going to try to find a 501-c3 to be the middle man so that your contributions can be tax-deductable. We are going to send $30 a month for this. 

Second, the money will pay for 1 year of education at Rashid's school for her oldest 2 girls, Mirian, 16, and Christina, 9. It is a boarding school so they will have a nice roof over their heads, a bed, and 3 meals a day, plus an education at a Christian school. It is our prayer that this will break the generations of poverty in their family and give them a chance at a bright future. It is our hope that it will keep them from helping the family make money in culturally acceptable, but terrible ways. This will also lessen the burden for Pauline by 2 mouths to feed. A one year education for one student costs $500. 

Third, Rashid will purchase a bred cow for the family. They have lush green land that will sustain a cow with no need for bought feed, so when the cow births her calf, they will have fresh milk for their family which will provide better nutrition than they've had in a long time. The cow will produce enough milk for them to sell a gallon or more a day too, which will provide them an income. And they will be able to sell the calf for more money than Pauline makes in a year and a half. A bred cow costs $400-$500. 

And if there is any money leftover, we asked Rashid to buy them some chickens. 

Mirian -16, Grandma, Ezekial -7, Pauline, Catherine -5, and Christina -9

So, we got an email from Rashid yesterday. He visited Pauline and the family after church to tell them that her girls are going to school and she is getting a cow and some chickens. He said she was overwhelmed. He wrote down the the names and ages of the 4 kids at home and sent them to us because we wanted to know them. 

My heart hurts for them. Catherine is 5 years old and is HIV positive and Jonathan remembers that she was no bigger than Elsie. Elsie is tiny for her age. Elsie is 3.5 years old but just now fits in 2 year old clothing. Christina is 9 and she is going to the orphanage on February 1. The first weekend in February I'll be getting ready for a Superbowl party. And counting my calories. And snowboarding. Gosh, life is conflicted. Don't get me wrong. I don't think I'm not supposed to enjoy life and what God has given me. I do love my life and I try to live it full. I love my Dyson vacuum and board games and fresh produce and movie nights. And I know each of these are gifts from my Maker. I'm just trying to figure out how to share what has been given to me. I have been entrusted with much much. I want to be faithful in what I can give back.  

I want to fly over there and build her house and give them a couple of clean new outfits and build them a chicken coop so that the chickens that they desperately need don't have to live in their house...pooping on their beds....spots on the floor. I want to buy them milk jars and lids and a big bucket so that they can milk their cow and sell it to the village. I want them to have an outhouse because right now they squat in the woods. All of this would cost $6,000 to build. SIX THOUSAND DOLLARS! That's it.

How do I raise money for this? Any ideas? I want to do this stuff now. I want to hug all of them and tell them that Jesus loves them and created them and died and rose for them. I want them to know Jesus....I don't know if they do. I want Pauline's life to get better so that she can keep her children. Sometimes the crazy thought of taking all of her children pops into my already lost mind. But then I remember that children are a blessing from the Lord and if she can, I want Pauline to experience that. If she can feed them and house them and love them well, I want her to be able to do that. My part is to love her as best as I can. Any chance God is calling you to help? E.V.E.R.Y.  P.E.N.N.Y  H.E.L.P.S. and every idea to raise this money helps too. Can you imagine changing a family's life forever? Not just giving them a meal, or a bag of beans, but giving them the tools to walk out of killing poverty and into a life that can focus on something other than survival. Through prayer, through ideas and through money we can do this. And we will be able to see the progress. Rashid will send pictures when he can. And we will be able to tell Elsie and Ki that we loved them all the way to the moon and back.