Another new son!

Some of you remember Richard from an earlier post "new friends". God gave he & Joey a special bond. Through an amazing story of God's forgiveness & grace, Joey became his mentor and disciples him daily while we were there. When we left, they promised to write & pray for each other. We told him, that even if we didn't sponsor him financially (he already had a sponsor that he's never met yet), he was still one of "our kids" and would always be a part of our family.   

Well the secondary (high school) students at New Hope require either 2 sponsors at $35/mth or one sponsor for the full $70/mth. Before we left, we checked to make sure he was fully sponsored and the sponsorship coordinator was pretty sure that his 1 sponsor was paying the full $70, but she was leaving for vacation and would look into when she got back. Well we just got an email from her today, that he is only partially sponsored after all and is in need of a 2nd sponsor!!!! So now it's "official". It was such a pleasure that we got to meet his grandmother when we were there as well.

If any of you are interested in being a sponsor for an amazing young man or woman like Richard, let us know, we'll hook ya up! :)

4 continents

Just a little postlude to our trip (for journaling sake)....

Due to the fire at the Nairobi Airport we had to fly from Entebbe, Uganda to Doha, Qatar (on the "boot" near Saudi Arabia) for a 5 hr layover, then to Amaterdam for an 8 hr layover, then to Chicago, OHare. 4 continents in almost 40 hrs!! Crazy stuff! But we made it home safe & sound, only one day late. PTL! Anissa flew from OHare onto Indpls for a national interpreters convention while Joey & the kids drove home to WI. Exhausted, but hearts full with all the wonderful experiences we had and all the new friends we made. There is nothing more fulfilling, than being a part of God's work around the world! We live in a BIG world, friends, and we encourage each of you to leave home and see what else is out there! The USA is only 6% of the world's population...we live in a very small corner of the earth, but yet we think we are the end-all, be-all. We are so happy our children are learning that we are NOT the epi-center of the universe and that they are gaining a broad world view. It is sooo valuable to experience other cultures, live among other people groups, walk for a brief moment is someone else's shoes. It is important to celebrate the differences and celebrate the similarities that unite us. God's people, the human race, are soo diverse, yet we have sooo much in common! We are all loved by our Creator and we all have a God-shaped hole in our hearts that only He can fill. For those of you who are spending your whole lives seeking that fulfillment in other things, we pray that you will find the true joy & peace that only comes from God!

Not "goodbye", not "see you later", but "see you soon!

***So we FINALLY got the blog straightened out & finished up. (Added the 2 new college students we sponsor who are starting in Sept, went back and re-did he Musana Camp posts that the pics hadn't shown up, put all the posts in the right order, etc.) So be sure to scroll back through to make sure you saw them all. THANKS again to all who followed along and took an interest in what God is doing in Kenya & Uganda! There is still lots to be done even though we are back here at the home front...Bathsheba & Peter still need donations for their college programs, Shakira needs donations for her heart surgery, Najib needs more tuition money for his deaf school, there are hundreds of kids who need sponsors....we will never stop advocating for the needs of the African children we love!***

We found this in one of the classrooms as we were making the rounds to say our farewells on the last day. We already knew we couldn't bear to say the words "goodbye"...if you notice our last post from 2 years ago, it was titled "not goodbye, but see ya later".  Well this year, Jonas wouldn't even let us say "see you later" because "later" sounded too long, so he started telling everyone "see you soon!"

On the bus ride to the airport Alea was sobbing and asking why we couldn't stay the whole 10 weeks; 8 weeks was too short. I said, "Sweetheart, last year you started getting homesick on week 6 of our 10 week road trip and cried to go home; what's the difference on this trip?" "Because mommy, Africa is my 2nd home, not those national parks!" Then it was me who was sobbing! 

Africa definitely feels like home and we know we'll keep coming back. There is too much love there, that we simply can't stay away. Too many relationships & deep bonds, that we must return.

As to when we'll go back, how soon is "soon"...? It's in God's hands. In the meantime, we will hold the memories of the dear people we love in our hearts. Neither time nor distance can separate us! 

Some poignant images from Uganda

A boy eating charcoal..

A few of the many New Hope faces we will never forget...

Joey's Concluding Thoughts

So how do you put into words the past 8 weeks in Africa??? Nearly impossible, so I will include bullet pointed highlights and if you want more details I will be happy to share from my heart for hours. 

God defining moments:

* Embracing and loving on the kids at First Love.

* Worshipping every night at 6:00 with 60+ kids along with the beat of the drums

* Handing a photo and letter to one of the older kids that hasn't had a sponsor for the past 3+ years and seeing the beaming smile spread across his face as he realized he was chosen and loved.(Thanks Joann!)

* Spending the day with two college kids we sponsor, seeing them butcher a chicken, prepare the food, and then enjoy the meal with them. 

* Holding and praying for orphaned babies at Watoto Bulrushes. 

* Worshipping with hundreds of people at Watoto church.

* Seeing the emotions flow from Eric as he met one of the kids they sponsor at Watoto.

* Worshipping in UCF and visualizing what it will be like when their church is 100% complete.

* Watching our Calvary team do their first outreach at Glorious Primary...emotionally powerful and beautiful.

* Watching Eric improvise and even chant "boom-shock-a-locka" with a group of 40-50+ children during games (I have the video to prove it!)

* Staying with the Rwothumios and them lovingly serve us as Christ would. What dear friends!

* Sitting in the early morning before breakfast on the bluff overlooking Lake Victoria at Musana camps and doing my devotions. (It is truly Holy ground!)

* Blessing Musana camps along with our Calvary team as we worked on the shore of Lake Victoria. 

* Playing with a total of about 1000 students with a parachute in both Kenya and Uganda. (Thanks Caleb and Central-Denison.)

* Reading African books to African Kids at New Hope. (Thanks Cen-Den!)

* Embracing, spending time with, and loving on the kids we sponsor at New Hope.

* Worshipping with Aunt Lydia's family for hours!

* Visiting the families of the kids we sponsor. 

* Seeing the lives of many students at New Hope changed by the power of the Gospel and receiving Him as their personal Savior. (To God be All the Glory!)

* Having Summer join us in Kenya and Ally join us for our entire trip to Africa. I know you are forever changed!

* Talking to numerous boys, young men, and adults to passionately pursue Christ with everything. 

To those of you who sponsored us financially and in prayer...Thank You!!!

My prayer is that our African family will remember Jesus, the Rescuer, because of our attempts to continually point to Him as we laughed, hugged, cried, played games, did skits, planted grass, did puppets, sang songs, held babies, gave away clothes (thanks Warrens!), etc. Our goal was to bring Glory to Him as we operated as His Hands and Feet! 

To GOD alone be ALL the GLORY!

Get plugged into missions. It will change your vision, heart, life, and purpose forever!

Anissa's Concluding Thoughts

It is impossible to put into words the depth of emotions that we experienced during our 8 weeks. Still wishing our 8 weeks could’ve been 10, but that would only delay the heart-wrenching departure.  I feel like I’ve said it a hundred times, but it is the relational aspect of a mission trip that makes it so special.  Connecting with the people, hearing their stories, sharing your story, laughing together, celebrating God’s love with each other and giving Him the glory for the connection that was made with another one of His fellow followers.  The unity of brotherhood in Christ….that’s what it’s all about.  It was soo great to reconnect with all our old friends we met 2 years ago and sooo great to make some amazing new friends.  Everyone might tend to think that it’s all about the kids, but we LOVE bonding with all the staff that work for First Love and New Hope Uganda (at Musana Camps and Kasana Children’s Center) and with the family & friends of Pastor Micah & Grace at UCF.  All the organizations manage to hire such high-quality staff who truly love the Lord and give their whole lives to His service. It is a humbling honor to be a small puzzle piece of what God is doing through those outreach programs.  A lot of positive changes have been made over the past 2 years and it was fun to see how these mission organizations have expanded and advanced since we were last there.  God is on the move in Africa!  Our Pastor developed a journal for short term mission trips and the “Travel Home” day is about worthship. ( No that’s not a typo). Worthship is ascribing worth to something or someone. I want to ascribe worth to God and give Him all the glory for what we observed was being done for Him and what we were fortunate enough to be a part of accomplishing for Him.  We are merely His servants, obediently answering His call on our lives and desiring to be used by Him.  Nothing that we did in Africa was for our own benefit or by our own power…it was all God!   For God, to God, by God, from God.  There are so many highlights from our trip, that I can’t choose one over the other, but one of the biggest highlights was worshipping with our African brothers & sisters.  I love times of singing & praising God at home in the US, but worshipping in Africa puts me over the top!! I feel like I could just sit all day and ascribe Him worth! Spending time with the kids/young men & woman we sponsor was of course another of the biggest highlights.  The baptism service in Lake Victoria, seeing the kids come forward to accept Christ at VBS, making the kids laugh, seeing them do the signs/motions to the songs, hearing their sweet voices sing & pray, raising their young hands in worship.  The non-stop hugs. The little fingers gripping your hand, but gripping your heart even harder. Their laughter.  Their smiles.  Their eyes penetrating the deepest part of your soul. A hundred times my heart was on the verge of bursting….bursting with joy at the kids’ smiling faces,  bursting with pride at the Godly young men & women He chose to be a part of our family through sponsorship, bursting with heartache & sympathy for all they’ve gone through in their young lives, but most importantly, bursting with worthship to the Creator who made us all.  Each of us unique in our talents, interests, personality, giftings, skills  & physical traits, yet all of us with the same needs & desires.  The desire to be satisfied and fulfilled; a deep need for love, acceptance & belonging that can only be met by God. Day 2 of VBS was “ Jesus is the Bread of Life” and we talked about how bread satisfies our physical hunger, but only God can satisfy our spiritual hunger. We made paper hearts that we filled up with stickers, words, phrases, Bible verses that make our hearts feel full. My heart was definitely filled to overflowing on this trip and it is my prayer that each of you can experience deep satisfaction and fulfillment in Christ.  The goal of child sponsorship is to point the child to God as their rescuer, their Savior, their provider, their hero (not us) so that they can find their true joy & peace in Him.  We got the privilege of being His hands & feet for 8 weeks….serving meals, passing out gifts, giving hugs, speaking words of affirmation into their young hearts, playing with them, listening to them, encouraging them.....providing a way for them to experience a tangible touch from their Heavenly Father. There is truly no greater blessing than to pass on the love of the Father.

 

A final thank you to our friends & family!

A HUGE heartfelt thank you to everyone contributed to our trip financially, who encouraged us, who  donated items to send along, but most importantly prayed for us throughout the 8 weeks.  We sincerely appreciate your friendship and support on all levels!!  We wish you could’ve all gone along with us, but your prayers definitely went with us! 

If anyone feels led to sponsor  a child, donate to Shakira’s heart surgery, or help pay for deaf Najib’s school, please email to let us know:  joeyhaywood40@gmail.com or anissajh@gmail.com

You all know that sponsorship is a passion of ours and we would be thrilled to help hook you up! It is such a blessing & honor to help change a child’s life forever!

A parting gift from Africa

Joey is coming home with a little souvenir from Uganda called a jigger. It is a type of flea that burrows under the skin of its host and keeps laying eggs until you cut it out. The egg sac will get bigger, itching & more painful the longer you leave it. So first thing on Joey's agenda is to get that little bugger outta there! (He can do it himself, just needs to be done sterile and soak his foot in hydrogen peroxide.  

Alea is the one who came home with ring worm 2 year ago, but it's Anissa who's bringing it back this time....right at the bend of her elbow! (Very itchy & annoying location). 

Small prices to pay for the new friendships we are bringing back! They are worth 1000 jiggers!

Thank you Peace of Social Work!!!

3 amazing Kenyan social workers, all whom we were blessed to help them obtain their degree.

Philip (middle), is currently the school social worker at Raila Educational Center in Kibera Slum, Nairobi. 

He is the mentor & role model for the next generation of social workers. Jack (left) will be graduating  this fall. First Love has already offered him a job at the Children's Home as a staff social worker. Patroba (right) has one more year of college left, till he graduates with a degree in Social Work & Community Development like the other two.

Thank you George Warren (husband of Joey's friend & colleague) for all the donations of clothes & toys for the kids in Kenya & Uganda!!! It was fun for us to pass out all the gifts on behalf of your organization, Peace of Social Work.

Fun With Friends & Family

The silly string was a huge hit!

Wearing dresses we gave our girls....

Dressing "smart" with shirts & ties we gave our boys....