Reunited!

We've always said the most valuable part of a mission trip is the relationships you build.  Yes, the work we do is important and especially rewarding when you can see the tangible evidence of our labor (painting a room, planting grass, sanding down and varnishing new desks built for a classroom, distributing food, etc, etc).  However, when we get back home and the weeks turn into months, it's the faces of the people that are stuck in our minds over & over, not the things.  Returning to all those familiar faces is the greatest joy!  So many people think it's only about our sponsored kids and put so much emphasis on the children. Yes our sponsored kids are a huge incentive (and were the original reason we came the first time) and yes we do have a heart for children and they are the focus of all our outreach activities when we come here, but we have formed some deep bonds with many of the adults as well...the childrens' school teachers & caregivers, the gardeners, cooks, bus drivers, the list goes on and on.

One special friend that I couldn't wait to wrap my arms around was one of the Primary teachers named Ketty.  God gave us a special bond 2 yrs ago and she truly became a kindred spirit.  We have been able to keep in touch on Facebook.  Shortly after we left Uganda, she was diagnosed with cancer and has had a very rough journey the past 2 years.  Her testimony is phenomenal as she praises God and actually thanks Him for her cancer and that He has considered her worthy of suffering for His Name.  Even her own family (7 children) has grown closer to God through this. She is proclaiming His name everywhere she goes and pointing others to Christ. God has been giving her opportunities to share her testimony, even on the radio! Truly it is an honor to watch her walk this journey. She was one of the first people I had to go see:

Here are 10 out of our 11 kids that we sponsor:

Such a blessing to be together with them all in one room!  2 of the older ones are already graduated and have jobs (so we no longer sponsor them) and one of the younger girls goes to another school and left the program (so we no longer sponsor her) but we still consider them part of our family and still love and pray for them, of course.  We are so glad New Hope allowed us to still invite them all to the guest house for some family time!

THE GIRLS:

 THE BOYS + 1 (one of the boys showed up who Joey had led to salvation 2 yrs ago, and then spiritually mentored a small group of older boys by having a short Bible Study after school):