"Father, help to the street children."

Studies estimate that approximately 5,000 Ugandan children "beg, wash cars, scavenge, work as commercial sex workers and sell small items on the streets of Kampala. The number of street children has been rising steadily for the last five years."

(http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/459/649570)

We walked the streets of Kampala and saw these children, many caring for younger babies who are strapped to their backs. They wander dangerously through lanes of traffic, approaching open car windows with their hands cupped. They hover on street corners, skeletons of potential... ghosts of childhood. A poor reflection on the city, they are sometimes herded into centers for "care," to ensure that the streets are rid of them, that the image is clean. But there they are often mistreated and many escape to return to the streets. You're compelled to give them money, but that only reinforces the cycle of poverty; it does little to change the system.

Sounds hopeless, eh? Well, with a heart for the Lord and a little creativity, life-changing things can happen. Andrew Sserunjogi, orphaned by AIDS, developed a passion for these lost children. He would visit them on the streets repeatedly, slowly but surely gaining their trust and building relationships. He was an adult who cared, not interested in pimping them for his own profit, or offering them glue to sniff. Through the very trip I went on (the first year they ever went) he met Amanda Davis, an American student at Wellesley, and they discovered a common passion for God, children and the arts. Andrew was studying industrial and fine art at that time. Together they embarked on a project to offer street children a new life: one of love, family and education. The result? The New Start Home.

It was there that I spent my first week in Uganda. And there that I began to see God's heart for healing and restoration. One boy at a time lives have been changed. Now they hope to be rap artists, pastors, famous football players-- you name it. Man might change their environments, but only God could change their hearts. They'll be the first to tell you, not me. They once stole and bullied to survive, they now sing and dance in celebration of life. What a transformation :)

Please Pray

(Note-- this post does not suffice as a proper news source. These are my comments and interpretations of articles I've been reading. I suggest checking out bbc.co.uk or cnn.com for more information)

I'm sure many of you have seen it on the news, heard it on the radio, or had it pop up on your newsfeed in some fashion... the terrible news of a terrorist attack in Uganda.

Just one week ago yesterday, we were walking those very streets in Kampala and today bodies are being identified in an attack on Ugandan football fans watching the World Cup final. To date, the death count is at 74, according to the BBC. The fanatical Islamist group, Al-Shabaab, is currently taking responsibility. They are mainly stationed in Somalia, a threat to the transitional government there and brand their enemies as anyone involved in trying to bring peace to the area. According to the National Counterterrorism Center, "Al-Shabaab is responsible for the assassination of Somali peace activists, international aid workers, numerous civil society figures, and journalists." Yesterday's attacks make very little sense in terms of a political agenda, but were clearly an attempt to strike fear into the hearts of Ugandans and the international community, reminding us of their presence.

Among the dead is an American man, Nate Henn, who works for Invisible Children. While I was in Gulu (northern Uganda) I met some of the boys featured in the documentary Invisible Children, that shines light on the horrors of child-soldierhood. This organization partners with Child Voice International (in mission), who we worked intimately with while in the North. Some sources are saying that these attacks were aimed at ex-patriats on the ground, members of the international community.

Whatever the case, this very well could have been a member of our team just one week ago and that is a sobering fact. While frightening for us in America, even more frustrating is the fear that this might create in Kampala. Uganda is a nation slowly building back trust after the betrayal of war. This is the last thing they need. But there is hope. This claims no victory over the work of healing that God has been doing and will continue to do in Uganda. Please join me in prayer.

• Pray for the families of the victims of these attacks, our Ugandan brothers and sisters and Nate's family too.
• Pray for safety over potential targets in the international community abroad.
• Please pray for God's comfort, peace and healing to overshadow the pain and confusion.
• Lastly, as we are taught, please be praying for the hearts of those terrorists responsible, that their hearts might break over what has been done. That they might actually turn from this lifestyle of terror and destruction.

God responds to prayer. That was a huge lesson for me in Uganda. It wasn't until the Ugandan church fully mobilized to fast and pray that there was any tangible weakening of Joseph Kony and his LRA forces in Uganda. That is HUGE. (More on that story later). But be encouraged, God responds to our faith that he is more caring, more powerful and the victor in this broken world. Will you join me in prayer?

Let's Start at the Very End. A Very Good Place to Start.

Oh friends,

It's been nearly a week and I still find it hard to believe that I am typing this post on a laptop on my bed at home. Just six days ago I was driving down red dirt roads, seeing villagers display their harvest in roadside markets and sucking on raw sugar cane. But here I am, in Plymouth once again. Vacationers have flooded local beaches and summer is in high gear, as if I'd never left.

There are no summary statements adequate or blog posts long enough to explain how Uganda, or really how God, impacted me on this trip. I can tell you I witnessed God's healing and redemption in ways I never could have imagined. I've seen transformation on a nation-scale down to a little ol' heart like mine. I have built bonds stronger in a shorter amount of time than relationships that have had years to take root. It was intense in every way.

Over the next few weeks, for those who are interested, I will be sharing excerpts from my journal (well...er...three journals. I'm an English major, guys. I write a lot). It won't always be in chronological order, but it will allow those who have been praying in my absence and those interested in global issues to catch a glimpse of the last five weeks of my life. I'll also post a picture every now and then, and a video if you're really lucky ;) Thank you to all of you who encouraged me before, during, and now after this adventure. Shall we begin?

The following entry is actually taken from the last few days of my trip. I think it's a good place to start. It captures the first moment I began to process what this experience has meant, is meaning and will mean to me. It is written where I began the journey on the ground in Uganda-- on the shores of Lake Victoria at a camp site (Gerenge) for the Ugandan university students we partnered with throughout the trip. Here goes:

"30th June 2010. Gerenge Camp. 15:00.

Wow. I can't believe we're back in Gerenge. It feels like yesterday I was sitting right where I am now on the shores of Lake Victoria, about to embark on this journey. I was so scared then... and now I know I have nothing to fear. Jesus, thank you for where you've taken me. The strange feels familiar and the familiar will feel strange.

There's nothing like returning to a place unchanged to see the ways in which you yourself have altered. And through it all I am consistently a child of God.

And the world spins madly on.

These dragonflies have continued to buzz, the monkey-birds* call, the waves gently lap. The only difference is the ferry boat that has taken form just down shore. But as I inhale, it smells the same; water, grass, smoke from a leaf fire.

And the world spins madly on.

Seemingly satiated, now hungry.

Mature in growth, now shrinking.

Limited by fear, now free.

More of Him and less of me."

*this reference will make more sense later. Stay tuned for more journal entries. Now you're hooked! What are monkey-birds? To be continued...

...the adventure begins...

Friends.

Here it is. The morning I leave home to begin the trek to Uganda. I cannot wait to meet the other 21 students I will be sharing this adventure with. We will train for a week stateside before we fly out.

As today got closer and closer, I began to get emotional. I am leaving all that I know for something I really don't know. Yes, I grew up in Europe, so that's foreign...but it is definitely NOT Africa.

In those moments over the past few months where fear has seized my heart and threatened to keep me preoccupied, I am reminded of Jesus' words recorded in Matthew:

"Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." (10: 39)

If I am married to this life: my relationships on earth, my material possessions, my human experiences, I miss the point that an eternally personal God is trying to make. If I cling, I begin to manipulate the course of this life, rendering it solely mine. But, as usual, Jesus proposes something counter cultural, counter intuitive. He asks us to give it all up and trust that he has a better, more full, more shalom plan.

As Paul writes in Philippians, "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him . . . " (3: 8-9)

It doesn't make sense, does it? Lose everything to gain...everything? It requires a step of faith, but knowing that you will gain eternal life and a further glimpse of the creator of the universe is enough of a carrot for me. So, here I go.

Thank you all for your prayers, your commitment to keep praying while we're gone, and your concern and compassion for others you don't know who have endured great suffering. I don't know what God has in store, but I cannot wait to find out.

Final requests to be covered in prayer (taken from the book Girl Soldier):

• Please pray for an end to over two decades of war
• Security, peace and restoration for the people
• Nearly two millions displaced people to be able to return home and to receive back their land (check out IJM's mission in Uganda: ijm.org)
• Rehabilitation and healing for child soldiers
• Reconciliation for families
• Protection, health and wisdom for relief workers and church leaders
• Lives, homes and farms of the people to be rebuilt

I'll leave you with a quote from one of the great examples, Mother Teresa:

"I must be willing to give whatever it takes to do good to others. This requires that I be willing to give until it hurts. Otherwise, there is no true love in me and I bring injustice, not peace, to those around me."

In love, in prayer and in eager anticipation ;)

An Overwhelming Response!

Hello friends :)

Just a brief post to say THANK YOU! So many people came together to donate to Child Voice International and reach my birthday wish of $100.

But it didn't stop there.

Together, we actually raised $170!! It would be amazing to reach $200 by the time I leave, which is *drum roll please* on Friday.

If you're interested in helping the cause (an organization that works to help rehabilitate former child soldiers) then check out my cause page here: http://apps.facebook.com/causes/birthdays/351757?bws=sl

I will return soon with more specifics on how to pray while I'm away. Much love for now and thank you so much for those of you who gave to CVI last week :)

Sobering Reality

Two hours ago I finished my final exams, signaling the close of my sophomore year at Wheaton. For the past few weeks, Uganda has been a strange shadow or a fuzzy future that I cannot really flesh out. It has been more of a concept than a reality.

Right now I am catching up on the reading we are completing to prepare ourselves for the trip. We have been assigned "Girl Soldier" which is a split testimonial by former child soldier, Grace Akallo, and American activist, Faith McDonnell.

The passages in this book reveal a sobering reality. Published in 2007, it is not completely up to date on the strides peace and hope have made in Uganda, but it paints a painful picture of the horrors these child soldiers faced.

I am going to completely misquote Gary Haugen of the International Justice Mission, but he alludes to social justice work and its message needing to include roughly 30% facts and 70% hope in order to motivate people to help. I think that's pretty accurate.

The graphic descriptions of murder and rape in this book are so hard to stomach. I am sitting here in the Admissions office for my final shift getting sick to my stomach, feeling a distant echo of the wounds I am reading about.

Come to think of it, now is probably not the best time to be reading this, when I am expected to answer the phones in a chipper and professional way...

All that to just be reminded that Uganda has had an intense past. I want to do all that it is in my power, through God, to prevent any more of the children of northern Uganda from going through such despicable tortures.

Please join me in prayer today for the current and future leaders of Uganda, that they might find peaceful ways to avoid the violence that has shed blood on its past.

A Birthday and a Cause

Friends :)

In five days I can finally say that I am twenty! I am eager to leave the "teens" behind... (especially when you're dating someone well into their early twenties...now I will join him!)

Facebook Causes has a great program where you can set up a birthday wish for others to support a cause you are passionate about. It's a brilliant idea. On your birthday, how many people visit your profile to state the obvious in a very sweet and overwhelming way? One of my friends recorded 105 posts. What if those 105 people could give $10 to a cause? To an organization that relies on donations to actually make a tangible change in the world? That would be (English major consults her calculator, yes, sad, I know) $1050! That's crazy!

So. This birthday my goal is to reach just $100 for Child Voice International, the NGO we'll be supporting and learning from near Gulu in Uganda this summer. The internet is amazing. Almost seconds after I posted this cause to my profile I had a donation. Over the next few days, I'll be raising awareness for my cause in hopes that we might, together, raise $100 for CVI.

This summer we'll be helping them construct an Adult Education Center that will seek to provide resources for adults who need to reintegrate into society. We'll also be embarking on a very exciting venture with CVI, a conference for the women. Our team director shared that "It is the first time in 20 years of war for these women to get in depth Christian teaching. I see it as a critical step in healing the land."

If you're interested in donating to my cause, check it out here: http://apps.facebook.com/causes/birthdays/351757?m=a835d7ea&bws=dms

Today I spent some more time in Psalms. Psalm 19 reminded me that God really is everywhere. Creation sings of his orchestration and his beautiful artistry. My brothers and sisters in Uganda have experienced him simply in the blowing of the wind, the majesty of mountains. "There is no speech or language/ where their voice is not heard." I am getting excited to help color in their picture of God just a little bit more through introducing the Bible to those who might not have had access to it. It is amazing that God would deign to use a broken vessel like me to be the bearer of the best news in the world.

Fifteen days.

Thank you, truly, for considering to donate and for supporting all of this in prayer.

In love,

Erin