T turns 9

One month ago today, Titus turned nine. A huge part of having a birthday here at GSF is being "watered" so in the afternoon after we all met our visiting team from Ireland the kids ran after Titus with water. Being the good sport that he is, he decided to give his friends big wet hugs.

While Mark and the girls and other missionaries were serving and eating with the visiting team, Titus and I had some of his friends (all boys at GSF ages 7-12)over for a movie (The Three Stooges--they loved it!) and zucchini cake. Yes, he is a picky kid and doesn't even like zucchini but loves chocolate zucchini cake! Back row left to right: Henry, David, Justus. Front: Samson, Titus, & Solomon Kabuzi

Funny Faces! Philip, Henry, Titus, David, Justus, Emmanuel, Samson, & Solomon Kabuzi.

Here's one of everybody so you can see how many boys were really at the party. Yes, I am crazy and yes, we had fun!


Titus modeling a few of his Birthday gifts; Soccer Ball, Lego, and Gumboots.

MIRACLES NEVER CEASE THEY SOMETIMES JUST TAKE TIME

Matthew has CP. We have been told that he will walk someday. Here he is in 2008 when he was barely even crawling. Many people have worked with him, sent and/or paid for therapy items but more than anything we have all prayed for him and with him that someday he would walk. He is a miracle before all of our eyes and a reminder that God loves and cares for His children.


Here he is strutting his stuff in his new walker designed just for him. Thank you to Spring Garden Church in Greensboro for raising the funds for his walker. He is not there yet, but someday very soon he will walk to school with his walker. And he is thrilled and leaping for joy!

My Rock

Life always seems to change. I remember when I lived overseas in high school and then taught at an international school after college, it seemed like things always changed. In fact one of my desires in teaching kids from all around the world was to teach them that God is our only stability. Now at an orphanage in rural Africa, I didn't think that would be as essential or important but, my it is. In fact, this year the kids here have said hello and good-bye to over 100 visitors, said good-bye to 10 kids who were adopted, 10 kids who were resettled and 3 who were called to their eternal home. That's a lot of good-byes and changes in one year! And of course, these are also kids who have had turmoil, transition or good-byes in their past and that is why they are even here at GSF.

I did a lesson with the 9-12 year olds in Sunday School last week on the theme that God is their Rock! Here are some of the verses I used. I hope they are an encouragement to you as they were to us.

He is the Rock, his works are perfect and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he. Deuteronomy 32:4

There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you, there is no Rock like our God. I Samuel 2:2

"The Lord is upright, he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him." Psalm 92:15

He said: "The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior--from violent men you save me. II Samuel 22:2-3

The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. Deuteronomy 3:18

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said , "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5

We don't need to try to rely on other things. God is our Rock and our fortress! Praise God that when I never know what the next day will bring He does and He will never change nor will He ever leave me.

Blessings--Family and Safari

There are days I realize that I am so blessed beyond measure. I am sitting right now on my veranda overlooking a beautiful rainforest, watching a group of toddlers walking by hand in hand. They all just yelled up, "Auntie Amy!" That is just one blessing I experience on a daily basis and actually not the one I was even planning on writing about.

We have been in Africa three short years, and we have had the blessing of having my parents come visit twice for a total of 4 1/2 months and Mark's mom come twice for a total of over a month. We also have had all three of Mark's brothers, a sister-in-law, 2 nieces, and a nephew all come visit. We have missionary friends here who have never had a family member visit. It is indeed a blessing we count a pure joy!

In April, Mark's mom, brothers, David and J.R. and J.R.'s son, Gage all came to visit us. It was great to show them around and for them to see our ministry in action. The guys helped plant seedlings and went a forest walk and both brothers had the opportunity to speak. Mark's mom went to the village several times and spoke with the house mothers. We also took them around Jinja and went on the boat to the source of the Nile.

The second week, we all had the opportunity to go on safari. That also is a blessing I am overwhelmed by! It is incredible to see elephants, lions, giraffes, zebras, and so much more in the wild and up close. Here are some of our pictures:

I never tire of seeing elephants, but never want to get too close!

Ugandan Kob and a giraffe.

We loved seeing Patas monkeys. This one posed for us.

Female Lion enjoying her morning kill. She wasn't paying a bit of attention to us!

The greatest blessings of all . . . (although at times quite silly!)

I Love my family and so grateful for the blessing of them!

just CALL

So the last few weeks have been tough. Without going into detail, it has become more obvious we need direction, vision and more help here at GSF. Mark is investigating a significant theft and trying to determine who was involved. We have had water pump and generator issues that affect all of us. We have several preteens that are having serious struggles and behavior problems right now and we just don’t know how to address the issue. And, of course, our dear friend, colleague, and teacher, Amanda, in a life threatening condition (see previous posts).

But this blog is not about any of these things but instead of what God has been teaching me through these things. The word is CALL.

“Call unto me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things which you do not know. Jeremiah 33:3 (NASB)

Crying out to God. I think of my own kids and the kids here at GSF. They come and ask for things many times. But it is when they are really desperate and can’t get to me fast enough is when they call to me. Cry out for me. Plead for my help.

Sunday morning, after we had heard how desperate of a situation Amanda was in, I was lying in bed with an unexplained fever.We had just dealt with a behavior in one of our own kids that was very unexpected and all the other situations mentioned above had already happened. I looked at Mark and said, “I am at my lowest!” I felt like I couldn’t even reach God. There was darkness between us. However, I knew that I had to keep calling out to him. Crying to him for all these situations. I read later that day Lamentations 3:55-58

“I called on your name,

O, Lord, out of the lowest pit,

You have heard my voice,

‘Do not hide Your ear from my prayer for relief,

From my cry for help.’

You drew me near when I called on You;

You said, ‘Do not fear!’

O Lord, You have pleaded my soul’s cause.

You have redeemed my life.”

I was at my lowest pit. I felt like everything in me had to cry. But like a child in his bed crying out for his mother in faith, knowing that the mother will hear, I called out to God. And He did hear me and reminded me that He knew each situation and had allowed each situation for my good.

“For I know that plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord. ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. “

But He reminded me . . .

“Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord. . .”

Jeremiah 29:11,12-14a

As this week has continued, He has gently shown me how He is using each situation. Refining me, molding me, teaching me to cry out to Him.

Thursday, when I was first told Amanda was in the hospital and I began to pray, I was reminded that she once said that I was a prayer warrior. To be honest, it was one of those statements that I never understood and I have not been able to let that statement loose. I don’t believe that I am a prayer warrior but, funny thing, it also prodded me to work towards being one. I keep pondering what does it really mean to be a prayer warrior and how can I be that way. I now am struck by the fact that Amanda is the one who said it and it is her sickness that is causing me to seek more and more to be that way. To call out to Him in desperation.

I have always been in awe by the desperation that Hannah prayed. Eli the priest thought she was drunk. Her defense to him was this “I have poured out my soul before the Lord” (1Sam 1:15)

So whatever it is, a need for wisdom and for truth to come out, a desire for a vision, freedom from the bondage of sin, change in my heart, desperate need for healing for a friend or just the strength for the next hour—God will hear and answer as we call out to Him. Some of the answer is just in calling out to Him and through that He changes us and guides us. This is my desire that I will learn to CALL to Him in all things and in that He will change me!

Update on Amanda

Thank you everyone for your prayers for our dear friend! She is steadily improving but has a long way to go. If you would like to keep updated on her progress you can check out her caring bridge page.

Thank you so much for praying for her; it means a lot to us, her and her family and friends.

Crying out for a friend

As many of you know, we have been blessed with a fabulous teacher for our kids here in Uganda. Amanda Kruppenbacher came to Uganda in June of last year to be the teacher for the missionary kids at GSF. She has been so much more. She is our neighbor, friend and co-laborer. She brings so much fun and laughter to GSF. The kids all know her as Auntie Amanda.

Several weeks ago, after finishing the school year, she decided to make a trip to the States to surprise her mom who was getting ready to have surgery. It was also going to be a time for her to relax, refresh and reflect. I got word on Thursday that she had been hospitalized for malaria that she had contracted here before she left. Saturday evening, we got the devastating word that it had progressed to a very dangerous form of malaria called Cerebral malaria. Her malaria parasite count was very high, the brain was swollen, and there were signs of meningitis. They were having to fly in the medicine to PA from Atlanta.

We called all the GSF kids together to pray for their Auntie Amanda. We all gathered together and sang some songs and then divided in groups and began to pray. It was so sweet to see big boys with little boys leading them in prayer for someone they love! These are kids who know pain and know the God who heals.

This morning we woke to find a text on my phone that said all the malaria parasites were gone! That is an incredible miracle. Something that medicine alone couldn't do in less than a day. We have been keeping track all day and have found out that the swelling is continuing to decrease.

God has done amazing things already for Amanda but she is still in ICU and still in need of a lot of prayer. He is not finished and we ask that you continue to pray for healing for Amanda. We are also asking God to use this in the lives of the kids here at GSF.