Beautiful Uganda

I am the worst blogger in the world I think. Why is it so hard to consistently post something and when I do why is it like 50,000 words? I don't know!! I am making a promise to my 7 faithful followers that I will do a better job.

So anyway, I wanted to first post some pictures from my time in Uganda then finally post some of my thoughts from the trip. I'm still processing everything I saw and experienced and just need a few more days.Yes, that's goat on a stick and they came right up to the window of the van...didn't even have to get it out. It was actually really good!

And this was dinner each night. We bought them live during our 8 hour trip from the capital to where we were staying in the north. We put them in the back of the van with all of our luggage and they made the long trip with us. HILARIOUS!!!

I could go on and on about all of the sweet kids. This was just along the side of the road.

Very common homes. We would see small clusters of these everywhere.


These monkeys are crazy! We were just about to cross the Nile and there were monkeys everywhere!
Lots of foot washing took place.

This is Jacob and Esau, they're twins and they're orphans...wish I could have brought them home with me.

I don't know her name, but she was a sweetheart!

More foot washing!


This is Patrick and his grandfather. Both of his parents died of AIDS and now his elderly grandfather takes care of him.

So many bare feet.

Absolutely loved these women! They were so excited that we had come to play with their children.Check out the shorts.
This is Benjamin, the boy we're going to sponsor!! He's 18 years old and wants to be a doctor. His father recently died and he hasn't seen his mother in several years.There aren't even words. This was a common sight in m
any of the remote villages we visited.One of the patient rooms at a hospital we visited.

Dried fish in the Nebbi market.

Men making sandals out of old tires.
This is how the women carry their babies. It's genius if you ask me!
Another baby with not enough to eat.
The crew after our team left.
At Pastor Simon's house with his family. More to come on him later!
Washing Pastor Simon's feet.
I couldn't think of a better way to end the trip than spending time with the kids at Greenhouse Orphanage. When we walked in, together in unison they all said, "you are most welcome our vistas"...LOVE IT!!

I'M GOING BACK!!!

I’m going to UGANDA…in a few weeks!! You may know that it has been a dream for such a long time to be able to go to Uganda, so I can’t even tell you how excited I am!! This trip kind of came up at the last minute, but everything has worked out wonderfully and I leave on March 9^th!! I’m going with the organization I work for and it’s kind of a vision trip for Samaritan’s Feet. A group from Charlotte, NC contacted us after a trip they had planned to India fell through. They asked us if we could plan a trip for them for the same time they had planned to go to India. We recently hired a new girl to coordinate all of our international trips, she has been to Uganda several times and wanted to plan a trip at some point to take a team there, so this is it! With our hopes of adopting from Uganda, Scott and I both have decided that one or both of us should go to Uganda any chance we might get. Since I work for the organization I get a discount on our international trips, and it makes it very affordable for me to go. So I’m going to Uganda, I keep saying it over and over in my mind because it still doesn’t feel like it’s real!

I received my itinerary yesterday and it’s going to be a long flight, but it’s much more broken up than the last time I went to Africa. Fourteen hours straight on a plane is not something I’m really interested in doing again for a long time! This time though I’ll fly from here to NY, NY to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Entebbe, Uganda. I don’t know for sure yet, but I think we’re staying one night in Entebbe then we’ll head out to Nebbi, Uganda which is where we’ll be for the duration of our trip. It’s a really long way from Entebbe to Nebbi and I don’t know if we’ll be driving or taking a small plane, but I would kind of like to drive even if it takes hours. I’ve seriously dreamed about what Uganda looks like so it would be cool to see if what I’ve seen in my dreams is real? I remember that being one of the coolest parts of being in Nigeria. When we all piled into the van to go somewhere I always made sure I got a seat by the window so that I could look outside and see everyone in their colorful dresses, the women carrying little babies strapped to their backs, vendors selling food and all sorts of crazy stuff. I so badly wanted to be in the mix of what was going on, but we always had to stay in the van. It was always busy though, and I loved it!! I think Uganda is going to be different, much more countryside where we’re going, but I just know it’s going to be so beautiful. It’s the Pearl of Africa after all!

So one of the coolest parts about this trip, well the whole trip will be AMAZING I’m sure, but one aspect of it that I am SOOOOOOO EXCITED about is that instead of staying in the hotel with the rest of the group; myself, Sara Beth (our International Coordinator), and two of her friends that are coming with us get to stay with a family in their home! I can’t even tell you how much I’m looking forward to this part of the trip! The guy (Geoffrey) that is our main contact in Nebbi is going to host the four of us in his home. Now, Nebbi is a pretty rural area and Geoffrey and his family don’t have electricity in their homes and just have an outhouse in the back. But this is going to be such an amazing experience and something I’ve only dreamed about. I know that sounds weird, but I’ve always thought of being able to stay with a family whenever I get the chance to travel to Africa. Anyway, I want to be able to take a gift for each person in Geoffrey’s house, he has a wife and 3 kids. Any ideas?

There’s so much I want to share about what’s running through my mind as I anticipate leaving for this trip, but I don’t know how to express it just yet. Hope to have a full report when I return and lots of great pictures to post. In the meantime I’ll try to post a little more frequently between now and March 9^th.

Christmas Bazaar - Come buy my stuff!!!

I'm doing my first craft fair this weekend!! Please come and invite all of your friends! The location is:

Life Centers
8650 Commerce Park Plaza
Indianapolis, IN 46268

11 am to 3 pm

I'll be selling earrings and baby burp cloths; all of the money raised with go to our adoption fund!

Serving His Children In Uganda and Baby Daylon

I recently found this blog through Katie in Uganda www.servinghischildreninuganda.blogspot.com. This girl, like Katie, also lives in Uganda. She helps to run a feeding program, but also uses her home as a center to care for and educate parents of children who are extremely malnourished or extremely sick. The children and sometimes the parents will stay with her while she helps to bring the children back to health at the same time educating the parents on how to properly care for their sick children. Nearly every post I've read from her has brought me to tears. There have been stories of 20 something year old girls who only weigh 36 pounds and have been abandoned by their families for a disability they have; the parents didn't want the responsibility to care for them any longer. It hurts to read those stories. But the most recent one I think has been the most difficult to read. A one month old little boy named Robert who suffers from an extremely rare genetic disorder called Epidermolysis Bullosa. It's a skin condition that causes the skin to be extremely sensitive to nearly EVERYTHING, the slightest movement or friction causes the skin to tear or rip right off of the body which leaves open wounds that generally will fill with fluid or blood and cause blisters all over the body. There are many different forms, sometimes it's mild and will only affect the soles of the feet or hands. In Robert's case, his whole body is affected. Through reading the post about Robert I started reading some of the comments people had posted, and one in particular caught my eye, it was a link to another blog about a little boy named Daylon from California that has the same condition, and his is extremely severe. I clicked on the blog link, and as soon as I saw the pictures I couldn't stop sobbing www.lovingbabydaylon.blogspot.com
I spent most of the day yesterday reading about this little boy and just the struggles he faces on a daily basis, and I couldn't stop crying. I hurt for how much pain he is in and I hurt for his parents knowing how much pain he was in, and there was nothing they could do and I was mad at God for allowing this little boy to have to go through this at just 13 months old. WHY?
I had called Scott earlier in the day crying for these two little boys and asking him what we could do to help. We know of an organization called Hands That Heal that helps to get medical visas for extremely sick children in third world countries to come to the US to receive medical care. I thought maybe we could refer Robert from Uganda for this program. But right now there is no cure for this condition. There are some clinical trials that are being done and Daylon is actually participating in one now at the University of Minnesota. He received a bone marrow transplant from his brother, and they hope this will help the body to heal itself, although he's had a pretty tough time over the last 80 days. You can read about his whole story through their blog.
When I got home last night I wanted to show Scott both of these blogs, and again as soon as I opened up Daylon's blog I was crying uncontrollably. I'm so sad for him. I look at his swollen face and in his eyes and I immediately feel so hurt for him. This has never happened before, I've read about young kids and babies that have leukemia or cancer and have to go through all sorts of treatments, and it's sad, but I usually don't think too much more after that. But this was completely different. I haven't been able to stop thinking about these two little boys. I asked Scott last night, through sobbing tears, "why does God do this, why would He let anyone hurt so much"? And he said, "because we live in a fallen world, but this isn't our final home and you have to know that whenever Daylon and Robert go to heaven that they won't be in pain anymore." And it is comforting to know that, that someday there will come a time when they won't hurt anymore. But selfishly, I don't want these little boys to go to heaven yet. I don't want their families to be sad if they're not here anymore. I want God to heal them and I know He can. Please God, these boys are completely under your care and I just pray that you miraculously heal them of this horrible disease.

Isaiah 65:24

I recently read this story on Renee's blog www.servinghischildreninuganda.blogspot.com and wanted to share.

This story was written by a doctor who worked in South Africa.

One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do, she died, leaving us with a tiny, premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive, as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator).We also had no special feeding facilities. Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies, and the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in. Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates). And ‘it is our last hot water bottle!' she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk, so in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles. They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways. 'All right,' I said, 'put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts Your job is to keep the baby warm.' The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died. During prayer time, one ten-year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. 'Please, God' she prayed, 'Send us a hot water bottle today. It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon. While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, 'And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll know You really love her?'As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say 'Amen?' I just did not believe that God could do this. Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything; the Bible says so. But there are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever, received a parcel from home. Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator! Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there on the verandah was a large 22-pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly-colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas - that would make a batch of buns for the weekend. Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the.....could it really be? I grasped it and pulled it out. Yes, a brand new, rubber hot water bottle. I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could. Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, 'If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!' Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully-dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted! Looking up at me, she asked, 'Can I go over with you and give this dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her? 'Of course,' I replied! That parcel had been on the way for five whole months, packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child – five months before, in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it 'that afternoon.'

“Before they call, I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.”

Isaiah 65:24

Isn’t that AMAZING! Before we pray, He has already provided for that need/request/desire, before we even speak it. We may not see right away, it probably won’t come in our timing, but in HIS timing, in HIS timing all things are perfect. He knows. He knew before that baby was even born that she was going to need to stay warm: He provided. And did that 2 year old sister need a “Dolly”? No, but that’s just like our, God. To give us the unnecessary joys in life, the things that we don’t really need, that make us smile, laugh, and remember that, “God loves me”! He will grant me (and you) the desires of my heart; He knows what they are before even I. But first, we must have “childlike faith”, we must trust like, Ruth. She had no doubt that God was going to send that Dolly & water bottle (that very day). No second thought. She knew; she had confidence.

For Sale

We recently went to this super cool bazaar when we were on vacation. It was sort of like an outdoor market that totally reminded me of the markets in Africa, except that everything at this one was EXTREMELY expensive! They had so many cute things though, just way over priced. So at that moment I decided that as soon as we got home I was going to try to make some of the things I saw at the bazaar and I would use all of the money I raised for our adoption. So this is what I've come up with so far. This is all new so I haven't set up any type of online payment. If you're interested just leave me a comment or email me at whitneysaucedo@gmail.com
Price: 1 pair for $4 or 3 pairs for $10
I'm also working on some cool tote bags, but they still need some work. I'll let you know when those are ready.
Hope you like the earrings!