Tell the World that Jesus Lives

After leaving White River Sunday morning, I finally made it home safely Monday evening. My family welcomed me home at the airport and took me out for dinner at Olive Garden and custard at Kopps for desert! I had almost forgotten what it was like to have delicious food after 2 months of beans, rice, and cabbage all the time. I have been trying to think of one last entry that would be able to appropriately express what these last five months meant to me. Do I share my favorite part or the most challenging part? How the children in Mozambique and Uganda captured my heart? Maybe I could try to explain how God revealed himself in such a real way or how my faith has changed? Then of course, I could go on for hours about the new family I have in South Africa, how much they impacted my life and truly demonstrated a radical love. Each one seems like an endless story though that can’t really be put into words on a blog! Words can’t adequately express the brokenness I experienced during different lectures or how vulnerable I felt while visiting the orphans. So I leave you with this —during these last five months I’ve learned that pushing God’s hand away and trying to do things on my own doesn’t work. So instead of pushing it away, I grabbed on tight and encountered the power of His presence. I’ve begun a process of growing and I know He still has a lot more growth for me even now that I am back at home. I do not know what comes next, but I understand now that not knowing is okay. After all, that is what it means to live by faith. So my prayer is that each one of you will be able to experience something similar to what I have the last 5 months. I pray that you will be completely broken and have an experience that leaves you speechless, in awe of God’s love.

DTS 2009 from Jen Price on Vimeo.

I once was blind, but now I see

This was our last week of ministry here in Jinja, Uganda and it was busy. We visited 7 houses, spent Friday during the day with Mary at Woman at Risk ministry, and cooked a dinner and had a party for a family of 15 orphans Friday night! In general though, the week was really difficult for me. Part of it was the pure exhaustion of being gone from 8 in the morning until 6 at night each day. Another part was the story of these families we were meeting, the intensity of their love despite poverty, and their joy beyond circumstances. On Monday we visited one family in the morning and in the afternoon we went to visit another family that had 10 children, but one girl stood out amongst them all and captured my attention. As we walked into the house it began to pour outside and the rain pounded on the tin roof making it impossible to hear each other. The mother motioned for us to sit on a broken bench, offering us her best as she settled down on the hard floor. As I sat down I looked to my right and saw a young girl, 9 years old, who had the biggest smile on her face. I tried to shout and ask her for her name but she just continued to smile at me. I thought maybe she didn't understand English, but usually when that is the case they just respond, "I am fine." (They think we are asking, how are you?.) So I tried one more time, just a little louder and the response was still just a big smile and then her eyes looking around. One of the men who cares for the family came to me and said "She is dumb." I was a little taken back at first. I thought, "how can you say this beautiful girl is dumb? Even if she is a little slow to learn,she can't possibly deserve to be called dumb." I think he saw that on my face and began to explain that the girl is deaf and mute. I signaled for her to come over and she sat on my lap. Song pulled out is guitar and despite the rain, he played music and we worshiped the loving God of these children. He played amazing grace and when he sang the line, "I once was blind but now I see" I could not help but let the tears go from my eyes. Here I was singing and a little annoyed at the rain and this little girl on my lap who could not hear never stopped smiling. Even though she could not hear the music, she looked at the rest of her family and clapped along with them. Then she began to take my hands and trace my fingers and the palm of my hand with hers. She pointed at my few freckles and giggled. Her laugh had so much joy in it and I wondered if she knew that. I wondered if she knew how her laughter spread through my soul and made me feel like Jesus was sitting next to me. We pulled out watercolors for all the children in the family and as they drew, the young girl would point at different pictures and teach me the words in sign language- car, flower, soccer, and fish were just a few. The whole time we were there she never left my side and her smile never left her face. As we said goodbye, I couldn't get her out of my mind. Everywhere we went, I saw her face. I couldn't understand why God had not healed her. She is already living in shack, sleeping on a hard floor, and struggling for food and school fees. Why can't she enjoy the sound of the guitar? The rain pounding on the roof? The sound of her beautiful laughter? Then God reminded me of His faithfulness and His love for His children. Maybe she can't hear the laughter, but her smile shines brighter than any other. I've heard that if you do not have one of your senses, the rest of your senses are even more sensitive. So maybe God has given her more joy from the taste of a banana and the vivid blue in the sky. And even though she may not be able to hear others say "Jesus loves you" or even "I love you," I have a feeling that this girl knows God's touch in a special way without the noise of this world feeding her lies about her beauty and identity as a child of God. She has a special place in my heart now.

On Monday we are leaving Jinja and beginning our journey back to South Africa. We will have a few days there to relax and debrief on our ministry then it will be back to the United States on June 1st! It's strange to think that in one week I will no longer be driving on the left side of the road or wondering if I remembered to bring tp with me into town for the bathroom! So please pray for our team as we travel back to south africa and then once again, a long 24 hour trip back to the states.

This is the Lawyer.

These past few weeks we have been working closely with a YWAM Uganda ministry called Orphans Know More. Each day we go to a different house that is caring for orphans and spend the day with the family. Some families have 5 orphans and others have over 20! Orphans Know More is aiding the families in providing school fees for the children to receive an education while the family provides a safe place for the children to learn about Jesus with food and shelter. The help from Orphans Know More is good but these families are still struggling to provide food and sickness is like a plague to some of them. Malaria is very common in this region and the cost of caring for it is high. Some of the families have mosquito nets, but the young children are sleeping on floors with nothing preventing them from rolling out of the net and being bit! Despite the hardship of life just for a regular family living in an impoverished land, these families live by faith, trust God to provide, and open their doors to children whom the rest of the community refuses to help.

At one house we went to, I met a young man named William. He lost his father when he was very young and lost his mother around 12. When they died, William became the oldest at home with 3 younger siblings. For two years he worked different jobs and paid his own way through school. His aunts and uncles rejected him and his family, refusing to help them. He asked me if that would happen in the United States and I had no idea what to say. We do not have the orphan crisis that Uganda has—it is not common for both parents to die and leave behind children. In addition, so many families here already are struggling day to day to have food, shelter, and fees for school for their own children. William's question really challenged me. I can come here and be more than excited to love these children and spend time with them, but what if this was my life? Would I live in fear of how difficult a task it may be to care for more children or would I have an open heart and FAITH to let God surprise me by how He provides?After 2 years of praying, Orphans Know More came to William’s aid and now him and his siblings are all able to go to school. William is now 19 and studying at the university. He is a focused student and full of dreams to make it out of poverty. He said someone here can work in a field for a whole day and only make 3,000 shillings—about $1.50. I pray that God will open doors for him and show him favor in school and trying to get a job here.

Everything is going very well here. Our team has had a few sicknesses here and there but for the most part we are all staying healthy. I'm still trying to get rid of this ringworm on my arm. It's becoming a part of me now though so there may be separation anxiety when it finally leaves. We get around by taxi most of the time and even though they squish us, it is nothing compared to Mozambique where people sit on top of each other. A few times we have taken motorbikes to get around when it is just a short distance. Ladies are supposed to sit sideways on them and I tried the first few times, but it was hard! I don't know how these African women do it.So I have given up and I will settle with the African's wondering why I ride like a man. Also while we have been here, I have been given a few new names. Apparently Laura is difficult to understand. Every time I introduce myself, they think I say lawyer! So now Song, Stanley, and John have taken it that I become introduced as lawyer everywhere we go before I even have a chance to say Laura. Some people accept it, others stare at me strangely, and one man said "Finally, a lawyer for Christ!". Anyways, we have one more week here. So thank you for your prayers and please continue to pray for our team health and safety.

Uganda

We are here in Uganda and safe! We have been here for the last two weeks and are plugging into different ministries. We went on a few home visits last week and worked with a ministry called Women at Risk that works with prostitutes. This week we are working with Orphans Know More and going to different houses that each care for orphans. Yesterday we visited a home that had about 15 orphans living there. God is really opening my eyes to the orphan crisis here and through that also showing me his faithfulness to His children. I would love to write more but I have no time! Hopefully I will have a chance to update sometime soon. Thank you for all of your prayers and support.

There is something about Mary.

We arrived here in Jinja, Uganda about 2 weeks ago and God is faithfully keeping us safe and guiding us in ministry here. In the short time we have been here, we have heard many different stories and all have touched my heart in a different way, but I want to share with you one particular story of a lady named Carol. In a near by village, there is a lady, Mary, who runs a ministry for women who have been trapped in prostitution as a way to support themselves and their family. Last friday, we went to visit Mary and work with her in the morning. She is currently discipling about 8 different women who she befriended at night clubs. Her ministry is called Women at Risk and she takes the women through a 12 week program of sharing the gospel with them, supporting them, and working with them to find a new way to support themselves. While we were there, Mary was teaching the women about forgiveness and she asked the ladies to make a list of women they have not been able to forgive. When the women came back, one of them, Carol, had written God's name on the list. I would like to share with you her story.

Carol grew up in Northern Uganda and when she was young, the rebels came and killed both of her parents. Carol and her sister went to hide in the bushes, but as the rebels were about to leave, her younger sister began to cry. The rebels heard her and went searching in the bushes for the tears. When they found her younger sister, they cut her in half, right in front of Carol's eyes. Carol was able to escape and she found a person to take her here, to Jinja, in southern Uganda. When she got here, she was given to a man who began to sexually abuse her and from that, Carol gave birth to two children. The man promised to take care of Carol and the children but he got her involved in prostitution then left her and never came back. Carol does not understand how a loving God could let such terrible things happen to such a young child. I know the reality is that we live in a fallen world and that evil does exist, but even with that knowledge, I do not know the answer to Carol's question and in no way can I relate to the trauma that she has been through. Despite that though, hearing Carol's story and her questions still taught me a few things. One, everyone has a story. Before we went to work with Mary, I was questioning how these women could ever get involved in something like prostitution. After hearing Mary's story though, I was reminded that judging and making assumptions about people comes all too easily. Carol has changed her life and given her life to following Jesus despite all the things that stand against her and speak lies that she is not loved-- poverty, abuse, and horrible memories that I can't imagine. Only a God who loves His children has the power to give courage and strength to change a persons life like that. Despite my opinions of prostitution, it was a way for Carol to provide for her family and now, she has left it behind to trust that God is bigger than this world and has a way to bless her and her children in a poverty stricken country. She may still be working out her past with God and learning to see how He loved her through the hardship, but her faith is real and alive. Just as any relationship has challenges, I believe her relationship with God is allowed to have challenges too. I don't think He needs us to protect His self-esteem by saying we are okay when it is not true. God has brought her to Mary and allowed our team to be part of her walk with God as well and I trust that He will continue to walk this struggle of forgiveness out with her. From all of this, I am now challenged to hear the story of every person we meet to gain understanding and see the wonders God is working out in other's lives.

Hola Mozambique

Yesterday we returned from a two-week adventure in Mozambique. We stayed with a church in a small community called Machava right outside of Maputo. Part of our time was spent painting rooms and digging a long ditch at a property down the street. The property is being prepared for a new YWAM base with an orphanage and the ditch will deliver water to the house! It was a lot of physical labor and tiring in the heat, but it was an enjoyable time talking with our group and also building a relationship with Alice and her son, Mahle, who are living on the property now. Mahle is almost 3 years old and full of energy. His desire was to help us, but when a 3 year old grabs a paint brush or hoe, there is no way to know where the adventure will take him! In addition to enjoying helping though, Mahle could play chase for hours so we would take turns chasing him. By the end of the time, he would come to me, whisper “Vamos a correr” which means, let’s run, and run off just giggling. One day, while I was chasing him, he kept falling and telling me he was tired, but when I asked if he wanted to sit down, he would enthusiastically say no and keep on running!

The other part of our ministry in Mozambique was helping with Youth For Christ’s work in an even smaller community than Machava. We went with Lauren to a church for a feeding program. When we drove into the community children ran from every direction to catch a ride with us in the bucky (that is what they call trucks here). Lauren said that on some days they pile 30-40 children in the back. They all are just thrilled to get a short ride, even if it is only 5 minutes. The church is a simple concrete building—no windows or doors or any furniture. About 100 children came and were fed a bowl of porridge. After each child was given a bowl, they put the pot the porridge was served from in the middle and the children sprinted to it to get as much of the scraps as they could. One of the most difficult parts of the feeding program though, was seeing young children, 4 or 5, carrying their younger siblings, 1 or 2, on their back. I watched one girl who shared a bowl of porridge with her sister. She would take one spoonful for herself, give her younger sister 3, and repeat it until the bowl was gone. Another girl fed her younger brother then turned and he jumped right on her back and I never saw him get off the entire time we were with them. Although it was difficult to see, John pointed out to me how much you can see that they care for one another. No one is alone and I think they demonstrate the brotherly love Jesus calls us to have with each other in a beautiful way.

After spending the morning with the children, we split into groups and went with a translator to visit homes. (They speak Portuguese and Shangan) Brittany and I visited four different houses and each was unique, yet similar in some ways. Each house was very formal in our visits. When we walked in, they greeted us and immediately found chairs for us to sit down in. Even when we visited a one-room house made out of straw and had a tin roof, the woman living there found water containers for us to sit on. Many of the houses we visited were broken families, with either no father or a father that worked very far away and only came home once in a while to give money. I would like to share with you the story of one particular house we visited. Living there was a mother and daughter. When we were first speaking to her, she wasn’t opening up much about her life. I asked her what growing up in the community was like and she said she enjoyed it very much. However, I really felt God was telling me to ask her what dreams or hopes she had for her young daughter. When I asked her the question, she opened up to us and her story broke my heart. Her husband works in a mine and comes home every other week. When he is home, he abuses drugs, which makes him a “mad man,” as the mother described to us, and he beats her and their young daughter. Her desire is to leave her husband for her daughter’s safety, but a fear is controlling her. Her husband’s uncle is involved in witchcraft and the husband has threatened to put a curse on their daughter if she leaves. We asked if her family supports her and she said they are too scared to say anything. We spoke with the mother and encouraged her that God is stronger and more powerful than any witchcraft. We talked with her about not allowing fear to control, but putting trust in Christ. Before we left, we prayed with her and she was very grateful, explaining that she was feeling hopeless with the situation. Not having grown up in a culture where witchcraft has any real influence, it is hard for me to understand how it can have such control over a person’s life. Hearing this woman speak though, broke my heart and gave me a taste of the power of lies being spoken to the communities. I know that God is more powerful and I know His heart is for them to experience the fullness of His love. So my prayer is that these families choose to turn to God and trust Him.  I pray that God will work in her husband’s heart and change his life in a radical way, so their family may be united and their marriage could reflect God’s love for us.

While we were in Mozambique, we also had some time to explore. The community we were staying in was very small with bumpy dirt roads. A short walk from our house was a market where you could buy anything from a live chicken to fruits and vegetables or a deck of cards. We didn’t have any car to drive us around, so when we wanted to get into the city we had to find a chappa, which is a taxibus. Luckily we rented chappas to use because I do not know how I would have breathed in a normal chappa. The chappas are 15 passenger vans, but on average about 25 people squeeze into one! In one chappa all you could see was a bunch of butts pressed up against the windows. Other times, when we did not have to rent out a chappa, we were fortunate enough to make friends who drove us in their bucky, but that was never a dull experience either. As a group, we are now professionals at pushing a truck to get it started. We went to the beach one day and swam in the Indian Ocean and also were able to eat Mozambique prawns, which were delicious. Overall, the trip was wonderful! We are now staying here in South Africa for 2 days and on Wednesday morning we will leave to fly to Uganda for 4 ½ weeks. 

The view of Maputo from the other side of the harbor

These two photos are from the feeding program. Notice the young girls carrying children.

I was attacked by misquitos! 25 bites on one of those elbows and one turned out to actually be ringworm. I am using a cream now and it should be gone soon.  

A frequent view--pushing the bucky to get it started. 

Yebo!

So what’s new?

1) Well, the biggest news is that we leave on MONDAY for Mozambique! On Monday we will pile into a taxi and drive to Maputo, Mozambique to begin our outreach phase. Yesterday we began practicing skits that we will use during our children’s programs or if we are asked to run a church service. I am really excited, but it still feels a bit surreal, especially that it is coming so soon. We are still in great need of prayer for our trip—1) many of us are still need financial support. (If you are able to help, look at my last post for how to support us!) 2) after 3 months of class and community outreach, we are in need of physical and spiritual rest 3) that our plans will be God’s plans. As we prayed, we got the Parable of the Prodigal Son. We are focusing on the son’s return to the father and the father’s joy and celebration in that return! Please pray that we continue to be sensitive to God’s guidance in our planning. 4) safety in traveling! Mozambique is about 2 hours away and Uganda will be about a 5 hour plane ride, but continual prayer for our safety even while traveling in the country.

2) Last week a group of 10 came from New Hope church in Wiley, Texas to join us on the base. Their pastor, Keith, led our class last week in learning how to make change stick! There were four key things—a) God must initiate the change, b) we have to be obedient to follow, c) live out the change within a community and d) our attitudes must be ready and willing to change. The teaching really challenged me to consider whether God or my own will initiates changes in my life. God made us all creative individuals so I think sometimes I become a little creative in how I want to change, but when I look back I can see it’s only been the changes from God’s heart that really stick!

3) This past weekend the New Hope team organized a soccer tournament for the children in the two communities we work in—Mbonsweni and Kobokweni. We started the morning off with the church service then went to a large soccer field where they played soccer and netball and the younger kids had their face painted and played with hula-hoops! It was a beautiful day and great to see the two communities come together.

4) Facebook’s new change has made it impossible to use at the property. The internet connection is so slow that we can look at things but we can’t write messages or make comments or do anything! Well, as we say here, t.i.a.—this is Africa.

5) Monique and I have switched out the jazzercise video for Billy’s Celebrity Tae Bo. At first, I just felt hopeless from my lack of coordination, but with a little bit of practice, I think Monique and I are on our way to being Tae Bo masters. It’s still not the same release as running, but it keeps me moving! Plus, I have to be ready to give my brother some competition in running after he is done with his marathon. Psh! Who ever thought he would get to run one before me? (just kidding bro, you know I love you!)

6) We have our visas for Uganda! We took a group trip to Pretoria last Monday. When we were there I had to get a photo taken for my visa, but I wasn’t allowed to smile. The photo looks like my mug shot. I don’t really understand why you can’t smile for it. Does Uganda only want people who look like they are out to kill to come to their country?

7) Sickness has plagued the base. I think almost every single one of us has been sick at least once these last two-weeks either with a cold or things coming out one end or the other in an unhealthy way.  I was so excited because I thought, by the grace of God, that I had escaped it, but Sunday night it hit me. I am doing better now, but there are still a few sick so prayers for our health, especially before outreach, are appreciated.

8) I learned my lesson about sunscreen. After the community stay, my hair was in braids from the girls and my whole entire head burned. Then last week, I noticed my head was incredibly itchy only to find that my entire scalp was peeling! I’m thanking God that He has blessed me with a friend like Monique who spent a good hour peeling my head for me so I didn’t need to walk around all flaky. My lesson learned—even if I have to smear sunscreen all in my hair like shampoo, I will do it to avoid the pain of a burned head.