koko.

This is Koko! He is and forever will be mine. I spent almost every day my first year in South Africa holding him while he slept or carrying him around on my shoulders. He was and forever will be my favorite. His story is the only unbeautiful thing about him. His mother walked out on him and his dad and his older brother and sister. He was 10 days old. His dad, being a drunk, would lock him out of the shack while he was at work. Koko when I met him was 4. His feet were as hard as a rock being covered in calluses from walking around all day with no shoes.  He was and maybe still is scared of the water. His smile always brightened my day. I could always get a great hug from him. I miss him, and often wonder what he is like now. He would be almost 10.  His he staying out of trouble? Does he remember me?  Does he know the Lord?  How are his grades in school?

Valentrick Day.

 

While living in Port Elizabeth, we celebrated Valentrick Day. Our version of Valentines Day.  It was complete with dancing, dinner and heart shaped valentines.  A great evening of family fun and memories. 

In his Hands.

 A little bit of what is going thru my head:
We sang the song “All for Jesus” in church today.  The line “All of my ambitions, hopes and plans I surrender these into Your hands.” was talked about. Pastor talked about how we all have had times when it feels like our hope and dreams have been dropped. That they just are working out. The truth in that is that they have dropped in HIS hands. He holds our hopes, our dreams, our ambitions. They didn’t just go no where. They are safe in HIS hands. We must trust that.

I know that I am going through that right now. Wanting with all of me, or that is what it feels like, to be back in Africa. The place that has stolen my heart, a place that has taught me so much. I am slowly realizing that while doing missions in Africa and loving the unloved is what He has called us to do.

MAYBE more than that letting HIM steal my heart, teach me, love me and I in turn fall deeper in love with Him is what its all about. Just maybe giving Him my dreams and Hopes is what will make it all bearable. 

But it has to be a choice everyday when I get up. I have to be willing to give Him my dreams over and over and over again. No matter how hard I want to hold tight. I have to let go.

Favorite place to go/be.

Anywhere with a sunset.   

A school in the dirt of Uganda.

A school for 200+ children in a small village in Uganda. My team and I were able to visit and minister there. We played games, held and laughed with the kids, taught them about David and Goliath, and got COVERED in the red dirt of Uganda. It was a great day of ministry, All out girls did great. Its humbling to see this school and know/see how different it is than the one that I grew up with. What a difference. I had a  floor and walls to my school. These kids if they are lucky get to sit on wooden benches that look like they will fall apart at any moment. Not all the kids fit in the school so they have class outside under the tree in back. Trying to stay out of the hot sun. I don't know what happens when its raining. I imagine no school becuase the