Daughter of the King

Something that has been on my heart lately is how much our kids love each other here at The James Place.   Yes, they are kids and sometimes they hit each other or take each other's toys. Yes, some are brothers and sisters by blood. But most of our 50 kids are not related. And the love they have for each other is something special. I get to watch 3 and 4 year olds try and console the younger ones when they are crying or upset. I watch these little children pick each other up and carry each other around. I see them hug and kiss each other and hold hands as they run around the compound. I see them smile and laugh and play together, simply loving one another and doing life together.  Our kids are growing up getting to know the love of Jesus. The ones who are old enough for preschool get to learn about God everyday. The younger ones are taught a Bible story weekly. All of the kids are loved on by the staff daily and are learning Jesus' love through them. I get to...

Time here is a strange thing. So much happens in each day; sometimes at the end of the day I look back and think, “Wow, I can’t believe I did that this morning.” The days are long, but the weeks are so short. It feels like I got here last week but I have been with HEAL Ministries for six weeks now. So much has happened in those six weeks: I have fallen in love with Uganda. But more importantly, I have fallen even more in love with her people. I get to love on 50 children every day here at The James Place. I am “Auntie Betty” to them and I love each and every one of them so much. The days are filled with playing, laughing, feeding, cleaning, naps, snacks, runny noses, drool, teaching, and growing. Our kids get to actually be kids. It’s easy to forget that that isn’t reality for most of the kids here in Uganda. Besides the kids, I also get to love on all of the staff and the women involved in our programs. Most of our staff is made up of women who have been abandoned, but their li...

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." ~ 1 Peter 5:6-7 NIV God's timing is so incredible. Everything that happens, happens at the time it is meant to. God knows what each of us needs and gives it to us in due time. We often try to rush God and complain when things don't happen the way we want them too. We forget that our master and creator has everything in control, and we try to take the reign from his hands and control everything ourselves.  Tina had said that the timing of me being here was a blessing. I grasped that concept before coming, but it really wasn't until the other night that I fully understood what she meant by that. I also had no idea that I was HEAL's first year long intern ever. That's pretty cool.  Then the other day, a mother kit was found in our supplies. Here in Uganda, you have to either pay for or bring wi...

I can’t believe I have been in Uganda for three weeks already. These weeks have flown by but the strange thing is that each day is filled with more activities than I can remember sometimes. Let me start from the beginning... I left for Africa on June 30th. My journey started in the Newark Airport and it was the first time I have ever flown alone. It was hard to say goodbye to my family but I knew that we would talk to soon and that we would be together again and that I was doing the right thing. I flew from Newark to London and then from London to Entebbe. I was picked up around midnight on July 1st and got to The James Place shortly after 2am. I was greeted by Trey and some of the interns and team because they had just gotten back from watching America play in the World Cup. I was shown my bed and told to sleep in. I tried getting up with everyone in the morning but was told by many to get back in bed so I did as I was told. I was staying with the team and many of them wer...

Katonda Mulungi means "God is so good" in Luganda.  And friends, God is so good.  These past couple of weeks that I've had at home have gone by extremely fast. I got to spend Father's Day with my family in Hershey Park. While there, I got to see the memorial that was put up for my friend, Nick Pantalone, as well as hear his voice as I waited in line for Wild Cat.  I got to spend time with two of my best friends.  I spent a beautiful day at the beach in Connecticut and made some Mother Goose friends while in Pennsylvania. I've gone to church and bible study and have been in the Word.  Yesterday I got to spend the day with my family. I haven't seen many of them in many years. It was awesome getting to see everyone and catch up before I leave for a year. It was nice being able to share about how I got the internship and everything that I will be doing while there to them in person.  And now, in less than 24 ...

It has been over a month since my last post. I'm sorry for not writing sooner, but things had gotten pretty busy with everything that was going on. I will do my best to write more often from now on. The exciting news...I graduated from Lebanon Valley College! I honestly can't believe how fast these past four years of my life have gone. I have enjoyed every single second of my time at LVC and wouldn't trade it for anything. I have significantly grown, made friends that will last a lifetime and beyond, and have found who I truly am. I am so thankful to my family and friends, without them, I would never have gotten through school or become the person I am today. To update you on how my fundraising is going...I have raised $9,500! God is so good and has totally provided. I have officially paid everything to HEAL that is required and the rest of the money that is coming in is to help pay for my shots, VISAs, and dinner while I'm there. Thank you to everyone who has ...

As of today, I have over  $5,000  raised for my year long internship with HEAL Ministries! God is so good. I was not expecting to have nearly this much money raised yet. It has only been 3 weeks since I have been fundraising and I already have half of what I need. And I have my plane ticket in my possession! I officially leave on June 30th :) And I graduate from Lebanon Valley College a month from today. I can't believe how fast everything is falling into place. The cross with Philippians 4:13 God is certainly present in everything that is going on pertaining to this journey. Besides the incredible financial help, I have also received numerous gifts from people. The first present I received was a small cross with Philippians 4:13 in it to keep with me every day while I'm in Africa (I can't wear any jewelry while I'm there). Someone from my internship and one of the churches I attend then brought me two sets of beautiful African clothes made by her African friend w...