African Days

God is good all the time. And all the time God is good. These past few days have gone by so fast and I have enjoyed every second. Monday was an office day so we did a lot of helping in the office. On Tuesday we went to Mityana and ran a program for the kids at a primary school. We led praise and worship, read a bible story and played a game. I was in charge of the game. We played freeze tag and the kids loved getting caught by all the white people. The game ended up with all the kids chasing us mizungoos and latching onto us. On Wednesday we did the same program but in Mokono. It was super fun and rained all day. Each day this week the kids at the school had so much energy. They sang all the songs with all their heart and gave it all they had. Listening to 60 African kids sing worship songs in Luganda is the most heart warming thing ever. This morning I woke up at 6 and Porsche and myself baked a cake for Emily's birthday. We put chocolate bar toppings on it and it turned out good for the most part! I also led devotions this morning and talked about spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit has blessed us believers with. I think it's important to take note of everyone spiritual gifts on a team like EAC and notice that everyone has different gifts but they are given by the same God and are all used for the Body of Christ. After devotions we sang happy birthday to emily and ate the cake. It was delicious! The team had a goodbye circle for me and everyone said something encouraging about me and then they all prayed for me. It was so lovely. After they all prayed for me I got a bunch of water dumped on me. I was absolutely drenched. It was so funny. After lunch I left for the airport and emily, Lydia, Patrick and Rita came with me. It was a long drive to the airport. Once we arrived at the airport I said goodbye to everyone, shed a few tears and then went to check in. It was so hard to leave them but it was by God's might that got me through it. Ok so the best part of today's blog entry is coming up so fasten your seat belts and get ready to hear something amazing. I went to check in and first off I was frustrated because I could not understand anyone. I tried so hard to listen but could not understand. I finally figured out I had to go through security to check in. After I checked in I filled out a declaration type card and went to the cafe by my gate and had some yogurt and of course chocolate. I then went and waited by my gate and started thinking, how crazy would it be if someone from saskatoon let alone Canada was on the same flight as me or in this airport. I started to stress out about all my connections on my trip back home and worrying that things would go wrong. Ok this is the best part. I was standing in line to get on the plane and a Ugandan was in front of me and said hello. We then started talking and asked where eachother was from. We both said Canada. Then we discovered we are from the same country, same province, same city, and live 4 mins away from eachother. How crazy is that. We both fly home on all the same flights. This is such a God thing and I know that God prepared this for a reason. This gentleman has helped me already and I know God has placed him on all my flights for a reason. I am soooo relieved that I have someone to help me get to my flights. I am so blessed and God is already working as I go back home. 

My experience in Uganda. 

After spending 2,100 minutes in Uganda, my time there is done for now. When I arrived there I didn't know what to expect. I thought maybe I would be the only teenage girl there and would be with random people for a month. But no. God placed 3 amazing other girls my age In Uganda while I was there. I got to form relationships with them that I never thought I would have made. From re dedicating my life to Christ with Shannen and talking about life with Lydia and organizing many things with Emily. I built relationships with Ugandans. That was something I will always value; because they showed me how to have real faith and to trust in God always.  My first few weeks there I didn't know what my role was on the team. The organization was changing many things, there were projects we didn't do that I thought we were going to do but didn't do. Through all of these things that didn't happen that I expected God showed me to explore areas I didn't think I'd be working in. I discovered my spiritual gift of encouragement and organization. I learned many things and can't wait to bring it back home. 

I had the chance to lead a Monday night bible study for special ladies. I read through the book of Ruth with them. After connecting with a group of ladies for a month I was encouraged my them, I was constantly in prayer for them and built relationships with them that I will never forget. I remember praying for job opportunities for them and for their kids school fees to be paid. I had the chance to see those prayer requests answered. I am continuing to pray that someone will continue to love on those ladies, to cherish them, to value them, to support them, and to pray for them. They are precious and I know God has them wrapped up in his arms. I know there are many special ladies back at home and I can't wait to connect with them. 

After going to Zirobwe for a few days every week; God revealed to me genuine love and pure joy. Whether is was through just sitting with a kid on the side of the road, or helping pump water, or teaching kids in the classroom or visiting women's homes an walking long distances to get there. It was always evident that God had breathed pure joy into that village and is continue to work in each individual there. And for the youth. I know God has big plans for you, so keep reading the word, stay constant in prayer and keep fighting in Gods army. 

During my stay in Uganda I caught myself not looking at the poverty, not looking at what they didn't have, not looking at how much they are struggling. What God showed me is that I don't need to look at the worldly things that they don't have. What I look at is their faith and their relationship with Christ. I learnt that they are so rich in God and have so much. I'm still trying to figure out what to think about this whole situation but I think it has changed my view on poverty. I see those people as Gods chosen people grounded in their faith; instead of people who are poor and have nothing. 

I am excited to see my family and friends in a few hours back at home but my EAC family will be dearly missed. I have had so many fun, sad, exciting moments with you and hope to see you in Uganda again someday. If God doesn't lead me back there again then I will see you all in glory! 

I am beyond grateful for this stepping stone in my life and in my spiritual life. Thank you all for the prayers, and the Skype calls, and the messages to check up on me. I love you all and may God continue to pour into your life. 

Elephants, Giraffes and more Giraffes.

Ok, so I have many many many many stories to share about my safari. I would like to save all of them but I will share what we did. Wednesday morning we left at 7:30am! We took a 5 and a half hour drive up north to Murchison Falls National Park. Once we entered the gate we saw baboons! We drove another hour and started to approach the African Savannah. It was absolutely breathtaking. It felt like I was in a different world. The landscape was stunning and you could see giraffes in the distance. By the time we got there it was mid afternoon so we went for a game drive which is a drive where we look for animals. We saw many water bucks which are like deer. We also saw elephants and giraffes that evening. When we were on our way to the lodge that we were staying in the elephants were blocking the road so we had to take another route. We finally approached our lodge and got settled for the night after we were served supper. Ok so our nights were scorching hot. I got heat stroke and I threw up Wednesday night which sucked. I literally got no sleep cause it was so stinking hot. It was 40 degrees in our room, with no breeze. Yea, it wAs like a Sauna. I was sweating te whole entire night. But I traded it for sitting under the stars for a bit. It was that moment Wednesday night when I was sitting in the African savannah and watching the stars when I was breathless and had no words to thank God. I immediately was astounded my Gods handiwork and his creation. It was beautiful. On Thursday we went for another game drive and saw some wart hogs, elephants, giraffes, water bucks, more giraffes and African birds. They were all so gorgeous.. In the afternoon we took a ferry across the Nile River and took a boat ride all the way along the Nile River until we reached the falls. While on our boat ride we saw hippos, crocodiles and lots more hippos! To say the least our motor boat almost got cap sized by a hippo... Yea it was scary that's for sure.. I was laughing, and crying and laughing hysterically while i was telling the guide we go! We go! After the boat ride we went back to the lodge. We stayed in our room because they advise us to not be outside at night because that's wen the hippos do feeding. In the middle of the night I was awaken by the hippos feeding outside my window. It wAs so ironic and crazy.. Aha. This morning we slept in for a bit and had breakfast. It was quite delicious. Then we drove an hour and a half up to the falls. It was so so so gorgeous. It was so loud but there was a full rainbow in the falls. It was super misty but so amazing. We had lunch there and headed back to Kampala. These past few days have been amazing and can't wait for the next few days here in the city. To say the least I have been amazed by Gods creation and my yea have been opened to how great and big our God is that we serve. It's crazy to think the God that created the African savannah, knit us together in our mothers womb. So neat. 

Updates: 

1. Please keep our team in your prayers for the next few days. 

2. Guidance and preparation as I start to wind up my time here, start my debriefing and head home next week. 

4. I can't wait to share all the stories of events that happened during my safari when I'm home. 

5. God is good all the time. And all the time God is good. 

New Life In CHRIST.

Sorry for the past few days. I have not been good at updating my blog. Today has been amazing. Id like to share just a few things I did the past 2 days here and then focus on something exciting. To start, Monday we had a really long meeting but that's ok cause that's what meetings are for right? Haha then in the afternoon I rested and napped all afternoon. In the evening I led bible study for women in the area. I have been going through the story of Ruth every Monday with the woman and it has been so awesome and encouraging. Tuesday; (today) we went to the hospital in the morning to pray for kids. Some were going through malnutrition and some were just sick. It was awesome to just sit with the kids and pretend like nothing was wrong. I loved it. In the afternoon I went and got my braids redone and had a good talk with the hair dresser. It was awesome. Then the best part of my trip and day so far happened. I got to sit down with Shannen (the communications person) a.k.a the MST mom, and just talked about everything in life, Struggles, awesome things, weird things and things God has revealed to us. Literally everything in our life. I then brought up the question that I know that when I was 4 I say down with my mom on her bed and went through what it meant to be a Christian. Then I said like I don't exactly remember the whole story/moment. It all seems like a blur. I then told Shannen that I don't want my relationship with Christ to be a blur and I want to dedicate my life to Christ again now that I can fully understand on my own. Shannen and myself went through and read the story about the resurrection of Jesus and then we prayed and she walked me through a prayer where I re-dedicated my life to Christ. I was in tears by the end of it but I am so grateful and blessed to be able to run to a God and confess my love to him again and tell him how my life is in his hands and how I want Christ, HIM, in my heart. It has been a defining moment in my faith and I am so glad I was able to share it with Shannen. Words can not express how much I loved tonight... I hae ended it with watching Despicable me 1 with my roommate Lydia and eating a chocolate bar. I leave fr my Safari tomorrow morning for 3 days and I can not wait to see more of Gods beautiful creation. It will be a great next 3 days. 

God bless, 

Alison 

Dodging taxis in a sweaty city.

These past few days have been very relaxing but have been so refreshing. Yesterday (Friday)  we had meetings all day and just relaxed and did paper work. We got a lot accomplished this week in the village like clearing a path, having a successful praise rally and teaching a budgeting seminar to women in the village. We had an amazing night; we had a dance party and then prayed for 2 hours. God was so present and he opened my eyes. During the whole evening God put on my heart to go do street ministry to the prostitutes. I don't know why it was so heavy on my heart but I felt like God just wanted me to go.. We ended up praying till 11:30 and didn't have time to go out. I realized ok maybe I really wanted to go out an minister but God can also minister through prayer. Even though we didn't go out that night God was able to hear my prayer of crying out to him and telling him how I felt for them. Hopefully I can go out one evening before I come home because I know God wants me to go talk to them and just let the spirit overflow in me into them. This whole trip I have found so much joy and I am so blessed with that but last night my heart broke for 2 hours and I was just crying for hours cause God put the ladies on my heart. I guess when I go visit them at night some time I will see why God put them on my heart so heavy. To say the least God opened up my heart and showed me how to love unconditionally and just pray so intentionally. Today we started our day off with the best breakfast ever. French toast. Yea it was unreal. So delicious. Then after breakfast I napped for a bit and caught up on some sleep. In the afternoon me and Lydia and Emily and Sandra went to town and the craft market. Ok so downtown Kampala is stinky, hot, crowded, wet, sweaty, and frustrating. We did some shopping and I bought a few gifts for back at home for people. It was the most Bazar experience... To say the least I got hit by a taxi.. Don't worry mom and dad I just hve a hole in my shirt. I got proposed to by several Ugandans.. Yea I just said heck no and kept making my way through the hectic alleys. Me and my roommates laughed so hard and enjoyed every second together. After town we went to the craft market and looked around for a bit for more gifts. After we all wnt for coffee and smoothies. It wAs so delicious and yummy. After we went to Watoto church. It was my last time I'll be able to go cause my last Saturday is next week and that's when the youth conference is. Church was awesome and it wS so nice to get filled up and listen to a pastor. My knee has been swollen and hurts a lot from walking around so if you could pray for that, that would be awesome. Tonight I am just relaxing, eating pizza and enjoying reading the word of God and journaling. I can not wait for the next few days before my safari. To say the least today was busy, hectic, fun, crazy, hot and sweaty. I am enjoying every second and am so glad I have been able to be open and let God use me and stretch me more than I thought I could be stretched. Thank you all for all the prayers and can't wait to share more about what God is doing on this side of the world. 

Zirobwe life at it's finest.

Another awesome time in the village. It was my last week in the village and I enjoyed every second of it. We arrived on Tuesday and settled in and set up our tents. Wednesday and Thursday we did manual labour in the mornings and then ran a praise night for the kids and also ran a budgeting class for some women in the village so that they can run their own business. Ok so just imagine waking up in Africa and the sun beating down on you while your slashing grass to make a path for 4 hours. Yea to say the least it's very exhausting but sooo rewarding in the end :) To make it more bearable we got a porridge break at 10:30. Just add a little sugar and it tastes magnificent. I thought I would hate it but it was unreal. It's like cream of wheat. No one knows what that is here though. Every morning I loaded the sunscreen on and used like half a bottle. Literally. I got sick on Wednesday and it was not good. I threw up at night but by the morning I was better. I think it was just too much sun. Oh well I'm fine now an that's all that matters haha. It's crazy to think that it's already exactly 2 weeks until I go back home. I have really tried lately to not dwell on counting down the days. My time in the village was amazing. Amazing is an understatement because I started sponsoring a little girl! Her name is Efrance and she's in kindergarten. She is the sweetest little girl ever and I got to spend all week with her. It was the best feeling ever to be able to see her and spend time with her. It's awesome to be able to see her go to school now cause I can pay school fees for her. So awesome to see God provide for her. This past week I have been able to have my eyes opened and God revealed to me more pure joy here in Zirobwe. It was the best thing ever. God is working so much in the village and I can not wait for the youth conference we are having next weekend. I leave for my safari next week with all the other MST's and am super excited for it! I found this blog post kind of hard to write.. I guess what I really wanted to share was my highlights. 

1. God was so present in the village. 

2. We helped parents learn English and their hunger to want to learn it is amazing and so encouraging.

3. Spending time with my sponsor child and seeing where all the money will go to support her and help her for the years to come. 

4. I learnt to not dwell on when I'm coming home because God wants me to focus on here and now. To focus on building his kingdom in the moment.

5. This place feels like home now and I feel such a peace when I am with the team. 

6. God has continued to fill me with Joy and constantly put a smile on my face. Before in the past especially at home I found it so hard to always stay positive and always be joyful. I can now say God has showed me how to be joyful and how to make every negative thing I come in contact with a positive thing. 

8. I have learned that I serve the same God here that I serve at home. He is never changing. He is everlasting. He is Love and Joy. 

Here is a picture of Efrance; my sponsor child. She is so so precious and loves Jesus so much. 

Not sure what day it is.

Ok at this point I have lost track of what day I am on. I will start with explaining briefly my time in the village last week but will save some stories for home. So! Monday September 8th the team left for the village. Let me explain that most of the outreach and things we do are in a village called Zirobwe which is 2 hours from Ntinda which is where I'm staying! The organization (eac) has a school out there and has teachers to teach at the primary school. They also have a church out there which we attend every Sunday. The area where the church is, is exactly where they used to have child sacrifices and mass amount of witch craft events. It is amazing to see the Holy Spirit move and have empower a child be able to purchase all this land and start using it to glorify God. There are still plenty of witch doctors but as we continue to evangelize I am excited to see God work and move in the hearts of these people. Monday I hung out with a bunch of kids at tier house and got to just spend time with them. When I was walking down the road I had the chance to pump water from a bore hole. It was awesome to be able to help kids pump water and walk along side them as they carried it home. Tuesday was probably my favourite time at the village. I ended up going with a lady to visit her house. I thought it was going to take maybe 20 mins toget there.... Well no it took more like 2 and a half hours. When we arrived there me and another intern here we were served tea and peanuts. It wS the best tea ever!! And wow this woman, Maggie; told us her story. Basically to keep it short I learnt that she has a heart to serve others and make sure they are well and kept in good care. She wants to help her community. How awesome is that to hear her wanting to put others above herself! So encouraging. We ended up walking to her friends garden and it felt like I was in actually Africa. It was just trees and land and more trees. We took another long trek back to the church which took a bit longer but the walking was SO worth it! Tuesday morning I had tons of sugar cane and had a very eventful shower. In the afternoon Lydia and myself went to teach English to a mother. We were there for an hour and taught her how to pronounce and write a, b, c and d. After we hung out with the family and just took tons of pictures. Myself and another intern here bathed with another lady from the UK here. Let's just say us white people glow in the dark and it's extremely difficult to bath out of a basin. It was a night full of laughter and dropping the soap several times. Thursday I woke up and saw the beautiful sunrise! It was breathtaking and it felt like I was in Africa once again! Once we got back to Ntinda after leaving the village we (all the MST's) and Shannen went for ice cream. Wow after 4 days of hot sweaty Zirobwe a cold ice cream come hit the spot. Friday was a planning day and we got planned for the next week. It was very successful. Saturday.. Ok mom and dad your probably reading this waiting to read about Saturday. We started our day by going to the hospital and went to the paediatrics wing and prayed for kids and hand out Bibles. Wow was it ever amazig to see a lady get healed. Her eye was hurting and we prayed and the swelling went down and no more pain!! PTL! Then we prayed for Tonny... Tonny is one of the kids who lives here at the guesthouse with us. He is 15 years old and has lymph node cancer. He is at stage 4 and is on his second round of chemo. He is in a lot of pain so keep him in your prayers. After the hospital we went to an American cafe and had some American food boy was it ever great! Then we started to make our way to downtown Kampala which is where Watoto church is located. Once we arrived we were told by an American lady, police officers and other Africans that we should get home ASAP and find a safe place. There ended up being a terrorism threat and their target was large groups like Watoto church and other large places. We noticed there were hardly ANY mizungoos on the street so we knew if the police told us to go home we needed to get home. We got home safely and were in a very safe place. Today the US embassy notified us and said it's clear and we are good to go anywhere now. My week has been very very busy and chaotic but God has taught me many things. 

1.   When there was a threat on Kampala my faith was tested. I wS in downtown Kampala where I could maybe be in tons of trouble; a) I could either cry and freak out. Which I did cry a little. Or b) I could cling to Gods word and pray continuously. I don't think I have ever prayed so intensely in my life. It is not until you feel unsafe when you feel like the only answer is Jesus. It was at that moment on Saturday afternoon when I was riding a Boda Boda back to the guesthouse and felt the Holy Spirit have his hand over me an the rest of the white people on my team. 

2. I have had a really hard time seeing other people on the team have so much culture shock. They are heart broken by the poverty and how hard life is here. Since I have been here in Uganda I have only seen pure Joy in the people. I haven't seen poverty, or filth, or other things that are attached to the name of "third world country". God has showed me and has brought my eyes to the attention of not letting the earthly things like how much money a person has here or how nice their house is or how many meals they get. All he is showing me is their faith and how they are content with what they have. Now don't get me wrong; yes I see the dirty streets but I don't see people as "lower" than me. All I can do is look at their faith in God and be encouraged by the way God has been at work in their life and what I can take away from it. It's hard to explain sometimes on a blog but I can't wait to explain I full detail when I get home what God is teaching me here. 

I leave for Zirobwe on Tuesday and am excited to start doing manual labour and hang out with kids at their houses. Thank you everyone at home for the prayers and can definitely say God is working through me in so many ways and I am so excited to share with you that it is the Holy Spirit moving in me not myself doing things. Can't wait to share my next week in the village with you on Friday! 

God bless, 

Alison 

This is the my class on the first day of teaching. Let me just say that they speak no English and it was the most frustrating morning ever. At least I got them to write down the teachers name (my name) down. Right? 

Day 10:

WOW! Once again I had such a great day! I was able to sleep in today till 9 which was so awesome. I had a great sleep and didn't wake up once the whole night which helped a lot! For breakfast we were spoiled and got French toast and syrup! It was so delicious!! Then during the day I sat outside and enjoyed the sun. I mentioned to one of the Ugandans here that I'm getting darker. He put his arm against mine and said not even close. I said well I'm a shade darker than I was before! This afternoon we went and made visits to all the ladies homes that attend our bible study at the guesthouse on Monday nights. There are 3 women and they live in a Muslim community. They are the only Christians in the community and one of them gets persecuted for their faith everyday.. When we prayed for the families at their homes I got goose bumps every time.. I felt the Holy Spirit and he was so present.. I am so encouraged to see these women raise their kids and even though they get persecuted they still strive to love The Lord. It is SOOO encouraging.. You have no idea. Did I mention I rode a Boda Boda! Yea it was the craziest thing ever. It is like a motorcycle but like 10x dangerous. The hospital has a whole wing just for Boda Boda accidents. Yea that's how dangerous they are. I almost peed my pants. I was holding on for dear life. After the home visits we made our way to the craft market and I used my bargaining skills (that my father passed down to me) which helped a lot to buy the gifts for my family.  I can't wait to go back to the craft market and buy some more souvenirs! After that we made our way to Wototo church which is in downtown Kampala. This church is an English church and it was the best church service I have been too. They opened with praise and worship and sang mostly hillsong and then the pastor talked about spiritual gifts and using them to glorify God. There were so many healings and it was so refreshing to be fed by the pastor and take in what he had to say. By the middle of it I was already in tears and overwhelmed by the spirit. It was so encouraging and awesome. Did I mention this church is the home base for the African children's choir. The singing was awesome and so sweet to see them all sing! After that we made our way back home to the guesthouse and was welcomed home by pizza for supper! I got to connect with some other staff and hear how their day went. I am truly amazed by the power of Jesus Christ and seeing how he is the same God I serve back at home. To say the least today has been the best day since I have been here. 

Thank you for your prayers; it is evident that God is answering them all. 

Day 9:

Yesterday I had a very relaxing day. I started the day by waking up at 8 to do devotions which emily led. We had worship time and prayed. After devotions I had breakfast and sat outside for a bit until it started raining. I went inside and decided to do a load of laundry. Washing your clothes by hand is so much faster than a washing machine. And they actually get pretty clean! At 10:30am all the MST's had a evaluation meeting about how our week went and then discussed what we were going to be doing next week. After the meeting I started planning for Sunday School class that I am leading. I am talking about Nehemiah rebuilding the walls in Jerusalem. I am having a tough time trying to break the story down so age 8-12 can understand it. After I worked on that I spent time just hanging out with everyone and had an evaluation meeting with all the staff with the organization. It was a very successful meeting and we discovered that we accomplished many things this past week. In the evening we had fellowship Friday which is when everyone just hangs out and plays games. I showed everyone how to play Dutch blitz and they loved it. After we all just say around and talked. We were about to go do street ministry to all the prostitutes last night at 9:30pm but it started to down pour and we ended up not going. Next week we will be going to Zirobwe and staying there till Thursday. I won't be able to update my blog during that time but I am excited to share what I did there! I found out that I will be going on the Safari with my two roommates on September 25-27 and I am so excited to be able to spend time with them and do something so exciting! I had such a great sleep last night and am so refreshed to take on today. I have found myself learning that when having Americans and Canadians and Ugandans and English people in one house you get to see how they react and interact with others. The cool thing is it doesn't matter what nationality they are you see Jesus through each and every one of them. I wish that when I walked to the near by store here I wouldn't be looked at and stared down just because I'm white but because they see Christ in me and that's the only thing they would see. I guess that is what heaven will be like someday. I am so excited and can't wait for that. Thank you for the continuing support of prayers back at home and miss each and everyone of you. 

God bless, 

Alison 

P.S some pictures attached from this past week. 

Day 8:

Wow, today was probably one of my favourite out reaches so far. We went to Lukemera to Han out school supplies. It took about 2 and a half hours to get there. I sat by Patrick on the way there and we just laughed and talked and listened to music on my iPod the whole time. Once we got to Lukemera we honestly opened the door from the van and the kids came running to us and honestly clung onto us in seconds. We sang songs with all the kids and then I read the story of the Story of the Sermon on the Mount. After I read it and talked about how it can apply to their life the kids came and told me how much they loved it and appreciated the word. After we gave them some food and then did some home visitations. I was partnered up with Tino who is the sponsorship coordinator for Empower A Child. It was awesome to get to know her role in the organization and how much she does. Whenever we arrived at a house during home visitations the kids would just yell Mizungoo which is white person. Aha it was so funny. It was heart breaking to see the kids living conditions. But as much as it broke my heart, God mended it together by showing me the true Joy the kids had at home. When we arrived back at the school I played soccer with all the boys and they were just loving it. I would mess up and they would just laugh so hard. We played with an empty soda container and used that as a ball. After I went and hung out with all the younger kids I would throw them in the air and they were just loving it. Then we made our way back to the guesthouse where we stay. It took forever... Aha. When we arrived home me and Patrick did the ice bucket challenge. It was so funny we were laughing the whole time. Yesterday I realized that I am so blessed here with all these people around me. Everyone here has such a genuine faith. The people that work here with empower invest into others lives so much. Boy do I ever love seeing God move in the children and flow out of their hearts. These children bring so mch true joy. I love it here so much! 😊

Day 7:

Well where do I start.. I started my morning with the classic peanut butter sandwich. Then we had devotions and Esther read from Colossians today. It was really good. Then we took an hour and a half hour trip to Mokuno to give out school supplies to all the kids there. It was pretty cold so I had to wear a jacket and jeans. I thought to myself this Morning.. Why In the world am I wearing this in Africa.. Aha after we handed out school supplies we came back to the guesthouse at lunch time. I helped with some office stuff and did some more organizing. It rained all afternoon and was pretty heavy. For supper we had eggs and a breaded something.. I don't know what it was but it was delicious. After I worked on my encouragement and bible story that I am going to share with the secondary kids. I am sharing about the sermon on the mount so I am excited to do that! This evening I went outside and played with the kids for a bit and just hung out with them. Next week we will be at the village from Sunday until Thursday so I'm excited to spend time with all the kids! I can't wait to see what God has in store! Today was a pretty laid back day but he showed me how to have patience as I was sorting all the paper work. Please pray for me as I am sharing tomorrow with the secondary kids and that God will prepare their hearts. Hope everyone at home is doing great and enjoying their time as school is starting up! I miss you all and can't wait to share more stories! 

Day 6:

Day 6: This morning I got up at 7:30 and got ready. After that I ate breakfast which consisted of French toast and I put some crunchy peanut butter on it. Then we had devotions and team bonding. We started with worship which Patrick led (one of the Ugandans). Then we read through Isaiah 41:10. It was so sweet because carter had mentioned that verse in a letter I had read that morning and then it came up again in our devotions. After devotions we had all the sponsor kids from empower and we gave them all their school supplies. They were so excited to see their notebooks and pens and pencils! We hung out with them for a bit and then they left. For the rest of the day I helped with some more office work and organized some binders full of emails and budget stuff. Then a few people from our team did the ice bucket challenge; of course I was nominated by one of them so I will have to do it sometime tomorrow along with some others that got nominated as well. When I was outside today I was asked again by the 2 kids if I had talked to the administration about sponsoring them. I am still praying and am really considering sponsoring one of them. We had French fries and watermelon and eggs for supper! It was delicious!! After I had done dishes we had a huge dance party. Boy do those Ugandans ever know how to dance.. It was a blast. I am exhausted by a very full day but am thankful for the beautiful weather we had that came with some rain I'm the afternoon. Please pray for the neighbour kids as their hearts have been so set on me sponsoring all of them and that God will provide enough people to do so. 

Day 5:

Day 5: Yesterday I got to sleep in until 9:30. I had a great sleep but it got cold here. Like I actually had to wear sweats an have 3 sheets and a sweater. I was surprised I had to get warm clothes.. This rainy season is killin me.. I thought it was going to be dry season.. So I was prepared for hot weather but the weather is honestly the hottest 25 but usually 20. I have been wearing jeans every day. Then after I woke up I ate breakfast. I was able to put crunchy peanut butter on my bread which made it 10x better! After breakfast we found out we couldn't do our outreach at the babies home so we helped out with office work. The kids in Zirobwe start school next week. The parents that send their kids to the school there don't have an education so they want to educate the parents. So my assignment is to make a curriculum for the adults and plan what each week will look like for the week. So I planned what they would learn for English, Science and Math for the whole year. I was quite overwhelmed with having to plan and start the parents education curriculum. It was difficult to start but I am on a roll and everything is working out so good and the planning is getting easier. After working on that we had spaghetti and meat sauce for supper oooooh and pineapple! After supper we had a women's bible study. There is a prostitute that came and she invited some families too. It was awesome to see so many people. I had the chance to run the bible study so I read a part in Ruth. It was amazing to see the story of Ruth touch these women and kids. We had praise and worship with them and then prayed with them. It was awesome to pray with them and talk about their life. After the bible study me and my 2 other roommates played with the neighbour kids. We played with side walk chalk and played tag with them and just ran around our compound. After the kids said goodbye and two girls named Josephine and Rhianna asked me to be their sponsor.. They wanted me to sponsor them so I could pay their school fees and put clothes on their back and give them meals.. I told them I would think about it. Today I found so much joy and compassion and am thankful for the things God has revealed to me today. I am praying that God will give me guidance as I decide what to do with being a sponsor and know that God will look after the kids no matter what happens. Thank you to everyone at home who is praying and I appreciate it so so much. God bless you as you guys are sleeping on your side of the world and I'm in the middle of my day. 

Day 4:

Yesterday I woke up at 6:30 and had a great sleep! I had a nice warm shower and got ready for church! My breakfast consisted of 2 pieces of bread and some butter. Then we went to Zirobwe which is a village 2 hours from Kampala. We lead a bible story and prayed with the kids. When we got out of the vehicle all the kids ran up to us and just hugged us. After we did church with the kids we went and did some evangelism in the huts. It was so neat to see these kids take leadership and pray over these families. After that we went back to Kampala. We ended up bringing a chicken home.. Yea a live chicken.. We took turns holding it. I almost peed my pants I was so terrified. When we went home we ate lunch at 3:30 and had rice and pineapple and fried eggs. Were are just about to eat supper and then head to bed. Yesterday I  found a true joy. I have been searching for something for the past few days and God has revealed to me what true joy looks like through the kids and people here. This picture below shows the girls  I did evangelism with and the lady in the orange is the lady we prayed for. Her head was in a lot of pain so she asked me to pray over her. After I had prayed she said that her head had no pain at all. After she had seen that her head was healed she wanted to accept Christ. It was awesome to see The Lord move and heal this lady and see her become a believer. It was truly amazing to see this. 

Day 3:

Last night I didn't sleep good at all. I woke up at 11:30 and had orientation. Then I had lunch which was potatoes, rice and pineapple. After lunch I got sick which sucked.. I wasn't able to go do the out reach today. I have been sleeping all day and been trying to get better. There was a down pour this afternoon for about an hour. Hopefully tomorrow I am better and can go to church! 

Day 2:

I have finally arrived in Kampala, Uganda! I have been up for way too many hours.. My layover in Dubai was super long so I was able to get some good vouchers. My flight from Dubai to Uganda went by real fast! I got to meet a girl my age named Reba. Her dads a pastor and she has grown up in Uganda. It was so neat to get the chance to talk to her! Once I landed in Entebbe which was a 5 hour flight I went through customs and it went so smoothly! And Praise The Lord because ALL my luggage came with me!! I got picked up by some organization members and took a car ride tithe guest house which took about an hour and a half. It started pouring and hailing and the streets started to flood. I arrived at the guest house welcomed by other workers from the organization and by all the little sponsor kids. It was the best feeling ever. My first meal for supper was spaghetti and meat sauce and fruit! SO thankful I got to eat an American meal the first day here but know that it'll be Ugandan food more often. I have in packed and already made myself at home in my bunk bed :) I am loving every second of it and it already feels like home. I can not wait for more adventures! After a very full day of travelling I am ready to crash and sleep for many hours under my mosquito net bed :) 

Day 1:

 Well today I have begun my adventure to Uganda! It's crazy to think that I am already on my way. I slept great before my flight to Toronto and got to meet everyone at the airport in saskatoon before I left. I was an emotional wreck and couldn't stop the tears but I been able to keep myself together this past day! My flight to Toronto was nice. I got moved to first class for  no reason which was awesome! I was able to sleep and was comfortable. I spent my day exploring the airport and eating lots of food and sleeping in the lounge. I had supper at Swiss chalet. May I say it was quite nice dining for one! I then went through security and waited for my flight to Dubai. I flew with Emirates and the plane was crazy! It was a double decker and had a spa and suites. Unfortunately I wasn't able to sleep but it was a luxurious plane! I was able to sit by another Christian lady and it was sweet to hear about her teaching opportunity in Dubai. I have landed in Dubai a few hours ago and have been travelling for a day now. It is 9pm here and I have a layover here and my flight to Uganda leaves in the am. I am missing everyone at home and can't wait to tell more stories! I am excited to meet everyone down I'm Uganda! Highlight of the day: I was starting to tear up while boarding in saskatoon and a flight attendant came up to me an gave me a hug. It lightened my day. God has already been so evident while travelling and I can't wait to see what else he has in store! 

P.S I got to see the Burj Khalifa. You can't see it too well in this picture but it's because there is a sand storm at the moment and you can't see much. 

It is approaching faster!

These past few weeks have been going by so fast and I can't believe I leave in 4 days! God has revealed himself to me in new ways and has been moving in my life as I have been getting ready to leave. It seems like it was just yesterday when I was in contact with the organization and sending in my application to apply for Empower A Child. My mentors for my trip have been amazing and have been great prayer warriors. They have been able to support me in a way I never thought someone was able to support me prior to my trip. I am beyond grateful for all the prayer I have had while preparing for my trip. Everything has fallen into place to crisply and it has been amazing to see God be so gracious and provide so abundantly. I almost have all my funds raised but there are still 4 more days for God to work and provide! Some days I still find it hard to believe that I am getting on a plane by myself and travelling across the world to go do missions.  I have been reminded of Isaiah 6 where God talks about sending people. I am so excited to obey God and be vulnerable to Him and give him my life and let him send me. I can't wait to step foot on an adventure where I can be God's hands and feet and serve him with arms wide open. So here I am God; send me!

Prayer Requests: 1. That God will give me a calm spirit as I leave home. 

                         2. That God will provide enough financial support before I leave. 

                         

Support Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

I am pleased to tell you that I have been accepted to go and do missions work in Uganda, Africa with Empower A Child. Prior to applying I had spent time in prayer trying to figure out where to go and what to do after high school. After spending time looking for mission programs I found an organization called Empower A Child. I hesitated at first, but after seeking the Lord I knew that this was something that He had put on my heart. If you want to know more about Empower A Child go to www.empower-a-child.org

I plan to be in Uganda for the month of September living in a small village near Kampala. During my stay I will be working at a Baby’s Home (washing clothes, changing diapers and washing windows), helping at an Outreach program at a Primary and Secondary School (opportunity to share the Lord with teenagers that may not have a relationship with Christ), and working at Katalemwa Children’s Hospital. While at Katalemwa we will be teaching Bible stories and singing songs with young children. During the week there will be time for team building with other people serving with Empower A Child and some cultural awareness days.

I am setting out an an adventure of love that has no boundaries! I am excited to try and put a smile on every child’s face that I come in contact with. I can’t wait to experience God’s love in a new and deeper way! I want to invite you to pray for me as I go as I don’t want to serve in my own power, but God’s. Some prayer requests are: safety in travel on my own, trusting God, positive mindset, eating different foods and that God will provide me with enough energy to get through each day.

I also need to raise approx.. $2,500 for my trip. This includes my plane ticket, food, travel, visa and my accommodation while in Uganda. I will be working this summer also to get funds for my trip. Thank you for your support in prayer and finances as the Lord leads you. Empower A Child is not a registered charity in Canada; therefore payments are not tax deductible. If you would like to write a cheque you can make it out to Alison Gilmour and send it to: 1219 Emerald Crescent, s7j 4j2, Saskatoon, SK. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Thanks for your support!

Sincerely,

Alison Gilmour  

The mission starts now.

As I was sitting down this afternoon doing some pre-reading for my trip to Uganda I thought to myself that my experience is already starting. In 37 days I will be on a plane that is headed to Africa. It all starts when I start to trust God with all my finances. It starts when I have to be patient with all my forms and visas I wait for. As I start to do devotions more based on getting me prepared for my trip I start to see God in a new way. While reading some of the books based on missions, I have discovered that I won't be able to make everything better down there. I need to take a step back and see that just being there for someone during hard times in their life and just showing them Jesus' love will be all that I can offer. As I continue to prepare for my trip I pray that God will continue to strengthen me and give me eyes to see and ears to hear. I know God will continue to knit things together for this trip and that everything will fall into place! 

My mission doesn't start when I arrive in Uganda; it starts now. 

"To be missional is to live life every day with a sense of mission- not just when you're abroad." -The Next Mile