Loving One by One

They Called Me "Auntie Sharon":

Sharon and Auntie Sharon (me).

The kids at New Creation Family Home were so very sweet and welcoming! 

They gave more to us then we could ever give to them. 

We spent 5 days at this wonderful children's home in Kampala, Uganda. Even though we didn't think it would be enough time to make a huge difference in their lives, or even in ours, it was. We spent our days there hanging out with the kids, playing games, doing crafts, taking lots of pictures together, worshiping Jesus, and having devotions with them. 

Playing Phase 10 with the kids

These sweet kids gave us so much. They loved us, they cared for our health, they wanted the best for us. Everything we made they would end up giving it to one of us, they never forgot to say thank you, they included us in the things they were doing, every time we would give them something they would turn around and give us a note or small gift to thank us. By the end they had made each one of us at least 10 little notes. Starting with "Dear Auntie"...

The notes from the children

Their love was very evident. These kids have been through so much in their short lives. 

Most of them grew up in families where love is not given, shown, or even known. But these kids now know how to love. 

And it's because these kids are now in a loving family environment where they are taught how to love each other, by loving care takers, and even more importantly how much God loves them. 

http://www.lovingonebyone.org/index.html

"Hospitals that Cannot Treat Them":

This story actually starts before our outreach to Uganda. When I was praying and seeking God about where I should go on outreach, a song started to play on my ipod, 

"...Babies underneath their beds, in hospitals that cannot treat them.

All the wounds that money causes, all the comforts of cathedrals,
All the cries of thirsty children, this is our inheritance,
All the rage of watching mothers, this is our greatest offense

Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God." -Oh My God, by Jars of Clay

and this phrase caught my attention "...hospitals that cannot treat them...". At this point I was feeling a strong pull towards Uganda, but didn't have a clear answer from God yet. I wrote that phrase down in my journal, even though this could apply to any place in the world. I had heard how bad the hospital conditions are in Uganda, but I had never been to one. So this still left me felling unsure, but after a few more days of waiting on God, I did finally choose Uganda. 

Fast forward a few months when we were on the ground in Uganda... we were at New Creation Family Home and the director (who is from the US) was showing us around town one of the days. We randomly decided to go to the local hospital in Kampala to hand out biscuits (cookies) to the children in the children's ward and pray with them. As soon as we stepped foot in the hospital our hearts were broken. There was a strong smell of infection in the air, loud cries coming from sick little ones, and sighs of so many lying on their beds in pain. This hospital is free, but the conditions are so bad. 

We were told that 75% of the people who come here to be treated will die within the first 2 months. 

There are only a few doctors, and surgeries are done really poorly. The patient has to bring everything with them, sheets, clothing, food, water, etc. And even a caretaker who will look after them while they are in the hospital. The only thing that is provided is a bed. Many Ugandans have no other option, because they can't afford to pay to go to a private hospital. So many just come and ultimately wait there to die. So you can imagine why there is a feeling of hopelessness in the air. They really don't have much hope of living... of getting better. 

This was a very hard thing to witness. We had to fight to stay positive. Once we got in the children's ward, though, and started handing out biscuits and talking with the children and their caretakers, the joy began to form on their faces. We got so many smiles, thank you's, and warm greetings. We prayed with them and spent time with them. We gave them hope, we gave them love, we gave them joy, we gave them Jesus... that day. 

It wasn't until this day that I was reminded of the phrase I had wrote down in my journal, and began to piece the puzzle together. God had called each of us here for a reason. He wanted us to witness this, so that we would cry out to him. So that we would ask Him to give them hope and healing. 

Graceland:

The next day we went to visit a plot of land where the new children's home will be located. Soon they will move to this beautiful spacious home, where there will be more room for growth. Here is a story from my teammate Renae about the experience she had there: 

"During the first week of outreach we went to visit Graceland, the beautiful land that Loving One by One will be moving to once they are finish building. Right when we got there, kids from the streets around the land came to see who we were. They were obviously very poor and covered in dirt. There were some as young as six years old caring for their younger siblings. Right when we started taking pictures of them, smiles started to light up their tired faces. We started singing songs and some joined in. While we were standing there, one little girl caught my eye. She kept looking at me and after a while of me smiling at her and taking her picture, she smiled back. She told me her name was Alice and she was six years old. Her little sister was about four or five and looked completely exhausted. She was not so quick to smile and seemed pretty unsure of how safe I was. I asked Alice if she would like to sit on my lap and her quiet yes could not have been loud enough. I have no idea how much affection they receive but my gut feeling made me think that it was very little. She asked her sister to sit down with her but she still seemed to think that she was not wanted. I took her hand and just held it. That small touch made a huge difference in her response to me. She started to smile a little and looked at me in the eyes very curiously. I asked if she wanted to sit on my lap and she finally agreed. She sat down and looked up at me like she had never known a love like that before. I pulled her close and she started to nod off but too afraid to rest her head on me. I brought her head to my chest and she fell into a deep sleep, even starting to snore. This little girl, whose name I do not even know, was an exhausted child who deserved the love of Jesus more than I could ever understand. I could have sat there on the itchy grass and hot sun forever if it meant that I could show this precious child how very wanted she is. As I sat there, knowing I had to leave very soon, I felt the Lord say to me," She is mine and I love her more than you know. I will be holding her even after you let go." That is the only peace I had about leaving. Ever since then, I have met so many kids just like her and every time, God has reminded me that even though I am leaving in a little over a week, His presence will stay with them forever. "

Renae and the little girl

It was so great to be able to see the new land and know that soon the children of New Creation Family Home will be happily running around and enjoying this beautiful place. They will have an "open door policy" and allow the neighbors to come by and have a chance to share the Gospel with them. We got a little taste of what that will look like as we played with the children from the surrounding villages. It was a clear reminder of the beauty here, in the people and in the land.

Here is a slideshow I made that summarizes 

our time with Loving One by One: