God has granted me the grace and peace I needed!

I can't believe it's been 12 days since my last entry! The time has flown by! I also can't believe that Christmas is in 2 days!!! So Merry Christmas everyone!!! I hope you are all able to take time and focus on the true meaning of Christmas and why we even celebrate it.

One thing that has been driving me crazy lately is everywhere I go I see signs for X- mas parties. It makes me a little angry because Christ is the whole reason for why we should celebrate this holiday. So it should be Christmas parties.


On Friday Amber and I left to go to Mbarara, which is about four hours east of Kampala. One of my friends from the last time I was here got married and so we went to her wedding. We drove with people from YWAM and ended up staying on a Catholic compound just outside Mbarara. On Saturday we went to the wedding which was supposed to start at 12 and ended up starting at 1pm. It seemed very unorganized and well ...African I guess. The ceremony took place at a cathedral that was still under construction. But it's Africa what can I say. The reception was a lot nicer and was held at a hotel in their courtyard. The place was a bit small but somehow everyone fit. We ate dinner which consisted of chicken, rice, ma toke, brown posho, potatoes, beef, cabbage, beans and pop. It was filling and very delicious. After food we went back to the courtyard and watched them cut the cake and serve everyone a crumbling piece.
The Bride Esther, who is my friend, changed about two times throughout the reception and while she was gone they had guys, whom i suppose were the entertainment, dance and sing. They didn't have any formal dances and none of the guests danced. It was all a little different than when I would work for weddings back home. It was strange to not be a part of helping somehow but she had a lot of people who helped out. It turned out beautiful and she seemed very happy. That's all that matters in the long run anyway.
We ended up staying at the catholic place until early Sunday morning because the wedding went late into the night. It was so nice to be able to go to a wedding in a different country and experience how they do things.

Last night Amani took a bus full of mamas and volunteers to a church in Kampala called Watoto. They are a part of the African children's Choir and they were putting on a Christmas production. It was so well done. They had dancing, singing and the Christmas story was acted out. Anyways it was a lot of fun and it was good to have something Christmasy since the weather has been in the 80's lately and it hasn't really felt like Christmas.

Well that's all for now I'll write more later and hopefully not as much so that it doesn't overwhelm you. :)

God Bless you all!

Hello to all!

This week has been full of chicken pox and moving! What a combination!!!

So the week started with us finding out that all the toddlers have chicken pox. One of the kids had a temperature of 105, but he got better and left for Tennessee to be with his new family. :)
Please pray for the kids who have chicken pox and pray for the kids that don't have it to either get it so that it's over with or not to get it and be spared the pain.

Today we moved into the apartment above amani, and we also moved the babies from baby A (the smallest babies) upstairs as well. I hope the transition goes well and so far it has gone well but it's a little strange. I am still working with baby A and it'll be nice not to have to walk very far, but on the down side we may hear the babies in the mornings before we have to be awake. I hope I can get used to it. I know, I know I'll have to get used to it some day when I have kids.

In other news the weather was over cast and misty today. It reminded me of being on the Oregon coast. :) I was in a tank top and capris. Other than that the weather has been in the low to mid 80's which is weird for me being an Oregon girl. I am getting used to it though and it'll be so weird if I come home in the winter. I think I may freeze! :)

All that said and done I love being in Uganda. I've made some awesome friends who have the same passion for kids and God as I do. The Mama's have been so helpful in showing me how to do things and they seem to appreciate the fact that i'm here away from my family and loved ones over Christmas.

I am really excited to be here over Christmas and the new year! It will be an exciting new adventure! I'm not sure if it'll feel like Christmas with the 80 degree wether but we have a tree up and i'm hearing more and more Christmas music.

God Bless you all!!! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

Sorry it has taken me so long to write another entry. The power was off for a week and life has been crazy busy.

The kids are doing good. I am in Baby A every day, and I love it. I love to see little babies grow and all the new things they do. I love to see their first smile, hear their first laugh, and see them crawl or stand for the first time. I love to be the one experiencing all the first things they do.
Before I left the college group that I go to had prayed for me and one of the guys prayed that I would have a mothers heart for the kids hear. I realized today that I love these babies as though they were my own. It's hard to see them leave but I'm so happy when I hear they have a family adopting them.

We had a little girl here named Molly and she was adopted last week. It's strange not to see her anymore but i am really happy at the same time.

So we got this little boy today named Paul and he is very malnourished, little and week. I have a picture that I will be posting as soon as I can. It's very hard to see a little kid who we are guessing to be two or three and he is as big as a six month old. It's so heart breaking but I know he is in God's hands and when I prayed over him today I dedicated him to the Lord. The Lord gives and takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Please be praying for Paul however the Lord leads you.

Thank you all for reading this and I will be posting more later. God bless!

In Christ,
Rochelle

Well I'm starting week five and it has been very interesting. I love being here with the kids and I love being back in Jinja. I have been promoted to the assistant supervising position for Baby A. Which means that I am helping to remind the workers to change blankets, towels, bath the kids, and whatever else needs to be done at the time.



I am so grateful for the prayers and support. I need it everyday for strength, courage, and continued faith. Please pray for all the volunteers that are here and all the ones that are still coming. Also pray for my attitude that I would focus on the Lord and not on the circumstances that seem to be impossible. I want to be content and do what God wants of me.

Today was a good day. We went to a place where they make blankets, purses, skirts, rugs, from a loom. It was amazing to see how they make these things. And some of the girls are getting things custom made. I loved it and we'll probably go back and get some more things.

I'll write more next week. Bye for now! God bless you all and to all a good night!

Well this last week was exciting and full of different experiences.

Here in Uganda it is tradition to introduce your husband/wife to be to your parents and family. It's called a kwanjula. The whole village shows up for the party and free food. It just so happens that one of the mamas (who has been married for a year and a half) didn't have a kwanjula before the wedding. So last Saturday All the muzungos (white people) from amani were asked to come and celebrate with them. Out to the village we went in a huge bus called a coaster.

We arrived and one of the other volunteers and I wanted to wear a Gomez (a traditional dress) We looked hilarious and of course I have pictures to show. They dressed us and then told us that we would be a part of the "ceremony". We ended up walking out with the "sisters" of Lois to greet the groom and his family. Then we went back in and came out when Lois was introduced. This whole time we were supposed to shuffle our feet and sway our hips. :) It was so funny I think I must have been laughing the whole time. I know that's hard for some of you to picture. ;)

We ate lots of food and listened to lots of Luganda. It was a fun Saturday out.

The rest of the week went well with nothing special to report.

Bye for now :)

It has been two weeks since my arrival in Jinja, Uganda. I love it here, I feel at home and have an amazing peace about being here.


My day starts with breakfast at 7:30 am which consists of toast, eggs, pineapple and coffee. I feel very blessed to have hot showers and breakfast prepared for us as well as our bathrooms and floors cleaned. I am so spoiled this time around. It's really nice though because then we have more time to spend with the kids, and that's why we are here. After breakfast I head to Amani and get started bathing the kids after feeding them breakfast. They have play time, and songs, snack, more play time, lunch, potty, nap. I'm off at five if I have the morning shift. If I'm on the evening schedule i come at three and stay till eight. The kids at night have outside playtime, dinner, potty, bath, bed.

The day ends with me walking back to the volunteer house very exhausted and ready for bed. But first I have to prepare dinner which normally consists of spaghetti noodles and spike ( a spice I brought with me). Not very healthy but at least it's filling. :)

Oh we also have one on one time with the older kids and get to take them to town or read books or play with them. It's so nice to have that one on one time and get to hang out and talk to them. They are so sweet on outings and they love the attention.


Thank you all for your prayers. I can feel them every day. Last weekend I went to visit some friends at the YWAM base outside of Jinja. It was very strange to be there again and see people I haven't seen for three years, but it was fun as well. On the way back to Jinja I took a Boa ta- boa ta (which is a motorcycle the Ugandans use for transport.) And the roads were slippery because It had just rained. As we were driving down the road I am sitting side saddle, because I have a skirt on, and the back tire slips and I went flying off the back of this motorcycle and landed in the mud on my right side. Then the driver slid down the road with the bike on top of him. Amazingly neither of us was hurt seriously. I had a few scratches and bruises and the driver didn't seem to be hurt at all.

We ended up back at the YWAM base and one of my friends let me shower and lent me some of her clothes. I came back to the guess house safe and sound after that.


Then we went to have taco night at one of the staff members homes and played apples to apples.



So all that to say thank you for your prayers. Because of them I had no broken bones and didn't have to go to the hospital.



In Christ,

Rochelle



























God has put

Hello All,

I have been in Jinja, Uganda for 5 days now. It has been exciting and challenging all at the same time.

Here they have four rooms with a different amount of kids in each one. Baby A has 10 babies in it's room and they are the youngest at 3 to 6 months. Baby B has 11 babies and they are 7 months to 1 year. Baby C has 11 babies from 1 to 3 years. Then there are the Toddlers who are 3 to 5 year olds.

The First day I was with Baby C and it was rather difficult at times because they all wanted my attention at the same time. They call me Auntie and I think it's adorable until they say it over and over when I'm with another baby. I want to give them attention but it's hard when they all want it at once.

It's nice to be here and to be with the kids. I am so excited to see what else is to come. Please continue praying for health i have a cough and it's not going away. Also pray for the kids that they would be adopted into great christian homes.

Thank you so much for your love and support! May God bless you! I will hopefully have pictures up soon. :)