Back in Uganda, (the photos were taken by Rachael Ryckman)

Sorry I haven't updated in such a long time. I think I was waiting to write a truly outstanding or interesting blog, but I have decided to simply write some of the little things that have been going on

The boys going into the d-house are doing well! They are working hard and have already saved up a good chunk of money! Caitlyn has been giving driving lessons to all of the boys, (which has been super fun to sit in on) and very interesting, it turns out that the boys personalities are REALLY reflected in their driving! Sadic, who has been working the hardest in the d-house, has also been doing the best at driving, he is seriously amazing, parked perfectly his first time parking in reverse and parallel parking. As a reward for how hard he has been working and what a good and honest kid he is, we are going to put him into driving school, so that he can be the driver for our bakery and deliver the bread in town! As Dirissa (who is also in the d-house) and I were serving as human cones for Sadic as he was driving, Dirissa was telling me about how he is going to treat his wife kindly and how one day he will teach his son and his daughter how to drive too. =-)

Thanks to the encouragement of my mom and sister I got a crockpot and have actually really really enjoyed being able to use it through the week, it makes my whole life easier! We have also started a couples bible study and game/prayer night at our home on Thursdays with other couples and it has been a really fun time of play, encouragement and fellowship with other couples!

We are also in the rainy season. It is great for the crops but hard on street children since it is so cold and wet at night.  

 It is also great to be back with my dog Bear. For anyone that doesn't know, I love animals (always have) and about a year ago we got a Rottweiler named Bear for security since we kept getting broken into. He has been the best dog ever and super theraputic for me, whenever I have a hard day because of something heartbreaking happening to a child or children that I love, Bear is always there to sit with me patiently and help to calm me and cheer me up. He is great with the boys and they love it when we bring him, they are constantly asking me when I am bringing Bear to the homes to see them. Plus, all of our break-ins stopped as soon as we brought him home! We heard our neighbors being broken into, but no longer are we the target. Daniel's House (the new home with our younger boys) are especially in love with dogs. Today I got a couple of letters taking about Bear/dogs but in one the boy kept taking about how much heloves dog, that his favorite color is dog, that he loves that he in and I both have in common that we love dogs,  and then he drew a picture of Bear with a heart around it.

I have been really overwhelmed as to which child we should bring into our home next. The boys here are doing so well, and it is such a big change bringing in a new child, plus so hard to decide which boy in our street programs is going to be safe and stable to the other boys in our home.  Last night in devotions I was again praying that God would guide me as to the next child to bring into our family. After devotions were over Caitlyn came up to me and told me about a new boy that was at the street programs on Friday (I was at the children's homes and not in Kampala) she said that he was named Emma and was 7 years old. His parents had dumped him in the slum and left and although the police had looked into it,  it is obvious that they are not coming back. I am praying really really hard about this little boy and can hardly stand to wait until Monday when I will get to meet him in our programs.

I guess that's about it! 

 

Lots of love!

Abby

Some photos from the street programs

Because the boys in our homes have been so good we took them swimming at the lake as a reward! 

 

Shafik showing off the fish he just bought

Adorable little Reagan, yes, he is as sweet as he looks!

It was beautiful!

Ibra and Bob with Bear. All of the boys are in love with Bear, but especially Ibra

Paul and Peter having a blast, so happy to see Peter laughing! Praise God!

Bear being coaxed in by Enoch Bossa in front of him

Meet Bashir!

Bashir

Bashir making bricks

If you ask Bashir what he wants to be when he grows up, he will say an evangelist. It is
obvious that the Lord has always had His hand on this young man.

“At home my father would beat me and tell me to fetch water in cans that were too big
for me as a young boy. There was a church near my home and I had always felt deep
inside that I wanted to be a Christian, but my father was a Muslim. He would cane me
and yell, “Why do you want to be a Christian?” It was difficult at home so I went to the
streets instead. I had no hope, but I trusted God. I struggled because I had little food,
couldn’t sleep, and there were bad guys that beat me every night. I thank God that I
never used any drugs during that time.

“After a few months, I met Auntie Abby and began attending the API program. She
wanted to resettle me, but my father beat me and kicked me out of the house for being
a Christian. He told me I was stupid and useless and he never wanted to see me again.
Auntie Abby took me into the Forever Home and we celebrated with a party. It was so
wonderful.”

The Lord has placed within Bashir a wonderful heart for the unreached, and he recently
went on a mission trip to the Congo. He said his favorite part of the trip was preaching
the Gospel and praying with those who had never heard the Word of God before. Bashir
also has a love of music. Besides being a pastor, he hopes that God enables him to use
his music abilities to share the Gospel with others. Bashir's plans are to be an electrical engineer so that he can have a flexible schedule and be able to also provide his own way to evangelize to others, including people in Congo. 

 Bashir is now working to build and move into the discipleship house, the two year mentoring and vocational program as he is preparing to grow up and launch out on his own. We are so very proud of his gentle and kind heart that he has completely given to God!  (this interview was taken from Lauren Taylor who wrote an article about Bashir and her time in API and in Uganda, thanks Lauren!)