Cleaned.

African Thunderstorms are the best.  They are just absolutely beautiful with all the birds and the greenery around.  I feel like I’m always in paradise with the rain beating on the tin roof I’m under and the thunder roaring.  The noise is just so peaceful and relaxing.  As I’m listening to the rain, I can’t help but think about Jesus and how he saved my life.  Each raindrop reminds me that he came and washed ALL my sins away.  He did it ALL, for the ugly me who repeatedly doesn't get it right, but in return he continues to wash me clean and let me try again.  He’s patience is overwhelming.  Someone has died.  As a guest pastor at my church in Memphis said, “Are you still shopping?”  Are you still shopping with trying to reach the top and acquiring more and more goods and putting your purpose into things that don’t matter?  Are you missing the reason why we’re all here because someone has died?  I’m so thankful that my Redeemer gave up his life because it should have been ME.

What can wash away my sins?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

    

Richard.

John and Jotham.

Backtracking:

After we left a piece of our hearts at M4, we drove to a little village outside of Jinja called  Buziika.  I absolutely adore this little village.  We arrived at Canaan’s Children’s Home.  When we pulled in we were greeted by all of the children jumping and screaming.  We slowly got off the bus into a mash pit of children where 2 children would immediately grab your hands and pull you to the side.  2 boys had grabbed my hands and they were my sons for the rest of the week.  Of course, we also added another addition, our little Liti and another one of their friends also tagged along for a lot of it.  My boys and my little bit never left my side.  I put them to bed every night and was greeted by them right outside my room every morning.  When I had to go to dinner, they would walk me right up to the door, and then would be waiting for me when I would come out.

Richard, Eddy, and I in the chapel.

Jotham is such a charmer.  He is a leader and very protective.   He is 13 years old and very smart.  If you want a boy to rattle off with you bible verses, it is this one.  I asked him what his name meant and he replied, Jotham, King of Judah.  It was absolutely precious.  He is at that age where you can tell he wanted to be loved, but at the same time is growing up.  He always would hold my hand and would lead me to where ever he had planned.   I loved to make him laugh and his giggle was infectious.  I absolutely loved his skin color and every time he would smile; it just took my breath away.  He has the most beautiful smile, but in most pictures is not smiling completely.  He also loves to sing, but was shy about singing around me.  Talk about a boy that could drum.  Jotham is your boy.  He was SO sweet and 2 of his brothers are also at Canaan’s.  This boy could also work all electronics and was a big fan of my ipod.  He shared the love of the song, Drop it Low. :]]  It was fun to sing some of the hit songs with the some of the boys who knew them.  I loved every minute of every day spent with him.      

When you give children your camera, you never know
what pictures will be taken or deleted.....right Allison?
haha.

Cuddling at night with Richard, James, and Eddy.
Props to Jotham the photographer.

Richard was my other boy and 10 years old.  He was so sensitive and you could just sense that he longs for a mother.  He lost both of his parents to AIDS when he was 1 year, and came to live at Canaan after that.  He would always grab my hand and wrap it around his head, so we would be closer when we walked.  Richard was also very protective of me too.  I definitely could tell how people say boys are Mama’s boys.   He loved to take pictures of himself.  I easily have over 50 pictures of just Richard, and I love every single one of them.  Richard was very thoughtful, and every night,when I kissed him goodnight his face was so sweet.  Jotham would wait for his and then giggle, but Richard would just look up to me and smile.  My heart was lost in his eyes.  It broke my heart because even though they have a house mom for the 20 boys their age that live in there, they do not get enough LOVE they crave and deserve.  

Putting the babies to bed.

Chapel love.
I adore this place.

Peter was one of Jotham and Richard’s good friends.  He is also 13 and began to become another part of my family for the 4 days we were there.  Peter was more reserved and quite.  He also was sick for 2 of the days, but I enjoyed getting to know him.  He is so patient, but also has great leadership skills when needed.  He is a strong boy and also loved to just sit next to me.  I’ve never appreciated just sitting and enjoying the silence.  At nighttime, after putting Liti to bed, I loved just sitting in silence loving on my boys while looking at the amazing stars.  It was so peaceful and just felt so right.  My heart aches to put them to bed again and just sit and soak God’s goodness up with them in my arms.  

Getting our love on.

One of Jotham's brother.

As soon as I look into those deep brown eyes with beautiful eyelashes, my heart melts.  Liticia was my little bitty girl during the 4 days.  I barely ever put her down unless I had to go somewhere.  I met her the first night when one of my teammates that God blessed me with, Melissa, and I decided to have a dance party with the little ones.  We peeked back into their room after we had put our boys to bed and found that they were still awake.  Like good mothers, we went in and riled them up a bit.  They love the part of Rhianna’s song, “Oh Na Na, What’s my name,”  and we  sang that over and over with them each taking a turn to sing it themselves.  We danced to some music and that is where my precious Liti came over to me and were dancing together while I held her and another girl.  Liti would just talk and laugh with her precious Lugandan voice.  Many of the little ones, including Liti, do not know how to speak very much English.  However Liti is very sassy and would reply to their room Mama, “Speak English.”  I was holding Liti and another girl, and we were dancing around for a while in a room with a very hot room on a sticky African night.  She then said something while looking at me, and I asked the Mama to ask her what she said to me.  The Mama informed me she said that I was sweaty now.  We laughed and laughed because it was true.  The other girl was 7 and was not light.  

Eldrine.

But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

1 John 1:17

Jotham on his neat bed.

Richard on his bunk.

Liti always would run as fast as she could up to me and then stay cuddled up to me the rest of the night.  She was a tiny little thing, but boy was that girl sassy.  She loved to just snuggle and she LOVED sweeties.  (In Africa, sweeties are candy.)  She always was quick to find my water bottles, so usually I just got 2 so she could have one.   Her giggle warms my heart.  When I would put her to sleep in her bottom bunk I would say, “I love you.”  She would reply back.  “I love you so much.”  I’d say Goodnight, and I’d hear in return, “God bless.”  Oh, I would do anything to be able to hear her giggle and to put her to bed every day.  She is absolutely beautiful, and I desperately miss my little bit and my boys.  

Little boys.

How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

Hebrews 9:14

The gathering of kids right outside where the girls slept.  

After getting all the little ones back into bed, we headed in for the night.  Allison and I both enjoyed showers with freezing cold water.  I wish I had taken a picture of our shower. I mean there was no curtain just a stall with a toilet, sink, and shower basin.  The fact that there was no electricity, so we were showering in the dark put the icing on the cake.  Even though I didn't feel clean, I definitely felt a little cleaner since I was disgustingly caked in red dirt. I'm genuinely going to miss washing the layer of red off of my skin everyday.  It's Africa though, so you just embrace it. I know Allison and I would both agree on this; we would shower in that shower again in a heartbeat along with smelling the b.o. of almost every Ugandan just to spend the rest of our lives here.

This boy was so precious when he lead his group in singing.

"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

Isaiah 1:18

Stylish Sarah

During our dance party.

Random Thoughts:

Time is flying by here so quickly. 

The internet here has been really spotty the past 2 days. 

Almost all of the children have bad colds and along with that coughs.  Pray for everyone's health here. 

I love Thunderstorms in Uganda.

The water in our shower here always smells rotten.

I honestly don't know how I'm going to leave my baby E.

Yesterday, we lead Sunday School again. 45 children in an itty bitty room is quite interesting. 

I love that the children at church now all sit by us. 3 different ones fell asleep in my arms at different times. LOVE.

Amani has 2 dogs, and the children are completely freaked out by them.

There is absolutely nothing like Ugandan worship.  I love watching people completely praise the LORD. 

I fall more and more in love with Uganda every day. 

My first picture with my Liti baby.
SO Precious.

I'm so excited and deeply humbled that the Lord has moved my parents' hearts to sponsor Martin Opio and Josiah Nampala from Canaan's!  I absolutely cannot wait to share with these 2 boys.  The children at Canaan know when they have a sponsor or not and I have seen the difference it has made in each of their lives.  They truly value their sponsor families.  Plus, I love everything about Canaan, and my heart will always remain here.  I was emailed an updated list of children that need sponsorship if anyone is interested.  Email me at lsvehla@yahoo.com.

Check out Canaan Children's Home:

http://www.canaanchildrenshome.org/

I hear the Savior say,
“Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray,

Find in Me thine all in all."

Jesus paid it ALL.

ALL to him I owe.

Sin had left a crimson stain, 

He washed it white as snow.

And when before the throne, 

I stand in Him complete.
“Jesus died my soul to save,” 

My lips shall still repea.

Jesus paid it ALL.

ALL to him I owe.

Sin had left a crimson stain, 

He washed it white as snow.