This is my life :)

So much has happened since my last blog update and I’m not too sure where to start or if it’s even possible for me to actually put into words my day to day life that I find so much joy in. I was moved at the end of October to the babies home in Gulu where I visited the month before and wrote about in my last blog. Living here and working at this babies home has been such a great experience. I’ve been specifically working with the toddler unit nannies and unit heads along with one other volunteer to help bring some organization to the chaos that comes with raising 25 children ranging from 1 year to 5 years old all together in one room!! We’ve been trying to implement a schedule that was created by one of the past volunteers as well as come up with more activates and a routine to keep the children occupied and having fun as they are raised by their loving nannies. Having this role has been such a blessing for me as it has given me the opportunity to become more involved in the upbringing of these children which gives me so much joy and fulfillment! I feel so blessed on a daily basis (even when I have five toddlers all running in different directions as I call them in for lunch time!! hahaha).

Apart from what I’ve been doing with the babies home I have also started a bit of a project with North Ward School back home in Paris which is actually where I went to elementary school. This project was birthed out of a need I saw when I visited a village school a few months ago. This school had over one hundred students in a tiny building with dirt floors and walls that you could see through because of the cracks in the wood. As the teacher showed me around to each classroom I was so moved by the joy in each of the beautiful and welcoming smiles directed at me. The teacher showed me the library that the school had which consisted of just over ten books. This brought tears to my eyes as I remembered my schools days and the excitement we all had when we were able to go to the library and pick from hundreds of books. When I went home I was left with the burning thought that these children deserve to have books to choose from that will take them on adventures through castles, up in the clouds as they become pilots, or as a knight defeating the dragon!! As I was telling my parents about this over skype we came up with the idea to talk to North Ward School in Paris to try to start a book drive to raise money and books to provide this school with a library. I was in constant contact with Mrs. Conners, one of the teachers from North Ward, and decided to over a few weeks skype with each class in the school to answer questions that the students had about Uganda and the children here and to also share with them about this need. We came up with the idea to ask students and parents to donate a book rather than give their teachers Christmas gifts. This has very quickly developed into a very big project where currently we have about 700 books raised and over $1000 for shipping to get the books here. I am still currently working with Mrs. Conners to iron out a few bumps we are facing with shipping costs and to come up with the best way to start this library at this school but it is defiantly happening and I am so grateful for the support of the students, teachers and parents of North Ward School in Paris. Without their support this dream to provide these children with books would not be possible!

Please join with me to pray for guidance and wisdom as to how to most affectively provide a library for this school and the many others that I hope to provide a library for here in Uganda. Also pray for the finances and resources that will be so needed.

Missing you all very much and hope you are all doing well.

Jaclyn

Ps. I have many pictures of this school on my facebook page. Please feel free to view them there.

A trip to Gulu.

Last week I was very privileged to be able to go to Gulu for five days. Gulu is about a five hour drive up in the northern parts of Uganda and is one of the areas that were hit very hard with the Joseph Kony war. Watoto has a babies home as well as a children’s village in Gulu. Many of the workers and children in some way were affected by the calamity that Joseph Kony and his army caused.

On the drive up to Gulu we passed many rural African villages that consisted of a few mud huts grouped together in a circle and a big meeting area where I assume the families do their cooking.

The babies home in Gulu is amazing and very beautiful. It has been built around a village where the local people live in these mud huts. Many times the children from those houses would come up to the fence and say hello to the babies and greet us. I spoke to one group of young girls on Uganda’s Independence Day. It was such a blessing to be able to speak to them and learn a little bit about their lives through broken English.

This is a picture of our babies waiting for some visitors to come by!! So cute eh?!?

One of the children that come past had a toy doll wrapped around their backs like the Ugandan mother do with their children. This made me laugh because I pictured children from home pushing their toy dolls in a mini buggy. I guess all children are the same, playing copycat with their mom’s and wanting to be just like mommy early on in life.

This made me want to give the Ugandan baby carrying a try. So after a lesson from one of the nannies and her continued reassurance that the baby wasn’t going to fall off my back I gave it a try! And to be honest it was so comfortable!! I think when I have children this is how I will carry them around!

Another great thing that I got to see in Gulu was Watoto’s Living Hope Center. Living Hope is a ministry that Watoto runs to give hope to vulnerable woman most of whom suffer from HIV or AIDS. Many of these women in the Gulu Living Hope were also directly affected by the Joseph Kony War. These women are given a job either sewing clothes, stuffed animals, dolls and other items, making G-nut butter, or making feminine hygiene products so that girls can stay in school.

Each woman that comes through the Living Hope program are given the opportunity to continue their education, go through a discipleship program and are even offered free day care for their children while they work. As we were toured around to each room we were welcomed by the woman with huge cheers! I was almost brought to tears by the joy that radiated from these women who not long ago had no hope or future! I am so thankful for the opportunity to have met these women!

My time in Gulu was such a blessing! I got to meet so many beautiful people and experience such a real sense of joy in an area that was so recently torn apart by one man and his deep hatred towards these people. He has not won! I have seen that God has restored joy, hope and peace into their lives and invited them into His family.

“You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me! I sing for joy because of what you have done.”
Psalm 92:4

Missing you all!
With love,
Jaclyn

To the market we go!

Going to the market is always an interesting experience. We walk for about thirty minutes through a typical African village down steep hills on roads that have been washed out by rain storms leaving very uneven ground. I love walking to the market not only because it means I get to see the friends I’ve made with the people who sell me my fruit and veggies but also because of the children we get to see and talk with along the way down. One of the volunteers called our trek to the market “the white persons parade” because the whole way down we have children as well as adults calling out to us and we exchange waves as we walk down the middle of the red dirt path. We also have children running from their houses to come and hold our hands and walk with us for part of the way, once we exchange our names and ask how old they are they are usually on their way back to their home to continue doing whatever they had just left.

This one little girl nearing the end of the thirty minute walk to the market is my favorite. There is so much joy and passion in this little girl that it can sometimes bring tears to my eyes. She stands on a little hill out front of her house which is a very little brick building that is probably only big enough to fit a bed or two. The cooking, bathing and playing all happen out front of their house. Each time we walk past this precious little girls house she comes running to the edge of the hill and frantically waves to us with both hand flailing as much as possible. As we continue to walk past her she runs to the other edge of the hill where her house is and waves until we are out of sight. We love this girl. Joy can be seen all over this beautiful little child. Here’s a picture of her, you can just barely see her because we were quite a ways down the road but she was still waving to us.

On another trip to the market a little while ago we came across two little children playing on a hill. They had an old jerry can with a very, very old rope attached to it and they were running down the hill taking turns pulling each other as fast as they could. Part way down their rope became disconnected from the sled. We tried to help them re attach the rope as they stood stiff as a board watching our every move. They were so afraid of us that they didn’t even say a word. Once we fixed their contraption we said goodbye and continued on our way. I’m sure as soon as we were out of sight those children continued to run up and down that hill having so much fun with the little they had. I think about these children and how they were able to find such fun in items that I would have considered trash and it convicts my heart because I take so much for granted.

I want to be like these children and find such joy in the little things. I want to be able to have fun without needing to spend a penny.

Until the next time we go to the market...

Mothers.

Last week we sent a group of about 10 children from the baby’s home that I work at, to the village where they were placed into a single dwelling home with seven other siblings. This is a very happy but also sad moment here at the baby’s home. It’s very happy because it means that these children are finally introduced to the mother that will raise them and they are able to begin a life with the family that they never had. It is also sad because over time these children have become so close with their nannies as well as us volunteers and to say goodbye is always difficult, especially when some of the children don’t really understand what’s happening. But the other day I went for a walk around the village and I was so grateful to see one of our babies standing on the top step of her new house. She looked very comfortable and enjoyed the friendships with the other children in the houses surrounding her.

The ministry that these Watoto Mothers are a part of truly amazes me each and every day. These Mothers raise countless children and have sacrificed their whole life to see that these precious gifts from God receive the love and care that was robbed from them earlier on in their lives. Each one of these children are God’s children and I am so, so grateful that they were each given a chance to live their lives and be loved and taken care of by these Watoto Mothers.  When I’m out and about walking with the babies around the Watoto village I am stopped by many of these Mothers and they call out to me saying “well done!” Each time this happens I’m taken aback! These women are so selfless in so many areas of their lives! The only response that I have to these mothers is “No. Well done to you! And thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for the work you are doing.” I thank God for these women!

Being a mother whether it’s here in Uganda, at Watoto or anywhere else around the world requires a selfless act of complete surrender to your personal needs. Motherhood requires being able to love someone else enough to see that they will reach their full potential in life even if that means that you have to sacrifice everything to see this happen. Thank you so much Mothers. Thank you for your sacrifices and willingness to love us through it all.

 Be blessed!

I know what you must be thinking...

I know what you must be thinking right now… “It’s been a long time since Jaclyn has written a blog.” And you would be speaking the truth my friends, I’m so sorry for the delay but time seems to be slipping through my fingers. Can you believe that in two days I’ve been here in Uganda for one whole month already? I sure can’t!!

This is a picutre of the view I see every single day!

This is a picture of Suubi two which is just about a five minute walk from the main part of Subbi village where I stay.

This is a picture of the babies home. I live on the second floor. The top balcony is the volunteers apartment.

I’ve been having such a great time here at the baby’s home in the village. Here are some of my favorite memories so far:

The other day I was working in the little toddler’s room and for our play time we took all thirty babies out to the grass area to a mini pool that was filled with flour and water! What a blast!! The children loved covering themselves in the paste like water and then being sprayed off with the hose!! I so wish I could show you all a picture of thirty African babies looking as white as snow!! Hahaha!

Another day we took the big toddlers into a room called the Physio Room. This room has a completely padded floor with all kinds of foam toys like a teeter-totter, a house and even a ball pit! This was incredibly fun for the children (and for the adults too). The entire time we were in their the balls from the ball pit were flying around the room and the children were having such a fun time trying not to get hit by them!

But by far my favorite time of every day is just before the children go to bed. I know what you are all thinking… “It’s because you’re tired and ready to go to bed yourself!” Nope. This is my favorite time of each day because all the nannies get the children and we all sit in a circle in the play area, the children are all ready for bed and we sing worship songs (and African songs) as the children either have a cuddle or dance around with each other! It’s so amazing to see the children completely attentive and enjoying the music so much! When I’m working the morning shift we can even hear all the different rooms singing from our balcony. What a joyful noise it is!

This is just a small selection of the amazing times that I’m having here in Uganda. I will do my very best to post more often and share more of these stories with you all!

I’m missing you all back home very much but am feeling so blessed to be able to experience this time of my life with these beautiful people here in Uganda. Please continue to pray for our sick babies and for the continued health of all of the volunteers, sickness seems to spread so quickly here. Until next time! ;)

Love you all,

Jaclyn

Muzungu Auntie!!!

It’s been just over a week since I’ve touched foot in the beautiful country of Uganda. This trip has started very different than my last, I have not had any culture shock but instead I’ve felt a sense of returning to my second home. Last year I spent my whole time in the capital city of Kampala where the basic amenities like electricity, running water and stores to buy food were always at my fingertips but this year has been different from that as I’ve been living at the baby’s home in Suubi village which is about an hour drive from town. This baby’s home has about 120 babies and is surrounded by the homes that these children will grow up in with their six siblings and mother. Here in Suubi we don’t have electricity all the time, we don’t always have running water and we very rarely have internet connection but it’s truly an amazing place to live. I live in an apartment with the other volunteers on the second floor of the babies home this really helps me to feel even more connected to these babies. I love how at any time during the day there’s always a baby in need of a cuddle from their Muzungu (white person) auntie! The view from my apartment is also breathtaking! I can see hills, fields, and tiny villages for miles! I will post pictures the next time I head into town as the internet connection is not that strong.

I just really wanted to thank you all so much again for your support without you it would be impossible for me to be able to come here and love on these beautiful babies! Please continue to pray for my health and for strength! Missing you all so much and hope everyone is doing well!

With love!
Auntie Jaclyn J

T minus one sleep!!!!!!

I really can’t believe it’s here. One more sleep until I fly to Uganda to see those beautiful babies again. These past two weeks have been amazing, being able to spend time seeing friends and different parts of England, Scotland and Wales has truly been a blessing. It has been exciting, relaxing and also a little bit tiring with the constant countdown going on in my head to finally make it back to the place and the people that changed my life last year.

But before I get there I am excited about these next two days. As I celebrate Canada Day abroad I am reminded of how amazing my country is and more importantly how amazing the people are that make it up. We are a country known for our kindness, gentle hearts and freedom. I pray that as I travel from place to place I am able to leave a little bit of Canada in the hearts of those around me. As our national anthem declares “God keep our land glorious and free.” This is not something that we deserve, as I read in Romans 3:23 “for everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” Yet we still have been given this freedom because of the love of God:

“Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus” (Romans 3:24-26).

We are free because God has made us free from the power of sin and death over us. All we have to do is accept Him and we are then able to experience the fullness of this freedom. So as you celebrate Canada Day remember who allowed us to live in this freedom!

I pray that I’m able to spread the love and joy of God to everyone I come in contact with.

I am proud to Canadian and I’m blessed to be a Christian.  

Love you all!

Jaclyn

Good friends and great times!

It’s been a busy couple of days since I’ve landed in England, my feet have defiantly hit the ground running. And I love it! It’s been so nice to spend the past few days with my best friend Brittany and her husband Mark. Brittany and I spent the weekend in Stratford which is the birth place of William Shakespeare. It’s such a beautiful city filled with such a historic atmosphere with the birth house of Shakespeare and various other houses that he spent time in throughout his life around every corner. It was really something else to walk around his house and made me think I wonder if someday people from around the world will visit my house….highly unlikely! Haha. But a girl can dream. These houses that we visited had the most beautiful yards filled with beautiful gardens and walkways to just soak up the afternoon sun (when it decides to show its face).

 

*This is William Shakespeare's birth house and back garden.

Our weekend was very fun and educational but it poured rain for most of it! The sight of two Canadian girls lugging around our suitcases with big yellow ponchos with map in hand must have been a sight!!! But we had a great time!

I’m getting very excited and anxious about my arrival to Uganda, yet feeling a little daunted by the thought of yet another plane ride. I’m not afraid to fly but I’m just not a fan of having a complete stranger in my personal bubble falling asleep on my shoulder. My flight here was very eventful to say the least! I sat beside a lovely older gentleman who didn’t speak any English who tried for the majority of the flight to tell me story after story in a foreign language…I didn’t understand anything he told me but I can now say that I’ve actually spoken to someone on a plane it still counts in my books even though he likely didn’t understand anything I said either! But besides the inevitable flight ahead of me I’m still extremely excited to finally reach Uganda and see the babies once again!

Until then I will continue to look like a drowned rat in this very rainy country but enjoy every bit of time that I’m able to spend with my great friends over here.

I hope you all back home are doing well. Miss you.

Jaclyn

Watoto Babies Home video

For those of you who would like a little more information about the babies home and Watoto here's a video that explains it all. Hope you enjoy :)
http://vimeo.com/19471994

What do we really need.....?

So here I am again getting ready to live my dream! I leave this amazing country of Canada in just a few short weeks!

It’s funny how much planning goes into getting ready for a trip to a place where life seems to be so much simpler then here! I have a list about a mile long of things that I think I “need.” When I go over that list again I’m struck with the realization that I really don’t “need” any of these things. The only thing I need is God and more of Him each and every day; the rest is just comforts that have become a necessity to so many of us around the world. So how do we define what a “need” is in our lives? Is it something that makes us feel at home? Or is it someone to love? Or something to keep us connected to our friends and family 24 hours a day? Or is it simply food and water to sustain our bodies? I think it’s about time that each of us, including myself takes time to evaluate the “needs” in our lives. I think the song “When We Stand Together” by Nickelback says it plainly:

They tell us everything's alright
And we just go along
How can we fall asleep at night
When something's clearly wrong

When we could feed a starving world
With what we throw away
But all we serve are empty words
That always taste the same

We Will Stand Together - Nickelback

It’s about time that we share what we have with our neighbours here in Canada and around the world. Another song that has been resonating in me over the past few weeks is called “I Will Go” by Starfield I hope that I learn to “not be blind with privilege” and instead have eyes to see the need with every footstep I take while I’m away.

 I Will Go - Starfield

My final prayer is this “Let the blessing You've poured out on me not be spent on me in vain, let this life be used for change.”

So let’s “Stand Together” and “Go” into our world to see that each and every person receives what they NEED to live.

God Bless,

Jaclyn

God just continues to blow me away! And so do you!

As you know I’ve been planning my trip back to Uganda pretty much since I returned the first time. I remember sitting down with someone only being home a week and saying “I really want to go back” and them just saying “that’ll fade!” Well it sure didn’t the fire has been continually fueled since July 1^st 2011.

A few weeks ago I held a fundraiser at my church, a typical Ugandan style dinner, with a silent auction, music and a few words from yours truly about my experiences last year in Uganda. This event was so much fun and completely blessed me!

A week before the event I was sitting at home with only four tickets sold contemplating if I should postpone it for a week or two in order to get more tickets sold. Ye of little faith!! On the night of the fundraiser over 70 people showed up to support me! And I would like to send out a huge thank you to all those who came to this event it truly blessed me as well as my parents to see your love and support.

I would also like to send a HUGE thank you to all those who helped make this event happen, those of you who helped me in getting little details in order like the silent auction donations, centerpieces, food and pies, pictures, tablecloths, giveaway’s, and also to the event crew who helped cook, clean, run sound, play music, setup and teardown I truly couldn’t have done this without you.

As I continue to spend each week preparing for this mission to Uganda I am constantly empowered by this verse “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength” Philippians 4:13.

Thank you once again for your love and support.

Jaclyn J

This time last year... :)

This time last year I had just arrived to Uganda for the very first time to work with the babies at Watoto child care ministries. This time last year I was missing home so much and feeling very unsure about this adventure that I had just embarked on. This time last year I was starting an adventure that was about to change my life forever!

And now I'm planning to go back. I've been back home for eight months now and not a day has gone by that I’ve not thought about all the precious babies that I was so blessed to work with day in and day out for three months. Now as I've said I'm in the planning stages to head back and invest in the little lives of those babies once again.

I've heard so many people in churches say how when you go to Africa you always leave a piece of your heart there. It just has a way of grabbing your life and changing it leaving you with an almost crippling desire to go back and see more, serve more, and help more. And let me tell you this is SO true! The people that I met while I spent my time in Uganda are some of the most amazing people I've ever met. The nannies at the babies home sacrifice so much to care for these children day in and day out. The people who run Watoto church and Watoto ministries have such a passion to help those in need that it stirs something in you to do the same.

I cannot wait to go back and serve with this amazing ministry. And because of my family, friends and church family who've supported be both financially and with prayer this passion in my heart to serve with Watoto is becoming more and more possible each and every day!

Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart.

With love,

Jaclyn