Goodbyes Are Never Easy

Goodbyes are never easy. They come with many emotions. I don’t think this will be a final goodbye though, I think it will be more of a “see you later.” 

I arrived in Uganda on June 8th. I stepped off the plane not knowing what I was really getting into, but I was filled with excitement. It is now July 31st and I will be departing August 2nd. Where has the time gone? As I sit hear and write this, I am overwhelmed with feelings, memories and lessons. The past two months have been a journey like never before. Thank you, God. I have been broken, I have been physically hurt, I have been overwhelmed, I have been exhausted. But...I have experienced joy like never before, I have loved with all of my heart and in turn I have felt the love of God more than ever before, I have made relationships that will last a lifetime, memories filled with laughter and seen His creation magnified in a way like never before. Praise Him. 

I picked up Efrance the day I got here, her smile lit up my heart and her eyes beamed boldly. I knew from that day on, there would be something special about this girl. Well, I praise our God for putting Efrance in my life. She has been an angel. She is an angel. When I walk through the door and hear the toddler shout “Claya” I always look around and there is Efrance, squealing and running towards me with open arms, shouting my name. I am brought to tears just writing this. How can a 4 year old impact your heart in such a huge way? I haven’t really processed all that Efrance has showed me. But I can tell you with full confidence that this girl has changed my heart. I thank God daily for the blessing she has been in my life.

Then there is Phillip. I wrote an earlier blog on this boy. You should read it if you haven’t already, and if you have, you should go refresh your memory. His story is so powerful. Every day, Phillip puts a smile from ear to ear on my face. From 7 am in the morning when I give him medicine until 7 pm at night when I give medicine again and say goodnight. There is never a moment where Phillip doesn’t make my heart so joyful. There is truly something about that kid that is so wonderful. He is alive because our God has truly changed the lives of many through Phillip’s story. Phillip is one of the most devoted disciples I have ever met. At the age of 11, this boy is changing lives with the heart of our Lord and Savior. That just leaves me speechless. 

Henry is a 13 year old boy who also has HIV. He lost his parents, but still has a sister here in Uganda that he talks so highly of. She was also at GSF, but once the kids turn 18, they move out. GSF will always be their home and family though. Henry has taught me to enjoy every moment, to always play when I can, and laugh with no control. His laugh is the best. His white smile can be spotted from miles away. Whenever there is a soccer match going on, I never fail to hear, “Claya come play!” God has taught me through Henry that I need to rejoice no matter the moment. Rejoice always because, I am alive. 

Those are just some of the kids who have had a great impact on me. Those kids will forever remain in my heart. I will never forget what God has done through them and the relationships we have created. I am so blessed to have experienced all of what I have this summer. Incredible. I have firsthand seen how powerful His grace is. How abundant His strength is. How true His mercy is. How magnificent His glory is. And most importantly, how unconditional His love is. 

As I leave here, it will be extremely hard. But I feel in my heart that one day, I will see these kids again. Wherever that may be....I will see them later. 

Thank you for joining me in this journey. I thank our God for all of you. I am praying for each and every one of you. I ask that you pray for me as I transition back. 

With all of His love, 

Claire 

Beautifully Broken. Total Salvation.

Jambo! (Hello in Luganda) 

What a crazy week it has been! I am still quite exhausted, but I have decided I will just sleep when I get back to the States. I can’t believe I will be leaving Africa in 10 days. I don’t want to accept that! In a recent email from my dad he wrote, "I know it is going to be very hard to leave those sweet children behind, but it won’t be forever.  You will return, perhaps many times.” He is so right! I will be returning...many times. I can’t imagine saying goodbye to these kids, forever. God has really changed my heart through each and every one of these children here at GSF. I have really experienced the love of our God. I can say with full confidence, our God is a God who overflows with love for each and one of us. To be able to love these children, to be loved by them...wow. My prayer is that I continue to overflow with the Lord. 

Some days while sitting in the clinic, when there isn’t much to do, I venture down to the social workers office. I sit on the wooden bench and begin to pull out file after file, reading each kids’ story. What is inside those bare manilla folders is something so powerful. From the outside, you may see a kid with a beaming smile whose laughter lights up the room. What you don’t know is that smile has a past, a broken past, hidden behind it. When reading the files of some of the kids, my heart started to break. I thought to myself...these children should have never had to experience this, nobody should. Some of the things I read, I will never be able to repeat. It is just too hard.  Many parents of the kids died, many were just abandoned. I remember reading one file on a child where he was found in the road...left, alone. That is something so hard for me to accept. My heart never felt so broken as it did reading the stories of each child. I couldn’t bare it. Many times I had to put the files down, back in their right place, and walk away. It is times like these where I really struggle trusting God’s plan. I feel so weak, I feel so broken, There are many days where I sit on our veranda just staring out into the endless forest wondering why He does half the things He does. I have to accept that no matter how weak I may feel, that His strength is all I truly need. In 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 He says to us, “My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.” I can’t tell you how many times I have read that verse. I can feel Him breaking down the walls of my heart, filling it with His love, grace, mercy, and strength. I feel so broken, I feel so defeated; but it has been such a beautiful experience. Tragic things happen. There will be days where we face obstacles that we never thought we would have to face. God doesn’t promise that every day will be perfect. He does promise that He will walk through every hard time with us, that He will provide the strength we need and that in the end His glory will shine brighter than any galaxy. There is a verse that has really stuck out to me through the broken times. It is Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the suffering of this present time is not worthy to be compared to the glory that is to be revealed to us.” No matter what, no matter the suffering, God has something bigger in store for us. We can weep with the comfort of His love. We can fail with the promise of His grace. We can be weak with the assurance of His abounding strength. We can feel defeated and broken knowing that His glory will be revealed to us, always. 

Being a missionary isn’t easy. It is possibly the hardest thing I have ever done. It is like spiritual attack is magnified. There is two words that have stuck to me; Total Salvation. In a recent devotion with the missionaries we read 1 Peter 1:3-9. 

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in Heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refines by fire- may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” 

Total Salvation. Wow. Even though we will go through trials and will suffer, we can still rejoice. No matter how broken I feel, no matter how exhausted I am, no matter how weak I may be....I can rejoice in the promise of total salvation. Never give up. Days will be hard, obstacles will be put in our way; but never give up. Our God is on our side, forever. How great it is to be able to rest in that promise. 

I will be facing 10 of the hardest days that are ahead of me. In 10 days I have to say goodbye to some people that I love with everything in me. It is hard to leave a child that you know may be sick, hurting, has a broken past; but I can leave knowing that God is still with them.  I will be back in Uganda some day. My heart has been completely broken, beautifully broken. I thank the Lord for that. There are a handful of kids that have touched my heart in ways I never thought were possible. It is a blessing to be able to love like our Father in heaven loves me, and you. I know I will cry, I already have. But those tears prove just how much the Lord has changed my heart, eternally. A humbling experience it has been. I am so thankful that the Lord breaks me so that I can be more like Him. 

“I am setting you up as a light for the NATIONS so that my salvation becomes GLOBAL.” -Isaiah 49:6

Beautifully Broken. Total Salvation. Rest in His promises. 

With all my love,

Claire

Sweet Moments with Grace 

Pure joy 

You're the Love That Won't Let Go

What a week it has been! So busy, so tiring, but so rewarding. It all started Monday when we traveled to Kampala to The Children’s Medical Center. This place was nice! So that was a plus to begin with. We took Mercy and Kenny. Mercy is a child that was brought to GSF August 8th of 2011. She was neglected by her father because she was special needs and shortly after her mother stopped caring for her too. She was brought to Buikwe hospital because she was severely malnourished and then to GSF. Mercy is now three years old and has spastic hemiplegia cerebral palsy. This means she has cerebral palsy that has effected only one side of her body, her right side. For all who aren’t aware of what CP actually is, it is caused by injuries that have taken place to the brain. It is a group of disorders that effect the brain and nervous system functions. There are different types, for example Mercy has it only to one side. Kenny is different, he has spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy. This means his CP has effected all of his body, all four limbs, he cannot do anything by himself. Kenny is two and a half years old and was brought to GSF this past November. Kenny is such a sweet boy. Kenny’s family believes he was cursed and they blame him for all the misfortunes that happened in their family. Due to this, he was discriminated by his own family and neglected. About a month ago, Kenny started to refuse food and cried constantly. He also was very tense and had fits where it looked like something was pushing all his limbs/muscles back. He was very tense and you could see the pain and fear in his eyes. Kenny was taken to two doctors before we took him to Kampala on Monday. The doctor wanted to admit Kenny to the hospital for a short time to get fluids in to his system. Kenny was admitted and a feeding tube was put in place. Kenny was brought back home that day with the feeding tube still in place. Thursday he got the feeding tube taken out because it was irritating him and Kenny was eating food through his mouth. Which is great! Kenny still has to be fed every three hours, but he is improving a lot. His great smile is coming out more and more. Mercy was put on Baclofen, which is a muscle relaxer. She is scheduled for a MRI on the 23rd. Please say a prayer for her! We hope to get good results and some wisdom on what next steps to take! Also keep Kenny in your prayers that he keeps improving and will not be in anymore pain due to muscle tenseness and spasms. 

I spent a lot of time with the toddlers this week and through that I have had my heart stolen by quite a few of them, actually most all of them. The toddler is house is a place where you can always guarantee leaving with a huge smile and a heart full of love. There is never a dull moment in that house. There are two kids in the toddler house that I have really grown close to, David and Efrance. I have also grown close to their older brother, Daniel. He is in a house with older boys since he is 8, but that doesn’t mean I don’t see him in the toddler house. Any chance Daniel gets, he is with his little brother and sister. It is incredible to see how close their bond is and how much love they have for each other. When those three are around each other, they are all smiling and laughing. I promise you, they would capture your heart too. David is the youngest of the siblings. His full name is, Mugisha David Mulekwa and he is one. Namulinda Efulansi, Efrance, is four years old. Daniel Sisye, the big brother, is an angel to his two younger siblings. The relationship they have is just so humbling to everyone around them. They all have HUGE eyes and they are not just cute, they are beyond beautiful. The three of them arrived here this April, so they are very new to the GSF community. They lost their mother to AIDs in February of this year. Their father is also HIV positive and spends most of his time in bed due to his illness which makes it very hard to support his children. David was separated from Daniel and Efrance and relocated to Nyenga to live with his Auntie due to his mother’s death. The auntie was not able to provide proper care for Baby David and due to his young age, this made him very vulnerable. He was moved to GSF and since they wanted to keep the close sibling relationship, Daniel and Efrance also came to GSF. The dad is still in contact with the children and has visited them before. Hopefully one day, these three can be with their family again. I always am filled with so much joy when I am around these three. Even just looking at pictures of them makes me smile so big. They have truly made a lasting imprint on my heart. I hope someday my family can come here and meet them. The love they have for each other reflects the love Jesus has for us. It is incredible and such a blessing to know them. 


The best type of chaos at the toddler house.

Daniel, David, Efrance and I 

As I mentioned before in an earlier blog, Phillip has also become a special person in my life. Even the past week I have gotten a lot closer to Phillip (on the right of picture). I continuously chase him around the house at 7 pm every night before he takes his medicine. His laugh is just one of those contagious, very contagious laughs. There is also Henry (on the left) who is also an HIV kid here at GSF. He recently turned 13 and his quite the stubborn but charming one. He has a beaming smile and great compassion for all. Phillip and Henry both live in the same house which makes my mornings, days and nights even that much better. They are also both in my Sunday school class, so my weekends are even filled with them. It is great. This past Thursday at the HIV lunch (the Warfield’s have lunch made for these kids 4 times a week) we were stating prayer requests. Phillip’s request broke my heart in the best way possible. Phillip said, “please pray that one day I will never have to take medicine again and that everybody knows Jesus loves them.” Seriously? Phillip is such a disciple of the Lord. Even today in church, I got the chance to sit and worship with Phillip. I looked over during one of the songs and Phillip had his hands up and eyes closed and a big smile on his face. He was dancing around and singing with so much joy. It is such a refreshing feeling to be around Phillip. Then I looked over to the front and saw Henry playing the Africa drum with this big smile on his face singing along. These boys are sick, but you would never be able to tell. They love every day, unconditionally. They have so much joy that radiates to others around them. It has been the biggest blessing to get to work and draw close to not only these two, but all the kids here at GSF. I couldn’t be more thankful. 

We ended the week on a fun, adventure filled night. We got in the car with Uncle Rob and headed off to the rainforest. We climbed on top on the ’94 Land Cruiser and made our way into the forest. We got chicken on a stick on our way there and enjoyed that for dinner. We ended up getting a little lost, but I am so glad we did. We drove through this hidden village that was deep in the forest. The roads were terrible and there were times where we didn’t think the car would make it. But, IT DID! Along the drive, we had to stop and ask many people for directions. The conversation consisted of us asking “Buikwe?” (which is the village we needed to get to) and then the Ugandan’s answering with hand signals. We saw the most adorable, loving kids. We were even able to give them some dinner. The smiles on their faces, indescribable. We then came out into the sugarcane fields where the green goes on for eternity, and watched an incredible sunset. The golden sun lined the clouds and beamed for miles. 

This past week was a busy week, but it was such a great one. I am spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically exhausted. But with that, God is teaching me some incredible things. I am learning how to be FULLY 100% reliable on Christ. I am learning that I really do need to spend time in His word every day. I have to trust Him, ALWAYS! Not matter how bad it gets, He knows what He is doing and I have to trust His ways. To be beautifully broken by the Lord has been the most humbling experience I have ever partaken in. I pray that my heart, and all of our hearts, are forever changed. Even in the darkness, His light will shine through. He will also provide hope to the hopeless and love to those unloved. His promises are so beautiful. 

Tomorrow I will be heading to Kampala to take little Chum Chum (Sebastian) to CORSU hospital to get a check up on his clef pallet surgery. Sebastian is such a cute kid. I am excited. Wednesday we will be heading to seizure clinic in Jinja again. Also I will be experiencing Carolyn Jacobson’s ministry at Nyenga hospital. She works with the HIV moms and babies in the hospital. I am really excited for that. Busy, but exciting week ahead! Pray for all the interns that we feel refreshed, revived and energized in His love. Thank you all for your continuous support, love and prayer. 

I love you, O Lord, my strength.

² The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,    my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,    my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Psalm 18:1-2

Busy Weeks and Good Laughs

Well our 4th of July celebration was a success! I wore an American Flag shirt all around Jinja, we grilled hot dogs, Aunt Amy made the best sloppy joes and funfetti cake with chocolate ice cream was eaten for dessert! We even lit candles on the cake and sang the national anthem before blowing them out. Let me tell you, we sounded GOOD! Once I am able to post the video, I will. It will give you quite the laugh. 

Thursday morning we took Baby Ben, Grace and Teddy to Buikwe Hospital to get their immunizations and HIV testing. Immunizations went well, only a few tears were shed! Grace didn’t shed a single tear though. Not even during HIV testing where they take your blood. She just confusingly stared at the doctor as he pricked her. Grace is such a calm, sweet baby. She always seems to be at peace. Caralina keeps joking that on August 2nd (the day I leave) they are going to have to keep a close watch on Grace because I probably am going to try to bring her home with me. Say a prayer for baby Teddy and Grace in hopes of negative results from the HIV tests. 

Friday was the monthly prayer and fasting day! We started off in the morning with a worship session and prayer. The worship was awesome! The staff was dancing and yelling and just praising the Lord. It was such a great experience. Even though most of the songs were in their language, Luganda, it still just felt so awesome to worship one God all together. We then parted ways to go off to work. I sat in the clinic most of the morning charting in medical files. Then at 1 pm we joined again for a time of prayer. That too was also a great experience. To hear the staff pray in their language and to hear them cry out to Jesus, it was so humbling. Their hearts are set on fire for God. It just really is a great thing to see that no matter who you are, no matter what language you speak, you can worship the same God together. Every nation, every tongue, confessing to one God. AWESOME. It was also sports day for the kids so they traveled to the nearby village to play soccer and net ball. Then the Buikwe district (our district) selects different players from each school to make one district team. They continue to play other districts and eventually someone will go to nationals. Janie and I traveled in to Jinja that night for an evening at the Keep where we enjoyed some great American food including the most incredible milkshakes. It always helps to eat ice cream....always. (: They also had African Traditional Dancing going on at the Keep and that was very cool to watch. The culture here is truly incredible. There is never a boring moment. They have so much love for who they are and their culture. It really is fun to experience. 

Yesterday (Saturday) morning was a GREAT morning. I slept 11 hours that night and didn’t get up from my bed till about 10:30. First time all summer! I woke up to the sun shining so brightly and it felt like a cool fall day here! It was great! We all relaxed on our veranda, had our coffee, did our quiet times and just enjoyed the slow pace of having nothing to do. We then joined the kids in a massive treasure hunt which lasted ALL DAY. Literally. After relaxing all day and doing pretty much nothing, Aunt Claudia invited the interns to a lovely dinner at the Black Lantern. We got in the car (all 10 kids and Claudia) and made our way to the Nile River. On the way we witnessed one truly beautiful and breath taking sunset. It was so bright and the sun was so orange. So pretty! We got there and enjoyed a long, but really delicious dinner and great fellowship. Meme and Bobby made me laugh all dinner. Meme says the funniest things and Bobby, well he is just Bobby. Always making some odd noise and smiling. He made a new friend at the restaurant and they stared at the “water pool” (pond) for a long time watching the frogs. Boys will be boys. Plus, Bobby is always surrounded by woman so he needed a little man to play with. I had the ribs and steak and a big ice cream for dessert! I slept great last night. Funny thing is, I thought I would lose weight coming here. Pretty sure I have just gained weight. The food never ceases to amaze me. 

Then Sunday morning rolled around early today. I got up and got my lesson plan together for sunday school. I taught on Psalms 19:7-10. It is a Psalm by David telling us about the Word of God. He uses six different titles for the Word of God and gives reasoning to all they do. The kids really enjoyed the lesson and participated well today! We then played a hackie sack game that was really fun before taking a break. Big church was at 11 and Uncle Rob taught on 1 John chapter 3. Don’t believe everything you hear! It was a great message. Well do Uncle Rob! After church everyone went separate ways for lunch. One of my girls, Vero, got really sick this afternoon. She has a high fever and upset stomach. We treated her for Malaria so please keep her in your prayers and for a very quick recovery. 

This week will be a busy one! We will be welcoming another missionary, Casia, later on tonight. She will be opening the babies home here at GSF and staying for a year! Pray for her transition and her time here at GSF. God is going to use her in great ways! We will also be welcoming Baby Leticia and her mom here soon. They will be staying in the baby house. Leticia is a baby girl who is nine months and weighs the under the average weight of a newborn. Pray for a healthy growth! We also will have a girl Ashley join us for a couple of days. She is from Winston Salem and visiting a family friend here in Africa for a few weeks. Tomorrow I will be traveling to Kampala with Mercy and Kenny. We will be seeing a doctor to try to figure out if there is something neurologically wrong that is causing them pain. Pray for our safe travels and patience tomorrow! It will be a long day. 

I cannot believe I have three and a half weeks left. It has flown by way too fast! I ask for you to pray for me to rest in His peace and let Him work fully through me. I also ask that you pray for all of us interns as we prepare our hearts to leave in the upcoming weeks. That will be really tough. Otherwise, I will not be thinking about leaving and I will just enjoy every minute I can with the kids! I really love it here. Maybe one day my mom and I both can come back to GSF together! 

In His love. 

I Am Set Free

The first four weeks of Africa have been the biggest blessing of my life. The Lord is truly breaking me and filling me completely with Him. I am slowly realizing that He in fact does NOT have plans for my life, but He does have plans for His life in me. That has been a constant reminder of mine. There is no better what for the Lord to put this on my heart than through the love of the children here. 

A couple weeks ago I was standing in the GSF church when a young man walked up to me and asked me if he could talk to me for a minute. I said sure and we walked outside to the back patio. He introduced himself as Rodney. I have never met this guy in my life. What came out of his mouth next completely broke my heart, for the better. He began by saying, "I walked past you in the church and felt as if God was telling me to tell you this." He then began to tell me something that wasn't easy to hear, but surely woke me up. Rodney told me that he felt as if I had gone through a rough past and that I was still holding on to a lot of it. If you don't know me, I did go through some hard times where I was not walking with the Lord like I should have been. I strayed away from Him for a long time. You could say, I was living a double life. I wanted to walk with the Lord but I also wanted to walk with some other people who didn't walk with Him. So when Rodney told me this, I knew the Lord was using him to get through to me. Rodney continued saying that God was telling him to tell me that this is the time where I need to completely give it all up to Him, let God break me and let Him consume my heart. Rodney said that this was the time, here in Africa, that God was going to completely change my life. He told me that I needed to let everything go, accept His grace and forgiveness, and stop holding on to my grudges/my old life. I told Rodney he was right, completely right. He then began to tell me how the Lord was telling him that I need to let go and really worship when I worship. Rodney said that he felt as if I loved to sing and I loved to worship in church, in the car and whenever I listen to music. That just topped it all off. If you don't know...I love to sing. I may not be great, but when I worship through song, I feel the closest to God. I love singing in church, in my car, or right now sitting on the veranda looking out in to the jungle. I LOVE worship music. Rodney told me that when I worship, I need to sing out. I need to let the Lord completely consume me. He told me to use singing as my way to worship and connect with the Lord. I was really caught off guard. I had tears in my eyes, I was scared, I had no idea how to react. Rodney had to leave shortly after and I was just overwhelmed with emotions for some time. For a couple of weeks. This is why I am just now writing this. 

I have truly felt the Lord taking over my heart and my life. Little by little, He is removing myself and revealing more of Him. I really see this is the smiles of the children here. I see it in the beautiful creation that surrounds me. In the sunrise, in the vivid green forest, in the mud-hut villages. Every single moment, God makes it visible that He is truly sovereign over all and that I have to let my life go. I have to let it go and give it all to Him. Take my life, take all that I am. That has been my prayer every day. No matter if I have a rough day, He still shows me His great glory. There has been two song I have listened to literally every day and the words couldn't be more true to my situation. The first is "Healing Begins" and the second is "Times." Both are by Tenth Avenue North. 

"So you thought you had to keep this up
All the work that you do
So we think that you're good
And you can't believe it's not enough
All the walls you built up
Are just glass on the outside

So let 'em fall down
There's freedom waiting in the sound
When you let your walls fall to the ground
We're here now

This is where the healing begins, oh
This is where the healing starts
When you come to where you're broken within
The light meets the dark

Afraid to let your secrets out
Everything that you hide
Can come crashing through the door now
But too scared to face all your fear
So you hide but you find
That the shame won't disappear

Sparks will fly as grace collides
With the dark inside of us
So please don't fight
This coming light
Let this blood come cover us
His blood can cover us"

"I hear You say
My love is over
It's underneath
It's inside
It's in between 

The times that you doubt me
When you can't feel
The times that you question
Is this for real 

The times you're broken
The times that you mend
The times you hate me
And the times that you bend 

Well my love is over
It's underneath
It's inside
It's in between 

The times that you're healing
And when your heart breaks
The times that you feel like you've fallen from grace 

The times you're hurting
The times that you heal
The times you go hungry and are tempted to steal 

In times of confusion
In chaos and pain
I'm there in your sorrow under the weight of your shame 

I'm there through your heart-ache
I'm there in the storm
My love I will keep you by my power alone 

I don't care where you've fallen or where you have been
I'll never forsake you
My love never ends
It never ends"

Both of these songs have really spoken to me. No matter what my past is, no matter where I have been...He will always love me. Always. He will never leave me. I have to completely give it up to Him and let Him consume my life. My God will never fail. He will never let you or me go. I have to let my walls down and I have to let His grace in. So praise Him always, even through the hard times. The Lord will guide every step of every day. He won't leave our side even when we stray away. That is the best promise anyone has ever promised me. 

Once you give your life up to Him, He will set you free. I am set free. 

Nurse Katie

Nurse Katie comes from London, England. She arrived at GSF August 2011 to serve for a year as a nurse. My mom met Katie back in September and I have not stopped hearing about her since then! The day I finally got to meet her, I was so happy! I finally got to meet the woman my mom thought so highly of and loved dearly. All though I only have gotten to spend a month with Katie, it has been a very special month. Sadly, she left us today. Katie left us with a feeling of content and love. She impacted so many lives and left behind wonderful memories. 


Nurse Katie didn't just teach me nursing methods and medicines, she taught me a lot more. Every morning, no matter what, she started her day with a smile. She invested so much time into the kids and cherished each nursing case she had. She LOVES her job. There isn't a second where you look at Katie and don't realize how much she truly loves what she does. Nursing is a very hard job. It requires a lot of time, tons of energy, and a vast amount of knowledge. It also requires constant love, dedication, a humble heart, loyalty and tender care. Katie has all of these characteristics and so much more. She loves the Lord. She strives to learn more about Him and stay in His word. Katie is the Lord's servant and she serves with so much compassion. What an incredible way to disciple. The medical field is a very difficult place and can be dark at times. Katie is living out God's will for her and she shines His light so brightly. She taught me that whatever I do, do it whole-heartedly and to its full extent. Even when I don't want to do something, to do it with a smile and love. Seek after every opportunity I am given to display the Lord's heart. Katie taught me not just how to be a great nurse, but to be a missionary. 


Katie impacted GSF not only in a medical way, but in a spiritual way. The house moms especially. I sat in on the house mom bible study yesterday. It was Katie's last. At the end she gave out presents to all the house moms. But then, the house moms did something so sweet for her. They wrote her a song and sang it to her. You could see how happy they were to know Katie and how much they were going to miss her. They all gave her hugs and lingered around for some time after. Even this past week all the kids asked where Nurse Katie was when I was doing rounds. They knew she was done working, but they still asked. Whenever Nurse Katie was spotted, you would know it. The kids would shout, "NURSE KATE NURSE KATE!" until they got her attention. The missionary families didn't want to let her go. The past couple weeks everyone made jokes how she should stay and how she didn't have to go. The missionary kids sang her a song last night at dinner and it brought tears to many eyes. It is really hard to let someone go that you have grown so close to and created many memories. 


Katie, I will miss you dearly. Thank you for all you have taught me this past month. You are such a great woman of the Lord. You serve Him daily with all that is in you. You reflect His love, grace and mercy in all you do. Thank you for not only teaching me Ugandan medical care, but teaching me how to be a missionary through nursing. I hope to stay in touch! You will be truly missed by all. 

Casually listening to each others hearts...

The house mums and Katie! 

Phillip: God's joyful miracle.

July 2012

Upon arriving to GSF I had heard much about a boy named Phillip from my mom and other missionaries who have served here. It wasn't until I met him that I truly realized how special he is. 

Phillip is one of God's incredible miracles. He is a boy that when he smiles, it touches your heart with such passion that you will be effected for life. Every time I see this boy, something inside of me just...I can’t really even explain it. My heart just swells. Phillip will never fail to make you smile or laugh. He really reveals to you the glory of God. 

Phillip has been at GSF since he was a baby. He is one of the HIV children.  As a nurse intern I look over many of the children’s medical files so that I can know of what all has gone on with them and/or is going on. When I got to Phillip’s, he didn’t have just one file, he had TWO. Both files are about as thick as a C.S. Lewis novel. Phillip has come so close to death several times. So close, that they have made the calls to say the time has come. 

My relationship started with Phillip on June 15th as we traveled to JCRC in Entebbe with all the HIV kids. I was made aware of his story and his status, but I didn’t really take it truly to heart until this day. When we got to JCRC he jumped out of the car and headed up to where we checked in. He got his porridge and plopped himself on the ground in front of the TV showing the movie, Tarzan. He laughed, he smiled, he ran around. All day. There wasn’t a moment where Phillip was just sitting, unless we made him. Phillip carried around this massive teddy bear most of the day that had a beanie hat on that he eventually took off and wore himself. At lunch, Phillip didn’t just eat one normal plate of food. He ate on MASSIVE plate of food mainly with his hands but sometimes using utensils. This boy can eat! He put on so much weight so fast during recovery that he was told he needed to stop gaining weight.  I would say that is a praise! We talked several times as we waited to see doctors, counselors and pharmacists. He never once was negative. He spoke on the most random things but they were all hilarious and so entertaining. He was constantly making me laugh. I wrote a blog about this day and how it was hard to see a kid who should not be alive, be so happy and joyful. Why aren’t we more like Phillip? He doesn’t let his sickness get in his way. He loves life, he loves. Phillip is a boy who will show you the true meaning of humbleness. While during this hospital visit, Nurse Katie shared with me a lot of Phillip’s history. The story that most impacted me was the one she told that happened this past October. Phillip was hospitalized and nobody thought he would make it out. The doctors told Nurse Katie he most likely had a rare type of Pneumonia and was not going to make it through the night. She made phone calls and all his loved ones gathered around as they said goodbye. But by the grace of God, Phillip lived. AGAIN! This isn’t the first time his CD4 cell count met 0. In english, this wasn’t the first time Phillip wasn’t supposed to make it. I got to meet the doctor that was with him that night. When she saw Phillip in June, she was blown away. Phillip is doing so great! He still has a weak immune system and can catch illness quick, but you could never tell. This boy is truly a miracle. God has such a marvelous plan for Phillip. I believe God has kept him on this earth and hasn’t taken him home yet, because I have witnessed Phillip’s discipleship. Phillip may not know it, but he is touching so many hearts and is really showing people how great our God is. I am so excited for what God has planned for Phillip's future.  

June 2012 at JCRC 

My relationship then continued as I began to do nursing rounds. Rounds are done at 7 am in the morning and 7 pm, every day. In the morning we go to every house to check in and give medicine. In the evening we go to just the houses who need medicine. So, with Phillip needing a lot of medicine, I have been getting to see a lot of this boy. I love it. Every morning he puts a smile on my face when I hear, “Auntie Clayyyaaaa good morninnng!” He always has some joke while taking a handful of pills. He never complains, he never refuses, he never lets it interfere. My favorite is when he takes his gummy vitamins. He chews on them in such a silly manner and always tells me how much he loves them. I then get to see him every evening. I remember one evening he comes up to me as Nurse Katie and I are headed to his house, and yells “RACE ME CLAYA!” He takes off running, so, I did too. He actually did “win” me. I really tried. HE IS SO FAST! Nurse Katie came up to me and told me stories how he always used to race her even during his recovery. The way she told her story to me, you could tell how much love she had for this boy. How special he is to her. It is incredible how much endurance, strength and perseverance this boy has. This past week I even got to meet at four of his stuffed animals! His favorite our his cow and dog. He really loves dogs. He keeps his bed so tidy and made up. He greets me every morning in his school uniform, looking very “smart” with his leather book bag full and on his back. It never is hard to get up in the morning knowing I get to see Phillip. 

Our relationships continues on to Sunday School. I get to teach the 11-12 year old Sunday school group. This means, I get to teach Phillip. This boy comes every sunday with his big old bible. He always has it open and is reading. Phillip always wants to know more verses and read for the group. He also has an extremely goofy, yet very intelligent side. Phillip is VERY smart, book and common sense wise. Very. One Sunday he was rambling on about who knows what so I asked him what he was talking about and he looks me in the eye and says, “personal hygiene!” You never know what is going to come out of this boys mouth. He is hilarious. This past Sunday I was trying to get the group to start a worship song, of course everyone was shy at first. Well, Phillip just takes the lead and starts to sing, “Rain drops are falling on my head!” Of course, he made everyone smile and laugh and eventually sing. He loves Jesus. He loves to make you laugh. He makes every day for me, a great day. 

Phillip...well, Phillip is just one of those kids. He is someone who has already changed my heart so much and is continuing to impact my life in the greatest way. He really shows me the power of our God’s kingdom and how merciful and glorious He is. I am so just thankful for this boy and his life. I am so beyond blessed to spend time with him. He can bring me to tears just with a smile. Even today at lunch when I was so exhausted, he began to preach to me with his fully belly popping out of his shirt and of course, I died laughing. If you come in to contact with Phillip, you will be blessed beyond all measures. He shows you how God calls us to live our lives. I can’t thank the Lord enough for bringing Phillip in to my life. 

I have some photos of my own that I have shown you but I would like you to see photos Nurse Katie took of him just this past fall. You will see how incredible his story is just by looking at these photos. Please continue to pray daily for Phillip. He really is so incredible.

Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Hebrews 12:28-29 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.

August 2011- Nurse Katie

                        September 2011- Nurse Katie                                 November 2011- Nurse Katie

This is the drawing Phillip drew for me to give to Nurse Katie. He did it all on his own, even all the writing. He did not once ask for spelling help or help with remembering. Something very special.