By the Power in Christ in Me!

Can you believe it...only nine more days until I have to leave Mbale! I am going to miss it here so much! The time flys when you are having fun! In the picture above is me and my good friend Livingston. Livingston left for Kampalla is might not be able to see me before i leave! Sadly to say this might be our good bye picture :( Livingston is a great man of God and ALWAYS has a smile on his face! Not to mention, he gave me motorcycle lessons!
Here are some pictures of my NEW Traditional African dress:

It is called a Gomez. You can where a gomez everywhere! Therefore i plan to where it all the time!

Besides a few pictures i also want to share something... while being here in Mbale I have been refreshed that the Lord dose not need me but, i am amazed to find that He wants me and is willing to use my for His purpose. Sometimes i get overwhelmed with how great poverty is in the world. Now Poverty is not just the person who is without food or a place to live but poverty lives in each one of us. How can I own or help something huge as poverty? But i was so relieved to know that God has it under control. With one breath God could heal the whole world, that is how much power He has....but how awesome it is that i can experience a glimpse of His glory but helping one person at a time. Therefore, I will stand on His Truth and I'll fight with His Strength until God will bring victory.

When i accepted Christ in my life i had no clue that so much power was living inside of me. If every Christan realized that they were walking around with amazing strength and power with world would be a different place. I will never get by on my own ability, how refreshing is that?

These Kids are some of my favorite kids in the world! there names are Peter and Faith. They are Moses Kids and they are a BLAST! Every chance I get i play with them! Peter is 3 and Faith is 7 (i think) they also have an older brother named Emma but he is not in the pictures...oops!






Pic #1 Kelly and I Holding Patrick's baby boy named Emma
Pic#2 Kelly, Me, Bruce, and his daughter Brooke they came to visit us in Mbale. Bruce works with Go-Ed
Pic#3 some cute kids from Makhai

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog! It is hard to convey how much is going on here and how much God is moving here! Thank you again for all your prayers and support! I am having an experience of a life time for sure! I was really encouraged and happy to talk to my mom on the phone today! I miss everyone very much and you are in my thoughts daily! From today, i will see Jordon in 9days and i can not wait! but please keep on praying for him and pray for his travel back to Kampalla! below is a picture of Jordon and I before he left for Ethiopia! we went bowling in Africa! it was awesome. the first game i got 60 and the 2nd i got 27! but of course Jordon won by at least a hundred! lol God bless

Mbale Pictures and just a FEW stories

**This is a picture of a boy that fell in love with me at one of the home visits! before o picked him up his older brothers and sisters were betting up on him and no one was doing anything about it! Therefore, I picked him up and hold him in my arms until we left! I was very sad to leave this home because he was so cute!

Greetings to all! I love the weather here in Mbale! On the average it is about 90! Although it hot during the days it is cool in the mornings and evening since we are near the mountains! Some days I feel like i am getting more tan but, i think i have came to the conclusion that it is just dirt!

God has really be working in my life. Every morning the staff dose Bible devotions! It seems that every morning the staff and I hears from God in such a direct way. Yesterday, It was Moses turn to do devotions. The question that he ask: How can you know what do during difficult times in your life if you don't know the word of God?

Through out this whole trip I have found the major importance of the Bible and seeking God with your whole heart. It is really encouraging to see how much the African people depend on God as much as they do water; they can not live without Him.

*This picture is a poster hanging up in Makhai Village. It is showing the results of there school since FHI has been there. Since FHI has been there there school has improve 100%! Before the Child sponsorships and before FHI, they did not have a building for the classrooms, they taught school under the tree. In addition, this community has a health clinic (however, they don't have a nurse or a doctor), and the children has food to eat for lunch. Which no other school in the area has a meal plan for the children. Normally the children will go 6:00 am to 5:30 pm without eating anything. THere is about 90-120 kids in each classroom. The Makhai staff is praying for more teachers since there are so many children. It is so encouraging to see how much FHI is impacting the community. Here in a couple of years FHI will be pulling out of this community. FHI dose not want to create a welfare plan, but to help an community to there feet so that they may walk by themselves. I think that this community will be ready in a couple of years to do so but please be praying for them.

This is a picture of me and Paul in Makhai! He picked theses flowers for me! Paul works for FHI and he lives in Makhai! He is really good with the children and will be the first one out to play with them! His favorite thing is just to love on the children and smile all the time. I am pretty sure i have never seen him without a smile on his face. I think that it is Amazing to see how a huge NGO like Food for the Hungry hires amazing people. I am so proud of America and how we support an effort such as what Food for the Hungry does around the world. The staff here in Mbale has the FHI missions statement written in there hearts and minds and tries to live it out everyday!

"To walk with churches, leaders, and families in overcoming all forms of poverty by living in healthy relationship with God and His creation"

Here is a boy from Makhai- is makes me so happy! one day he pointed at my cross necklace and said... Jesus is living!

Thank you again for all the e-mails and facebook post they are truly encouraging! I hear That Jordon is having a good time and he will be back in to communication in about 11days! I am looking forward to see him!

Gretings from Mbale

Hello everyone! i am sorry that we have not updated the blog in A LONG TIME! Jordon is in Ethiopia and he really dose not have communication to the outside world. However, I hear he is doing great! He loves the food, the people and is teaching 9th grade English! Please keep him in your prayers!

But as for me! I am having the time of my life! Right now i am Mbale, Uganda which is about 12 miles from Kenya!During the week I work (more like play) at the the Child development program in two different village! The Child Development Program (CDP) works with children, teachers, and parents in the community to help raise a new generation. Therefore, during the week i make home visits to children's homes who are sponsored. When going on a home to visit, we make sure the child is going to school, ask them about the child's health and ask of we can pray for them. This experience has been amazing. Just to be able to see where theses children come from can be heart breaking. On the other hand, really rewarding because each family has a story on how God is working in their lives.

*These pictures of Home visits In the first pic the little boy gave us an egg for coming

In addition, I help children write letters to their sponsor, file paper work, play with them at break. go to meetings, and act like a goof ball by riding bikes and learning how to ride a motorcycle!

In Mbale I have met some amazing Godly people that has impacted my life as I know it! One man in particular is named Moses! Moses is the CDP coordinator for the Mbale district and he has the Food for the Hungry missions statement written all over his life. In short, he knows what it means to fully serve Christ and to everyday rely on God for his strength to help shape his community for the better. I feel like i can not write in words how much i look up to him! when I get home i want to tell you more about him!

*This is a pic the CDP staff went to a wedding them one sitting by me is Moses

I feel like i can not express everything that has happen within two weeks! But, I have learned how to cook tons of African dishes, learned how to hand wash my clothes, begin to speak another language.

* Vicki and i cooking!

Also the village community gave me a new name: Nakumitsa - which means planting and growing season. So now I introduce myself in the community: Malembe, Coma sinta casa Nukumitsa Layah. translated means: Peace, my name is planting and growing season Leah!


To end this blog I will just tell one of the many stories that i have.
This last weekend i went to church at the Salvation Army. And before church I was playing on this spin thing with the children. While i was playing I happen to break my favorite pair of flip flops that i bought here in Uganda! I was kind of upset! but there was this girl who took me and my shoe to go get it fix! The shoe Guy fix my shoe for free and i was so happy because nothing is free for a white girl in Africa lol . Since i was so happy i gave the man and the little girl a tip. While sitting in church that same girl who i gave a tip to sat by in church! when it was time to give the offering, I went up and gave some offering and so did the little girl! She gave everything that I gave her. This act of Kindness and Faith floored me because i knew she did not have any money or food for lunch or dinner yet she still gave it all to the Lord! I think this is how people should live. How much more can i give when a little 9 year old African gave everything she got?

I am sorry about not writing on the blog! internet and power is always hard to come by! But i miss you all! Thank you for all your support and prayers! I can not wait to share more with you all! But i have to go before the power goes out!
Love you Leah

Peace

White Water Rafting!!!!

It's not everyday that you get to experience life in a way that feels like death; but instead of pain you experience the adrenaline rush and constant excitement created from fear! This past Saturday, that is exactly what we encountered on our adventure. Along with the other 10 students in this study abroad program, about three Ugandans, 4 guys from Europe, 4 girls from Sweden and 3 other students working here in Kampala we traveled by bus headed towards the Nile River! Unfortunately, we did not bring our camera's in fear that the large waters of the Nile would engulf them. Fortunately, for us the Rafting company takes over 300 pics of the rafters and also takes an awesome video; which we bought!
Starting off, as we drove to the rafting company on the mountain next to the Nile there were monkeys jumping everywhere. It was very exciting! We finally arrived after about a 3 hour drive in a crowded bus on dirt roads. Taxi rides are always fun here in Africa! The best part is that when you stop at a gas station or rest stop tons of people come right to the windows to sell you things....you don't even have to get out! It's great! Like walmart on wheels! And Fried Grasshoppers are sold as a delicasy here!
Alright, lastly I will get to the River! It was like the Father of all rivers! Its rapids were as large and as frightening as a Semi-Truck headed straight for you on the highway! Well...maybe not that frightening, but they were BIG! At the beginning of our White Water experience we started off with some easy rapids, then by the end of the day we went on a killer of a Wave. It knocked the breath out of us! One of falls that we went on was a 18 foot waterfall! It was completely insane! That is the one in the photo! Funny story is that we got stuck in the root of the waterfall! It was hysterical and thrilling! We got thrown out of the raft on others and sucked away by undercurrents and whirlpools! Sounds dangerous, but honestly they staff they have working for them know each and every current there is! They do the river every day! One of the very last ones that we went on was called the "Bad Place" and it was! Our entire raft flipped! We had the time of our lives and there is so much more to tell you! We are sorry that it took so long to update the blog, but the internet is a little sketchy here and does not alway want to cooperate with us! Anyways, for the next month we will be going to different areas! Leah will be in Unganda; in just another area working with Children in hopitals and going on home visits to see children and I will be going to Ethiopia to teach High School English! Scary, eh!? Well, fortunately for Leah she will have full access to internet and have electricity. Sad thing for me is that I will not. I am completely roughing it! So for now I am saying "Good Bye" until a month from now! We love you all and Leah should update this a couple of times before I will talk to you! Thanks for reading the blog and God Bless!