Fan-tastic!

  You've perhaps read that it is hotter here this year and we're finding ourselves overheated many days. So we called our special hire driver to take us to Shop Rite to purchase a fan for our room. Our Missionary friends who taught us so much about life in Kampala will remember our zeal for fans.

Muriel put it together (with a little help from her room mate) and reaped the first benefits.

On Easter Sunday after church we walked up the hill to Sanyu. We were dripping hot. In our overheated state we came up with a new way to cool off. Spray water on your face with a spray bottle and then sit in front of the fan.

You could say that we've  become a couple of fan-atics.

Seriously though, our zeal is not about fans. Our passion is following Christ as a disciple.

Are you a fan or a follower of Jesus?
Here's a link to an interview with Kyle Idleman, author of Not A Fan.
https://www1.cbn.com/are-you-fan-or-follower-jesus

One Year Later

Most of you probably remember, and may have donated to, the major project from last year - refurbishment of, and new equipment for the play area. Last year was also the first year we came as representatives of Global Endeavours, an international missions board formed by Bloomfield Baptist Church. It was also the first year we were accompanied by other team members. It has been exciting to see others develop a passion for Sanyu and catch a vision for its future.

Andrew and Jodi Giberson have been faithful supporters and prayer partners since Cheryl and I began coming to Sanyu. When they joined us in 2018, none of us knew the extent of work that would be involved in completing the playground project. Andrew especially, put in many long, hot days to ensure the job was done right.

It has been a delight to come back this year and see everything remaining in good condition and being well used.

On behalf of the children, staff and ourselves, we thank God for the many people who have made this, and many other projects, possible since we began coming to Sanyu Babies’ Home in January of 2015.

A Home for David

Sanyu Babies’ Home is committed to seeing each child under their care placed in a loving and caring home. That may mean locating a suitable biological family member or placing the child with a foster family, which ultimately leads to adoption.

This week we had the opportunity to see the fulfillment of that commitment.

On August 23, 2017 David was found abandoned at a church in Kampala at an estimated age of 17 months.  Since then the Sanyu staff has lovingly cared for him and met his needs. He has also made many friends and watched as several of them have left, having been reunited with family or fostered. On Monday it was David’s turn to join a family of his own.

Last Friday Elizabeth (not her real name) arrived at our guesthouse. During chats at the supper table over the weekend, we learned that she is a nurse at a military hospital who is married to a retired doctor and lives a short distance from Kampala. Elizabeth has suffered much loss in her life. She has had six biological children, five of whom died as toddlers. Her surviving daughter is 17 years old and was a triplet. Elizabeth and her husband also have a 12-year-old son who they adopted from Sanyu at age 14 months.

Elizabeth has visited David at Sanyu several times but last weekend they had the opportunity to spend extended time together, getting to know each other better.

When many would become despondent and bitter, Elizabeth thanks God for carrying her through the tragedy in her life and for providing for her needs day by day. She continues to trust Him as she has opened her heart and her home to pour love into the life of a special little boy.

On Monday, David was welcomed into a new family. That meant he left behind friends who are still waiting for theirs. We pray each child will soon become part of a loving and caring family. In the meantime we thank God for the love and care provided by this special place called  Sanyu Babies’ Home.

 “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:27)

Fun with friends

Time with Mummy

                                         

Then and Now

Reflecting on God's goodness is something we have been instructed to do. Today I want to take you back one year to reflect on the blessing of a new life... the life of Blessing Waswa. Last year this time I was helping to care for this beautiful little boy.

The first year of life brings so many changes. The Mamas and volunteers have lovingly cared for Blessing and helped him reach his first birthday in March.

This recent picture shows just how much Blessing has grown. He now stands holding onto something, smiles and laughs easily, pretends a chair seat is a drum and bangs on it in class along with the teacher who is drumming and singing. He also copies someone pretending to hold a phone up to their ear.  When they say "allo" he smiles.

It was hard sometimes last year to get Blessing to feed but he has no trouble now. 

He loves his food. 

So thank God for His marvelous love, for His miracle mercy to the children He loves; Offer thanksgiving sacrifices, tell the world what He’s done—sing it out! 

Psalm 107:8 MSG

Palm Sunday

This morning, we joined Barbara and her four children (her husband had another commitment) to attend a very moving Palm Sunday service at St. Paul’s Cathedral which is close to Sanyu. It is the oldest and largest cathedral in Uganda with a capacity to seat 4000 people. It belongs to the Church of Uganda (Anglican) denomination.
Before we made the short drive up the hill, Barbara’s oldest son presented each of us with a fresh palm branch.  As we arrived for the 8:45 service, the first service was just finishing and the people were pouring out.
Then we were among those who began pouring in, each carrying a palm branch, and the church was soon filled to capacity. We took our seats and the service began. The hymns were familiar and are traditionally sung in Canada on Palm Sunday. What was not familiar was that as the hymns were sung, we all raised our palm branches and shook them. What an amazing sound those 4000 or so branches made.
I had never thought about the sound of the branches waved by the crowds as Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey just days before He went to the cross. But this morning as we heard the rustling branches...and upon seeing the sea of faces as we returned to our seats following communion, it made more real the words from John 12:12-13 - “The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!’ ”

Taste and See

        On arrival at Sanyu we were blessed with a beautiful fruit basket from a dear friend.

This afternoon I decided to make something with an avocado. Now here in Uganda the avocados are giants, nothing like what we have in Canada. Muriel and I weighed the largest one and it came in at 2.2lbs!

 

Using another variety of avocado, with purple skin like eggplant, I got started to make some guacamole.

   
                   The pit itself was the size of an avocado we would buy at home.

The finished product after adding a package of spice mix looks delicious. It is chilling in the fridge for our afternoon snack. 

We have now tasted and it's delicious, especially with a Novida, which is a pineapple soda.

In Psalm 34:8 David reminds us to:

Taste and see that the Lord is good...

We are tasting and seeing the goodness of the Lord in the produce of this land. 

Warm Welcome

 In many ways it feels like we never left Sanyu. As always, we have been joyfully welcomed with open arms and huge smiles. The phrases we keep hearing are, “God bless you.” & “Thank you for loving us.” What a joy to love the people who make up our Sanyu family and to know they truly sense our love. And indeed, God is blessing us.
Today we got to spend more time with the children and began trying to identify the names and faces of those who were here a year ago and beginning to learn new ones. One way to renew and make new friendships is to bring out the bubbles. This afternoon Cheryl left the guesthouse with a tube of bubble solution and within two minutes I could hear the squeals and laughter, making Sanyu Babies’ Home truly sound like the Home of Joy.