"Oh My God is Gooder!"

So here is a factual update since I've been pretty bad at thoughs! Sorry about that! My trip to Jinja to see Melissa was fantastic! We had a great day hanging out around town. We at in the town center and looked at the different shops and then headed back to where she was staying. There I got to meet some of her team. They are pretty amazing and it was great to hear their stories of how their camp is going in Kenya. Be praying for them as they finish up their last few weeks of camp. I also got to rope swing into the Nile! It was pretty amazing! I swam in the same water as Baby Moses :). It was a little more in my comfort zone than rafting since 1. I've never been rafting and 2. it's actually against the rules for my internship. I was a little worried though about crocodiles nibbling on my toes, but I just couldn't pass up the experience! It's a little bit different than the Botanical Gardens in Athens and quite a bit bigger. We had a great day laughing and sharing what the Lord was doing in our hearts.
After Wednesday was when all of the sickness hit. Natalee woke up with a high fever at 2:30 Friday morning. I'm not going to lie, I was a little worried because if her fever were to increase at all, ambulances aren't really a hot commodity around here and people don't really answer their phones at 2:30 in the morning. The next few days were followed with many different Doctors appointments with little success. As of right now we are still not really sure what she had. She didn't really start improving until yesterday and their were some pretty scary diagnosis that had us worried we just might be on a plane back to America. Not only that, but Saturday morning, the day her Mother was suppose to fly out with the Cross Roads team, I had some issues of my own. Needless to say Natalee's mother, thank goodness, ended up delaying her flight and is now scheduled to fly out tomorrow. We could not be more grateful and thankful for her presence here. The Lord as always had perfect timing. Please pray for her as she travels home tomorrow for safety and peace. I'm also so thankful to say that as of right now both Natalee and myself are doing better. Natalee is recovering quite nicely and still getting lots of rest. Please continue to pray for a full recovery so that we can spend the last bit of our time here doing the Lord's work.
Even with the craziness of the past few days I have still had some pretty amazing moments. With the Cross Roads team from Virginia being here I have learned a lot about how HUMBLE school began and more about the little nuts and bolts that hold it together. It was great getting to learn more about their heart for the children and more about everything the Lord has allowed them to do. Not only that, but they also let us borrow Natalee's Mom a time or two just for spend the night parties at the compound.
I have also had some fantastic days with the children. Today I climbed a tree with the kids and tried to relive my childhood a little bit instead of turning into the worried teacher who is nervous the kids are going to fall. We laughed as we dropped down berries for the other kids to eat. Basically if you can imagine what happens at a child's birthday party when the pinata breaks and all the kids go flocking to the ground, it was the same concept. I even ate a couple myself after much persistence from the children and a quick prayer that I wouldn't be regretting it tomorrow. I've also gotten the opportunity to go and visit one of the local villagers we buy vegetables from. She had been sick and I went with the missionary, Jennifer, to go visit her and make sure she was getting better. We got to pray over her and encourage her in the Lord. It was my first opportunity to be invited into someone's home here besides Jennifer's and Sam and Eva's. I felt so privileged and it will be one of those prized moments I remember when I go home.
At the school it has been a little crazy as far as classes go. The students are basically done with their term 2 material so classes get out earlier and we have more time to play. I love it! It gives me more time to talk to the students and get to know them. It has been so beautiful to get to move past my label of "Mzungu." Not just in the sense that they now know my name, but also in the sense that they know I'm their because I love them. One of the biggest blessings I have been given since I've been here was a few words spoken by one of the children. Whenever we are playing outside and I hear any cries from any child I always go running to make sure everything is ok. It normally is. Typically someone either bit or pushed their friend but that doesn't stop my heart from picking up its pace as I think of just how many things they do here that if I had children of my own I probably wouldn't let them do. One day after I went running to check on one of the children, one of them asked me "You really care about us, don't you?" That is the whole reason I came. My heart was to be the hands and feet of Christ by loving these children out of the overflow of my heart. It is the biggest blessing to know that they know I really do care about them because Christ first cared about me.
Even with all of the hard things that have happened this summer, all of the unexpected, God has been moving in my heart and in the hearts of these children. It is beautiful to see the Lord using each of us to teach each other. It hasn't looked exactly as I thought it would. God's plans normally don't, but I have learned so much. I've learned more about the call the Lord has placed on my life for overseas missions. I have learned more about the giftings he has given me with teaching and working with children. I have learned more about his overwhelming love for myself and those all around me. As one of the songs the children often sing goes "Oh my God is gooder!" As the summer starts to draw to an end, I can't quite imagine what it will be like to say goodbye to all of these beautiful children. Now I fully understand why Katie Davis, author of "Kisses From Katie" had such a hard time leaving and now has adopted 12 Ugandan children. I've already told Evelyn, one of my Primary 6 girls that she is hiding in my suitcase on the way home! Please pray for the Lord to continue to show me how to use my last couple of weeks here to further his kingdom the most and to show these children they are loved by an amazing Father. Thank you for your continued prayers and support!