Sole Hope

Yesterday, another volunteer and I spent the morning/afternoon with an organization called Sole Hope.   Before I left Florida, I found out that a friend knew one of her friends was interning with Sole Hope and happened to be staying in Jinja as well. I'm telling you, we live in such a small world :) So, I was able to join her and some of their team at a Jigger removal clinic in a nearby village.

Sole Hope focuses on providing hope and freedom from foot related diseases through education and medical relief. One disease that is very common is Jigger infestation. Jiggers are a type of sand flea that lay their sac of eggs under skin. This is caused by the dust and dirt accompanied by not wearing shoes. It is very painful for the infected person. If left untreated, it can get infected and result in gangrene or amputation.

I wasn't sure what to expect on this clinic trip. When we arrived at the village, we made a little assembly line of wooden stools for us to sit on and benches across from us. Two people were in charge of washing the feet and inspecting for suspicious Jiggers, three were removing them and the rest were taking progress notes. Since it was my first time out, I started with washing the children's feet. This may seem strange, but for me it was such a humbling experience washing a child's dirty feet. All I could think about was the passage in the Bible when Jesus washed his disciples feet. It was a depiction of ultimate servitude for myself. In Africa, some kids do not own a single pair of shoes so you can only imagine some of the conditions of their feet.

What I was not expecting was that the majority of the children refused to sit down to have their feet washed and inspected. I learned that having Jiggers is viewed as shameful and a lack of cleanliness. Because of their pride and embarrassment, the children would rather endure the pain rather than having their jiggers removed in front of their peers. We had a man translate for us and he would bring children that he knew had jiggers or other foot conditions. He brought this young girl to me that had her left foot completely wrapped but she refused to sit down. Instead she just walked away. It broke my heart...

While we were waiting for more children to come, I spent some time with the village children. There is just something about playing and loving on village children. It's hard to explain but its one of my favorite experiences in Africa. During my time here, its funny learning some of the things village kids are fascinated with. For example, they are so intrigued by arm hair haha. My blue finger nail polish confused a couple of them as well :) Overall, it was a great experience! I am hoping to be able to join them on another clinic before I leave.

Faith and Miracles

I apologize that I have not updated my blog in such a long time. Life has been very crazy lately :)

My first set of news... I graduated nursing school in May! I am officially a graduate nurse and am sitting for my huge state license exam next Tuesday. Fingers crossed I will pass and be able to put RN behind my name :) Its been a long past two years of studying, studying and more studying. I know in the end I have chosen such a rewarding career path. 

My second topic is Africa. For the past few months, it has been an emotional roller coaster. In my previous blog post, I had mentioned that both my sister Baylee and I were planning on returning to Uganda to volunteer at the orphanage, Amani Baby Cottage that I fell in love with last summer. Raising the money this time around has been more difficult than what we were expecting. Unfortunately, we did not raise enough for my sister to join me. She would need to raise $3,500 in order to accompany me. I wish there was a way that she could still come and experience such an rewarding, life altering opportunity.

For the past few weeks, I wasn't even sure if I would be able to return to Uganda. I had raised enough money for my plane ticket, but not enough for my room & board, visa and living expenses. We had figured that I needed to come up with $1,000 within the next few weeks in order to go. This amount would just barely cover me, but it would be just enough to get me over there. Basically, I needed a miracle. Even with all these road blocks, I still felt that I needed to be going back to serve at Amani.

Last Sunday, I placed the financial situation into God's hands. If God still wanted to use me in Uganda, He would make it happen. I reminded myself of the scripture Matthew 17:20 He replied, "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ' Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

With just a small amount of faith, God can move mountains and make miracles happen. Coming up with $1,000 in two weeks seemed impossible, but with God, the impossible can become possible.

Two days later, I received a slip in the mailbox to pick up an envelope at the post office. I applied for a RN-BSN program at UCF for the fall and figured it was related to that. Once I got back in my car from picking up the envelope, I opened it. The large envelope did not contain an acceptance letter. Instead, inside was a donation for $600 towards Africa! I just started crying. God is so good. Apparently, the person thought they had mailed the check weeks ago and discovered that he hadn't. He was worried that his donation was too late. Instead, it came in God's timing and became the miracle I was praying for. I now only needed $400! Later that day, I found out that my grandma was donating $150 and then my friend told me that God had laid it on his heart to donate $100 towards my trip to Uganda. I had also set aside $150 of my own from various babysitting jobs. In one day, God had provided the $1,000 I needed in order to return to Africa!! I was in complete awe.

Yesterday I was able to purchase my plane ticket :) I will be leaving July 17th, arriving in Entebbe on the 18th. I will be staying for a month and leaving August 16th, returning to FL on the 17th. Of course, I will be continuing this blog while I am over there. Words can not express how grateful I am to be returning to the kids and women at Amani. I also wanted to take the time and ask that if you feel led to contribute financially towards this journey back to Uganda and Amani, there is a way for you to help. Located on this blog is a donation button through paypal. You will be able to enter your own contribution amount.

Thank you so much for following this blog and hopefully being blessed as much as I have been by these incredible children. 

Blessings,

Brooke

Photo Credit: Amani Baby Cottage

One Month Left!!

Can you believe it? In actually less than one month I will be boarding a plane and embarking on this exciting adventure to Africa. My departure date is June 6th and I will be stepping foot on that Ugandan red clay soil June 7th.  First off, I want to take the time to thank and list everyone who has supported me both financially and with continued prayers. I cannot thank you enough!! Not only are you blessing me, but you all are going to be blessing lots of precious orphans in Uganda. A special thanks to:
-ICI Homes
-My Family                                          
-Michael Ann Hallman                          -Jimmy and Joyce Page
-The Fraser Family                                 -Poppy and Grandma
-Melody Anglin                                     -The Stich Family
-Kathy Davis                                          -The Ridder Family
-Gartha McGarity                                   -Charlene Irland                                              
-Robert and Louise Clower                    -Barbara Mullens
-Ed and Linda Marshall                         -Yancy Madden
 -Sheila Tunney                                      -The McCafferty's
-George Pilcher                                      -Joan and Bill Fenton
-Aimee and Josh Hudson                       -Uncle Lionel and Aunt Irene
-Adam and Marie Hudson                      -Joan Christy
-Fred Hudson                                          -Sloan and Janice Barrows
-Cathy Hanna                                          -Uncle Chuck and Aunt Karen
-Francie Philips and family                                      
Stony Hill Baptist Church Brotherhood
-Betty and Alex Hines              
 -Stony Hill Baptist Womens' Missionary Union
-Becky Glance                              
-Uncle Chuck, Aunt Jodi and Mandi
-Jane Eddy                                     
 -The Rodriguez Family
-Uncle Ray and Aunt Gwen          
 -Judy Davidson
-The Turner Family                        
-Tomoka Christian Church Missions
-Linda Harper
-Randy and Sarah Thomas
-Helen and Jim Chandler
-Diane and Bob Kirtley
-Ron and Kay Hamby
-Pat and Reg Colvard
-The Lacour Family
-The Thompson Family
-Shea Clemens
-The Mcfarren Family
-The Smith Family

With all of your help, I was able to far surpass my goal of $3500! Amani Baby Cottage has a list on their website of items that they are in need of. Because of the awesome response, I am bringing a suitcase full of items that ABC needs! This includes boy clothing, shoes, and various medical supplies for their clinic.

*At Amani, the kids call the volunteers "Auntie's and Uncle's". I saw the outfit and fell in love! Can't wait to be called "Auntie Brooke" :)

I promise that I will be updating this blog frequently while I am in Uganda throughout the two months I am there. I have heard that Ugandan internet is a tad bit slower than what we are use to haha. But I will do my best to have a couple weekly updates. I want to involve everyone in this experience as much as possible. Not only will you be able to have a glimpse of the lives you are touching, but it is my hope that your hearts will be touched as well.

Please continue to pray for safe travels. I have been talking with a girl who will be volunteering with me as well this summer. We will be meeting at our connection flight in Amsterdam and flying into Uganda together. Also, please pray for good health! On the 18th I will be getting my Yellow Fever vaccine and Malaria pills. I will be posting again close to the departure date!
 Blessings,
Brooke

The Beginning

Hey everyone! For a long time now, I have always felt that God was quietly tugging at my heart that I was meant to go and serve others, especially children. I just never knew where He wanted me to go! Growing up, my family had supported several children through World Vision. It amazes me that just a little sacrifice on our part can make the world of a difference in another child's life. I'm talking about simple things like a chance to be educated, a meal to fill their tummies...all the little things we tend to take for granted daily. Anyways, I have always had a passion for helping and loving on kids. Right now, I am just in awe of how God orchestrates every detail in our lives. I came across the book Kisses From Katie and let me just say, this girl is doing AMAZING things for Christ! I researched her story some more and found the Christian orphanage Amani Baby Cottage located in Jinja, Uganda. I knew right then that this was exactly where God was telling me to go. My hope is that through my blog, you will be able to be a part of this awesome adventure God is leading me on. I want to be able to share with you everything that I experience in my upcoming trip to Africa because I know that its going to be life changing!!

First off, I want to tell you a little more about Amani Baby Cottage and my upcoming trip to volunteer there this summer for two months. Amani Baby Cottage is a Christian orphanage that can house up to 60 children ages newborn to 5 years old. A lot of these children have lost parents due to AIDS, malaria, or complications during birth. Some of them were left in trenches, hospitals or simply on the side of the road. One of the things that I love about Amani is that they will not turn away a child, no matter what health condition they are in. It has been a place of peace for 275 children. ABC's mission is to find permanent, loving homes either by adoption or reuniting them with their families. While I am there, I will also have the chance to help the nurses on staff there. I am excited as a nursing student to also have this priceless opportunity.

To make all of this possible, I am so grateful for the support I have received so far! I am so blessed to have already raised half the money I need! Tonight, I made the first step and bought my plane ticket!! In total, I need to raise $3500. With your prayers, support and generous gifts, I will be able to bless and be blessed by these precious children of God. If God has laid it on your heart to support my mission, I do have an opportunity for you to donate to my mission trip. On my blog, there is a donation button that will directly go into my Paypal account. I cannot begin to express how much I appreciate your love, prayers and support. I cannot WAIT to share Gods love to these incredible little people He is about to place into my life. I am starting to pray to God that He will break my heart for what breaks His during my time there. It is my desire that I become the hands and feet of Christ, while at the same time exuding Christ's unrelenting love towards each person I encounter.