All of life... Every moment... Every act...

 IVO (International Voice of the Orphan) January 2015 

Go Team... 

I am so thankful to serve along side these precious people...

Truly, my heart is... 

inspired  by them... 

Challenged by them...

And most importantly loved and cared for by them... 

I see them being Jesus to these kids and my heart is so blessed!

Each evening we share something that touched us, was special, or even was just plain downright funny or precious that we witnessed or experienced that day...

Tonight we were so blessed to go to Watoto church and much to our surprise, the Watoto Children's choir performed...

They were so good!  It was Such a neat experience... Boy, can those kids rock... And do they ever do a fantastic job of leading others into worship...

Watoto has family homes (like small orphanages) that in total house 3000 Ugandan orphans. ( actually Watoto is the organization who partnered with the Gem Foundation and placed their special needs kids with Emma this past summer when The Gem Foundation opened) Can you imagine 3000 kids in one orphanage system... But wow,  was I impressed to see how it ( by video) how it is all set up... Truly, the kids are raised in a home like setting with a mom and 7 other children... That is A LOT of homes! 

They started by sharing a video that showed a mama abandoning a baby or child in a taxi, on a bridge, in a marketplace or kids being orphaned by the death of their parents...

These are truly the stories of the kids at Watoto and the kids we have been blessed to work with this year and in past years... Over and over again you are seeing and hearing the harsh reality of how these thousands of kids were orphaned.  Seeing it right before your eyes...

As we worshiped there was a quote in the screen that said , "Every moment... Every act in life... An act of worship". 

Wow was my heart challenged to truly make my life... Every moment... Every act... Every diaper change... Every pile of laundry folded... Every toilet cleaned... Every hug, snuggle, and kiss an act of worship... That is what it should be... That is want I want it to be...

As we shared tonight I was overcome convicted and overwhelmed with two things...

1.  That I don't ever want want the daily tasks of a busy life with a husband and 7 kids to ever become what it shouldn't be... Something I don't treasure every moment.   To have a heathly family is NOT EVER TO BE TAKEN FOR GRANTED and my opportunities to take care of them and serve them is a gift, a privilege and can be an act of worship to our God!!

Truly an act of worship to our father who redeemed  us from the pit... Who is our salvation...

And ...

2. That my God is more powerful, loving, mighty than I could ever have thought... As we worshipped and sang of our God being our salvation tonight... My heart was totally overcome in that he is my Savior  and Salvation because of what Jesus did in the cross for me... For all of us...

But also He is my Savior in that... My God has redeemed my life from complete devastation and heart break... I didn't dream that kind of healing could be possible... But God knew that in that valley of losing my son Samuel that He would bring beauty from those ashes, he would work in my heart in ways I wouldn't have been open to before...

But because my heart was stripped bare... I needed every ounce of His strength to fill me, change me, refine me, and make me more of who He desired me to be... 

It overwhelms me... He could have left me there heart shattered, lonely, despairing...

But He didn't...

If he can work that kind of healing in my life... Just as much so will He work in the lives of these precious children we serve here... And in YOURS...

Oh my do I have a long way to go... And I know that growing will NEVER be complete this side of Heaven...

So tonight I challenge you... Can you aim for making every moment... Every act in life an act of worship... It really is a change in perspective...We really aren't serving man but our Savior... And with his power and presence He can strengthen us to do more and more of that each day...

Much love from Uganda friends!! 

Every life... Every moment... Every day an act of worship to our Father!!