September 30, 2010

First of all, let me apologize for the long delay in another email. It is not always easy to get on the internet, or the internet might be really slow, and I am sorry but I don’t have the patience to sit and wait for it to come up. I found out last night that if I stay up late enough then the internet will be faster, and that way I don’t have to be so patient. :)

I wrote my last email as we were on the drive to the village where Norah was buried. She was buried next to her dad who died back in March, I believe. It was a four + hour drive to get there then you add on to the waiting around for people getting rides, the back tracking to pick up pastor, so we left here at the orphanage at 9am and got to that place at 2:15. The burial was supposed to start at 2, but they were waiting for her GSF family to get there. As we were driving though all these sugar cane fields and though the other villages you see a bunch of kids running around in dirty and torn clothes but with huge smiles on their faces. I knew we were at the right village when we pulled up and there was a big white tent covering an area with benches there. There were probably a total of 150 people there and 50 being her family from here and even a few of the older GSF kids that don’t live here anymore. She had such an impact on so many people. Norah’s coffin was in one of the huts with the face only being open. People were able to pass though the hut and see her face for the last time. I had seen her on Friday here at the orphanage, but so many walked though, some chose not to. It is interesting the way the culture is and really too much to write about. They wanted Mark to speak and tell them more about Norah since she spent half of her life at GSF. He used this time to let them know how much she loved Jesus, loved to sing and how she was singing and dancing in Heaven in NO pain. I rode back in the big bus with all the kids and it was pretty quiet for the first part of the ride. My heart just hurts for these kids. So please continue to pray, even though culture isn’t showing a lot of emotion, there is still some missing her very much and I don’t want them to think that there is anything wrong with it. Tomorrow will be one week, tomorrow being Friday, so be thinking about the kids here.

Sunday brought on the memorial service here at GSF for Norah. In Sunday school the kids were asked to stand and tell some stories about Norah. I was a little surprised at how many stood, but so glad. Church lasted a few hours as there was singing. The kids sang a song that they sang at the Global 25 th anniversary. Norah had sung a solo part and so they sand it and her best friend Jenny sang it, one of the older boys had written it with Norah in mind to sing, so it was pretty amazing. Sunday was a long day, but was good and the kids seem to be doing better.

By the time Monday got here, I felt exhausted. I had only been here for a few days, but it seemed like I had been here for a month.

There are three new babies and a few new toddlers since I was here last year. For those of you who followed along with my time here last year, might remember a little girl Annette, who came in not really weighing much more than a couple pounds. Oh my word, she doesn’t even look like the same baby. She is now in the babies house and healthier than ever.

This week has been good, I have gotten a chance to get to know the new missionaries some and spend time with them. The kids over all seem to be doing well. On Saturday my time, Friday night your time, I am going to take the big kids from Lords Meade Vocational School to Kampala and hang out for the day. So please be praying for our safety at we go. Also I might be attending school with our secondary kids on Friday, so be praying that our time together will be good, even if it is at school. J

Well I am off to start my day. I am headed down to go for a walk with some of the toddlers.