Video from our WORSHIP service with the kids!

Video from Africa

Born in the U.S.A.!!!!!

So we are finally back in the United States of America! Its crazy to think that by the time I make it to Birmingham I would of traveled through 3 time zones and gained 8 hours to my life! I am one of those travelers that once Im on the airplane I am READY to be home..... my mindset at that point is the trip is over and I wish I could snap my fingers and be home. But regardless of the long travel days back home and exhaustion its never stopped me from wanting to travel again and again. We have already started to plan other trips...... Next trip to Africa will start in Kenya and we will do a safari and then fly to Uganda again! We definitely want to go for a safari next time but would need to do it first while we still have some energy. Another trip we want to plan is to Australia and visit Hillsong! I would really like to go there by next summer..... then I would of traveled to all continents by the time I'm the big 30!

Although it is wonderful to be back in our country, I am instantly reminded of how we have everything at our disposal within seconds. We don't truly understand what it is to be in need. We are guaranteed a next meal, a place to lay our heads at night, running water and power, air conditioning, transportation, and much more. We have ALL our basic needs met plus a thousand times more. I hate the feeling of being trapped in a society where people consume themselves with pointless things. Im not trying to be harsh or disregard the things that matter to people but when your eyes are opened to how millions of people live around you......somethings that use to seem SO BIG just no longer matter. What matters is that people come to Know Christ, and that we as Christians choose not to be silent or stand still but reach out to those around us, whether its in Africa or down the street, and show the LOVE of Christ. The gift and joy of the Lord is to be shared with EVERYONE not to be kept selfishly to ourselves!

"May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, Selah
that your ways may be known on earth,your salvation among all nations. May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. Selah May the peoples praise you, O God may all the peoples praise you."

Psalm 67:1-5

"In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He existed in the beginning with God.
God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
The Word gave life to everything that was created,
and his life brought light to everyone.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.

God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son." John 1:1-14

The day we left Uganda

Once we finally made it back to the Bridge house Saturday night, Josh immediately went to bed because he was feeling run down. It took us 2 hrs to get home..... traffic was awful. The traffic in Uganda is worse than 5 o'clock traffic in Birmingham in 280......A LOT worse. There are beggars and street vendors that some up to your windows as you are sitting at a stand still and there is usually NO air conditioner running in the car. At night there is usually a cool breeze since its winter over here right now. Its crazy though because Dowdy, our primary driver all week, never got road rage not once. And of course we all know how road rage is in the US.

We woke up this morning, Sunday, to our last day in Uganda. It baffles me that the week is already coming to an end. We slept in a little bit today and then got up, finished last minute packing, and got ready for church that started at 11. Of course, Alfred cooked us another yummy breakfast. Made me sad that it would be my last time to wake up in the house to all my friends......the adventure was coming to an end. We went to Patrick"s church called Gaba Community Church. It is a super nice facility and great to see what the Lord has been doing in this area of the city. There were actually visitors from Southern California there so the worship was lead by there team and the Gaba worship team together. And their pastor, Steve Larson, from California was the guest speaker. As soon as we walked into the church doors we were welcomed by the greeters and then a Mzunga walks up and introduces herself....her name was Becca and she was from Texas. The worship was mostly in English and was GREAT! Their services last about 2 hours but it really went by fast. A lady named Irene and her little boy Samuel sat beside me. Samuel had the sweetest smile! Of course I took some pictures. Toward the end of the service I gave her one of my lip glosses that I havent used yet and some of my Shillings I had left......she smiled so big and gave me the biggest hug! She was truly grateful! The church service had between 200-300 people attending, its cool to see people from all walks of life and different cultures worship the same GOD. We are all ONE family in Christ!

After church we went and grabbed lunch at a French Bistro and we had pizza. Of course it was good and we continue to stuff ourselves! Then we went back to the Bridge House to load up the car and say our good-byes to Alfred. I really dont like saying Good-bye to people, it makes me sad. I really hope to see each of my new friends again soon..... they have left an everlasting impact on my life and I will never forget them. From the Bridge House we left for Sozo to say more good-byes to the kiddos.

When we arrived the kids were practicing their song and dance they are doing next week a church. It was so sweet to watch the individual personalities shine! Some are a little more timid and reserved where others dont hold back one bit! We just hung out and played some with the kids. When it was time to go I went around to say good bye to all 17 kids, hug them, and tell them we loved them. I hope to see their faces again soon!

Then off to the airport.....once we got to Entebbe we said our last good-byes to Carrie, Dowdy, and Maureen. Each person will be greatly missed :) We love yall! And THANK YOU Carrie for all that you did and being my roomie for the week! It truly is hard to put into words to describe this week..... Josh and I are very thankful for your friendship!

Josh and I proceeded into the airport and realized really quick how blessed we were to have Dowdy with us all week. He drove us around but most of all he is very fluent in English and also understands English very well. The workers in the airport not so much :) But we managed and got through. Now we are just waiting for our flight to board. We go from Entebbe to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Detroit, and Detroit to Birmingham! Home sweet home here we come..... leaving is BITTERSWEET! A big part of my heart is still here in Uganda, I see the need and have the desire to help! I know we will be back at some day!!!

WAR EAGLE from Africa!

Last FULL day in Uganda.... Day 6

Today was our last full day and night here in Uganda.... this week has gone by too fast. I am going to miss all the kids and my new and old friends! This entire trip has been a complete BLESSING and each person has made it a trip I'll always remember. I hope to come back again really soon. We woke up and headed to Sozo to spend the entire day. We played with the kids and ate meals together.....plus I experienced a lot of firsts:

- went grocery shopping at market for African food, learned about slaughtering animals (ex. Chickens) which I did not witness, but YES Josh cut its head off, watched a movie in Uganda with the kids, learned how to make, roll out, and cook Chipati (African tortilla is the best way to describe it.... Yummy!), and used the restroom in a hole because the water was off....enough said!!! It was a low key day compared to the rest because we stayed in one place all day but kinda crazy since there were 17 kids and 12 adults on the property.....but it was a FUN day. I was very disturbed by the chicken killing. Every Saturday at 5pm they kill the chicken that they will eat Sunday after church. Well Esau, the oldest kid he's 11, asked Josh earlier in the week if he would want to help. Well Josh of course said yes and Esau said it was a promise..... So since he couldnt break a promise Josh did it. It hurts my heart to think about it.... Carrie and I walk down the road to get some Mtn Dew during the slaughtering because I did not want to see or hear a thing. But Josh did get some pictures for anyone interested. Overall it was a great last day just hanging out with everyone! Please pray for Josh he is still not feeling great and I hope he is feeling better by the morning. I think he is exhausted and is having bad allergies from all the dust and dirt. I feel great! It has been such a PRAISE to literally have no major back pain ALL week! Even with bungee jumping.....Pray for that to continue through our travels home! Tomorrow we are going to Ggaba church, eating lunch, going back to Sozo to say bye to the kids :(, and then head to the airport....... Leaving is always bittersweet. This place has changed me forever and I am eternally grateful & humbled by this experience!

Picture above is of me hanging out in the den today with some of the kids:

Me, far left is Jalia, orange-Fatuma, green-Ivan, pink-Fredah, front-Victoria, dress- Mercy

Birthday Blessing!

Ok, so this morning was Josh's turn to wake up and not feel so great..... jet lag has set in and I think for him all the dust on the roads has irritated his allergies! But I had medicines handy, so it is feeling a little better.

Today has been a wonderful day and an absolute blessing...... I was able to celebrate my 29th birthday in Africa (the only thing missing was my family!). We traveled to a city called Jinja to go site seeing and have more adventures!!!!

It was about a 2 hour drive to Jinja so we were able to see the countryside of Uganda as we left the city. So I had a lot of time to just look out the window and observe my surroundings and the way people truly live here in Africa. Here I am celebrating the day of my birth, the day that the Lord blessed me with life..... I stand humbled and thankful that the Lord chose me to be born to my specific family, my country (USA), and the abundance of favor I am surrounded by daily. Why me and not these people in Uganda, why have I been so financially blessed?? One of the guys we have spent a lot of time with has become a dear friend and is such a hard worker. In discussing salaries and exchange rates between US dollars and shillings, I figured out that he make in one MONTH what I make in 1.5 HOURS of work..... that is MIND blowing to me. I live in such abundance and sometimes when I am at home I get in a pattern where I don't even notice all the things and luxuries I have around me. The Lord has a specific plan for each of our lives and I am accepting the favor he has shown me.....I choose to give in my abundance. My experiences in other countries has reminded me of what the meaning of true NEED is, and I pray that I never loose sight of all that I have witnessed.

Once we made it to Jinja we stopped at The Source of the Nile restaurant and ordered food..... it supposedly takes a long time to prepare the food so we ordered and left. Then we went to where we planed to take a boat to where the source of the Nile began. It was VERY cool..... they stopped at this little island and we got off and our guide explained where the water was white and bubbling was where the Nile River began, the water from Lake Victoria was pouring into the start of the Nile. The Nile River is where Moses was placed as a baby..... Such history that we witnessed today with our very own eyes. We walked around for a bit and took lots of pictures. Once we got back by boat we headed back to the restaurant but first stopped a shopped a little more :) There were a lot of cute shops up and down the streets in Jinja. It was a cute little town that attracted many Mzunga (white people-not just Americans but Australians and Europeans). We ate lunch and of course Carrie and I left the table early to look at just ONE more shop. Carrie told me that she has shopped the most since I have been here.....it worked out great because we could get all our souvenirs for ourselves and others and had each other for help and advice!

Once we finished in town we headed out to Bujagali Falls..... this place was amazing! There were HUGE rapids everywhere. We walked down toward the water and were greeted by a group of men playing music with one dancing..... He was doing some traditional African dances. Here in Uganda they call you bottom/backside your BACK FIRE. So it has been a popular word to use this week. So the guy dancing was shaking his back fire :)The call the front side your FRONT VIEW- its quite comical! We walked closer to the rapids and it was amazing to just sit and watch and listen to the waters. One teenage boy as us to PAY him to swim across....WHAT?? One it was dangerous and two its not good to pay these people because there a lot of people begging around us and it creates a ripple effect. So we repeated the word Nada = NO in Uganda. We also watched some guy kayak through the rapids and turn over and get themselves right side up again...... crazy to watch and I would not ever do that. Im not scared of much but being held under water or potentially drowning is a fear. I have been white water rafting once back home in Tennessee and I fell out of the raft and since then Im a NO on rafting!

Next we heading to Adrift for ONE MORE ADVENTURE!!! Which do you think Josh and I did??

A. Ride a cow

B. White water raft

C. Bungee Jump

D. Hold an Anaconda

WELL..........................................

It was letter C!!!

Yes, Josh and I bungee jumped over the Nile River! It was AMAZING and such an awesome experience. A true adrenaline rush :) Josh was in once he knew I was going to do it, I know mom reading this probably scares you...... but I am alive and well and NO back pain! Josh tried to convince me not to but I was stubborn! The guy mentioned people with joint, knee, back problems to wear a full body harness but I would have to be careful and push the bungee cord away from my neck to avoid a noose. So i went with the ankle harness (most used!) The tower was about 300 feet (3 times higher than in the US) above the water...... such a great view. We climbed up the stairs and got set up for the jump. I went first because I knew then Josh would HAVE to go or he would never live it down. I scooted my feet to the edge and swan dived off!!!! I was just a few inches from finger tips touching the Nile, we Josh jump he went into the water to his shoulders...... such a GREAT experience to share together in Africa and on my birthday (the first time I bungeed was on my 21st bday at the beach).

Once we got back to Kampala we headed to Sozo orphanage to eat dinner with the kids. We we got there the power was out so we were all hanging out with lanterns. We ate beef and rice and it was yummy. I dont think Josh and I were expecting to eat this GOOD while we were here! But the food has been great! We played with the kids for a little bit after dinner(they cleaned up after themselves and the table and swept the floors!) and watched them get ready for bed and have devotional! These kids are so HAPPY and are in a great place to live now.

One of our new friends David (Dowdy) has made some great and accurate observations of Josh. He told me the other day, "Hey Claire, I like yall together. Josh, he is out there but you help bring him down!" Sounds like the Josh I know..... But it makes me happy!

We are heading back to Sozo tomorrow to hang out for the whole day! I will post pictures soon of kids. There are still several kids who need sponsorship in order to provide three meals a day, school for each child, housing, etc. If anyone is interested in helping any of the kids or want to consider it and would want more info let me know! Some people may not be able or willing to GO but may feel in their heart to GIVE!!!

One last thing..... David who has been our primary driver this week joined us to Jinja but as a passenger. Eddie was our driver today (same driver that picked us up from the airport when we arrived). Let me just day that he drives CRAZY, it literally was a game of chicken swerving in and out all day long. I think the driving made me more nervous then the bungee jump :) I looked down at one point and the speedometer read 110!!!! Not 100% sure if thats mph or in kilometers. Either way it was FAST! Oh and they drive on the opposite side of the road.