Our Home For Five Days in New Hope, Uganda

This is where we will be staying while in New Hope, Uganda.  I will keep you updated on our travels and on my emotions!

Right now I am feeling very excited!

To My Donors

THANK YOU from my heart for all of your kind and generous contributions. 

This is about more than just taking one trip to Uganda, Africa.  Not only have you helped me, but I've already discipled three other people into going...sort of. 

I'm so excited to say that my friend, Kristen, is joining us.  She would not have even known about the trip if I wasn't going.  Also I now have two grandsons that hope to go with me (or without me) someday!  My two oldest grandsons really want to go with me.  One of my grandsons is talking as if he IS going someday.  How cool is that?!  Both of my grandsons donated to the funding.  They have had lots of questions about it all.  At the very least they are learning to be benevolent.  I have you to thank for that.

So not only did you touch my life as well as the orphan's lives at the Children's Center, but maybe many more lives than you will ever know.

You can count the seeds in an apple, but can you count how many apples are in a seed?  Wayne Dyer

Thank you and may God abundantly Bless.

I Lived To Tell About It, That Was Close!!!

UGANDA MISSION TRIP BLOG #2

I'm all ready to go!  I received my donations, got my shots, plane tickets are bought, itinerary laid out, and counting down the days!

I'm ready!  I'm ready!  (said like Spongebob Squarepants)

All I need now is a few long skirts that are below the knee when sitting.  That is how the women of Uganda dress, not in lion skins tied around their hips as I may have one time thought.  Also, I need a suitcase on wheels for my carry on for on the plane.  And I think that might be it! 

I wonder how God will use me.  Will my trip affect just me, or will it cause a positive lasting affect on others, that may in turn help others?  I don't know.  But God knows.  And He knows why He wants me there.  Some things are only known in hindsight.  I have the feeling this will be one of them.  And that I will probably be blessed beyond measure.  However, I can say that I have truly already been blessed in my life in many ways.

Speaking of blessings...one time somebody found my kids and I almost dead from carbon monoxide poisoning at 2:30 in the morning.  What are the chances of that?!  Here's how bad it was, it is life threatening for a person to have 20% carbon monoxide in their blood.  I had 21% in my blood even after receiving oxygen.  My kids had only a little less than I did. 

This is how it all began:  I kept telling the person that found us NOT to come over after he got done work (he worked nights.)  But he refused to listen.  He was very persistent.  Finally I gave in and said agreed to let him come over.

He got there about 2:30 am.  I was poisoned on the couch.  I couldn't get up.  A few hours earlier I had heard my baby cry, which was unusual for her to wake up at that time, but I was unable to get up to see if she was okay.  When this person that saved us knocked on the door, I had a HORRIBLE throbbing headache and I couldn't move!  I was just waaaaay too tired.

Well, he kept knocking and knocking and knocking.  I kept hoping he would just go away.  He knocked more and harder.  I forced myself up somehow and went to the door and as I did, I heard my son cry.  Or maybe I heard him cry earlier.  I forget.  He was only about two years old.  I opened the door, then walked upstairs to tend to my children.  I passed out on the the floor and was in a cold sweat.

Chris, the guy who saved us, came upstairs and asked me what I was doing.  I said I was trying to get to my son.  He took me to my bed because I couldn't stand up.  He thought I was on drugs.  My heart was POUNDING out of my chest!  I thought I was going to die.  He kept asking what kind of drugs I took and trying to pull me up.  My eyes kept rolling back in my head and I kept falling back on the bed.

Then Michael, my son, cried again.  Chris went to see what was the matter.  Then I heard him scream (as my heart was pounding so hard my chest was moving with each thump), "I'm losing him!  I'm losing him!"  He threw Michael in cold water in the bathtub to revive him.  Michael had lost control of his bowels.  I was totally numb.  I had no feelings whatsoever about it.

I then kept trying to call the kid's Aunt Janet.  How I managed to do that I will never know.  My hands were shaking uncontrollably.  It was terrible.  My heart was still pounding.  It was crazy!  Finally I somehow remembered her number and dialed it.  It rang and rang and rang.  Then her husband that never answers the phone because he stutters really bad answered the phone.  He said Janet wasn't there, that she was up at her mom's playing cards. 

Eventually I was able to remember that number and dialed it.  Her mom answered.  I couldn't talk right.  She wanted to know what was wrong and wouldn't put Janet on.  I don't know why I didn't just tell her.  But I didn't know what was wrong!  Finally she put Janet on the phone.

I said to Janet, " Help me, I think I am dying." 

Oh.  By the way, did I mention that someone died in that house about a year and a half earlier?  Yep!  They were never able to explain his death.

Anyway, Janet and her mom came in and took us to the hospital.

Janet had been at my house earlier that evening playing cards with me and I forget who else.  But everybody had started getting really tired so they left.

I tried to stay awake to wait for Chris to show up.  It seemed very strange to me that I could not!  In fact, I still have the piece of paper that I wrote on that said, "Why can't I stay awake?"

Back at the hospital, they gave us lots of oxygen.  From there we went to Janet's.  We were all sick and throwing up for two days.  We had carbon monoxide poisoning because the chimney was clogged up.

But that wasn't the whole story.  I used to keep the window open in the basement because I would dry my clothes down there on a clothesline.  Well, this particular day, March 19th, 1983, the wind was blowing so bad that I could feel it blowing through the door upstairs.  So I went down in the basement and shut the window and locked it.  That is what caused the house to fill up with those invisible almost deadly fumes. 

Actually, the house had been filling up with fumes for a year and a half, but I was too young and naive to realize what was happening.  My doctor even asked me what kind of heat we had because we were continually at the doctors office that year with headaches and fatigue.  Heck, the alarm would go off for a loooooong time each morning before any of us even heard it during that time.  I thought we had oil heat.  It was natural gas.

I could add tons more to this story, but I already said my blogs would be short from now on.  oops.  I hope you didn't mind. 

But I want you to know that I will be FOREVER thankful that Chris wanted to come over to see me and that he was very persistent about it!

I will never forget coming home from Janet's after being at her house two or three days.  It was terrifying going back in my house!  I hated it!  But I had no choice.  Not only the fact that we almost died, but the roof leaked and it had been raining.  Let me tell you this, I was never so happy to empty buckets as I was that day!  Thank God each of my children survived that horrible ordeal.  It was a veeery close call!

But what I am really trying to say is that you never know God's plan.  I don't know why I am going to Uganda.  I just know that God wants me there.  So I am going.  Who knows how He (God) will use me in other people's lives.  But whatever it is, I know it will be good.

Unending love, Amazing grace, My Uganda Mission Trip

Blog #1: My Uganda mission trip.  (The blogs that follow will be much shorter than today's blog.)  Today I will be writing about my nervous feelings and thoughts concerning this life changing event.

     First of all I'd like to say THANK YOU to the many people who have so kindly and generously invested in partnering with me to help fatherless children in need.  This blog is for you.  I want you to be able to see what your money is doing to better the world in which we live.

     My trip is less than a month away!  Being excited is an understatement!!  I can't WAIT until the plane is in the air!  I simply LOVE to travel and see new places and cultures.  But I have to admit that I am also worried, apprehensive, a little nervous, and have a concern or two. 

     To start off, I have to say that I LOVE kids!  It brings me great joy to look forward to meeting and getting to know the children and the adults at the orphan camp.  My first concern, though, is that I wonder if I will be able to have any sort of positive impact on anybody at all in such a short time. 

     Along with that I wonder if when we get there and see the kids if they will have an air of depression over them like a thick cloud.  Or will they be happy?  Will they be happy to see us?  Maybe they will be afraid of us?  Will some children open up while the needier ones are aloof due to feelings of unimportance, or because they are the runt of the group so to speak?  Will I cry the whole time?

     Last week Kristen and I went to The Point in Parkesburg, PA.  What's that have to do with anything you might ask?  Well, I cried the whole time I was there.  My soul just aches so bad for the needless pain in this world (what I see as needless anyway).  The Point is a safe haven for kids to come to who come from less than desirable circumstances.  THERE IS A GREAT NEED OUT THERE FOR CHILDREN WHO ARE HUNGRY FOR THE GOSPEL AND THAT NEED HOPE!  It is also a refuge for kids who just need a place to hang out.  Some of these kids have tried to take their own lives.  Some have been sold for drugs, some for sex.  Some can't take the pressure of caring for their siblings.  They have become hopeless in their world of abuse, neglect and poverty.  Whatever the reason for a child being there, at The Point the children learn to put their faith in Jesus Christ so that they can have a life full of joy and peace no matter what.  Also The Point helps them in their personal lives when needed.  The children's lives become transformed so that where they once were lost, they now are found.
That is what I would like to do at the orphan camp in Uganda.  I would like to bring Jesus Christ to these kids so that they can have positive life-changing spiritual experiences.

     To move on with my concerns and worries, my BIGGEST fear out of everything is these ungodly hideous migraine headaches that I get.  As much as I LOVE to travel, traveling is NOT my friend when it comes to my head.  Now I must say also that I believe this is something that God is calling me to do.  I'm not so naive as to think that suddenly I will be fine for two weeks.  What I do believe is that when God shuts one door, He opens another.  I will be fine.  I hope.

     Another concern is what if someone has been watching me on facebook and now wants to kidnap me.  Boy, wouldn't they be sorry!!!  Trust me, whoever you are, it would NOT be fun for either of us!  And no one would even bother trying to find ransom money, let alone paying it, so don't waste your time.

     The smaller things that weigh on my constantly thinking mind are little things like bugs, weirder than normal creepy spiders, snakes, bugs, alligators, bugs, lions, and other creatures that I'm not even aware of!  Oh!  And bugs!   eeeeeeek!

     And last but not least, I reeeeeaaaally hope that bathrooms are easy to find when needed!  I mean, what if I have to pee at the worst possible time?!  Will I be able to hold it??  What if I have to go reeeeaaallllly bad????
 
Anyway, enough for now before I embarrass myself or something.

THANK YOU again to those of you who have so kindly donated to this trip, or who are praying for me!  I really appreciate it more than words will ever say!

May God's LOVE SHINE during the brightest day and darkest hour and always. My God is an awesome God!
With Love, Judy

LADIES BEWARE!

   
I'm wondering, do you have as hard a time as I do at living up to your values? What are your values?

How about your morals, your dreams, your hopes, or your goals?

Please take a minute to write down those things, or at least to think hard about these questions.

Here is another important question:  Do you listen to that still small voice that speaks inside your belly? Often I get that twinge, butterfly feeling in my stomach (that to thine own self be true feeling/intuition) that says, “pssst, do this,” or it says, “NO, for Heaven’s sake, don’t do that!” Oh, how many times have I regretfully ignored that precious, wise voice?

Instead of listening to that amazing voice inside, I have chosen to let fear guide me in the wrong direction! And then there are the times that I have allowed guilt to make my decisions for me. And also anger has been a counterfeit friend.

Then there was always that little thought in my head that said, “But he/she won’t like me.” Or “they will laugh at me.” Or “they will think I am stupid!” Or “I feel so bad for what I have done; I have to allow them to do what they are doing.”

TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE!

If your insides are saying NO, but you say okay, then you are certainly not being true to yourself.

OR if your insides are saying YES, but you choose to let fear stand in the way, just think of all the possibilities you have just cut off. Sad.

Here is what TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE looks like:

Let’s say you value honesty, trustworthiness, loyalty, kindness, and patience as personal assets in you or in someone else.

If you are in a situation where you are asked to abandon any one of your core beliefs, even a little bit, DO NOT bend! Stand firm on what you feel is right! Never bend to please someone else!

When your inner self says do this, or do that, that’s what you should do.

You pay extra special attention to the red flags that appear in friendships and relationships!

You are aware of your surroundings.

Here is what you shouldn’t do: Don’t bail out on God. Don’t blame Him! Don’t think if my life were only better! And don’t think things like God is the one in control and allowing certain things to happen! And don’t think things like if only I didn’t need this, or I didn’t need that, then I could live up to my own beliefs. And another unhealthy thought is that if I had what he or she had, THEN I could live up to my values!

And don’t blame someone else. For example, do not say to yourself, well, if he or she would only do what they are supposed to do, I wouldn’t have to ___________ (you fill in the blank).

Here is what happens when I ignore my inner voice: my guts start aching, churning and yearning to get back on path. If I ignore my senses for a long time, I become numb to what I truly feel and believe. I become depressed. I forget. Life is not as joyful as it could, or should be.

LIFE IS TOO SHORT!

GET OUT OF HARM’S WAY!!

You are worth living up to your own inner sacraments!


TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE!

When you do that, you will end up in the presence of like-minded people that possess the same values, morals, goals, dreams, etc.

What is the SOLUTION to not being true to myself? How does a person get back on track to where he or she knows that he or she should be?

THE ANSWER IS TO BEGIN RIGHT where you are right now to walk the path that your inner guide lays out before you. And stick to your beliefs no matter how quirky or uncool it may seem, or how left alone you feel. Being cool to impress somebody isn’t all it is cracked up to be, anyway. Think about those values, morals, dreams, goals, etc that you have. Live up to them! They will reward you handsomely.

So just for today TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE.

(That does not mean don’t love and help others. Always love and help others if you can).

PS:  If you have something you would like me to blog about, please, by all means ask.....and you shall receive!  :)

I Am Stronger Than I Think

I didn't know I had it in me!!!  I climbed a mountain all the way to the top on Saturday!!  Yay me!!  I found out that I am stronger than I thought!  How cool is that?!  Had I not continued on, I would have missed out.  I would not have seen the beautiful view from the top!  It was breath taking! 

On Saturday I went to the Delaware Water Gap with the hiking club I belong to.  The reason for our quest was to meet our hike leader, Delaware Dave, a friend, who is hiking the appalachian trail.  Unknowingly, I was about to climb a 1,526 foot mountain to the very tippy top.  whoa. 

At first I thought they were kidding when they said that we were hiking all the way to the top!  Being a victim of fibromyalgia, I was rather frightened.  Besides, they told us before we went there that we were hiking up Mt Minsi, which is a reasonably more moderate hike I am told.  I took one look at the Mt. Tammany hike, and I said there is NO WAY we are hiking up that mountain! 

Even as we began our trek up the mountain, I was still in denial and did not believe that they were serious about doing this hike ALL the way up that steep mountain!

They were serious.

About an eighth of a mile up the long slope my breathing became labored, and my boyfriend didn't want to pull me along so much anymore as he did when we first started out because he was having a somewhat difficult time also, so I thought of turning back.  As we marched ahead, I thought I would have to stop and wait for everyone to come back down because I just couldn't go on.  But I kept going.  My legs were hurting reeeeeaaallly bad!!!  They grew weak.  We were climbing over treacherous rock and almost straight up! 

Just when I thought my legs could not climb another rock, we came to a clearing.  The view was magnificent!  It was so beautiful!  We could see forever!  The crows were flying below us.  The river was so small from where we were.  There were so many mountains one behind the other.

I MADE IT!!!!

I didn't think I could do it!  BUT I DID IT!

The reason I did it was because I had a very strong desire to get to the top with all of my hiking buddies.

And I did it!  Whew!  That was TOUGH!

The reward was AWESOME and well worth the pain!

The moral of the story is:  I AM STRONGER THAN I THINK I AM.  AND SO ARE YOU!

PS  My legs felt like rubber bands as I was coming back down the mountain.  I didn't think I could lift them another step.  But I did.  And then I did again.  And again.  I did it until I was down the mountain.

I AM STRONGER THAN I THINK I AM.  SO ARE YOU!!!  ♥

Enjoy the Moment!!!

Life is not something to be endured or trodden through.  Jesus said that I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly (John 10:10).
I remember when I was a very small child life was fun, carefree, curious, creative, adventurous, and magical.  Life was resilient, forgiving, loving, playful, happy, energetic, full of wander and trillions of possibilities!

Life was whatever I wanted it to be!

But then things changed.  Life got hard.  There were responsibilities.  There were people to take care of, bills to be paid, places I had to go, appointments to be kept.  I had to be here, had to be there, had to do this, had to do that.

But the Bible says that is not how God intended it to be.  He intended us to be full of JOY!  And He intended for life to be abundant in all good things!

So with that in mind, think about your dreams, your goals, your desires.

And REACH!    Grasp!  

Play!  Laugh!  Create!  

HAVE FUN!!!!

THINK MAGICALLY!

aahhh, it feels so good!

One of my good friends always reminds me that LIFE IS TOO SHORT!!!!

You have to enjoy the moment!  Stay in the moment!