Only 8 Days Left

I want to thank all of the Jinja Juggers that have already donated so much to the dental clinic.  We have raised over $5,500.00 since July.  
I also want to thank everyone that has given me encouragement and things that they’ve made or bought for me to take to Jinja.  I have been so blessed by your generosity and support. It means the world to me.  
I have been told by people that have been to Uganda that this will be a life changing experience for me and that when I get back, I’ll want to sell my house and move back to Jinja.  I have faith that it will be the wonderful trip that God wants it to be.

Now, for the packing!!  My suitcases finally yelled at me loud enough for me to get them out and let them look at all the stuff I want to take. My job is to figure out how to fit dental floss, floss dispensers, knitting needles, crochet hooks, yarn, yarn and more yarn, bubbles, kid stuff, the huge kite, nail polish and remover, filing boxes, hanging folders, label maker, camera, jump ropes, clothes lines and clothes pins, homemade wash rags, a handmade baby blanket, a big patchwork quilt from church, the bibles and all of my personal stuff into the fewest suitcases according to KLM regulations.  No problem…

Then there’s the laptop.  It’s been waiting for over a month to be set up and learned about but I’m afraid of it.  Do you know what that means?  There are 2 reasons.  They are both facts and challenges for me.
#1 – I didn’t grow up using computers.  I grew up in the 60’s and it wasn’t available from kindergarten through High School.  
#2 – People don’t like change.  But we all know that going through trials makes us stronger.  I will overcome both challenges by having a private lesson tomorrow night.  Hopefully, next week’s blog will be sent on my new laptop.  We’ll see…

I’m not even going to tell you about my TO DO LIST for the next week.  It would scare you.

Please, please, please pray for organization, calmness, time management and sleep. 

15 Days and Still Counting

Nelson called me Saturday night to let me know how excited everyone is about my visit.  He confirmed that he would be picking me up at the airport.  I let him know that I was a little anxious about the trip and he assured me and prayed for me.  I instantly felt such peace when he prayed for “gentle travel mercies”.  When he was done, I cryingly told him that he was going to have to give me Prayer Lessons!!
  
Yesterday, while I was reading my devotions, I read in Joshua 1: 9 - “Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous!  Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  

There are NO better words for getting me to Uganda and back.  People keep asking me whose going with me.  I reply, “Me, Myself and I”.  “We” are going to have a great experience and God will be with us!

Ps. 138:8 – The Lord will accomplish what concerns me.  This is my sister’s favorite verse.  When I first got the idea for the dental clinic, I knew that God would make it happen. What I didn’t know was that God was already smiling on what was actually going to happen.  Yesterday, I ordered 40,000 YARDS of Dental Floss, 6 Wall Mount Dispensers and 100 Individual Dispensers to take with me.  I will be teaching everyone I meet how to floss their teeth and how important dental health is.  You can’t smile when you have a toothache and if you have missing teeth, your smile isn’t complete.  Our teeth are our pearls!!  Your smile is the first thing that someone should see when they meet you and you want your smile to be beautiful.  One of the ways we can show God’s presence in our lives is to smile through ALL of our circumstances - successes and adversities.  Dental health is SO important!!!  THAT is the mission of my trip.

I know that I will be doing other things as well – praying and playing with all of the 80+ children at the Agape Children’s Home and meeting with Nelson’s Widow Ministry and teaching them how to knit and crochet as well as how to floss their teeth. I also get to help Nelson organize his office.  I’m taking filing boxes, hanging folders and my label maker.  Now THAT will be FUN for me! ;)

I have a lot of stuff to take. In addition to my malaria pills, clothes, camera, laptop, all of the floss, yarn, knitting needles, crochet hooks, bubbles, bottles of fun colors of nail polish and polish remover, a big kite, stickers, temporary tattoos and office supplies, I am also taking 100 Bibles.  Please pray for wise packing decisions! 

22 Days and Counting

I leave in 22 days.  I can hardly believe how fast the time has gone by.  A year ago, I was just thinking about this trip.  Now I’m getting ready to pack for this trip.  I have boxes of bibles in my living room, clothes hanging from my bedroom door, gifts for the children and widows and I’m still gathering things.  I’ve been counting money from Jinja Jugs so I can purchase dental floss.  I have one more shot to get and I’ve started taking my Typhoid pills.  My travel plans have been made both going and coming back.  I am very excited about what God has planned for me and the people I will meet in Jinja.

As you can see, the construction on the medical/dental clinic has already begun.  I can’t wait to pray over it and walk through it and take lots of pictures.
  
Please pray for me as I get my house in order, empty the frig, pay the bills, set up my laptop and get my camera ready to go.