For I Know the Plans I Have for You

I have been back home from Uganda for almost 4 months now. It has been crazy being back, almost as crazy as crazy as those 3 months in Uganda. I came back with Malaria twice! I have been working a lot, and taking summer courses down at Temple, life just hasn’t slowed down at all. At the end of my trip in April, I felt like God had given me a peace about being home, and that He would call me back to Uganda after I finished school. Well, recently He made it clear this wasn’t the case. I wasn’t going to be finishing school in 4 years. I was going to be heading back to Uganda, only months after I left. He opened doors that have left me in complete awe of how He works through our lives, and intervenes in the plans we make for ourselves. So here I am, 20 years old with only 2 years of college under my belt, taking an entire year off from school, to start a sponsorship program at the orphanage we volunteered at. (http://amanibabycottage.org/)


David Platt says it well, ‎"Orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend they're not real before you hold them in your arms. But once you do, everything changes." I have been forever changed, and I am thankful. This project will be called “Obukuumi Family Sponsorship”. Obukuumi is the Lugandan word for “protector” or “protection”. As children of God we are called to take care of the fatherless, to keep them safe and be their protectors. God has etched these children in my heart, and I cannot wait to help bring them home.

About half of the children at Amani cannot be matched with an adoptive family because a relative has not relinquished their rights. Often times aunts, uncles, grandparents, or single fathers do not have enough money to provide for the child. So they bring them to Amani, with the hopes of one day being able to care for them. Obukuumi will come alongside these families, working with them to create a sustainable sponsorship program, which will allow the child to be back with their families. If you are interested in a more in depth understanding of how this sponsorship program will start, contact me and I can send you the actual proposal.

When I go back I will be living with a close friend of mine, Emily. She will be opening up Ekisa Ministries, a safe place for special needs children in Uganda. I will also be helping Emily, on the social work end at Ekisa. This is going to be such a neat place, and I am so excited to be there for the start of what I know will be an amazing home for these kids. If you want to check out their vision and read more, their website is (http://ekisa.org/).
 
I don't know why God chose me to do this, but He did, and I can not wait to see how He works in the next year with this program.
 
-Kelsey