I am on cloud 9 writing this post! I woke up this morning and checked my emails, I immediately started out with tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat as I saw the amount of support family and friends gave to our kids while I slept. I woke seeing a post from my youngest brother, Danny, that made my heart overflow with love and seeing donations on my gofundme that would provide more than enough food to feed our kids for a month! It costs 50 cents a day to provide everything one of our children need on a physical basis; this adds up to $900/month. That amount buys enough food, toothpaste, toilet paper, soap and other necessities for all 60 of our kids for a month!
Morgan, Josephine and I went to Jinja today to spend the money! It was hot, grimy and uncomfortable but my excitement canceled it all out. I spent 3,640,500 Ugandan shillings ($1,092) to buy a variety of foods that would feed our kids for a month! This means they will not only have posho and beans daily but other foods rich in nutrients that their growing bodies need. That money also bought enough dry supplies to keep our children clean for a month. We had enough cash left over to ensure that food was bought for the other kids enrolled in our school. Many of these children come from homes where they are lucky enough to afford the school fees but nothing else. This means they will sometimes have one meal a day; this meal does not occur at lunchtime. That is because their caregivers cannot afford to pay for lunch at school plus the school fees. Now those children will be able to eat lunch for at least a term, possibly the only meal they will get for a day. I still have 3,084,000 Ugandan shillings ($ 925) left to keep in the kitty to make sure the children all of the children are fed for almost another month plus a second term for our school kiddos.
Upon our return to the center we were able to present the kids with all of their food. They patiently sat on the ground in excitement watching it be unloaded from the truck. I have previously mentioned that our kids sometimes go to bed hungry. For the month of November they will have abundance! I couldn’t stop smiling the entire day as I thought about our children being provided for.
When I went to break the news about my donations this morning I learned that some of our kids have lost their sponsors. This means Canaan was praying for a miracle to be able to raise enough funds to feed our children for the next month. All of your donations were their answered prayers!
I am completely wiped out after the entire day being spent trekking all over Jinja buying the necessities for our kids. Coming home to their hugs and joy was the best thing for my weary body. I wish I could make my arms stretch so I could engulf them all at the same time. I treasure every kiss I got to deliver to their shaved heads, every tight squeeze and goodnight wishes. I cherished the time I got to spend helping them with their homework. I have only been here a short time but I pray I have given them a glimpse of a mother’s love.
Pastor William stated tonight that he would be praying for me to return here before next year. I hope with all my heart his prayers are answered. My children, Canaan, Buziika… Uganda is imbued in my heart and soul!
“Being considerate of others will take you further in life than a college degree” Marian Wright Edelman
Gypsy RN
