Sarah.

Today at the Hospice, they had a "Day Care." It is a day for patients to come, talk about their lives, (including their illnesses) and make crafts. They dance and sing, too! Despite their illnesses, these women were so joyful. It came from the Lord! One woman was brought to the Hospice, and got out of the car, walking. She couldn't walk for months, but because of the medicine the Hospice provides, she walked! The women at the Day Care did their African cheer/shout (hard to describe, but SO cool to hear) and sang an awesome praise to God for her walking. I love hearing them sing! Yesterday, in church, it made my heart so happy, even though I couldn't understand the words, I felt the worship and the joy. These people have so little, but they LOVE so much! During the day care, the women made necklaces, so of course I bought some. :) If you've seen the paper bead necklaces that are made by Ugandan women (some are sold in the states, if you know Abby Tracey, she sold some at Tallowood recently) and they make them during the day care.

Before it started, however, I met Sarah. She is thirteen, has AIDS, and is a patient of the Hospice. You can see the rash on her skin, as it covers her body. She scratches at it often, she got tired at about 1 pm, and she said she sometimes has pains in many different areas. I was intrigued by her, so I asked Sarah many questions today, trying to find out more about her. Her story, like many Ugandans living with AIDS or Cancer, is very dark, and very sad.

Sarah told me that she had two siblings, and that they have both passed away. Her mother is dead, and her father is still alive, working as a mechanic. Sadly for Sarah, he remarried to a woman who thinks Sarah is useless because she has AIDS. Her stepmother might feed her one time a day, and that is all. Sarah also told me that her uncle is involved in witchcraft, a traditional form of sorcery here. He is greedy, she said, and he wants to kill Sarah's father for his land. She said that her brother died at a young age because of her Uncle's witchcraft.

Sarah is only thirteen. She has seen more pain in her life, and will endure more, than I have in my twenty-one years. I wanted to cry, listening to her tell me that she desperately wants to be in school (which is rare to hear from an American child) and that she wants to learn. She can't do basic math. But, her sweet voice and her smile are still signs of hope from a hurting, thirteen-year-old, Ugandan little girl, who loves Jesus Christ, and probably learned about Him from the Hospice. They have a great ministry here! I guess you could say that a thirteen-year-old Ugandan girl stole my heart.

Pray for Sarah! Pray for healing physically and spiritually. Pray that God provides a way for her to go to school.

Pray for our team - we are bonding well, but now my prayer is that we would give of ourselves as much as possible, to really be incorporated into their way of life here. We also still need several thousand dollars of support. Mine was raised, I know many of you all heard, but some members of our team weren't so fortunate. So, please pray for that funding.