Two Weeks Down ..... A Lot More To Go :-)

I am now finished with my first two weeks here in Uganda!!  These weeks completely flew by. Luckily I have a lot more wonderful weeks to come. To sum up my time so far, I would say that it has been eye-opening, exciting, relaxing, tiring, enjoyable, and wonderful.

Taking the children to the pool was a success ! Thank you so much for the prayers. We ended up being able to take 8 of the Uganda children who live next door to us. We all walked hand in hand all the way to the pool ( about a 10 minute walk ) When we got to the pool we were pleased to find out that children were less expensive. It was only 3000 Ugandan Shillings ( about $1.50 ) per child. None of the children had ever really gone swimming before, so we were nervous about having all of them in the pool. When we arrived at the pool we saw a shallow pool off to the side. This children immediately jumped into that one. They barely even took notice of the HUGE pool next to them. So, we spent about 2 hours in the shallow pool having a blast with our 8 Ugandan neighbors. This children has so much fun. They now keep asking us when we will be taking them again. Hopefully we will be able to bless them with a day at the pool again sometime soon.  :-)

The rest of our time we were able to spend time at the different ministries that we go to on a weekly basis. Because of Easter, the numbers of children were fewer . We spent time at the children's disability home called Katalamwe as well as the juvenile youth home called Remand Home. At Katalamwe we sang worship songs with the children, shared about Christ, and made a fun craft. At Remand home, we watched a movie ( in Luganda ) about a homeless family and the troubles they were going through.

For Easter I was able to go to church in the morning. Then go to a Ugandan zoo and Lake Victoria. It was interesting to see how many people spent time out of their homes on a Holiday. There were loads of people at Lake Victoria and the Zoo.

To make Easter feel more like home for us, the two other volunteers and myself made ourselves an Easter basket filled with sweets, soda , and fruit. It helped us feel like we were at home enjoying Easter.

My time here has been amazing. I can't wait to continue to wake up each day to serve God in Uganda :-)

Prayer Requests:
- Prayer for Uganda and the rising gas prices. Ugandans have to pay about $6-$7 US Dollars per gallon. Most people don't even make that much in a day. Because of these rising prices, there have been some riots and strikes. So please keep Uganda and its people in your prayers !
- The children who I interact with each day.
- And strength for me to wake up each day with a smile on my face ready to do what God has asked me to do.

BUBBLES ! :-)

While I was preparing to come back to Uganda, I racked my brain for toys or activities that I could bring back for the children outside of my compound. I decided that bubbles would be a good idea. - AND OH MY WORD.....THEY WHERE :-)


There are about 7 young children outside of our gate ranging from 2 to 10 years of age. They often are the highlight of my day. As I had stated in my last post, they often like to scream my name in excitement when they see me. Although, when they pronounce my name it sounds more like A-MEEEE, or IME!  


When we went outside with the bubbles, the children greeted us with their usual hugs and shouts of our names. They soon realized that we had something new for them to play with. When they saw the bubbles they all got excited. Some of them said that they have never even played with bubbles before in their short life. 


The reaction that brought the most joy to me since I have been here in Uganda was from a 6 year old Ugandan boy named Kevin. When Kevin blew his first few bubbles into the air his eyes immediately got huge, he smiled wide and screamed " YYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!" There was so much joy in his life at that very moment all because of some simple bubbles. I don't think I will ever see someone more excited about bubbles floating into the air ever again. It was such a joy to me to see Kevin so happy :-)


Tomorrow we have a personal ministry day. This means that anything that we wish to do that will either bring someone joy, lead someone to christ, or help and love someone....we can do it. So Sarah , a fellow volunteer and I have decided to take the children from outside our gate swimming. This morning we spent our time meeting with the parents of the children, introducing ourselves, and asking permission to take their children swimming. Every parent has agreed. Because the children are off of school for a Holiday, they all can come. 


So tomorrow, Sarah and myself ... and Hopefully a Ugandan will be taking about 7 to 10 children to a local hotel pool. They are already so excited about it. As we have been playing with them outside today they are all showing us how they swim by laying down in the drive way to show us. I can not wait to see their expressions tomorrow. Hopefully Kevin will have an even better reaction to swimming :-) 


Prayer Requests :
- Energy for Sarah and I as we take the children swimming
- Safety for the children
- Prayer for this weeks ministries : Nsambya - a baby's home (orhanage) , Katalamwe- a children's disability hospital, and the Remand Home- ajuvenile home


Nkumissinga - meaning: I miss you (Luganda)
LOVE & MISS YOU ALL :-)

I MADE IT :-)

I am happy to say that I have made it to Uganda safely. It was a very long journey, but completely worth it :-) I could tell that I was covered in prayer the whole time I was traveling. Thank you so much for that !

My travels went way better than I every expected. I was blessed with not being charged anything for my baggage , nice people to chat with on the plane, and best of all a safe arrival. 

When the plane landed in the Entebbe Uganda airport, I felt right at home. It was crazy how it almost feels as though I have never left this wonderful country. I was greeted with a wonderfully warm welcome from one of my dear Ugandan friends as well :-) It was so nice to see a familiar face after two days of flying. I was not prepared for that heat though. I'm not gonna lie, the second that I walked out of the air port I began to sweat haha. It was 11pm at night and still 85 degrees....


AHHH SIDE NOTE- we just lost our electricity !  T.I.A ( This is AFRICA)

Well, now that I am sitting in Africa by candle light I can continue to write to you all :-)

Now where was I ??

Ah yes- it feels so right being here. I love this country and all that it has to offer. Today I spent the day getting to know the other volunteers who are here as well as being reunited with my great Ugandan friends.  It was so nice to spend time with each of them.

Today also held a lot of firsts for me. A few things have changed since I was here almost a year ago now. There is almost always running water in the house we stay at. I have not had to use the squatty once and was told that I may not have to :-) I am so happy to not be using the bathroom outside with the cock roaches and the lizards! haha. I took my first ice cold shower in a long time. Because of the running water I may not have to bucket shower for some time. I was also able to wash the dishes tonight by using  the running water out of the faucet ! --- THIS IS A HUGE DEAL. Let me explain :-) - Last summer my dear friends Molly, Emily, and Caron, and I ( who have been named "The Crazy Crew"  by the Ugandans ) volunteered to do the dishes every night during our time in Uganda. And every night we had to go outside to the water tank, get a jerry can and fill it with water, then bring it inside to fill two water bins and use only that water to do ALL of the dishes. Now, all we have to do is turn the faucet and clean the dishes. I was amazed by this small advancement today.

I was also able to spend some time outside playing with the children in our neighborhood. They have relearned my name and now all I hear is them shouting A-MEE A-MEE !!! They are so precious. Its a huge confidence booster when without fail, any time you leave your home you are greeted with children shouting your name and giving you huge hugs. :-) I can not wait to continue to play with them during my stay here.

And to top my day off, I had my first ride on a boda boda :-) Last summer I was never able to take a boda boda. A boda boda is a motor bike that is used as a taxi. It is a scary thing to take because everyone in Africa drives crazily, and so you are on this boda boda weaving in and out of traffic. It was quite an experience!


Well, that was a lot for one day.
Only more to come once we start with more ministry next week :-)

Please keep the prayers coming :-)

Thanks Friends ! :-)

The Start of My Journey :-)

Hello Friends & Family :-)

So, the time has FINALLY come. Tomorrow evening at 6pm I will be flying away on a very long journey headed to Uganda Africa. Doing long term missions has been a dream of mine for quite some time now. I am so ecstatic that I will be able to live out that dream in Uganda for about the next year of my life. :-)

For those of you who do not completely know what I will be doing.... here is a short description :

During my time spent in Uganda, I will be staying in a city called Kampala. Yes I will have a bed and will be living in a house ( well, for the most part ). I will be working with an amazing organization called Empower A Child (EAC). With EAC I will be going to projects such as feeding programs in schools, outreach programs in primary and secondary schools, working in orphanages, helping in a disability children's hospital, outreach with street kids, as well as working and worshiping with young men and women in a juvenile home.
Along with all of that, EAC is working on a huge project this upcoming summer. While I am serving in Uganda, EAC will be working  in a village called Zirobwe. Zirobwe is located about one hour away from Kampala. In Zirobwe, we will be building a hospital/clinic , a church, and a school. This is a huge need for the people of Zirobwe and I can not wait to be a part of it :-)
Personally, I will be helping EAC by writing a monthly newsletter for the organization, helping with communications and networking, as well as bridging gaps between the cultural differences that may occur.

I am SO thankful for all of my family, friends, and organizations that are helping me live out this dream. Thank you for all of your prayers and support. I am encouraged each and every day knowing that I have the love, prayers, and support by so many of you. For that I am eternally grateful.

Please keep those prayers coming ! :-)
Please pray for :
- Safe Travels Tomorrow
- My Safety
- Unity for the team of Americans & Ugandans that I will be joining in Uganda
- The people and children of Uganda
- The village of Zirobwe and the relationships that I hope to build with the people of the community.
- The building projects that will soon be started in the village.
- My Dad, Mom, and awesome sister, Brandi (they are gonna miss me tons :-) haha )
- And last but not least - Please pray for me to grow in the strength and the knowledge of the Lord so that I may do exactly what He has called me to do in Uganda .


Thank you so much everyone !
I plan to update this blog as much as possible so be sure to check it out every once in a while to find out about my adventures :-)

Now, I must get back to packing because of course I am no where near ready. Although, my bags are much lighter now that I have taken out the 7 pound of granola bars, 4 pounds or candy, and 5 Bibles (obviously one is good enough - they all say the same thing ) :-) ..... Hopefully the scales are nice to me tomorrow!

I will miss each and every one of you greatly !
Skype me if you can :-) -amyleeperkins


Welaba (Way-la-ba) !!!!!
Luganda Translation : Good-bye :-)