​I didn't know...
I didn't know when we were obedient to God's call to sponsor a child that our monthly donation would be more than just helping a child and their family. I didn't know when Jacob and I prayed for the Lord to show us which child He had in mind, what other plans He had in store. For almost two years, we've sponsored Karim. We've enjoyed letters, a Facetime call, Facebook Messenger conversations. We've prayed for him and loved him from the other side of the world. We longed for the day when we could finally meet.
I didn't know when the day actually came, what would happen to my heart. I didn't know that he would take a boda taxi all the way to Katanga slum and track me down so he could meet me earlier than I expected, that he would have a birthday gift for me, that he would be so much taller than me, and that it would make my heart feel the way it did when I finally got to give him a hug.

​She asks for my water and tries to drink it 
All at once 
I stop her for breaks 
This is probably the most water she’s ever had to drink at once.
My heart sinks
I try to hide my tears from her 
Beneath a smile 
but it’s the most difficult thing I’ve ever done.

Esther is just one of many children that live in Katanga with a story like this. Sponsorship can be the only hope for some children to go to school and to have meals and clean water. A year ago, a post from my friend, Waverly McCall, convicted me of how much I was spending on food and extraneous items when I could be changing the life of a little girl in Uganda. I never thought in a million years I’d be able to meet her and cherish her for even a short time. She has rocked my whole world and shown me how to love in a way I never knew how. If you are interested in sponsoring a child and forever changing his or her future, please check out Benjamin House Ministries and the wonderful things they’re doing in Uganda.

Flu strain A, B, C, XYZ and everything in between has littered my Facebook feed this winter season.  It's everywhere.  I've watched as people lament getting it, their kids getting it, and a hundred home remedies to stop it or make it better.  Influenza can be deadly in a small portion of the elderly and very small children in the USA, but for the vast majority of people who get the flu, they feel like trash for a few days, then start getting back on their feet.

Where we live, in Uganda, Malaria is everywhere.  It makes up nearly half of all diagnoses and treatments from hospital and clinic visits.  It is the single highest cause of death, making up 1/3 of all deaths, globally.  Forty-two Ugandan children die every day due to Malaria.  In fact, during the time it will take me to write this blog, a child here will have taken their last breath because of a disease that is preventable and easily treatable.
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