It's been a long week today

It's been a long week today (past groups will get this)......we begin each day with sharing the top three things from the day before.  We have so many things to be thankful for.  I can't wait to share my top three things to the group tomorrow morning!  As we started out today, the first thing we noticed were the roads.  How we take for granted a road!  There were pot holes big enough to swallow a truck if you weren't careful.  As we kept going and going, at some point there weren't any roads, just brush.  We were blessed to visit two communities: Lacwec Aye Ngeyo (God Knows) and  Wakem Kweno (Where should we go)they were so welcoming and happy to have us visit.  They sang great praises to us for coming and then their second song was how they were the best at planting :)  They took the time to tell us where they began with World Vision and where they are today.  They are so grateful for the fact that World Vision has trained them and come along side of them to help teach them how to plant, save, re-invest and also how to integrate back into their communities.  Some of the people we met today had been abducted by the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army) during the war.  They returned years after they were taken and were shunned by their communities.  If a woman had been taken, it became a domestic violence issue when they returned as their husband would be told they could, and probably would, hurt them.  It was a long process and due to World Vision's help, they are now able to talk freely and communicate with anyone and now no one is scared of them or worried that they would hurt them.  Their have been some beautiful marriages and babies that have come out of their acceptance back into their community :)

We then took the long, bumpy ride back to the hotel where our sponsored children were waiting for us.  Tammy Stevens' child and parent spoke English.  The two BLAST Children spoke some English and the other children and parents spoke Acholi.  Each of us had a translator to help break the barrier.  Most of the kids were pretty shy at the beginning, during lunch.  After lunch, we headed outside and gave the kids their gifts.  To God Be the Glory as their faces lit up and we began to talk more and play ball.  To spend this time with them today is something that most of thought could never happen.  If God would have only told us six years ago that he had planned for us to meet our children!  The plans God has for us, sometimes we don't know and we surely don't know the affect they will have on us. World Vision gives us the opportunity to help the most vulnerable children and families in the Gulu District and today these children lifted each and every one of us up!  The joy of sponsoring these children, not just being able to see them in person, but sponsoring them and communicating with them is a joy that should be experienced by all.
Written by: JoDee
(Photos are taking several hours per photo to upload, will post if and when possible.)