Ugandan Elections

Uganda has been very much in our prayers and minds over the last few days. The Presidential elections have been held and the result has been announced.  The preparations were taking place while we were there in october/November.  So many people lived in fear of the elections, as the atmosphere can change suddenly in times like these and trouble can break out so easily.  Thankfully, this time, this has not been the case and the elections have been peaceful so far. 

Museveni, the current President, has been re-elected.  This seemed to be the way things would go, by talking to people on the streets, but the opponents have tried hard to win the presidency.  Still the possibility of trouble is likely as the opposition refuse to accept the results, so please keep Uganda in your prayers.  The country has enough to deal with, without having any trouble to deal with.  My friends, Mark & Keren, are living in Uganda at the moment.  You can catch up with the election updates on their blog here. 

I received a text from the lady I stay with in the mountain village this morning saying that even though the trouble had been held off, still people had been bribed to vote for the opposing party, and the army had been deployed to oversee votes.  She stated that this put a lot of people off voting.  I think when we casually walk into voting booths in the UK to put our crosses in the boxes, we forget how fortunate we are to have freedom of speeach and the right to vote.  For so many this is not the case!  

Lutaaya's Birthday! 10th & 1st

This week saw my sweet girls birthday.  The title may confuse you...I mean, how can my girl be 10 and 1 all at the same time?  Well she was 10, but this was her 1st birthday.  Lutaaya had no clue of what a birthday would have in store.  She simply had never experienced a birthday.  When we discussed birthday gifts one day, she told me she'd like a bike but wouldn't have one as she never wrote it on her Christmas list.  That's how confused she was in regards to birthdays!

So this was my chance to put the last 9 birthdays right.  And we tried our best to make this a memorable 10th Birthday.

Lutaaya woke up to the sight of her bike.  She is very straight talking, she gives no consideration to other people's feelings or reactions to what she says.  You have her point of view no matter what.  Today was no exception.  She eagerly rushed down the stairs to tell me she wanted a pink bike!  Anyone who knows her, will know that liking pink is a new fad since living in Wales.  Red has always been the preferred colour.  I trawled the net to find a bike with a hint of red on, thinking she would be disappointed with anything less and she turns around to tell me she wanted a pink bike!  Priceless!  I have to add, she soon realised this was a really good present and was happy to accept the bike she had. 

So after present opening, Lutaaya went to school, cake in hand, to share with her school friends.  She certainly throught she was the Birthday Princess.  We had friends and family around in the evening for a tea party.  Lutaaya was spoiled rotten and had all the special people in her life come visit.  We even made the event international, with Skype chats to her friends in America.  Jadyn's family even got to join in singing happy birthday to her, how cool is that?

This could be dangerous!!!

Here goes!

This takes a lot of concentration

Thanks Uncle Cameron!  Now I can ride my bike.

Happy Birthday Lutaaya!

Yes she wore her roller blades whilst we sang Happy Birthday~!!!

Make a wish!

So this was the low key party!  Friday saw the madness start!  Lutaaya's first disco for all her school friends.  And didn't she love every second.  She danced the night away and thrived being centre of attention all night!

Birthday Princess

Dancing Queen

Conga

Happy Birthday Princess

Smothered in love by her friends

Walk to school

Every day that we've been able too, we've walked to school.  We join teams with our neighbour and her little girl and we stroll to school together.  Today was our very last time to be able to do our walk.  I start back to work next week and so our routine changes. 

Lutaaya isn't too keen on the concept of me not being in the house while she's in school.  It's taking a little time to accept. I know she'll be fine when the time comes, but in her head, she believes that there'll be a possibility of me not being there to collect her at the end of the day.  I know this is instilled in her due to attachment issues of being abandoned at such a young age.  I cannot understand how a child could ever attach to another care-giver after experiencing such a great loss.  I mean, imagine having a one on one care giver for the first 18 months of your life, someone who saw you smile for the first time, heard you gurgle your first word, saw you take your first step, and yet still chose to leave you for someone to find, in the hope of a better life.  It's unimaginable but for some, it is, and will continue to be a reality. 

So today was a time to treasure.  Lutaaya and her friend held hands to cross the road and looked so sweet.  They like to trot on ahead of us Mums and have a natter along the way.  They are proper little ladies. 

Holiday on Ice

My Mum realised the Holiday on Ice show was in the area this week.  It seemed a perfect option for Lutaaya's birthday present, as she loves the 'Dancing on Ice' TV show, so off we go to see it.  And it didn't disappoint.  Lutaaya spent a lot of the show, sat with her mouth ajar, or taking in big gasps of air, as the skaters impressed her with their talents. 
On the way in she spotted a lady selling flashing accessories for the show.  She doesn't very often ask for anything but the look on her face, made me see she would really like a flashing butterfly.  Her face lit up as the coloured lights and music turned on. 

I think wherever my little girl goes, she seems to brighten up someones day.  Even a stranger smiles when she enters their path.  Sitting in the arena, the couple sat next to Lutaaya, watched her face throughout the show.  They smiled at her as if they realised there was a story behind this little girl.  If only they knew the story of the last few months and how blessed we are, that now as a family, we can share in these special moments.
And if you'd like to see a snippet of what the show was about, the trailer's attacched here.

Cooking with Nan

I realised I'd taken a long time since updating our blog.  So here's some photos to show you just how 'at home' Lutaaya is in our family.  I don't think I need to write a lot to show whats going on here, the pictures tell the story:

'Look at me with my whisk'





 


'How pleased am I to be doing this?'

 

'My concentrating face.'

Now we've cooked, lets wash up!

Ta da!

Now onto the electric whisk!





'My cakes, fresh out of the oven.'



Finishing touches

(sorry the pictures are a bit jumbled but it's taken me forever just to upload them!)

Never doubting, always believing

I received the information below from a friend in an email.  It brought back so many memories of how my faith, and the faith of others in Africa, is tested.  It's not only tested but it is also proven.  Africa gives you a sense of smallness.  If you haven't been there you can't quite grasp how Africa makes you feel.  You can never imagine the picture it paints on your heart.  The one thing it does do though, is make your faith REAL.  God is certainly alive in Africa and African people have no one other than God to rely on for their every need.  Read this and feel free to send it to everyone you know as an email so you too can share the real faith seen in Africa, but that can also be seen right here in our own daily lives.

THIS WILL TRULY LIFT YOU UP SPIRITUALLY.  ENJOY & BELIEVE.                                       Isaiah 65:24
This is a story written by a doctor who worked in Africa .  

One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do, she died, leaving us with a tiny, premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive; as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator). 
We also had no special feeding facilities.
Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in. 
Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates)..
'And it is our last hot water bottle!' she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk, so in   Central Africa  it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles. They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways. 
'All right,' I said, 'put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts Your job is to keep the baby warm.'
The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died. 
During prayer time, one ten -year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. 'Please, God' she prayed, 'Send us a hot water bottle today It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon.'
While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, 'And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll know You really love her?' 
As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say 'Amen?' I just did not believe that God could do this. 
Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything; the Bible says so. But there are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from the homeland. I had been in   Africa   for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever, received a parcel from home. 
Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator! 
Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there on the verandah was a large 22-pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children.. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly-colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored.. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas - that would make a batch of buns for the weekend.

Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the.....could it really be? I grasped it and pulled it out. Yes, a brand new, rubber hot water bottle. I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could. 
Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, 'If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!'
Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully-dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted!
Looking up at me, she asked, 'Can I go over with you and give this dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?'
'Of course,' I replied! 
That parcel had been on the way for five whole months, packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator.
And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child - five months before, in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it 'that afternoon.' 
'Before they call, I will answer.' (Isaiah 65:24) 
When you receive this, say the prayer. That's all I ask. No strings attached. Just send it on to whomever you want - but do send it on.

Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. There is no cost, but a lot of rewards. Let's continue praying for one another.  
This awesome prayer takes less than a minute. 
Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless my friends reading this. I ask You to minister to their spirit. Where there is pain, give them Your peace and mercy. Where there is self doubting, release a renewed confidence to work through them where there is tiredness or exhaustion, I ask You to give them understanding, guidance, and strength. Where there is fear, reveal our love and release to them Your courage.. Bless their finances, give them greater vision, and raise up leaders and friends to support and encourage them.  I ask You to do these things in Jesus' name. Amen 
P. S. Passing this on to anyone you consider a friend will bless you both. Passing this on to one not considered a friend is something Christ would do. So there you have it.  The exact email that I read earlier this evening.  I hope, like me, it has questioned your own faith.  Faith is the substance of my being, and the evidence of the things I cannot see.  I don't need to see it to believe it.  I just have to have the same small seed of faith like this little girl had.  It's the same faith I see in my daughter every day.  She knows that what she asks for God will provide, oh and He does.  We are thankful for every blessing He brings into our lives each day. 

Photo memories

When we arrived at my Grandparents house for tea today, my Nan had an old photo album waiting, to show Lutaaya what I looked like when I was little.  Lutaaya loved this!  She spent ages, debating over the people she could see in the photos were the actual people she now sees every day.  She could understand that I was a baby once and a little girl and accepted that I looked differently, but seeing my parents in their younger years made her laugh.  She couldn't believe Grandad had hair over his lip, (a moustache) and Jjajja had different hair to what she has now.  Lutaaya loved cherishing the memories of my childhood.

Here she is, studying the old photographs with her Grandparents, and pointing out how different they look today.

 And this is what she found so interesting!

Mammy as a baby

Mammy on St David's Day at school.  Little does she know that 1st March, her school will look very similar to this with everyone in their Welsh traditional costume!  And for those of you trying to work out which one I am, I'm second in from the left, top line.

I forget how precious little things, like an old photograph are.  How they can bring memories flooding back.  I am fortunate to have a lot of photos of Lutaaya from her being around 3-4years old, from my trips to Uganda and links with other people who have visited the home she is from in the past to the present day.  Unfortunately, we will never have the baby photo to put up proudly on the wall, or the toddler photos.  We won't have any memories of first steps or first words.

It is sad to think of this, but it isn't all sadness, as what we have now are opportunities to create new memories.  We have been trying to do the things that maybe Lutaaya missed out on, or the things she never had anyone to share the joy with.  So rather than dwell on the negatives, we look forward to the photo album Lutaaya is creating, of all her own special memories since she came home.