Not everything is easy to hear.

Today we visited the primary children at school.

The second school we went to had a wonderful principal who gave us water and bananas and loved talking with us.

When we walked in her office there was a little boy in there, not one of the Sascu kids, or dressed in  a uniform.

She told us that she had brought him in there to see if Dixon would take him to Sascu.

This little boy ran away from home, and ended up at this school.

She said she would take care of school fees until we found him a sponsor, but he needs somewhere to stay.

He was a sweet little boy, they gave him a mountain dew and a banana and he smiled and said thank you.

I asked him his name and he told me and how old he was.

I had the whiteboard with me so he wrote on it.

He smiled, he talked, he was a very sweet little boy. 

Alafa is on the far left, basically the only one not in a school uniform.

But here's where it gets bad, sad, nasty, horrible, whatever you want to call it.

She told us that if this little boy hadn't been there, he would be the "perfect" kid for child sacrifice.

He was the right age, 

and had no one, no one would miss him if he was gone.

It made me sick to my stomach, if he hadn't gotten there when he had, he could have been killed.

would have been. 

It makes me cringe just reading that, that's not right, and it's not easy to hear, but it's reality. It's horrible, but it's happening.

This little boy was 7 years old.

7 year olds should never be on the streets.

7 year olds should never be without a family that loves them.

7 year olds should never be alone.

and 7 year olds should never, ever, have to stay awake at night worrying about being killed. EVER.

7 year olds should live with a loving family, safe in a house with a roof over their head, going to school, always knowing someone REALLY cares about them, and falling asleep at night safe in bed.

This little boy was lucky, and not all of them are.

The worst part, is we have the ability to stop children from being killed, no, we can't save every child, I wish we could, but sadly it's not that easy.

But we can save other children like Alafa.

He is safe in bed at Sascu, the children welcomed him as their brother as soon as he got there, they were playing soccer when we left.

We can give other children like him a chance at life.

(Alafa also needs a sponsor, would you be willing to show this little boy that he is LOVED? and to help give him the life he deserves?)

My favorite word.

We drive down the road and we hear children calling out "Hi Mzungu!"

 The kids in the mornings shout "Mzungu Mzungu!" when we show up.

They call me Mzungu to get my attention.

Some people don't like it, these kids calling you mzungu,

mzungu means white person, it's as simple as that, isn't that what I am?

Some people are offended, but it's really just an observation, they don't mean it as a bad thing.

Personally, I love it.

The kids that shout out greetings when we drive down the road and are smiling and jumping and waving.

I love to hear the little ones say it, I'm so used to it, I answer to it without thinking.

Don't ask me why, I really don't know, but I love it.

And yet, as much as I love hearing it, that one isn't my favorite, 

my favorite word to hear their little voices say behind me,

My favorite thing to hear come out of their mouths, 

My favorite, especially to hear from the little ones who don't even live at Sascu,

Is my name.

This is Joello, don't ask me if that's how it's spelled, I haven't got a clue, but that's the closest I've got to how I say it.

I met that little cutie last summer. He doesn't live at Sascu, but he comes to play almost everyday.

He's a sweet, smart, and precious little boy, he's always called me mzungu.

I've told him my name again and again, but he still calls me mzungu all the time, I'm perfectly okay with that.

I'll ask him what my name is, he just smiles and shakes his head, I'll tell him my name again, though in the back of my mind, I don't think he'll remember it.

Yesterday was the first time, this little guy looked at me and called me by name.

Maybe it was just the first time he remembered it, or maybe it was easier to get my attention,

all the same, my heart melted the second it came out of his mouth.

Nahea and Fad. I met Fad last summer, but he was scared of me, this year he clings to my hand and plays with me. I just met Nahea a few days ago, and she is my bestest little friend.

a few days ago they were shouting my name repeatedly, they wanted me to watch the tumble and somersault in the grass, and though I was watching them already ,they shouted my name again and again, I just watched and smiled.

To hear them call me by name is so incredibly meaningful to me.

They're making an effort to remember my name, 

It means I'm not just "mzungu" to them, I'm Molly.

I'm their friend and their my friends.

I love them so much, and hearing them say my name melts my heart again and again.

Whenever I hear it behind me as I walk away, I spin around again, and usually end up exactly where I was again.

It's really one of my favorite things in the world every single time one of the littlest ones say my name, I just love, love, love it :)

Day... uh, 4?

I actually had to ask earlier what day it was.

It's only day 4 and I'm already having trouble remembering, just wait for 2 weeks from now.

Anyway, we've spent most of everyday so far at Sascu, I forgot my camera yesterday so I didn't post anything, it's boring without pictures.

Today we started the day with French toast and bacon, yum much? 

Then we met up with out friend Aisha and we went to the market, it was the first time I'd gone to an African market, we bought fruit and meat for dinner tomorrow. 

(No pictures from there, it was quite the experience but having my camera out would not have been a good idea)

We went back to Sascu and started by painting toenails, and more toenails, and more toenails....

More kids kept showing up to have their toenails painted! 

Eventually we had to take a break, there were just so many kids there!

After that we took a few of the girls inside and gave them dresses and headbands and hats to wear and took them outside and took pictures of them for their sponsor profiles.

Each of these girls is a happy, smiling, playful, fun loving little girl. 

Yes, they're stories are sad, they're pasts aren't pretty, but each of them could tell you what their favorite subject in school is, what they like to do, and loves to pick out dresses to dress up in.

We had 7 young girls in one room, dressing up and putting headbands and things on, they sounded exactly like any little girls in America would, they were having so much fun!  

Just because they're pasts are ugly, doesn't mean they're any different than any child you'd meet in the U.S. 

I love these little girls so much, they're so sweet and loving and amazing little girls.

*

When we left, each of the kids hugged us repeatedly and said bye a hundred times, even though we told them over and over we are coming back tomorrow! 

Jeff even climbed in the car! He's a cutie. :)

We'll be taking more pictures of the other kiddos tomorrow (We need to get more clothes for the little boys)

Tomorrow all the kids will be home from school, so most likely there will be a ton of kids there.

Day 2 in Uganda

Today was amazing. amazing.

We spent all day a Sascu, they have classes in the mornings for the kids around Sascu (who don't live there) and after they leave, the kids from who live at Sascu (And go to school) get home in the the afternoon.

So there were kids there all day, it was like a pretty fantastic dream.

I was kind of in Heaven.

Especially since the ones that go to Sascu in the mornings, are little, the Sascu kids are older, so playing with little ones was amazing.

This little cutie's name is Naheea, She was honestly one of my favorites from this morning, so stinking sweet!! She even came back to play with us later :)

This little girl was exactly as her name implied, Precious ♥

Of course, I adore the Sascu kids, so I was still really happy when they came home from school!

Shanita. She is a super adorable and incredibly sassy 6 year old girl. 

Granjan and Sophie, she's a absolutely precious and sweet 6 year old 

Miss Witness. She is one of the sweetest and giggliest little girls I know, she's 8 :)

Irene, I hadn't really met her before today, but she's really sweet, I'm also not sure how old she is, I'm pretty sure she's older than Witness, but who knows. I'll try and remember to ask her tomorrow

Jeffu! This little boy was terrified of me last year, but played with me all day yesterday, he's such a cutie!!

Me, Granjan, and a bunch of the kids :) Yeah, this is Heaven right here.

Our plans for tomorrow (today) are pretty much exactly the same.

My sweet girls.

Often when I think of what I'll do and who I'll see while I'm in Uganda, I think of Sascu, chasing the kids around, playing hide and seek, and teaching them other games.

But the last few days, my thoughts have been in Jinja.

My love ♥

With my babies, the little ones that I adore. Hugging, tickling, kissing, and laughing with them all day long.

Even the little bitty babies that I hold while the others are napping, feeding them bottles and watching them fall asleep in my arms.

The big kids at the children's home, laughing and talking to them, though they only know a few words in English, dancing and playing for hours.

But specifically with two little girls who stole my heart almost a year ago.

Esther and Gift are two sweet little 3 or 4 year old girls who I have called "mine" since last August.

The first time I really met these girls was one day we were walking with the older kids to the baby home because someone had snacks to give them. Esther was losing her shoes so I just held her and Gift was crying a few steps behind us because she didn't want to walk. I held her hand and she stopped crying and walked with me. Since then those two sweet little girls have held my heart.

I adore them, their big brown eyes, their contagious giggles, their sweet shy smiles.

Last year, moments after I walked into the children's home I would say "Where's my Esther?" and she would run up, giggling, and hug my legs. I'd pick her up and spin her around, and attempting to put her down practically turned into a game as she swung her legs up before they hit the ground.

In October I went to the children's home with a few other people who were there at the same time we were, all the kids ran up to the people with me as they already knew them, they had been there longer. 

All but little Gift, who threw her arms around my legs and wouldn't let go.

I hugged her and held her until my arms got so tired I had to put her down. She grabbed onto my hand and followed me around and sat on my lap wherever I went.

The following Sunday at church (Which is held at the children's home as well) they hadn't come out of the house yet and church had already started. I was confused as to why I hadn't seen them but didn't think much of it. They came out with the group of kids who were still inside, they saw me sitting down and both ran over and hugged me. 

Don't get me wrong, there are so many kids in Uganda that I adore, from the babies at Sonrise, to all the kids at Sascu, but these two both have a special place in my heart ♥

My sweet Esther <3
Sadly I don't have a picture of miss Gifty, but I'll post one when I'm in Uganda :)

12 days

6/30/13
***
Less than a month,

 3 Weeks,

21 days.

Until I'm back on a plane to Africa.

Just about 24 hours after that, I'll be stepping on Ugandan soil again.

I'll be back.

Back in my favorite place in the world.

Back to the place my heart calls home.

Where my heart soars.

Where I'm more comfortable than anywhere in the U.S. 

I'll be back in my element.

Whether it be chasing 8 year olds for hours on end,

sitting on the couch talking to the girls at SASCU while they braid my hair,

Or cuddling babies all day long,

I know I'm where I'm supposed to be.

Where I dream to one day truly be home. 

But for now, I'm only 13.

And I can't wait to soak up every second I'm on Ugandan soil.

Every moment I spend with my favorite kids ever. 

Every second I get to hug and kiss the sweet little babies I miss so much.

Every minute spent with our amazing Ugandan friends <3

It's SO unreal to think that I'll be back in 3 weeks.

The last 2 weeks have flown by. 

I just hope the next 3 will as well!! 
***

It feels like it was just yesterday that I typed that quickly and ended up deciding for some reason or another, not to post it, seemed repetitive I suppose, but I wanted to put it on here anyway.

That was 9 days ago, I am now 12 days away from getting on a plane to Uganda.

Yes, you heard that right,

12 Days.

Woah. How on Earth did that happen!?

It's certainly beyond me.

I began packing my suitcase on Saturday, trying to decide what and how much I want to take.

Most of our luggage is devoted to stuff we're bringing for people in Uganda, so I'll mostly just have my carry-on.

Part of me is saying

"I'll only be there for a month, how much do I need?"

The other part is still comprehending how long a month is, how long I'll be away from my family.

I've said it once, I'll say it again, this is so unreal.

A little voice in my head is saying I should be nervous.

Except I'm more busy listening to the one that's dancing around and singing 24/7 because it's so stinking excited!

I'm hoping to update from Uganda at least once a week with everything we've been up to, hopefully closer to daily or every other day unless we don't have wifi.

I'm sure there'll be plenty of stories to tell and pictures to see :D

12 days, it's approaching rapidly, and yet it doesn't seem as though it's fast enough.

See you soon, kiddos ♥