Going home!

They say home is where the heart is.

Meaning obviously, Uganda is home <3

Yes, we just got back from Uganda about a month ago.

I thought (hoped) maybe I would be going back soon.

As soon as next spring maybe?

Wouldn't that be awesome!?

I can't say I really even dreamed that I would be back home only 2 months after I got back to Kentucky.

That's right, I'm heading back to Uganda!!!

I've told everyone that I can't wait to go back.

Did I think it would be this soon?

No.

Am I pretty stinkin' excited!?

You bet I am!!! 

Okay, that's an understatement, But I really can't put into words how amazingly, incredibly excited I am to be going home!!!!

Me and dad will be there a long time. (probably 4-6 weeks)

Mom told me that if I'm there that long than she doesn't think I'll ever come back! Uh, so?

Innocent has told mom and dad that the kids have been asking when Molly was coming back, and that they are pretty excited. *Heart melting* 

I can't wait to see those kids again! 

To see their smiles when they see the picture I took.

To hear their laughs when I play with them.

I also cannot wait to hug my babies again!

 To walk with little Sue.

To tickle Matthew until I'm laughing so hard at his cute little laugh that I have to stop.

To see Rebecca's dazzling smile when we get to the baby home.

I can't wait to play with the sweet kiddos at the children's home.

To see beautiful Esther and hold her until she'll let me put her down.

To play game after game of duck, duck, goose and red light, green light with the big girls.

I can't wait to look tan, even if it's just dirt.

I can't wait to hear their beautiful accents.

I can't wait to hear "Mzungu, Mzungu!" everywhere I go.

*Sigh*

I may have just go back, but this trip could not come fast enough!!!

Uganda, Here I come! (Again.. :D)

Send them with Future Hope Ministries!

Hey so remember those kids at Save Street Children Uganda that we were trying to get to school???

Every one of those kids is going to school!!!

Yippee!!!! God is good!!!

But the needs don't stop there! 

Right now there is a serious need for clothes!

So if any of you have clothes or know anyone who would have any summer clothes they have out-grown or don't want anymore please please please let us know!!!

We need sizes 6-Small adult (although if you have clothes smaller than that we can find use for those too! :))

It is hot all year there, but they do wear long sleeves and sweaters so ANYTHING is appreciated!

If you can even donate 1 or 2 items that would help a lot!!

There are 70 kids who need clothes so we really need your help!! 

We CAN do this!! If God helped us get these kids to school than we can get clothes!

Share with everyone you know!!!

In the words of Harry "Goodwill is for squares! Send them with Future Hope Ministries!" (notice I gave you credit for the quote Harry?)

If you don't have clothes to donate (or even if you do!) the next need is for prayer that we get plenty of clothes!

Thanks to everyone!

:)

Wasn't expecting another "gift"

We've been back from Uganda 3 weeks now.

Let's just say I wasn't quite expecting another Ugandan "gift" by now. 

But last Monday when Granjan got home from Uganda (She stayed another 2 weeks after we left) I noticed something for the first time really on the corner of my toe.

I was looking at it and wondering what it was, so I asked Granjan to look at it.

After a few minutes she said "Well it kinda looks like a jigger"

Say What!?

Jiggers are little bugs in Uganda that bury themselves in your feet.

We (not me, Granjan, Cameron, and Lori) helped to remove them from kids feet in one of the villages.

[Photo by Rileigh Shanks]

The kids getting jiggers removed

[Photo by Rileigh Shanks]

(waiting to get jiggers out, looooong line)

I'll admit, my first thought was "No way we've been back long enough, we would have noticed it by now!"

But over the next week I started to believe it.

And I must say my toe didn't look pretty....

We were at Granjan's house this week so she decided to get it out.

I didn't watch, yuch.

haha

But really, I wasn't gonna watch that!

My cousins were all excited and their face were about a foot from my toe.

My aunt just about threw up watching.

And yes, it was a jigger. nbd

My cousin videoed the whole thing, I still didn't watch it.

But if you want to see it I can get you the video, loljk

We're not that close

JK, it was just gross

I got the play-by-play

Although every time they said something I was just like "Didn't need that! I'm good without knowing!"

I really couldn't feel it most of the time she got it out

Until she used her nail to make sure she got everything out, uh ow!

(My feet today, after the jigger was out)

I didn't take a picture of just my toe because, well it still does not look wonderful.

But you can kinda see that little dark spot on the corner of my big toe on my right foot. (Click the picture to enlarge it)

That would be the hole where the jigger was just yesterday.

Hope I didn't gross you out too much with this post, just wanted to share one of the joys of Uganda!

Speaking of which, anyone wanna buy me a plane ticket to Uganda?

C'mon, please! My birthday is in 2 months!

Ugh fine :(

They need YOUR help!!!

Today I wanted to tell you about the precious, sweet children at Save Street Children Uganda (The orphanage my newest little brother is at right now)

These kids were the sweetest

Most loving

Moat adorable kids who just wanted be loved

One of the little girls holding Austin's hand

You'd have a small mob following you around pretty much all the time <3 

 Harry playing soccer with the kids

All of the kids loved having their picture taken!

Harry with a small group of the sweet kids

They all loved to be around you Alllll the time!

Now comes in what this post is really about

Most of the kids (About 76 in all) are school-aged, meaning it cost quite a bit to send all the kids to school!

 We sent them a good amount of money on Wednesday for school fees 

Innocent (The man who runs SSCU) called Dad yesterday morning (via Skype) in tears thanking him and told him he had been upset earlier in the week because he wouldn't be able to send any of the kids to school this year. Then later when we called to talk to Edrine a bunch of the kids were in his office and they were thanking mom and dad for sending them to school! 

But here's the catch: The money we sent only covers half of the kids.

That's where you come in!

They still need $1,700 to send the rest of the kids, by tomorrow.

That may seem like a BIG goal but remember, we have an even BIGGER GOD!

So what are you waiting for!? These kids need YOUR help!!!!

How can you say "No" to those smiles?????

Don't YOU want to be able to say that YOU helped send one these precious, beautiful, loving, sweet, incredible children to school?

I know you do!

So c'mon guys!

EVERY cent of every donation will go straight to sending these children to school!!!

Contact me or my mom ASAP if you want help!!!

PS If you've already donated, you can still do more! Share it on Facebook and Twitter! Tell your friends! We may have a big goal, but we can do it!!!

My babies

SO much happend while we we're in Uganda. 

It's hard to keep track of it all!

Most of my stories from Uganda will be shared in separate posts over the next few weeks, but until then here are some of my babies at Sonrise! (I really don't care what you say, they're Mine!)

 [Photo by Rileigh Shanks]

This right here is my sweet baby Sue!!! I love her to pieces, she's so sweet and adorable! I was teaching her how to walk while we were there, she always had the biggest smile when she was on her feet!!!

This is my little Rebecca, man was she a sweetie! She had a great laugh! I could play with her for hours, she giggled and giggled when I bounced her in my lap, it was SWEET!

This is My Esther! Which is what I called her all of the 2nd week :) Every time I went to the children's home I would shout her name and she would run towards me with the BIGGEST smile on her face and hug my legs! She was also the biggest Giggle-box I've ever met, which is awesome because she has the best  giggle!!!!

This is Gerald. I may or may not have spent the whole 2 weeks thinking his name was Jared, *sigh* He was so funny and adorable, as you can probably tell by this picture!

This is Sanyu! she was very, very cute and super sweet! I don't really know a lot about her but since I had this picture I had to mention her!

  [Photo by Rileigh Shanks]

Here is Shivan! She was sweet, but boy-oh-boy was she a Diva! OH and did I mention she's acts like she's afraid of most male mzungus? (white people) Either way, isn't she CUTE!? I'd take her home with me too if she weren't already adopted!

  [Photo by Rileigh Shanks]

Here's Ibra! He was Sweet! And he also looked VERY cute in his pink pants! (which he wore often!) Whenever I had a water bottle with me, if I set it down and walked even a few feet away, he would bring it back to me! It was so funny and quite adorable!

  [Photo by Rileigh Shanks] (waaaaait, she's IN it, how could she have taken it!?)

This is Rileigh with the twins, James and John! They we're trouble but oh-so adorable! They we're hilarious, adorable, and sweet as can be! They weren't to hard to tell apart since Johnny was so much thinner! And had a skinnier face :)

(Johnny in the blue and James in the brown)

  [Photo by Rileigh Shanks]

Here's Harry with his favorite, Kevin! Kevin was adorable and REALLY funny!! He laughed at everything and had a VERY cute laugh! He may or may not have been a bit of a cannibal though! (when dad was holding him the first day Kevin bit his shoulder, haha)

  [Photo by Rileigh Shanks]

This is Luke, Rebecca's twin brother. They may be twins but they really don't look much alike! Not to mention that Rebecca is twice Luke's size! They may be different in looks but are certainly similar in that they both love to laugh and have a cute one at that!

 [Photo by Rileigh Shanks]

Here's me and Mr. Nathan! This little one was a sweetie from the start! And he has the cutest little pot-belly ever! You can tell from the picture, but it's twice as adorable in person! On the first day he chased me all over the place and laughed his head off the whole time! I was quite sweet <3

 [Photo by Rileigh Shanks]

Here's Phillip!!! He is such a sweetie-cutie-pie! For some reason I always got him and Luke confused, even though they really don't look anything alike! Maybe it's the shape of they're heads... anyway Phillip was a cutie just like all the others!

 [Photo by Rileigh Shanks]

This is David, he was a little 6-week-old baby. He was super cute but I think he was a little sick while we were there so that was no fun... He had the SOFTEST hair I've ever felt in my life! So soft...

So that was a little something about a few of the sweetsweet kids I met at Sonrise while I was in Uganda! Any other questions about these kids or any of the other ones in Rileigh's pictures on FaceBook OR any other questions about my trip that you want me to blog about ( Really, I need something!) than just comment or message me! (On Facebook) 

I left my heart behind

We got back from Uganda yesterday at about 6:30.

It was the most amazing experience of my life, I love it SO much! <3

I couldn't have asked for this trip to have gone even a tiny bit better, It was everything I could have ever hoped for and SO SO SO much more!!! 

To say I loved it and had a great time would be the understatement of the century!

I can't even put into words how much I LOVED being there, it was way too incredible!

And as for having a good time, I didn't, I had an AMAZING time, A fantastic, incredible, wonderful, absolutely best time of my LIFE!

And I miss it so much.

I want to be back more than anything in the world! The only reason I could stand leaving was because I missed my family, if they were there I never EVER would have wanted to leave!!

I loved it more than I could ever describe! I miss being there SO much!

I miss the people's gorgeous smiles.

I miss the the children's laughs.

I miss all of the amazing people we met there.

Damali, Aisha, Nelly, Isma, Scovia, The Boys (Moses #1 and 2, Andrew, Charles, Abdu, Paul, and Joshua)   Sylvia, Shammie, Kate, Zai, Rita, and all of the other incredible people I met in the 2 weeks we were there.

I miss the giggle-box babies.

Rebecca and Luke, James and John, Ibra, Musa, Nathan, Kevin, Babs, Sue, Sheila, Shivan, David, Shanita, Gift, Massie, Matthew, Michael, Bethany, Jolie, Phillip and, Tres

I miss every one of the sweet sweet sweet children.

Esther (She's mine, don't get any ideas), Gifty (she's mine too), Cathy and Junior, Edwin, Miko, Stella, Gerald, Brenda, Ian, Anisha,  Sanyu, And all the other kids that I'm forgetting <3

I miss hearing "Mzungu, Mzungu!" everywhere we went.

And Boy-oh-boy do I miss my sweet yet oh-so mischievous little brother Edrine :'(

I miss it all so much!!!

I'll have a ton of pictures up soon, sorry for not posting anything during the trip, I never really had anywhere to post, especially anything with pictures :(

Ready To Go

I am so ready to be in Uganda! 

So ready to hug babies.

So ready to feel the red dirt. (all over me)

So ready to be there.

My bag is almost full with everything I need.

We take off in 2 days.

And I couldn't be more excited! This is the trip of a lifetime and I know it's going to be AMAZING! It's going to be a whole different world, and I can't wait to see it! Right now is the most excited I think I have EVER been.

The other day I thought "Wow, this isn't going to be a picture I'm really going to BE THERE.

I'm really going to see everything with my own eyes.

I'm really going to hear it all for myself. 

I'm really going to be there with the babies at Sonrise, Ekisa, Serving His Children and more.

And I could not be more excited <3

PS.  I know this is short, the posts IN Uganda will be longer :)