pillars of hope and canaan children's home.

We have had a busy few days since I was last able to write, so naturally, I have a lot to update you on. On our way to Jinja from Kampala, our amazing bus driver and friend, Abus told us that his wife had been hospitalized with malaria. We asked if we could head to the hospital to pray for her, and Abus said yes - which is incredible in itself because Abus is Muslim. The "medical ward" consisted of a room with twenty beds in it, and it was nearly full. We prayed for Abus' wife, and then others asked for prayer as well. One woman was hallucinating and incoherent. She didn't speak English, yet when we prayed over her, she became lucid and started to say the Lord's Prayer perfectly. It was more amazing than words can fully express.

After that, we did home visits with Pillars of Hope. It is a grassroots organization that is struggling to fulfill their mission right now because of financial hardship. The kids live in an area where most people have HIV, and many of them are also in bad health. We visited three homes that could hardly be called houses. They each consisted of one or two rooms that housed at least five children. In one of the homes, the kids slept in the same room as the chickens. Food is scarce and many of them only get to eat when they are at school. As for Pillars of Hope itself, they are five months behind on their rent so the building that the classes are held in has been locked by the landlord. Now they are holding classes outside until they are able to raise enough money to catch up on what they owe.

After our home visits, we made it to Canaan Children's Home, which is where we will be staying for the rest of the time that we are in Jinja. Pastor Isaac's mission is to take in orphans, provide for their concrete needs, give them a Christian education, and raise up strong leaders for Uganda. That being said, none of the children here are available for adoption. This is heartbreaking to me; though I understand Pastor Isaac's vision, there are over 100 kids here and not enough staff to give each of them individualized attention. Because of that, the kids are hungry for hugs and kisses. I am struggling with this: they are getting some food and some clothes and a good education, but they are missing being part of a family. And this really bothers me. Children need their relational needs met as well - they are just as important as material needs.

In other news, my ankle gave out the other day when we were doing home visits and my tendonitis is acting up again. I've been elevating my foot all day to get the swelling down, but without ice, it isn't working very well. The rest of the team is struggling with other ailments as well, so please keep praying for us. We want to be strong both physically and spiritually so that we can put our all into the work that we are doing here. Thank you!