Awakening

   There was a moment when I was 15 years old that I will never forget. It was a moment that changed my life forever...I just didn't know it then. I went to Uganda for the first time. I walked into a babies home and was instantly struck with a huge love for Ugandan babies. One of the workers in the home placed a small baby girl in my arms. Her name was Hope. Hope was badly malnourished and abused, her mother tried to kill her at birth, so Hope was brought to this babies home. As I heard Hope's story and held her tiny body in my arms, my heart was instantly attached to, not just Hope, but every single orphan baby that calls Uganda home. Here is a picture of when they put little Hope in my arms for the first time...you can see just how sick she is. And my 15 year old self...with braces...NOT CUTE! ;) (click to enlarge)

   I spent a few summers with Hope and watched what God can do with a willing heart and home full of people to love and restore a baby back to health. Here is a picture of Hope and I just last year (6 years later). You can clearly see the benefit of having a healthy environment to grow up in. This shows you what love, Jesus, and a home that cares can do. (Click to enlarge) 

    When I went to Tororo for the first time...the same thing happened. There was a 6 year old girl that was carrying her baby brother on her back. My eyes met hers and we smiled at each other. This young girl walked over to me and placed her baby brother in my arms. I held this tiny little boy and my heart started pounding. He was so small. Clearly malnourished and sick, my fingers could feel his bones. My heart broke. THIS IS NOT OKAY. Not only do I love the Ugandan children, but now it went beyond loving them, to rescuing them. I needed to put an end to this. No baby should have to live this way. My love grew to determination. I was determined to put an end to the abandoned orphan crisis. It was this determination that awakened a dream inside my heart, a dream that I didn't know would come to life just months later. Here is a picture of that moment...the moment the vision began in my heart. (click to enlarge)

   The dream is getting bigger...the babies home is getting bigger! I am so excited to see the growth of the baby home! I remember the moment when I held that little baby boy and then I see the baby home and my heart gets excited! My love grew to determination which grew to action. More babies like the one in the picture above will have a place where they can be loved, treasured, rescued, and restored. My heart's dream is coming to pass, God's plan is happening....how exciting! 

   Here are a couple pictures of City of Lights Baby Home progress. This place is going to be BIG! I am so excited for all the babies that will get a second chance at life. (Click to enlarge) 

   I am in awe of all that God is doing in Tororo, Uganda. The baby that you saw in the picture above, will have a place to call home. Not just him, but so many other babies will be protected in this home. This really is a dream come true and this is the first of many...I just know it. 

"Thank you Jesus for stirring something up inside me. Thank you for breaking my heart for things that break yours. I pray, Jesus, that you will continue to move inside my heart to take action. Give me the strength to never give up even when it gets tough. Please protect your babies and keep them safe while their new home is in the making. I love you! Amen." 

Remember Me

   I'm in Uganda walking down the street. The sun is shinning bright on the red dirt. I walk down to Smile Africa and I'm welcomed by 400 children yelling my name, running up to me to say good morning. Bogere jumps in my arms and I swing him around and around. We are laughing and having a great time. I see all the kids running and playing...my heart is at peace...is this really happening? I hold Bogere's hand as we walk down the red dirt road. Then I wake up to the sound of the school bell across the street, horns honking, and people talking...busy streets. Yep, I'm still in Los Angeles. It was all a dream.

   I remember when I was in Uganda, I told Bogere that I would see him soon. Soon seems so far away, for both of us. Before I left Uganda to go back home Bogere said,

"You wont forget about me right? Promise that you will remember me!"

   Forget him? How is that even possible?! I wish I could explain to my 7 year old boy how he changed my life. One day when he is older, I will tell him our story, and not how I changed his life, but how he changed mine.

   My boy is doing well, I have been told. Apparently he ditched school a few times and got caught. I was sad to hear that. It really made me wish I was there with him. On the bright side, he is doing well in school and he has continued to be nice to the other kids. God continues to work in his heart and I'm so very proud of him. This is Bogere in his school uniform...SO CUTE! (Click on photo to enlarge).

   City of Lights Baby Home continues to grow and I get more and more excited as I see pictures of the building go up. The more that the building comes together, the more my heart dreams of all the babies that will be rescued, loved, and taken care of. (Click on picture to enlarge)

   God is so good. This all never would have happened if God did not put HIS dream in my heart. This dream, this vision, belongs to God, I was just the one who listened. 

   We are still in the process of raising money for City of Lights Baby Home! Please donate at www.smileafrica.org and save someone's life. 

"Thank you Jesus for your unconditional love! Thank you for putting your dream inside my heart. I pray that you continue to watch over Bogere and the rest of the children at Smile Africa. I also pray for favor over the babies home. We love you! Amen."

A Changed Life

   I talk, often, about Uganda and all the amazing things that God is doing there. Clearly that is where my heart and my passion is, which is great, however it is important to not lose sight of the amazing things that God is doing right in front me...in MY city. I am going to tell you a story about a man named Chase Gibson and how God changed his life.

   Chase, and his twin brother Cooper, was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. Just like many boys, Chase grew up loving sports and had dreams of becoming a professional athlete when he grew up. In middle school, Chase sadly got caught up with the wrong crowd that took him down a path that wouldn't help him achieve his dreams, but instead, would destroy them. Between the ages of 12 and 18 Chase found himself in and out of juvenile hall, groups homes, into drugs, alcohol, and slowly watched as his big dream began to disappear. 

   As I was listening to Chase tell his story of all the chaos and struggle that he was going through, I asked him if there was a moment in the midst of all the stress, that he saw any glimpse of hope. He told me that there was one time when he was in jail that he remembers specifically. Chase told me that he remembered being really scared and overwhelmed by all that was going on around him. He was extremely stressed out. There was a church service that took place in the jail that really touched his heart. It was the ONLY moment where he felt peace. Chase felt peace in the presence of God. That would be a moment, a feeling, that he would never forget...in fact, a presence that would change his life forever. 

   Chase watched as his brother Cooper became a professional MMA fighter and watched him succeed in the dream that Chase once had. The drugs no longer were able to fill Chase in the way they once did. He was determined to pursue the dream in his heart once again. At age 20 Chase joined the gym his brother was training at, True Warrior Fitness. It was at that gym where Chase learned true discipline and to never give up. Chase is under the training of Toby "Tigerheart" Grear. Toby not only trained Chase in MMA but also influenced him to be a better man. Through Toby's perseverance and consistency, Chase's dream became alive again. Training with Toby gave him hope that he had a future if he worked hard enough. Chase said how grateful he is that Toby never gave up on him. He got a second chance and place to learn and grow.

   Toby not only encouraged Chase in the gym, but also to go back to church, where he would experience the presence of God like he did before. Oasis Church is where Chase calls home. That is where he feels fulfilled and encouraged in his daily walk with God. Chase told me that as he kept going to church he realized that God is for him, that God is on his side. He said,

"Church 100% helped me with my fighting. It helped me deal with my fear and anxiety. I learned to forgive, which is something that was hard for me to do. The empty spaces in my soul which I used to fill with alcohol, I now fill with Jesus. I learned to give all my fears to God, He is in control. I learned to see things for what they are, and have hope for the future. I know that no matter what, God is on my side."

   Chase is now 23 years old and an undefeated MMA fighter. He not only wins fights physically, but spiritually. Every obstacle that comes his way, he overcomes with God on his side. Thanks to Toby, who believed in him, and our God who never gave up on him, Chase is a changed life. You can find Chase on facebook with the name Chase "First Born" Gibson. Be sure to check out his page. You will also find Chase every Sunday at Oasis Church during the 6pm worship experience. Chase's next fight is the second week of May. Come support Chase and see the work that God has done in His life.

   I am so grateful for Oasis Church and all the lives that are being saved everyday because of the work that God is doing through the church. I am proud of the pastors, Philip and Holly Wagner (Dad and Mom) for leading by example. They won't get to hear all the stories of the lives that were changed because of their obedience to God, but I want them to know how proud I am of them and how excited I am to be apart of the journey with them. 

"Jesus! Thank you so much for second chances...and third and forth... Thank you for loving us and protecting us. Thank you for never giving up on us. Even though we all make decisions that hurt you and our destiny sometimes, you have never left us. Thank you for dying on the cross so that we could be forgiven and spend eternity with you. We love you. Amen."

   

   

Behind Those Walls

   I often find myself caught in a daydream. I picture City of Lights and all the babies that we will rescue, in all the different cities and countries all over the world. That is the dream of my heart. My dream is to see the innocent protected and loved, just how God created it to be. When I close my eyes and picture what City of Lights will look like, I see homes all over the world protecting children, I see babies being adopted into loving family homes, I see new families, I see people joining the cause wanting to make a difference, I see happiness...  I see Jesus. What the enemy meant to destroy, God will protect. The enemy wants the innocent to suffer, he does not want to see a new generation of young people fighting for a cause bigger than themselves, he does not want to see the orphans rescued. But let me just tell you...the orphans WILL be rescued. There is hope, there is love and His name is Jesus. 

   It is easy for me to get distracted by the big dreams that God has placed on my heart and ignore the things that are in my hand right now. At the moment I work for my church, Oasis Church, and my job is to help direct the kids ministry. I love my job and I love working with the kids, however, sometimes I can get so lost in the "Big Dream" that I ignore the job that is in my hand right now. I have to be very careful. Having a big dream like I have is great, but I cannot forget the responsibilities and the lives that God is entrusting me with right now. This is how my conversation with God goes sometimes...

"God! Don't you get it?! That is where I should be right now! I should be in Africa building babies homes! There are lives that need to be rescued! I can do this! Don't you see my passionate heart?!"

"Paris, For I know the plans I have for you...will you trust me? Can you take that same passion and energy and help the kids that I have placed in front of you? They need you just as much as the ones in Africa. Be faithful with what is in your hands."

   When God spoke those words to my heart, it stopped me in my tracks. My heart broke. I was so focused on my "Big Dream" that I didn't pay attention to the child in front of me at that moment. I learned a valuable lesson. If God can trust me with the child that is in front of me, then He can trust me with the nations. Patience...

   City of Lights Baby Home Tororo is really coming along. The walls are starting to be built! When Pastor Ruth from Smile Africa sent me the photos I could not stop smiling. I am so excited to see the dream that God has placed in my heart come to pass. I looked at those pictures and my heart started pounding. I pictured all the babies that those walls would protect. Behind those walls, lives are going to be changed, transformed, rescued and restored. Innocence will be protected. Behind those walls we will be raising a City of Lights in the midst of a dark place. I am in awe, humbled. God is entrusting me with the lives of his precious children. That is a huge responsibility. It didn't take someone with a special degree or lots of money...it took someone with a willing heart...someone that would say "YES!"

Here are the pictures of City of Lights Baby Home Tororo as the walls are being built! Click on the picture to enlarge! We are still raising money to build this beautiful home and I cannot do it without you! Every dollar counts. To donate, visit www.smileafrica.org. 

         

  

Silence, Be Still

   Have you ever heard the saying "If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans."? I always thought that quote was funny, but it never became real for me until just 8 months ago. I had plans...I was going to college and moving forward in MY goal of working for the FBI and Child Protective Services. I had a goal, vision, dream and purpose...then God "ruined" me... which was the best thing that ever happened to me. 

   When God sent me to Africa, He opened my heart to a bigger dream. God has given me a desire, a purpose, a passion, which is to protect and love children all over the world. That has always been something that was on my heart to do, I just didn't know what God was going to do with all the passion that was inside me. That is why it is so important to run the race that God puts before YOU. Although someone else's purpose might look appealing, you will not succeed down that path because it was not made for you. I was right where I was supposed to be, running the race that God had for ME. Since I was right where God wanted me, it was easy for Him to move me and guide me down the path that He wanted me to go down. This allowed me to go to Uganda and do all the things that God had planned for me to do. If I was busy trying to run someone else's race, I would not have been available for God to use me in the way that he had designed. Our purpose was designed for each of us specifically. We need to run the race before us and have faith that, in God's timing, He will move us. 

   I came home from Uganda with a bigger dream than just working for the FBI. God had put it on my heart to build an orphanage in Tororo, Uganda. I knew that this was not going to be an easy task, but I had faith from the beginning. I came home with so much passion that I thought that nothing would be able to shake me. It's when the excitement dies down a little and the job gets harder that your faith is truly tested. 

   Raising money for the baby's home is not an easy job. There have been moments when it got really hard and finances were not coming in and I got scared. I was scared that I would not get all the money needed to build the home. Instead of putting all my focus on Jesus, I began to take the weight myself. I thought I would just take on all the burden and try and figure it all out myself. Once I did that, I began to fall. This reminds me of the story in the Bible where Jesus asks Peter to walk on water. Peter is standing in the boat and looking at Jesus who is standing on the water. The storm was raging all around him, but Peter had faith. With his eyes on Jesus, Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on water toward Jesus. The storm grew louder and Peter took his focus off Jesus and was overwhelmed by the storm that surrounded him. Just then, Peter began to fall. Jesus grabbed ahold of him, saved him and said, "O ye of little faith!" Jesus calmed the storm with words..."Silence, Be still."

   Jesus gave me a dream, a vision that City of Lights Baby Home will be built and I will see babies being rescued and restored. I had so much faith that it would come to pass. When it was challenging and the money wasn't coming in, I began to be overwhelmed by the storm and lose sight of Jesus. Just as I started to fall, Jesus grabbed ahold of me and said, "Oh ye of little faith! The dreams I put inside you are for a reason. I do not give you visions to watch them fail. I gave you a dream that is bigger than you, so that you will be humbled and have faith in ME. Trust me! I know the waters seem rough, but do not take your eyes off me."

   I had to learn to let go of the steering wheel and let God take control of the situation. I need to trust God with every circumstance that I face. With faith in Jesus I can look at the storm and say, "Silence, Be still", knowing that my God will come through for me. Maybe you are going through something in your life and you are overwhelmed and you feel like you are drowning. I just want to encourage you to keep your eyes on Jesus. No matter the storm, Jesus is right there with you. Refocus your eyes back on Him and silence your storm.

   City of Light Baby Home is making great progress! Although we do not have all funds yet to complete the home, I am believing in faith that God will come through and the finances will be provided. The building is coming together so nicely, I am in awe of all that God is doing and will continue to do through City of Lights Baby Home. Here are pictures of the progress!
(Click on picture to enlarge!)

  

"Jesus, thank you for never leaving us. Thank you for putting the strength inside each of us to get through any storm we face. I pray that we will not lose sight of You. Please give us the courage to walk on water even when the storm is surrounding us. We love you! Amen. "

If you would like to be apart of all that God is going through City of Lights Baby Home please go to www.smileafrica.org. 

Love Works

   At my church, Oasis Church, we are going through a series called "Love Works." The series is helping people build the marriage that they have always dreamed of. From what I have heard, people have been really blessed by the series. God is going to do some amazing things in Los Angeles and the enemy does not like it. That being said, the enemy is attacking the relationships that are closest to our hearts to distract us and take us off course. If the enemy can break up a marriage, then he can break up a family, and if he breaks up the family, then he can attack the church. When the church is built up of strong marriages and families, then we are not vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy. When we, as a family, as a church, are weak and broken, we leave room for the enemy to destroy what God is doing in our city. As a church family, we are training families to withstand the attacks of the enemy and proclaim God's truth over their marriages and families. 

   This last Sunday was an amazing day. We had a guest speaker, Dr. Robi, who spoke about relationships. He said something that really spoke to me...


"You don't have to do anything stupid to ruin your relationships, you just have to do nothing."

   So when hardships come in your relationships, don't be afraid to take action and fix it. If the first strategy you try, fails, then find another way and keep trying. Trial and error isn't stupid, doing nothing and giving up is stupid. 

   When I was in Uganda for 4 months, I only had 1 plan...to love. I went across the world for one little boy, a little boy who I believe in and who God did not forget about. To everyone else, Bogere was a lost cause, but not to me and not to God.

   Last week I was reading an e-mail from Pastor Ruth about how things are going at Smile Africa and how Bogere was doing. She told me that recently the children had an interview to get into one of the best elementary schools in Tororo. Bogere passed the interview and was accepted into the school! Not only was he accepted into the school, but he had the best interview out of all the children! When all the children were silent, Bogere spoke up and answered all the questions. My boy is now the top of his class already and the school year hasn't even started yet. When I read that, tears began flowing my cheeks. The thought in my head was... "How great is my God!!"

   When everyone thought that Bogere would not amount to anything, I just LOVED him. And now he is the top of his class. LOVE WORKS. You don't always need a degree or PhD...all you need is a heart that God can move, a heart that can love without limits. Just 6 months ago Bogere was forgotten about, left for dead. God heard his cry, told a heart that may be "unqualified", but a heart that was willing, a heart that could love without limits, to go. I went...I loved. Love Works.

   City of Lights Baby Home is now under construction! We have started the building process and I am so excited! We are still believing God for more fiances though. We do not have all the finances that we need to complete it, but we are starting the construction anyway. I am believing that the money is going to come and these babies will be rescued and have a home. If you would like to give and be apart of the amazing, life changing ministry, than please to go www.smileafrica.org. We can't do this without you. Here are a couple pictures of us beginning the construction for City of Lights Baby Home. 

                  

   Thank you to everyone who made this beginning process possible. Thank you for believing in me and the dream that God has placed in my heart. Together, we can change the world, one child at a time. 

New Territory

   Yesterday, God spoke to me. It was so loud and so clear that chills shot through my body. When God speaks and you feel the Holy Spirit's presence you can't help but sit still and soak it all in. There have been a few times when God has spoken to me and I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was God, no question, but there have been other times where I was not so sure. One thing that I have noticed is that typically the easy way out or the easy solution is probably not from God. God has not called ME to live an easy, comfortable life. When you choose God above all else, your life becomes about what HE wants for you, not what you think would be good for yourself. This is what God told me...

"Paris, your calling is greater than you can imagine. You are entering a new territory. You will conquer new ground. When declaring territory in MY name there will be persecution and suffering, but do not be afraid. For the things I have called you, I have equipped you. Prepare for battle knowing that I am with you. You can do this! Love, God." 

   I never imagined that at 21 years old I would be living in Africa, taking care of orphans, being a mom to the motherless, or building a baby's home, in fact, for a quick minute, I wanted to be an actress. HA! If you would have told me when I was 15 years old that I was going to be spending a lot of my life in Africa taking care of orphans I would have thought you were crazy.

   When I was 15 years old, I lost my best friend to Leukemia. It was a really rough time for me, but through it all God was preparing me for the battles that I would have to face in the future that I had no idea about. I was so devastated that had you told me that God was going to use my pain to help bring healing to other people, I wouldn't have listened. But that is exactly what happened. When we are going through a hard time, we usually can't see what God is doing in us or through us. It's not until we use our testimony to help bring someone out of their suffering, that we realize the work that God was doing all along.

   In other news...I talked to Bogere on the phone the other day. It was the most amazing conversation. When I heard his voice, tears began to fall down my cheeks. He told me that he was doing well and that he missed me. Bogere said that he couldn't wait to see me again soon and that he loved me. I tried to hold myself together as I listened to my boy tell me about his day and school and all that he had planned. Bogere is speaking english so much better. I am so proud of him. Our conversation was in both english and swahili...it was a nice mixture of the two languages and we communicated perfectly.

   As far as the baby's home is concerned, we still needs more funds. We are slowly but surely reaching our goal but there are babies NOW that are waiting to come into City of Lights Baby Home. We still need, roughly, $25,000 for TOTAL COMPLETION. That means EVERYTHING, including cribs, bottles, formula, diapers, etc. With that number, we will have a completed baby home where babies can be rescued, loved, cherished and shown what the love of Jesus looks like. If you want to rescue a baby and save a life, go to www.smileafrica.org. Please just give what you can. Every amount matters toward reaching the goal.

"Thank you Jesus for blessing us. We have been blessed to be a blessing. I pray, God, that you will open our hearts to your Holy Spirit. I pray that you will speak to us clearly and guide our steps. Protect us and keep us safe as we live of lives for you! We love you! Amen."