Back in the BRIGHT RED DIRT

     After WAY too long…I am finally back in the RED DIRT of Uganda. The flight is never really that bad for me. Although it is usually around a 40-hour journey from Los Angeles, California to Tororo, Uganda, I never really mind it. I have never had any issues sleeping on planes, but the flight from Washington to Ethiopia was…ummm…something special. As my friend Lisa Ibarra and I got into our seats we just started chatting about all the excitement that was ahead of us. While everyone was boarding I paid no attention to the people who were sitting around us. Then I looked around and realized…we were in the “family” section of the plan. Directly in front of us was an Ethiopian family with 7 children all under the age of 11 years old. Directly in front of them was a family with a new born baby and directly to our left was a family with 2 children under the age of 3 years old. I looked around the plane and came to the sad conclusions that neither Lisa nor myself were going to get much sleep on this 12-hour plane ride. We both looked at each other and just laughed at the chaos that surrounded us. What else were we going to do?

   Finally after 12 hours of children screaming, laughing, arguing, and occasionally singing a Taylor Swift song...out loud, we made it to Ethiopia. It was an interesting journey to say the least. Then after a short plane right to Entebbe Airport, I was finally reunited with Pastor Ruth. It was so good to be with her again.

                                        

    We got our bags, walked to the van and prepared for our 5-hour drive from Entebbe to Tororo. While in the car, Pastor Ruth told me many stories and challenges that faced us in these next few weeks. Within hours we laughed, worried, prayed, and encouraged each other.

   We finally arrived home and I got see all of Pastor Ruth’s children, which to me, are my brother’s and sister’s. We have so much fun when we are together. We had dinner and laughed and caught up on each other’s lives. Mama Ruth and I discussed the agenda for the next day, and it is going to be long, but GREAT day! I hit the ground running. I am so excited for all that God has in store for me this trip and I CANNOT WAIT to see my kids tomorrow at Smile Africa.

“Thank you Jesus for protecting us as we traveled around the world. Thank you for getting us to Tororo safely. I pray that you will continue to protect us as we are here. I pray God that you will give me YOUR eyes and YOUR heart while I am here. Help me continue to take leaps of faith and trust in You. We love you. Amen”

Strength for the Broken Hearted

"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:29-31

   This verse has gotten me through a lot of hard times…these past couple weeks in particular. One of my closest friends lost her father last week. This man was amazing. He was at every basketball game, every volleyball game, and every choir concert. As me and my friend Christy grew up together, her father was like another father to me, always supportive and always believing the best in his children and those he cared about. His death was so sudden, it rocked everyone.

   My heart breaks to see my friend going through this. While trying to comfort my friend, my world was also rocked. My mom called to let me know that grandpa went to be with Jesus. I was devastated when I heard the news. My grandpa, "Pop", was one of the most amazing men I know. It's still hard to believe that he is gone.

( I'm the one in the yellow and my cousin Mallory is the baby! )

   In the midst of all the heart ache and devastation that is going on, it can be really hard to find strength and peace. When people die earlier than we think they are supposed to, often times people blame God and they ask "Why?!". To be honest, I don't know why, but I do know that God is a loving God and He is STRONG. When you need strength and peace to get through a situation, you can call on the God of the universe and He will give it to you abundantly.

   I was so overwhelmed and stressed out this week that I did not take a minute to be alone with Jesus. I told myself that I had too many things to do and I would do it later, then later turned into days, then 2 weeks. I found myself getting more and more frustrated and overwhelmed. I was not feeling better, in fact, I was feeling worse. The stresses of life and the heart ache that I was going through was getting too much for me to do alone, but I wouldn't admit it to myself or to God. Then one morning while driving to school I played worship music in the car. I let the Holy Spirit speak into my heart. I broke down crying and just let Jesus fill my heart with his love and peace. It was just what I needed. I finally had the moment with Jesus that I had been needing.

   When I finally couldn't take it anymore, I let God into my heart and He brought peace and strength in that moment. After my time with Jesus I felt I had the strength to get through this situation I was in and help my friends and family with their hurts as well. "God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1. There is no need to go through things alone, God will give you EVERYTHING you need to overcome the challenge.

   People have told me that the second most important decision of your life, after the decision to follow Jesus, is the decision of who you marry because that person will affect EVERYTHING in your life.  After having a couple weeks like the ones I've had, I can honestly say that I married a wonderful man and he is the best decision I ever made. We have only been married for 3 weeks and he has helped me through all of these hard situations. My husband has gone above and beyond for me, loving me, comforting me, and praying for me. He has been such an amazing support to me and the whole family during this time and I cannot imagine doing life without him.

   My friend Christy's mother was married to her husband for 36 years. Just a couple days after her husband died she told me this, "Paris, there were times during my marriage where I was convinced I married the wrong man, but instead of leaving I stayed and persevered. I know now that I married the right man, make sure you tell your husband that you are confident in your decision to marry him and that he is the perfect man for you." I will listen to that advise. Life is so short, if you love someone, tell them.

   My grandma was married to my grandpa for 50+ years. She loved him, supported him, cared for him, and encouraged him through every good time and bad. That woman is one of the few people I know who actually take their vows seriously. My grandma loved my grandpa through everything and she stayed by his side no matter. I am so proud of my grandma, she is such a strong woman. She has been such a great example of how a wife should love her husband. I have learned and will continue to learn a lot from her example.

"Thank you Jesus for your strength and your peace. Thank you for loving me and protecting me. I pray that you will overwhelm my friends and family with your peace and strength. Please be with us through  every step of the way. I love you. Amen."

 
 
 

Concrete Slide

   I am currently in the beautiful city of Okinawa, Japan. I have had so much fun being with family friends and surrounded by three beautiful little girls; Nevaeh (7), Sydney (5), and London (2). These girls have been such a joy to be around. I have known them since the day they were born so it has been great to see their personalities start to develop. As I have spent more time here I have learned that Sydney and I have a lot in common.

   Some people were blessed with a characteristic that allows them to learn something simply because they listen. For example, as a child when my mom told to not touch the iron because it was hot, I was the child that had to touch the iron to see for myself if it was hot. There are some people out there that were the type of child that just listened and learned and never had to get burned in the process. Both Sydney and I, sadly, are not those kind of people. 

   The children's parks in Okinawa are so amazing! Some of the adventures in the park make me worry a little bit for the children's safety. For example, the slide that the majority of the kids love is a concrete slide. It is a very steep drop and the whole slide is made out of thick, hard concrete that has a little dip at the end. If you slide down the ride like you are supposed to, with your legs out in front of you, then when you get to the end, the dip in the concrete will give you a little bounce to your feet. Now if you were to go down head first...then once you reached the dip you would either bust your lip open or crack your chin open on the concrete. Not the safest idea. The picture below is of me, Nevaeh and Sydney all on top of the concrete slide before we head down. You can see how big of a drop it is. 

           (Click to Enlarge)

   Me, the three girls and their mother Jennifer all went to the park today. Jennifer and I watched as the girls played on the slide over and over again. They were having a great time. One time as the girls were about to go down the slide, both girls flipped over so they were going head first. Jennifer had to yell to get their attention to stop and sit normally. All Jennifer has to do with Nevaeh is explain what could happen if she went down the wrong way and Nevaeh will never try that again. Sydney...and myself...it's a whole different story. We are the kind of people where we have to go down the slide head fist and get all beat up to understand that we shouldn't do that. Thankfully, that was not a lesson that Sydney had to learn today. 

   I love Sydney so much, the thought of her getting hurt makes me sick to my stomach. Tonight I prayed for Sydney and her sweet heart. I know there are so many heart aches I could have saved myself if I just would have listened to the people who love me. Sydney is a free spirit and I know that she is going to grow up and do amazing things and I also know that she is going to have to learn some hard lessons the hard way. Knowing that Sydney is a lot like me, I am going to pray even more for her...HARD. Today I prayed that God would help her make good choices and that He would protect her future.  

   Life is kind of like a concrete slide. If you go down correctly, the way God designed it, then, although it may be a little bumpy, it will be fun and exciting. If you don't go down the correct way and disobey God, then you will slide out of control and will end up a little beaten up at the end of the ride. 

(Paris and Sydney)

"Thank you Jesus for the opportunity to be in Okinawa, Japan. Thank you for allowing me the time to be with these beautiful girls. I pray God, today, for my little Sydney Bella. I pray that you will protect her future and help her make good choices. I pray that you send good people in her life to help her make those good decisions and be there when she falls. I pray that you will keep her strong. I love you. In Jesus' name. Amen." 

 

City of Lights

   I cannot believe that it has been a year since my Ugandan adventure. It seems like just yesterday I was playing with the children in that bright red dirt. It was so difficult for me to leave all those children behind, MY children. There is not a day that goes by that I do not think about them and miss them so much. This time last year I remember being so overwhelmed with Los Angeles and all the busyness that came with it. Although there were difficult times in Tororo, Uganda, I thrived there, that was my home. Before I left Uganda I made a promise, a promise to myself and all of the babies. I promised that I would build them a home, a home that would keep them safe, that would take care of them, a home that would love them. I came back to Los Angeles with a mission. I would keep my promise.

   Although I was overwhelmed with the busy streets of Los Angeles, I never lost sight of the promise I made, my mission. With hard work, the help of family and friends, I raised the money I needed to build my Ugandan babies a home. It was a dream come true to know that these children were going to have a place to call home. When the dream to build a baby home came to my heart I immediately drew a design of what I wanted it to look like on a napkin. I have zero artistic ability when it comes to drawing and I have no architectural knowledge what so ever. So I did not think that my vision of a baby home was actually going to become a reality, but it did. I took my pathetic drawing to an architect and he gave me a professional blue print of what would be City of Lights Baby Home. I was shocked and so excited! I was talking to my good friend Alicia today and she reminded of something about our God. Alicia reminded me that God loves to surprise us with His goodness. She used the example of when a parent buys something for their child for Christmas that the child really wants, but doesn't think that they will get. The look of surprise and joy on the child's face when they receive that gift is what makes it all worth it. I did not think that my exact dream and design would come to pass, but God surprised me. Not only did my dream of building a baby home come to pass, but it is the EXACT design that I drew on that napkin. My dream was God breathed and was coming true! City of Lights Baby Home is still currently being built, but it is set to be completed in February 2014.

(Click to Enlarge)

   I cannot wait to go back to Uganda to see the completed baby's home. Since I left Uganda, Smile Africa and Pastor Ruth have rescued a number of more babies. I am so excited that they will have a place to grow up and receive the care and love that they deserve. This is just the first of many. My plan is to build City of Lights Baby Home's all over the world. I am a girl on a mission, sent by God. It will be done. 

"Thank you Jesus for surprising me with your goodness. Thank you for believing in me and always keeping the dream alive in my heart. I love you. Amen." 

 

Awakening the Lioness

   When I first came home from Africa, everyone had a lot of questions to ask me. People would ask the basic questions.."how long were you there? What did you do? What did you eat? Where did you sleep?...and my personal favorite...Did you wake up and there were like lions outside your window?" My answer to that..."umm not exactly!" Although I never quite had the pleasure of waking up to roaring lions, I did get to go on a safari and see many lions. They are such beautiful, powerful creatures. And believe it or not, I am learning that we can actually learn a lot from these magnificent animals. 

  I am currently reading a devotional book by Lisa Bevere called "Lioness Arising". This is such an inspiring book. It is encouraging us to go after the visions that God has put inside each of us, teaching us what it means to be dangerous and fully awake, and how to use our strength for service, not for status. In the chapter that I was reading today, it was encouraging me to be careful who I share my God-given visions with. I need to be careful that I do not seek input or advice about my missions in Africa with people who do not share the same faith that I have, or understand the dream in my heart. I can share my passion with everyone, but it would not be fair of me to expect them to have all the answers, that would make me wrong, not them. If I want helpful advise, then I need to seek wisdom from someone who has walked this path before. It would be more beneficial for me to share my vision with some who has a similar vision and faith. 

   The same goes for you too. No matter your purpose in life, it would be to your benefit to ask someone who shares the same goals and dreams that you have, someone that has maybe already accomplished something similar to what you hope to accomplish. For example, Sarah and Sally are great friends. Sally has a dream of opening a fashion company. Sarah has a different dream of running a dog grooming store. It would not be beneficial for Sally to ask Sarah's advice on the best way to start a fashion company, in the same regard, it would not benefit Sarah to ask Sally which shampoos are best for poodles. Does that make sense?

   God has placed specific dreams in our hearts, visions that are unique to each of us as individuals. What I am beginning to notice is that when I have a dream or a vision for something, rarely do I see all the struggle, time, and perhaps money it will take to accomplish it. I only see the end goal. As I am walking down the path and there are struggles, I tend to get frustrated and even distracted. I will even doubt myself and doubt the vision that God placed inside me. I will say things like "Maybe I didn't understand God right. Maybe I shouldn't do this." That doubt and negativity will distract you from the end goal. It is in those hard times that I have to remember that God's word is true. Numbers 23:19 (NIV) says, "God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" 

   The vision that God has placed in your heart is there for a reason! Do not give up! Even when things get difficult and it seems impossible, keep going. God is not a God who would lie! His promises endure forever! It's time to awaken the fierce lion or lioness inside you. Do not give up on things that seem difficult, stay the course. You will come out victorious. 

"Thank you Jesus for a new day. Thank you for never giving up on us. I pray that you will awaken the lioness in each of us. Keep us strong. Help us stay the course that You have designed for us. When things in life get difficult, I pray that we would seek You first in all things. We love you! Amen."

Raise the Roof

"Arise, shine for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light,  and kings to the brightness of your dawn." Isaiah 60:1-3

   When I was in my freshman year of high school, a teacher prophesied over my life. She had told me that God had chosen me for a specific purpose. That God had told her that He was going to use me to be a light in a dark place, that there was a generation that would be looking to me. When she told me that I was a little confused. God has given all of us a purpose and a destiny, one that is special and unique for each of us. At 15 years old I was unsure of what exactly God had in store for me. 

   6 years later...it is making a little more sense. I would not say that I have everything figured out, but I would say that I am beginning to make sense of what my teacher said 6 years ago. I am so excited to tell you that City of Lights Baby home is almost finished! We now have a roof! When I saw the picture of the home, I was speechless. I was in my car when I got an e-mail from Pastor Ruth that had pictures of the progress of the home. I could not believe my eyes! I pulled the car over and praised God for what He is doing in Tororo Uganda. It was at the moment that I remembered the prophesy from when I was 15 years old. When I named the home City of Lights, I wasn't even thinking about what my teacher had said..."God is going to use you to be a light in dark place..." This baby home is a light in a dark place. In the midst of devastation, abuse, abandonment, and heart ache is where we built City of Lights Baby home, where we can care for, nurture, educate, and love babies all over Uganda. City of Lights Baby Home is the light in the midst of a dark place. 

   Here are some pictures of the baby home now. It is not yet completed, but we are sooo close! These babies now have a roof over their heads. Praise Jesus!

(Click to enlarge!)

   

   God never ceases to amaze me. He has planned everything so perfectly and I am so excited and overwhelmed with joy to see all the children that God is going to bless us with. Currently, we have 8 babies that are waiting for our home to be complete. God has entrusted me, at 21 years old, with 8 of HIS children...what an honor that I have been given... and even more so...what a HUGE responsibility. The choices that I make every day are going to affect those innocent lives that are now in my care. 

"Jesus, thank you for all that you are doing in Uganda. I pray for the 8 babies that we already have and the others that we do not know about yet. I pray, God, that you will open our eyes to see more that need our help. Please protect our children and all the staff. Thank you for blessing us. We love you! Amen"

*We still need your help! Please donate to www.smileafrica.org. I can't do this without you. Every dollar counts! Thank you!

 
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Welcome Home

   Well I made it home safely. It felt so weird to only be there for a week. Saying good-bye to my kids after such a short time was heart breaking. I'll be back soon though, so that makes it better. My last day in Uganda was spent in Kampala. I got to visit one of the kids that I sponsor named Joe. This little boy has gotten so big. I was in Uganda when this sweet little boy was rescued as an infant. I was 17 years old and I will never forget that day. Now, 4 years later, this boy has grown into a loved and healthy little boy.

   I spent as much time as I could with this sweet boy. It was so good to see him again. Once my time was up at the village I got in the van and headed back to the hotel so that I could pack. The only thing that I could think about was my last walk through the red dirt. 

   It was a bitter sweet feeling to get on the plane and head back to Los Angeles. I was excited to go home, but also sad to be away from my children. I was really going to miss them. I had an amazing trip. I didn't think that God was going to use me in the ways that he did in such a short amount of time. I was hoping that, even though it was a brief trip, that God would be able to use me to do big things for His kingdom. He did. I love every second that I am in Uganda. In Uganda, I thrive. Something awakens inside me and its unstoppable. 

   People ask me all the time if it is hard to be in Uganda and see all the things that I see. To be honest, it is way harder coming home than it is going. It is really hard for me to relate to people here once I get back to Los Angeles. My heart is just in a different place than most people that live in my city. While some people here are worried about their cell phones breaking, the newest iphone, the newest car someone is driving...I'm worried about Bogere, Clovis, and the other children that have stolen my heart. Patience... patience is key in surviving Los Angeles.  

"Jesus thank you so much for allowing me to go to Uganda and be with my children. Thank you for using me in many ways. Please give me the patience that I need to survive Los Angeles. Thank you for loving me unconditionally. Please protect my children. Thank you for City of Lights baby home and all the babies that will be rescued. I love you! Amen."