Patricia a girl beyond her years

When you find yourself six years olds and you just watched your brother be laid to rest. How do you respond to something so tragic? Your mother is so distraught she can't even stand just cries my boy, my boy. Your brother who was here just a day ago has died, died of a fever. What do you do, where do you find yourself?

This is how it was for Patti. I was there I witnessed it, the tears of her mother, the sadness and unfairness of it all. I was there and wondering how something so little as a fever could kill a little boy the same age as my very own little cousin. But because I was there I can also tell you how Patti responded. With resilience would be the only way to describe it. Some might think she was just to young to understand the sadness of it all, but I think it was really her strength and ability to care. 

Patti has always been a light with her bright smile against her ebony skin. She lives two houses down from the boys home. Most often you can find her there, whether it is for the daycare program that RUHU puts on for village members who can't afford school or when she is just there to play and maybe get a meal from the mommas as well. 

While living in Uganda I would have to walk past Patti's house each night to get home. It became quite a circus! Patti and her sister Sylvia would put on a show. I would be walking past and Patti calls out Aunt Alyssa in her oh so sweet accent. Usually she was either feeding or washing her sister, meanwhile making silly faces at me as I walked by. Later on when it was getting dark and I would be in my apartment making dinner again I would hear Aunt Alyssa! I would go out on my balcony and see sweet little Patti carrying her sister to church. 

You see that is where the strength part comes in, she is a leader. She may not know it yet but she is going to do great things in this world. 

And the great thing is that so many of the kids at RUHU are going to do such amazing things someday. They have dreams and they aren't afraid to chase them. They were given a chance and they are forever thankful for it. 

I am so pleased to share with you that Patti is now attending school. Because of a generous sponsor she is now in school.

Without generous sponsors none of the kids would be where they are today. So we thank all of you! Everyone who has supported in anyway. Through prayer, going and volunteering, sponsoring a child, donating item, giving financial support, or sending your love in any way possible. We thank you without all of you none of this would be possible. 

We do have more children of RUHU that do need sponsors, while on our mission trip to Uganda this June. We hope to get an updated story and pictures of those who still need sponsors. Then I hope to share it with all of you! 

I also encourage you to go check out these websites learn more about Beautiful Response and RUHU. 

*Beautiful Response is a non-profit in the United States that helps find sponsors for the children. They also do more so go check out there organization.

*RUHU was started by Patrick a Ugandan with such a big heart that wants to help as many people as possible. Praise God for his and William's giving hearts.

Thanks all for reading

Mukama akuwe omukisa- God bless you

Love,

Auntie Alyssa

Items for the children

I hope today finds you all well. This past weekend we had our brat fry to raise funds for the mission trip we will be taking to Uganda. While Friday was very cold and rainy...we had great help and really had a great turnout. Saturday the weather was beautiful and we were so busy we couldn't even keep up (would rather this than no one come at all)
I want to thank everyone that came and got some food and supported our cause.

While working hard all weekend we had some time to brainstorm and talk with Patrick in Uganda and Sonja from Beautiful Response on things they need. We came up with this package we would be putting together for the children on the streets

And this is a list of the things we will all be collecting for the RUHU children and street children. 

Items for Uganda mission trip

RUHU kids

-        Gently used backpacks

-        Books for all ages (not super American ones like A Snowy Day)

-        Bars of soap

-        Washcloths

-        Flip flops or crocs (all sizes)

-        Sanitary pads for girls

-        Clothes (all sizes)

-        Coloring books

-        Crayons/colored pencils

-        Toys (on the smaller side)

-        Tooth Brush

-        Tooth Paste

-        School Supplies

o   Pencils

o   Pens

Street kids

-        Cinch back packs

-        Bars of soap

-        Tooth Brush

-        Tooth Paste

-        Protein Bar or On the go Peanut Butter

-        Washcloth

-        New Testament Bibles

-        Shirt (size Youth L-Adult M)

This is what we have come up with any donations are greatly appreciated! We will have a box at Bethel CRC that items can be dropped off at. Otherwise my house will work as well! Anyone feel free to email me with any questions amp9461@gmail.com

Thank you for the help and please keep our team in your prayers. Please share with friends! 

Also we leave June 2nd! Stay posted I will hopefully be blogging to keep you all updated while in country 

As always, Yesu Akwagala-Jesus Loves You, 

Love, Auntie Alyssa

Send Me

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

The time is approaching come June 2nd myself and a group will be headed back to Uganda. These past couple weeks have been tough, I feel as though God has been pulling on my heart strings, creating in me ache for Uganda and for the smiling faces I miss so much. I was able to talk to a friend and he was headed back with a group this past week. They were working on building a church in the new Village of Hope. This team comes a couple times a year and proceeds to accomplish so much while there. They are truly such a great blessing to RUHU. With hearts fully for the Lord and a willingness to serve I am so glad I was able to meet them my last time in Uganda. Also this past week my dear friend Becca headed back. You see I was already missing Uganda and then Jake going back made me miss it a little more, but Becca knowing that she was headed back too just made my heart ache. You see I had the pleasure of living with this young lady for a month while in Uganda and now see her as such a great friend. In that short month we experienced so much together. We managed power outages, village riots, she hugged my while I cried when finding out my grandpa had cancer, she checked on me in the night when I was so sick, we laughed and prayed together. Becca has such a heart to follow Christ even when that means leaving family and friends, but I think that is because she truly knows how rewarding it is.

But ultimately I know that my time to be back in Uganda will be here soon, and that it will all be on God's perfect timing. I know that God is already preparing the hearts of those we will be coming on contact with. It is my prayer that God would give us the words to speak, put is in the right places, and use us to be part of furthering His great kingdom. When I return to Uganda in June I am grateful to be able to share this experience with 9 other people. Most of whom will be experiencing out of country missions for the first time.

Some of the things we hope to do on this trip include. First of all spreading the love of Christ wherever we go. We also want to be able to serve others. Some ways we will be doing that is by doing some cleaning in the children's home, going to the slums to feed street children and offer wound care, doing a prayer walk through the government hospital, evangelizing in the new village of hope, and doing any other tasks that may be placed in front of us.

We have a couple fundraisers coming up specifically for this mission trip we will be taking. April 10th and 11th we will be doing a brat fry at the Waupun Piggly Wiggly serving time is from 10-6 both days.
Also we will be doing a Pizza Ranch fundraiser night on Monday May 11th. I believe serving is from 5-close. Both fundraisers are a great way to take a night off of cooking and enjoy some great food, while supporting our mission trip.

We will also be having the basketball fun night Council vs youth again this year. A meal will be served before the game. And a bake sale during half time of the game. The proceeds go to the youth group and the mission trip. Date is looking to be April 22nd. Specific dates and times can be found in the next week on my Facebook or the church bulletin.
**correct date April 29th. Meal begins at 5:30 game at 6:30**

I want to say thanks for all the support I have had on my last trips to Uganda, and I'm so excited to share it with others and just ask that if God puts it on your heart to support us you would consider doing so. If you are not able to make it to these events but would still like to make a donation checks can be made payable to BYPS and put in my church mail box or mailed to me. You can email if you need my address at amp9461@gmail.com
Also I will have a list in the near future of things we will be collecting to take along for the kids!

As you can see receiving gifts brings much joy and thankfulness. (Clothes were for his twin brother as well)

Prayer Warriors

I have been blessed to meet lots of new friends through missions. And also am so blessed to be part of a Christian community. And I know many of you are great prayer warriors, and that is exactly what I am looking for. This is a shout out to all my prayer warriors!

This past week I arrived at youth group with a tiny thought in my head..I was thinking of possibilities for our youths' mission trip this summer. I tentatively brought it up to Dave and Bryant..I said what are the chances that we could take the youth to Uganda this summer. And good ole Dave goes I don't see why not!

I was stoked!!! So once all the kids were seated and eating their awesome Tony's pizza, I go over a couple things with them and then ask sooo what would you guys think of going to Uganda for your mission trip this summer? I think their jaws dropped then I get an are you serious??? It starts getting louder as the excitement builds. All around we had a very good positive answer of students wanting to go. One girl even asks how serious this is cause she really doesn't want to get her hopes up. I told her I am completely serious but we do need parents to be okay with it.

For those of you reading this do you remember your first out of country mission trip? Remember how it changed your entire life in so many different ways! And for those of you who have not experienced this I truly hope some day you will or that you take that leap of faith and come with us!

So my prayer warriors I am asking that you pray that the hearts of the parents of these students would open and that they would trust in God to keep their child safe. Pray that God opens doors to making this trip possible. And that he would prepare the way for us and the hearts of those we will come in contact with. 

I believe that we serve an awesome and powerful God. Now I also understand that being safe is important too. And that would be a top priority while in country. 

I am not a mom so in a way I do not understand how hard it must be to let your child leave and go and trust that they will be safe. I do know that I thank my parents for letting me go. For understanding that I would rather be at the center of God's will than safe with my parents. 

So no I am not a mom and I may not fully understand the struggle but I have been called mom and I know that I love the kids at RUHU just as much as you parents love your kids. And it is just as hard for me to leave them as it is for you to let your child leave.

Lets all take this leap of faith together and trust that God will go before us and prepare the way. 

May God Bless,

Auntie Alyssa