At Emmaus ... the roads are much better here

(Sorry for spelling errors, no spell check!!)

I have arrived and been staying at Emmaus Center since Sunday. 

My time with Cornerstone Leadership Development was really wonderful!  I got a private tour with another american girl from the director of Cornerstone of their ranch and all the facilities out there. 

My time in Kampala visiting their homes for street children was very life giving.  It was wonderful to have a tangable chance to tell them how incredibly amazing the programs they are running are!  A real opportunity to encourage!

I have seen countless old friends, they keep popping up in random places!  It is so wonderful to see almost all of the people I really connected with last summer.  I am very much seeing how I am meant to be a net worker with my life.  Even with Cornerstone and Emmaus... they are wanting a stronger connection to each other.  Because I was with Cornerstone, Tom (the director) and I talked about their various needs for their Catholic students.  He asked me to help connect with Emmaus and help facilitate this connect!  :D

The girl's school was a great time of service, fellowship and showing love through servant leadership.  The women at the school are incredible, having faced all forms of poverty and been able to rise above.  They are getting a quality education and are being trained in charater formation through a beautiful program.

Things here at Emmaus are alright.  Communication has been a bit of a challenge at different points.  But oh well, that is life here in Africa for sure!  I am trying to serve as much as I possibly can, but when there is nothing to do I just go and pray.  The thing I like most is how incredibly peaceful it is here.  It is well removed from Kampala and is pretty far from Luwero which is the next "town".  The space is beautiful and the people are very wonderful.

Today one of my hosts/friends has a miscarrage.  Very sad... many of the community members are ill.  When there is no work to do I try to visit with the ones that I know.   I have been able to give my closest friend here the money that she needed to buy her medication she has been going without.  She has been very sick because she hasn't been able to get to the hospital and buy the meds she needs, due to a lack of extra money.  She takes care of her sister's 3 boys!  She is an incredible woman and I could not sit by and let her suffer.

Thank you for your contributions towards my time here in Africa, they are making a tangible difference here on the ground!  I am able to be generous within the means that I have.  There is much joy in this!


Fr. Herald and Dennis from Sudan have been here the last few days.  Actually, the whole time I have been here.  I caught up with Father on Sunday for a bit, and then had breakfast with him on Monday.  He invited me to Kampala with them on Monday, but I stayed to get into my work at Emmaus.  However, on Tuesday I decided to go with them to Kampala... I needed to buy some things and I needed a day without constant communication break downs.  It was a good day, I am very glad I got some quality time with them before they headed back to Sudan.  I was able to meet with Fr. Herald last night and was very blessed to get some time to discuss how I am doing here in Africa and to get some wisdom.  He is a great blessing in my life.  I sent them off this morning, very sure that I will see both of them again.  They are life long friends for sure! 

Tomorrow I will get my schedule of meals with different community families.  It will be a blessing to share time and meals with each of them to learn about their lives here.  While in Kampala I was able to get small treats for each house, I now feel a lot better about being a guest as I am not going empty handed!

Once again... thanks for reading, for your thoughts and prayers and support of my time here in Africa.  I am really loving life here and am learning a lot.  I know that this time will give me a lot of clarity for the future.

Thank you for being part of this Adventure!!!