Time for the return.

Since returning home not a moment has gone by that I don't think of the people I met, places I saw, and moments I experienced during my time in Uganda. I have spent the last four months working more than I ever have before to earn the money I need to get back to the place God has called me to. Now it's time for the return. Seven weeks from today I will be on a plane headed back to see the people and places I fell in love with. I have been very proud of myself for doing it all by myself, but God never ceases to teach me something....this time the lesson is humility. I am realizing there is no way I can do this by myself. Not last time, not this time, and not the next time! Number one, I need HIM, and he is always faithful! I also need you. Although, I have earned the money for my plane ticket, housing, food, and transportation for about six months, I am not going to Uganda to just eat and sleep :) So please take a second to read about a few of the things I need funding for!

:Meet Mathias:: 

Mathias is a little boy who lives in the village of Zirobwe! He is such a strong, sweet little dude  who became one of my best friends during our stays in the village. Mathias has huge sores, unlike anything I have ever seen, all over his legs. The closest hospital is about an hour away and I would love to take him to see a doctor so he can receive the care and medical attention he deserves. Cost- (incl. transport, dr. visit, medicine)$50, can you help?

::Meet my favorite little neighbors::

These little guys and girls are who I spent every night with outside my house! The joy that I have received from each one of these precious ones is unmatched. This picture is from when my friend Amy and I thought a day at the pool would be a nice treat for our new best friends. This was the first time for every single one of them to go swimming...praise God there was a kiddie pool! To us here in America, spending a day at the pool is no big deal, but to these children it was a memory they will NEVER forget. I would love to take them again. 

Cost- $15

::Meet Silverstar and family::

This is Silverstar (the child I sponsor through Empower A Child) with his sisters and grandma in front of their home in the village of Zirobwe. I would love to provide a few necessities to the family to help them out. Things they could use would be bags of rice, beans, new water cans, and new mattresses. Cost- $50 to $75.

::Meet Raphael and his soccer team::

This is Raphael and some of the boys on his soccer team. Raphael has a beautiful wife and three beautiful children. He is the pastor of a church in a suburb of Kampala. Along with his fathering and pastoring roles, Raphael coaches a soccer team for boys in his community. This team is doing much more than training good soccer players, it is building up the character, confidence, and the future of these boys. As you can see they are playing with bare feet. I would love to provide shoes for the boys and a nice treat Raphael for all the great work he is doing.

Cost- $50 to $100 

These are just a few of the things I would like to do during my upcoming trip to Uganda. Please let me know if you can help in any way! Thank you so much for your time, support, and prayers. I appreciate YOU.

With all my love,

Sarah Mae Bowman

I am a horrible blogger.

As of this coming Thursday I will have been in Uganda for one month....I have only written once since I have been here. I think this fact puts me in the category of horrible bloggers but I will try my best to update you on what is going on in my mind while I am here in the "Pearl of Africa!".... Cameras are great but I don't think pictures can do this place justice. This place excites all of my senses...not always in the best way, but they are definitely awakened. The dirt is rich and red and the streets are filled with small shops to buys sodas, stands where men are cooking chapati, and kids running around with old tires they are using as toys. The air smells of fire and you can aways hear some annoying animal in the background mixed with loud music playing from the next street over. The sun beats down so strong in the day and at night stars litter the sky like you have never seen before. Too much for a camera to capture. I love this place. It is hard to love two places so much. I love home and when I think about home I miss it a lot, but it is hard to think about leaving this new place that I will be calling home for the next five months. Here at Empower A Child, the organization I am working with, we go on different projects each day. Some days we go to elementary schools, other days babies homes, or a juvenile home. As much as I love the different projects my favorite one isn't actually a project at all...it's our neighbors. After spending all day at our projects we come home tired and worn out but I can't pass those kids without the urge to go out with chalk or crayons and paper in hand to spend some quality time with my favorite kids. When I go outside and see those children smile I feel that every challenge or emotion I go through while I am here is worth it. I so much enjoy going to the shop next door and talking with all the men sitting outside as they tell me about their language or all the other muzungus (white people) they have met before. I pray as I live in community with these people that I could be a vessel of God's love and nothing more. I am feeling growth. It doesn't always feel good. There are times when I feel so insignificant here. I don't know the culture or the language which makes it so easy to do things wrong. I am realizing that in reality I am insignificant but through Christ I have been made worthy and good enough. Currently, I am listening to a worship song and the lyrics say "I give it all to you God, trusting that you will make something beautiful out of me." I think that fits my present thought very well. I am so unworthy but when surrendered to God we are made beautiful and he can totally use us even in our insignificance. It makes me think of Moses when he told God he wasn't a eloquent speaker, but isn't it God who even allows us to speak? This is something I am learning with some real life experience. This post has been quite random and spontaneous, I am sorry for that...but at least I am posting something, right? Next time (hopefully sooner than later) I will bring you some interesting stories! Thank you for your continued support and prayer for this journey I am on. With all my love, Sarah Mae Bowman

I'm here!!!

Jet lag has gotten the best of me. It's 2:55am here in Uganda and I am awake so I thought I would take the time to tell you about my time thus far.

I arrived to Uganda on Thursday. After landing I proceeded to the baggage claim of Entebbe airport, which was probably the smallest airport I have ever been to. My bags of course were the last to come out...but I was so incredibly thankful that they had made it all the way! Next came customs. Much easier than I thought. I walked out the door and right in front of me stood a man with a sign that read "SARAH BOWMAN." That man is Collin, he works here at Empower A Child in the missions department. He greeted me with a big smile and a hug and we were on our way to Kampala. Collin drove and I listened to him sing praise songs as I looked out the window to take in all I could see. The drive was about 45 minutes to this place I will now call home. There I was introduced to Jayan, who is the volunteer coordinator. She showed me aroung the place and left me to begin unpacking. The other westerners were napping when I arrived...I am glad we have to love of a good nap in common. Dinner time came soon. At that time I met all the other westerners. Kelsey, Stephanie, and Craig who are all from the states and Mick who is from Austraila. After the power went out...which has already happened multiple times here I decided it was a good time to play "would you rather" for a little ice breaker. You can only take so much of that game so we all retired to bed. Devotions were at 8am the next morning. We start our days together as a team and go devos together. Now we were off to our first project of the day at a primary school. We arrived and began making porridge for the students. I wasn't much help starting the fire or getting the porridge ready so I played with some of the street kids! After a while the students came out and we all sang songs together (even some Shakira! WAKA WAKA)! I still have one of the songs stuck in my head..."Do you want to know me? Oh yeah. My name is Sarah. Oh yeah. I come from America. Oh yeah. Oh yes I do do do!" We than played a few games with them. One girl was attached to me the whole time, always holding my hand, I love it. She than found a great interest in the hairtie on my wrist so I gave it to her. Her face lit up as she put it on. It's amazing the things that bring these children joy. When we were done at the primary school we went to a secondary school. By the way primary is like elementary and secondary is like high school. There we put on a bible study for the kids who chose to join us on their lunch hour. All in all it was a great day. I know I have missed so much but I have 5 1/2 months to keep you updated :) Tomorrow is Saturday so that means a free day. I think I will go out and play with our little neighbors! Love you all. Continued thanks for your love and support!

Sarah

Packing, God's goodness, and THANK YOU.

I'm sitting here staring at the massive piles of clothing I have on my couch as I attempt to pack for six months...this is proving to be a difficult task, so I thought I could use a short break to write my first post :)

In three short days I will be in route to Kampala, Uganda. So many things have been racing through my mind during this last week of preparation. I think that might explain how I locked myself out of the house the other day (thank the Lord for nice neighbors who have a ladder!) Amidst my stressful state God has continued to blow my mind with his provision. Ephesians 3:20 is so true...God is doing immeasurably more than I could ask or imagine. He is good. Always.

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has supported me on this adventure I am about to embark on. All of your money, prayers, garage sale donations, encouraging words, and big hugs have been such a blessing. I am overwhelmed with support.

What more to say? Check back. I hope to keep you updated on the experiences I encounter while in Uganda. Be prepared for the joyful, wild, unexpected, heartbreaking, heartwarming stories...all for His glory.

With all my love,
Sarah Mae Bowman