Friday, May 25, 2012

Another great day in Uganda!! Waswa picked us up at 8:00 this morning to go chapel at Covenant School. It's so cute seeing the kids when we arrive anywhere that they are. We walked into the church and the clapping and yelling from the kids...sure makes your heart so smile. Someone even said that this might be what Brad Pitt feels like when their fans see him!!! (Mark) It was a wonderful morning with them. They sang songs, recited their Bible verses....it was such a special morning. We took Darby to the ladies sewing area where they got the sewing things organized and ready for Monday morning. Brandi and Jennifer started "Pink". Ted, Mark, Deanna, Kristyn, Madison and I went with Sarah and Esther to see Mama Sarah to see where we could start our first "Key Hole Garden". We talked about it then decided to just "do it". We found a spot and started working!! We laid out the garden using twine then we found some "bricks" and started stacking ( we hope the rain doesn't mess up the bricks)!! So it is started!! We found where we will get our manure on Monday and we will start collecting the cans and straw...we are getting there!!! We went to Mama Aidah's for lunch....it was great as usual. Christopher fixed us spaghetti....oh we are eating well!!! We have been organizing supplies and planning our American lunch for the families tomorrow,, we are now waiting for Waswa to bring Vicky over to have a sleep over....it should be fun!!! Well that's all for today....we send all of you love and hugs from Beautiful Uganda!! Becky. Ted Deanna. Madison Kristyn. Mark Jennifer.Brandi Darby

WE ARE HERE!!!!

GREETINGS FROM UGANDA,

WOW...what a week!!!!....and.....what a GREAT TEAM!!!!

We all met at Bush Intercontintal Airport in Houston at 3:00 on Monday, May 2.  Checked in...made it with all of our bags weighing in at 50lbs or less....YEA!!!

Our flight left that evening at 6:30ish...flew to Dubai....14 1/2 hours!!!  Believe it or not it was not a bad flight.  Emerites is the airline to go with!!  The food was very good, good movies and I had two great neighbors....Ted :) and a sweet man from Pakistan.  The time really went by fast.  We landed around 7:30ish on Tuesday night.  We got to the hotel around 9:00 pm and had dinner.  We went outside of the hotel around 10:00 and two taxi drivers gave us a DEAL on a tour around the city....and it really did end up being a great time!!!  Dubai is a beautiful city but a night it is spectacular!!!  We saw the world's tallest building, the water fountan show, the world's largest mall, the only 7 star hotel in the shape of a sail boat (no, we did not stay there!), walked on the beach along the Perisian Gulf and then we saw the Atlantis Aquarium (at no charge because it was night!!))  Such a great night...got back to the hotel and to bed by 1:30ish then up at 5:00 for breakfast then off to the airport!!!  Arrived in Entebbe around 12:30 (it's Wednesday).  Glenn and Morris were there to pick us up...Aida is still recuperating from surgery so she wasn't there, we really miss her.  We left Entebbe about 2:00, stopped at Joyce's new school in Kampala to visit with her....it was wonderful to see her.  We are so proud of her!!  Then on to Ling Lings for lunch.  Made it to Mbale at 8:30 pm....they had dinner for us....yes, we are eating so much and it is all good!!!

Today....Thursday, May, 24:

Got up and met downstairs for breakfast around 8:00.  After breakfast we met in the Wanale Hut for prayer time before we left for the school.  We went by the school and the IChooseYou office to pick Sarah up.  Then headed over to see the mamas....yes, the greeting was AMAZING as always....they are so full of joy and love!!  We then went to Namatala to see everyone there.....oh, yes, kids, kids, kids and more kids and mamas....visited some of the IChooseYou homes.  The team was spending the day getting their "feet wet" just learning and seeing the area that we will be working in.  After spending several hours in Namatala we went to Glenn's Internet Cafe, Chat and Chino, to have lunch.  After lunch we went back to the school to see the kiddos during their break and then after school.  Oh, man.....what fun!!!!!!  They have grown so  much....well, it has been a year...but, oh, they are so big.  A lot of pictures were taken and a lot of love exchanged!!

Now, what you all have been waiting for....Baby Loru...now Baby David.
He is the cutest little thing you have ever seen...growing so much.  It was so amazing holding a little miracle today!!!  God is so good....seeing this little miracle and being able to hold him...what a blessing.  I LOVE this little boy....thank you Jesus for sharing this awesome time with us!!!!

Well, we have had dinner tonight and after a long while TRYING to get on the internet and hopefully I am still connected and will not lose this blog post...it is time for bed....will update tomorrow!!!

Love, hugs and blessings from Mbale, Uganda,

Becky
Ted
Madison
Deanna
Kristyn
Jennifer
Brandi
Darby
Mark

IChooseYou Fundraiser

I want to invite everyone to the

SECOND ANNUAL ICHOOSEYOU FUNDRAISER
SATURDAY EVENING, MARCH 31
6:30 pm
CYPRESS CREEK CHURCH
WIMBERLEY, TEXAS

It is going to be a fun night with

Live Music
A Djembe Band...COME DRUM FOR FUN...from Ausin
Silent Auction
Beautiful hand-made items for sale by that IChooseYou Moms
IChooseYou T-Shirts
Stories and updates from last years trip
Amazing food...catered by MY MOTHER'S DAUGHTER CATERING and TEXAS ROADHOUSE

Tickets are only $15.00 per person
Tickets available at Cypress Creek Church...512-847-1222

DON'T MISS THE FUN....YOU WON'T BE SORRY YOU CAME!!!

ALL MONEY RAISED GO TOWARDS, SCHOOL SHOES, BACKPACKS,MEDICAL SUPPLIES AND WHAREVER ELSE GOD HAS PLANNED!!!

Hope o see you there!!!

Becky

I missed someone!!!

One more lady that will be joining us is Lauri Bunch!!! This will be Lauri's 2nd trip and she brings so much with her!!! She has taught at a private Christian school in Austin for several years and is an amazing teacher!!! The children love her and are already excited to have her back with us this year! I'm sorry for the mistake but that is what happens when you can't sleep and you blog at 3:00 in the morning!!!

Good night all :)

HOW TIME FLYS!!!

It's hard to believ that we are gearing up to go back to Uganda!! Plans are being made and the team is set and we are so excited to see just what God is going to do this summer. We have 16 people going this year...some will be stayingfoes 2 weeks, some for a month and some for 6 weeks!!! we are hoping to have a medical team ready for us to put on two 2 days clinics in the Village of Namatala...they say that we will have THOUSANDS come through the clinic...I love seeing how God works these things out Nd puts a team together to help these wonderful people...people that have become our family. I'm not real sure what this will look like, I just know that the doctors and nurses said for us to be ready foe anything!!

We will of course spen time with our IChooseYou families and the children...I can't wait to see them all...they grow so much in a year. Right ow we have 46 children in school and hopefully will add 4 more this summer.

Our IChooseYou moms are still very busy sewing and making jewelry and doing so well with that work. They are so dedicated and work so hard. We are so proud of them. Darby is hoping to spend some real quality time with them this year taking them away to a new location and away from distractions so that they can concentrate better and so that they can feel a little special...because...these ladies ARE SO SPECIAL.

Brandi will be taking "Pink"....our ladies Bible study...to them again this year. This is such a blessing to the ladies...something that they look so forward to!

It is such a blessing to have 7 people return with us again this year!!! Darby Burleson, Brandi Silva and Deanna Duke will be returning for there 3rd year!!! Haley Littmannwill be returning for her 4th year, Callie Eacret returning for her 2nd year with hopes and dreams of returning for several months next January. Then there is Ted Ball returning for his 5th year...at the age of almost 82, the children probably wouldn't let us in the country without him...what a true blessing he is to the team and especially to the our IChooseYou family! Then this will be my 7th trip over to my "second" home...how blessed I am!!!

We have some amazing new faces on our team this year...Mark Muhlstien...yea another man!!! He will bring so much knowledge and so much love to the team,,,yea Mark!!! Also Kristyn Kicey, a graduating senior at Texas State will be ging foe the first time and will be staying foe 2 months....how exciting!! Next is Jennifer Thames....an amazing person, wife and super mom!! She will be graduating fromTexas State in May with a degree in accounting....oh is she needed....what a blessing she is!!! Then we have the life and the energy of the team...TEXAS STATE STUDENTS...Madison Nye...dance and theater major....will the kids love that!!! David Booth...no words to describe him....singer/songwriter...the Pied Piper with the kids..then we have Kady Gill and Scott Perez joining us with their energy, love and enthusiasm!!!! Also to friends fromKaty Texas will bw joining us....Haley and Scotty Jones....brother and sister that are amazing!!! 2nd year back or oth of them...Haley was with us some is last year....can't wait..It's going to be an amazing trip.

We would all love your prayers from May 21 - July 11. We know that we need your prayers and we as one them....this is not our team, our trip, or our IChooseYou ministry....it all belongs to our Lord...how blessed we are to be ale to be a part of this oth Him!!!

Now...would you like to join us and be a part of the big picture???? You are needed!!!

We are having our 2nd IChooseYou dinner and fundraiser on Saturday, March 31...6:30 at Cypress Creek Curch in Wimberley...tickets are just $15.00 each. What do you get for that $15.00 you ask...wonderful dinner catered by My Mother's Daughter Catering and Texas Roadhouse...Live entertainment....2 different bands; Chris Kipp and then a band from Austin that plays the African Djembe's....so cool!!! We will have a silent auction...IChooseYou t-shirts for sell...the opportunity to sponsor a child. We will have videos and great stories from last years trip. There will be bags, pillow cases and hand-made jewelry from the IChooseYou Mom's Sewing Club!!!! Last year was our first dinner and we had several people say that they had bad so much fun and if they had know what it was all about then they would have brought their friends....sooo...BRING YOUR FRIENDS AND COME HAVE A REALLY FUN EVENING!!!!

I know that is a lot of info....but we have a lot going on...SO COME ON OUT AND JOIN US!!!!

Tickets are being sold after each service the next two weeks, at the church office or from Brandi Silva, Darby Burleson, Emily Dudley or from me!!!! COME JOIN US!!!!

Keep watching foe updates....love and hugs to all of you.

Blessings,
Becky Ball

"For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the people's on the face of the earth to be His people, His treasured possession.".
Deuteronomy 7:6

The Garden and The Well

Hi Everyone,

Hope everyone is doing well....hope you got some rain!!!  We did in Wimberley and are so thankful.

I just wanted to check in with you and let you know all is well with IChooseYou.  I have gotten a couple of emails from Aida and from Sarah.  The children are doing well in school and are healthy and happy.  The mamas are working hard sewing and making jewelry.  We hope to have more items when Morris and Aida come to the states in January. 

Two of my Texas State students, Callie Ecret and Jessica Chapman have started a new facebook page called "The Garden and The Well"...go check it out.  They are wanting to raise money to drill a well in Namatala and to have a garden to feed 400 (yes, 400!!) people!!!  They are doing all of the research and the fundraising so check it out, help out if and however you can and most especially pray for Callie and Jessica and this big project that God has laid on their hearts!!!  Thank you and bless you girls!!!

Also, would appreciate spreading the word that we are looking for sponsors for our sweet little IChooseYou kiddos.  Cost of food, clothing and medical is continuing to go up so if you know of anyone that would love to sponsor a child please send them to the website   http://www.ichooseyou.net/   or email me at ichooseyouministries@gmail.com .

I am working on updating the website...please be patient with me....I am learning as I go.  I've had a sweet lady offer to help me and I am going to call her but I need to find a day to do that!!!

If you all would, I would like to ask you to pray for the following:

1.  Health for our IChooseYou children
2.  Health for our IChooseYou moms, dads and siblings
3.  Continued prayer for Regina...she is better but still not completely healed
4.  Continued prayer for Agnes....she too is better...pray for her salvation and her health (picture of her at bottom of page)
5.  More sponsors for IChooseYou so we can help more children
6.  Baby David (Loru) is doing well...praise God!!!  Have had good reports about him!
7.  Another praise....Sulli, Maureen and the JaJa (Baby David's family) are doing well and are going to church and studying the Word!!
8.  Pray blessing for Pastor Morris, Aida and their family
9.  Blessings for our sweet Sarah that works in our office
10.  Blessings for our IChooseYou Sewing moms and the work of their hands
11.  Blessings and guidance for the new Garden and Well project
12.  Blessings for all of our IChooseYou sponsors and supporters

We all know how important our prayers are for our Ugandan family and for each other...I hope you will join me in prayer for them and for each other.

If you have a prayer request or if you think of something that I have left off, please add it to the blog!!!

Love and blessings to all of you,
Becky

This is a picture of Agnes!!!  She is doing so much better!!  God is so good and He does answer our prayers...please continue to pray for her to KNOW the Lord!!

It's a good day in Namatala!

Good Monday morning!
I have just received an update from Aida (in her words)...

1.  Baby Loru was taken back to the hospital last Friday (Aug. 12) and he had surgery on Saturday, Aug. 13, praise God everything went well!  He is recovering.  The parents are always coming to church and they are thankful.

2.  Agnes continues to improve, and she looks much better, every Sunday she comes to church.

3.  Regina was taken to the hospital and the results showed that she had STI which is something like candida, she was put on medication, but still she is not feeling well.  I think we need to take her back and test for HIV.

4.  Continue to pray for the children and their families.  They are dealing with malaria but getting medication for it.

5.  Continue to pray for us because the price of food is going high every day, it is difficult to budget.

Aida wrote, "Greetings to all of our sponsors, we love you soooooo much, Aida and the IChooseYou family."

Thank all of you for your prayers.  Please continue to lift all of them up and the rest of the IChooseYou children and their families.  As we all know our prayers are all BUT the BEST thing we can do...We love our family in Uganda but the Lord loves them more than we do!!!  As they say in Uganda....God is good all the time...All the time God is good!!!

Becky

 This is Baby Loru/David and Mama in the hospital after his second surgery.

 Agnes....looking very smart!  She is doing so much better!

 Regina getting her CT scan done.

Baby Loru/David and Mama Loru and Papa Sulli...I think this was taken before the last surgery.