Just a starter note: The kids of whom provoked me to blog a vent about humanity last post have had a slight turn around. It was fabulous as the other day I was sitting with them when they were drinking tea. They were emotionless, lifeless - as always and with no way of communication I started singing over them. Prophetically.. lil Kim Walker, John Mark, whatever and something broke. The atmosphere shifted and these sweet little kids started to laugh. (and not at my poor singing either. It was more when I stopped, really ;) As a good missionary I accidentally whacked one girl as she was sipping her tea, spilling it everywhere and scalding those near (oops) but it was still lovely as after they just looked deep into my eyes and it was as if there was someone there, for once. This is huge as often you'll look into the eyes of post war children and you'll see NOTHING. It's so bizarre but a coping mechanism for many.
So yes, our time together was bliss. By the end they were making fun of me in unison (maybe it was the spilling of the tea that started it) But I guess they thought my accent was hilarious. (lol no comments plz) and I just loved that they felt comfortable around me, even if it took a while. Anyway, just thought i'd add a happy part two. (Also they're on medication and their feet should be better in a couple weeks)
ON a similar note...last night a boy TOTALLY got healed from deafness! It was such such a treat. I guess I haven't shared the Tororo stories of all the healings there, which was fun too as God really busted a move, but this boy last night was so fun cause I just wasn't expecting it. (Sorry to say)
He was sent to me for prayer during a meeting. He was about ten years old and appeared very stoic and 'strong' doing a poor job of hiding his immense fear of the Mzungu. I grabbed a translator and we asked his hopeless looking mother what was the matter. "He's deaf. He was born deaf and can't hear a thing, not even a little" Crap. Now normally a part of me gets excited when I hear things like that cause I know the possibilities with God, however last night and seeing the look on the mothers face, I just wasn't sure if I was up for the task. I looked around desperate for another Mzungu or Ugandan leader but no one was free. "Don't you have faith?" My translator sorta mocked. Uh. Yes. So I went to start praying for this little boy. Maybe a minute or two passes and the boy gets a surprised look on his face, huge grin and starts nodding. No way, already!? We did some little tests and he could repeat everything from whispers to yells, laughs were exchanged and freedom broke out. COMPLETELY HEALED. It was a lot of fun. I love when Jesus does his thing! Shortly after some friends and I prayed for another man who was mute and he started speaking. He was such a sweety. Yay Jesus.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
Spitting out the bad taste in my mouth
My vent from Northern, Uganda.
Uh, I’m so outraged, yet broken, FRUSTRATED but still raw – all at the same time. What is the value of a human life?
It’s not that high or at least not high enough, I can tell you that much. If you look around the evidence is everywhere and I’m almost out of Kleenex because of it.
Earlier this morning a family was brought to the mission house I’m staying at. Five kids under twelve. They had been living in a camp or “IDP village”. Their fathers an alcoholic, their mothers gone mad and they have no living relatives except an old frail grandfather. They’re in such bad condition they left the camp and were brought here. Just looking at them crumpled my heart. Their feet. Uh, their poor little feet had this fungus on them where their toenails looked like they had been repeatedly slammed in a door and the souls of their feet looked like sand paper. They had ring worm so bad it looked like it was eroding or “chewing off” one girls ear. Scabies COVERED their bodies, worms were in their hands not to mention their big swollen bellies. I felt sick and had to leave the room on occasion to regain composure.
My thought – love them and love them well. Uh. Right. The more time I spent with them the sicker my stomach felt. The two oldest kids went to a school in the camp and got one meal per day but as soon as they’d get it they’d run home with it and give it to the three smaller ones, as, well…it’s all any of them would see of any substance all day. And that’s in the camp.. where they’d run TO. So what have they run from?
I see individuals like this everywhere I go, I don’t know why this family is hitting me so hard. One little boy I saw a couple weeks ago, John. I still don’t want to write about him. But today it’s like, enough. What the heck. I’m just so frustrated at the state of...this.
It’d be soo much easier to look away or at least to separate my heart from the reality. “Self protection”. Mother Teresa always said to “pray for the courage to love” haha. Honestly I don’t know if I’m brave enough.
And I thought I could do Darfur. HA!
Maybe this is prep.
Everyone here has a story of war. Encounters with the LRA. Both locals and foreigners.
Man, no apologies though. I hate it when people tell sad stories to try to get money so in response I’ve often not told stories of families but this is reality (and I haven’t processed it yet so I’m taking it out online. Oh my goodness the cheese)
But really, this isn't a rarity; this is just one of a million. Everyday life. You can’t look at it that way I know, it really is all about the one. But uh. I dunno.
No matter how much I cuddle those kids, and no matter how many funguses I get from them, I still leave in two weeks. On to more faces and families.
I looked down at their maimed little toes once and then over at my French pedicured feet and it felt so..bizarre. Not that I’m apologizing for my pedicure lol it’s just.. Sometimes I realize how little I know of life. In all worlds. First through Third.
Anyways. We bought them shoes and fed them gave ‘em treats. The ministry here has now adopted them as well so their story's not over.
I dunno. It’s hard sometimes. I don't think this is coming out correctly. My written thought processing isn’t always to clear, I will apologize for that.
I should hop over to the market before it gets any later tho. The food here is TERRIBLE and expensive so I'm gonna go see what I can find from somewhere. OI. Life as it comes, the adventure of learning his goodness. Oh Jesus. :)
Uh, I’m so outraged, yet broken, FRUSTRATED but still raw – all at the same time. What is the value of a human life?
It’s not that high or at least not high enough, I can tell you that much. If you look around the evidence is everywhere and I’m almost out of Kleenex because of it.
Earlier this morning a family was brought to the mission house I’m staying at. Five kids under twelve. They had been living in a camp or “IDP village”. Their fathers an alcoholic, their mothers gone mad and they have no living relatives except an old frail grandfather. They’re in such bad condition they left the camp and were brought here. Just looking at them crumpled my heart. Their feet. Uh, their poor little feet had this fungus on them where their toenails looked like they had been repeatedly slammed in a door and the souls of their feet looked like sand paper. They had ring worm so bad it looked like it was eroding or “chewing off” one girls ear. Scabies COVERED their bodies, worms were in their hands not to mention their big swollen bellies. I felt sick and had to leave the room on occasion to regain composure.
My thought – love them and love them well. Uh. Right. The more time I spent with them the sicker my stomach felt. The two oldest kids went to a school in the camp and got one meal per day but as soon as they’d get it they’d run home with it and give it to the three smaller ones, as, well…it’s all any of them would see of any substance all day. And that’s in the camp.. where they’d run TO. So what have they run from?
I see individuals like this everywhere I go, I don’t know why this family is hitting me so hard. One little boy I saw a couple weeks ago, John. I still don’t want to write about him. But today it’s like, enough. What the heck. I’m just so frustrated at the state of...this.
It’d be soo much easier to look away or at least to separate my heart from the reality. “Self protection”. Mother Teresa always said to “pray for the courage to love” haha. Honestly I don’t know if I’m brave enough.
And I thought I could do Darfur. HA!
Maybe this is prep.
Everyone here has a story of war. Encounters with the LRA. Both locals and foreigners.
Man, no apologies though. I hate it when people tell sad stories to try to get money so in response I’ve often not told stories of families but this is reality (and I haven’t processed it yet so I’m taking it out online. Oh my goodness the cheese)
But really, this isn't a rarity; this is just one of a million. Everyday life. You can’t look at it that way I know, it really is all about the one. But uh. I dunno.
No matter how much I cuddle those kids, and no matter how many funguses I get from them, I still leave in two weeks. On to more faces and families.
I looked down at their maimed little toes once and then over at my French pedicured feet and it felt so..bizarre. Not that I’m apologizing for my pedicure lol it’s just.. Sometimes I realize how little I know of life. In all worlds. First through Third.
Anyways. We bought them shoes and fed them gave ‘em treats. The ministry here has now adopted them as well so their story's not over.
I dunno. It’s hard sometimes. I don't think this is coming out correctly. My written thought processing isn’t always to clear, I will apologize for that.
I should hop over to the market before it gets any later tho. The food here is TERRIBLE and expensive so I'm gonna go see what I can find from somewhere. OI. Life as it comes, the adventure of learning his goodness. Oh Jesus. :)
Friday, August 15, 2008
Fun little story from Uganda
So for the last week I've been travelling with a medical mission team from eastern Uganda. My last day on our way home we stumbled upon a tradition here with men. It was a group of maybe 15-20 guys sitting around a bucket of alcohol each with a long straw stuck in getting drunk. But it looks kinda neat somehow. So we pulled over and a friend jumped out of the car to get me a picture. Well, what started friendly soon turned sour as it turns out, a bunch of drunk guys didn't really want their picture taken and they started getting mad. In rabutle my friend states he's a christian, doesn't want trouble and goes to dive back in the car. Halfway down the street he tells us how they had actually softened when he mentioned Jesus and had asked if we could pray for them. What? So we turned the car around, jumped out and ran over to chat. A little shocked at us they said they didn't want Jesus but yes they'd still a take a prayer. haha, God can use that... I quickly shared about God's power and his love and they agreed that we could invite him to join us :) Well He did. A couple of us then started giving words of knowledge and prophesying over them (telling them things God wanted to say to them, things that without Jesus we would never know) They totally melted. Someone gave a call for healing and people started getting well just there on the side of the street. "Wait, I gotta go show my friends!" One guy told us after being totally healed. Now because of this people kept coming forward saying now they wanted this Jesus. It was great. As the adults were getting totally blasted the kids were watching on the side. So I go over and explain a 'lil, teach a 'lil and they join me in praying for the sick. Well the very first one they saw, a women with immobility and pain in her knees, jumps up and started stomping her leg.(I always like for them to REALLY try it out) Well, TOTALLY healed! Fabulous I say. We had creative miracles, aches and pains, blindness (no blind, blindness) and a whole lot of changed hearts, right there off the road. What fun. Here are the pics from the day. First the men, then me praying with the kids for a guy with stomach problems.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
life as of today...
Oh my goodness life is bliss right now. I just love it. Not that everything is perfect or even sorted, haha but I'm just so loved and in love that I just can't help but giggle.
Right now I'm in a place called Tororo, a village in Uganda that hugs the border of Kenya. It's amazing minus some crazy bugs -half wasp half beast.
But before Tororo I have a fun story about the UN.
As many of you know I have this thing where... I believe in walking as his favourite... and through that going into strange places expecting to have locked doors open before me cause, well, I'm his favourite. lol... So this was another one of those moments. To lay a foundation- without contacts it's hard to go anywhere. Almost impossible unless Jesus specifically says to do it that way. So last week, while in Kampala I decided the UN would be a good place to get contacts and I left to pay them a visit and possibly speak with someone about the Sudan.It was neat though as lately I've been so stirred about Ugandan IDP camps and working and learning in them before heading up to Darfur, Sudan, to launch things in IDP camps there. (sorry, I'm leaving wholes, hope you understand)
So Monday afternoon I headed out to OCHA wearing my most professional clothes (considering I'd been living in the bush for a month) and my NGO hat (not a fashion statement just the card that I was choosing to play that day). I started with the front desk and at first was informed that there was nobody around to chat about the Sudan so I left. Half way down the street feeling a little lost I hear someone calling for me and I turn around to see a woman RUNNING after me! She said they didn't have anybody from Sudan but would I like to talk to the man in charge of the LRA affected areas? lol "Sure"... I was sent to his secretary who told me he was out and when he's in he's normally really busy. But we got chatting and off came the NGO hat and out came the giggle and the smile and she booked me an appointment! This was the start of a spiral of interviews with various UN directors of refugees and IDP's as they were giving me contacts and advce on how to get into the camps and what to say when inside and oh if I need a lift call this lady cause it's beter then the bus! I don't know if it's always that easy but I was pumped.
How I got to Tororo and what I'm doing here is another story that once again involves less then 24 hours notice before I was on a bus to work in the a place that I had never heard of before. But I don't feel like writing details now. Know that I"m safe and happy still living day to day.
I'm heading to Kenya next week for a GCM semi-annual woman's staff retreat (hahaha) and IDP camps the week after.
Juba is still a process but one we're still working on and Wudu is still sort of on the mind as the guys call me a couple times a day with "We miss you! Come back!" Haha. Such goofs.
Right now I'm in a place called Tororo, a village in Uganda that hugs the border of Kenya. It's amazing minus some crazy bugs -half wasp half beast.
But before Tororo I have a fun story about the UN.
As many of you know I have this thing where... I believe in walking as his favourite... and through that going into strange places expecting to have locked doors open before me cause, well, I'm his favourite. lol... So this was another one of those moments. To lay a foundation- without contacts it's hard to go anywhere. Almost impossible unless Jesus specifically says to do it that way. So last week, while in Kampala I decided the UN would be a good place to get contacts and I left to pay them a visit and possibly speak with someone about the Sudan.It was neat though as lately I've been so stirred about Ugandan IDP camps and working and learning in them before heading up to Darfur, Sudan, to launch things in IDP camps there. (sorry, I'm leaving wholes, hope you understand)
So Monday afternoon I headed out to OCHA wearing my most professional clothes (considering I'd been living in the bush for a month) and my NGO hat (not a fashion statement just the card that I was choosing to play that day). I started with the front desk and at first was informed that there was nobody around to chat about the Sudan so I left. Half way down the street feeling a little lost I hear someone calling for me and I turn around to see a woman RUNNING after me! She said they didn't have anybody from Sudan but would I like to talk to the man in charge of the LRA affected areas? lol "Sure"... I was sent to his secretary who told me he was out and when he's in he's normally really busy. But we got chatting and off came the NGO hat and out came the giggle and the smile and she booked me an appointment! This was the start of a spiral of interviews with various UN directors of refugees and IDP's as they were giving me contacts and advce on how to get into the camps and what to say when inside and oh if I need a lift call this lady cause it's beter then the bus! I don't know if it's always that easy but I was pumped.
How I got to Tororo and what I'm doing here is another story that once again involves less then 24 hours notice before I was on a bus to work in the a place that I had never heard of before. But I don't feel like writing details now. Know that I"m safe and happy still living day to day.
I'm heading to Kenya next week for a GCM semi-annual woman's staff retreat (hahaha) and IDP camps the week after.
Juba is still a process but one we're still working on and Wudu is still sort of on the mind as the guys call me a couple times a day with "We miss you! Come back!" Haha. Such goofs.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
hitting the height of boredom on a saturday night in kampala
Life is such a trip. I left Sudan early the other morning. A rushed exit in a Land Rover full of people thinking we're a taxi, a baby on my lap, luggage to the roof, heading to Moyo to catch a flight to kampala, Uganda. With no idea what's next I wonder, Is this what it feels like to be refugee? Probably not, but i'm homeless with my life on my back, that's gotta be close. ;)
I'm now safely in Kampala chillin out before heading to the next destination.
It's great to be back in a city. I had a HOT SHOWER today..haha oh yes. It felt like pure luxury. I went to a mall and ate a shawarma (which i had been CRAVING) and ice cream...I found Haribos (!!!!) It's been lush.
However at the end of the day, I miss Wudu. =( The little village in bush country Sudan that I called home for the last month. It always completely surprises me how I fall in love with those places. No electricity, running water, stores -they barely had a market, just a hut that I shared with a million and a half spiders... shudder... Yet it was great. I'll never forget walking down the dirt path into..."town" and having a few dozen kids emerge from their houses calling "Sandra, Sandra, how aw you!?" They're so considerate ;)
(Private joke for those of you who have lived in Africa)
The first couple weeks were great with a team from California there with me. Travelling around to schools and doing open air meetings, miracles, signs, wonders, lotsa fun. The last couple weeks there was 'independent' living on a ACC base just working under GCM getting to experience jesus showing up in crazy ways.
It's always so neat seeing him heal hearts, minds and bodies. I'm still amazed when his love comes and people are instantly healed. Healed! Like really. (?) I can't do that! It's just amazing. About a dozen people were healed of pains -headaches, backaches, arthritis...ulcers, just on the side of the road or in the market. In the pediatrics ward babies were SENT HOME after being healed of malaria. People were coming up to me saying how they tried praying to Jesus and he was nice and He answered so now they were surrendering their whole selves to him. It was fabulous.
Last week I was sick with the flu too. That part wasn't so fabulous.
And it's Saturday night and I'm in a strange city with nothing to do. That part, not so fabulous either. lol.
Blogs are always so bizarre. It's like the stories that don't make the newsletter, stuff that doesn't go to Grandma...
Tomorrow I'm gonna start writing "untold stories of Sudan'. Just weird things that happen that...don't normally make the cut, haha, but still have value to me so they get the blog! ;)
Please continue to send me your updates. Dates, mates, babies and everything in between!
Also if you want my personal updates that explain what i'm actually doing (lol more than just trying to "love a nation to life" haha) then just send me an email
->cass.basnett@gmail.com.
Miss you all!! ....Seriously... =)
I'm now safely in Kampala chillin out before heading to the next destination.
It's great to be back in a city. I had a HOT SHOWER today..haha oh yes. It felt like pure luxury. I went to a mall and ate a shawarma (which i had been CRAVING) and ice cream...I found Haribos (!!!!) It's been lush.
However at the end of the day, I miss Wudu. =( The little village in bush country Sudan that I called home for the last month. It always completely surprises me how I fall in love with those places. No electricity, running water, stores -they barely had a market, just a hut that I shared with a million and a half spiders... shudder... Yet it was great. I'll never forget walking down the dirt path into..."town" and having a few dozen kids emerge from their houses calling "Sandra, Sandra, how aw you!?" They're so considerate ;)
(Private joke for those of you who have lived in Africa)
The first couple weeks were great with a team from California there with me. Travelling around to schools and doing open air meetings, miracles, signs, wonders, lotsa fun. The last couple weeks there was 'independent' living on a ACC base just working under GCM getting to experience jesus showing up in crazy ways.
It's always so neat seeing him heal hearts, minds and bodies. I'm still amazed when his love comes and people are instantly healed. Healed! Like really. (?) I can't do that! It's just amazing. About a dozen people were healed of pains -headaches, backaches, arthritis...ulcers, just on the side of the road or in the market. In the pediatrics ward babies were SENT HOME after being healed of malaria. People were coming up to me saying how they tried praying to Jesus and he was nice and He answered so now they were surrendering their whole selves to him. It was fabulous.
Last week I was sick with the flu too. That part wasn't so fabulous.
And it's Saturday night and I'm in a strange city with nothing to do. That part, not so fabulous either. lol.
Blogs are always so bizarre. It's like the stories that don't make the newsletter, stuff that doesn't go to Grandma...
Tomorrow I'm gonna start writing "untold stories of Sudan'. Just weird things that happen that...don't normally make the cut, haha, but still have value to me so they get the blog! ;)
Please continue to send me your updates. Dates, mates, babies and everything in between!
Also if you want my personal updates that explain what i'm actually doing (lol more than just trying to "love a nation to life" haha) then just send me an email
->cass.basnett@gmail.com.
Miss you all!! ....Seriously... =)
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