On our way out the door

Are bags are packed we have said most

of our good byes, not much left till we move to Uganda.

We have answered the call to be full

time missionaries in Uganda.

We will be moving there full time at the end of the year.

We will be working with street kids, former prostitutes and the needy in Kampala, spreading the word of Christ. 

There are so many needs and we want to do what we can. 

Our hearts have been broken and our eyes have been opened.

 We can not walk away from what God has called us to.

The streets we are returning to

Kids we hope to build a school for

We are close to leaving and far from having all of

our finances taken care of. 

We are in a big need of sponsors to partner 

with us both in prayer and financially.

We do not have an organization or church supporting us, 

so we have to raise all of our money ourselves.

How can you help?

We are praying for monthly sponsors that 

will pledge to sponsor us monthly. 

If that is not for you, then a one time donation is also appreciated. We know that God is calling us to Uganda and that he is going to put  our need on to the hearts of those he wants to sponsor us. 

There is never a story of God not being able to do his work because of finances. He just needs warm, willing bodies to say I will go. 

There is no donation too small or too big.

Donating is very easy, 

just click the donate button on the right side of the blog.

If you have questions or want to donate via check, E-mail us at journeyfortheorphan@gmail.com. 

PLEASE feel free to get a hold of us with any questions, comments or if you just want to know more about 

what we are doing to spread the love of Christ 

to the needy in Uganda.

 We would love to get to know who is partnering with us.  

Overwhelmed

We finally have Jethro's passport ordered and our plane tickets bought, we are well on our way to Uganda. 

As our time here in the U.S. comes to a close, I feel more stressed than ever. 

My list of things to do and things we still need are VERY long. 

I feel like I am running out of time

and I am.

We have to move everything out of the house we are living in.

Raise all of our support 

Find a non-profit CPA

Buy things that we will need in Uganda that they do not have there.

Get summer shoes for Jethro.
Move storage units.

Sell our Land Cruiser, our little truck and our rafting gear (sad day)

Find out how we are we going to get to Uganda with only 2 bags each.

and the list goes on and on.

on top of all that, we are leaving family and friends that we love so much. 

We do not know when we will see them again but I know we will miss them.

Oh how we have enjoyed the wonderful memories we have made over the past 6 months.

Gina (my mom) and Jethro at the Balloon Fiesta

Jethro, Mia and My Grandmother

Shawn and Jethro on his first ski lift

Me and Tiffany camping with LOTS of bubble gum

Jethro, Cylas and Cousin Bryan

Uncle Philip and Jethro riding on the safest Boda Boda 

Jethro and Uncle Ron

The whole Whitworth Clan in Texas

God has called us to leave our family and friends to follow Him. 

We are happy to follow Him but I am so overwhelmed with it all.

We will miss them terribly and 

just imagine you are moving to another house and all you can take is 2, 50 pound bags each,

including all the ministry stuff we need.

I know Shawn and I pack light but this is REALLY light.

As we prepare to get all the physical things taken care of,

I know God is taking care of me.

Just today, as we purchased our plane tickets, I became so overwhelmed I couldn't even talk without getting overwhelmed and then I would shut down.

I didn't think we could get it done,

but our God is bigger that all that.

Just today we:

talked with a non-profit CPA and he will do our taxes,

sold our rafting gear,

got two calls on our little truck,

a friend of ours wants to throw a benefit dinner for us,

and I now have a great peace about EVERYTHING.

Thank you God for your continued hand over our lives and our move to Uganda.

We continue to live by faith and trust in you for everything.

Jethro's Prayer

As many of us sit down for a breakfast, lunch or dinner to pray and thank God for our food and all the things he has given us, do we really reallize ALL the things God has given us?

 

What got me thinking about this was when we sat down for another family meal and it was Jethro's turn pray for dinner.

He always starts with, "Our God in heaven,"

(He came up with that on his own becuase we normally start with "Dear Lord")

"Thank you for my plate,

the pumpkin (the one in the middle of the table for decoration),

eating,

Daddy,

Momma,

Chair,

T.V.,

Uncle Dave (Shawn's Uncle),

Noah (Jethro's Cousin),

Amen."

 

This may seen like a simple prayer and one like he says almost every meal.

But this prayer has stuck with me and I cant get it out of my head.

The way Jethro prays is meaningful and you can tell he is truly thankful for everything.

 He is thankful for the plate he gets to eat off of, the chair he sits on, the pumpkin and that he has a mom and a dad.
 

Are we?

 

Do we really realize how much we have to be thankful for?

 

I didnt start realizing it till I started pondering on it.
Really thinking about EVERYTHING God has given us.
 

We come from a land where nearly everyone we know has a plate to eat off of,

Fall decorations on the table,
some of it is real like the pumpkin on our table that will most likly go bad,
and the once good food will be thrown away, 
 

Most of us will never, ever have to worry about not being able to eat,


while 925,000,000 people will not get to eat today or tomorrow and probally not the day after that,

Most of us have a Momma and/or a Daddy who care for us,
and there are 143,000,000 children without a mom and a dad to care for them,

I dont know one person here in the U.S. who doesnt have a chair to sit in,

or a T.V. to watch,

Most of us have Uncles & Cousins who we love.

 

And this puts us in the top 4% of the worlds richest people.
 

But do we realize how blessed we are and how much God has blessed us?

 

As I think about all the children and families in Uganda who Shawn and I serve,

God has blessed us with more riches that I can imigine!

I dont know if I have ever thanked God for my plate or the glass of water before, but I will now.
 
  I am telling you this not to make you feel bad but to make us (anyone reading this who is not any of those stitistics) realize just how blessed we are.
 

We live in the greatest country in the world, our government takes care of the needy and we are blessed to have a warm place to sleep,

a plate to eat our food off of,

a pumpkin to decorate our table with,

plenty of food to eat, moms and dads that love us,

a chair to sit in and a T.V. to watch,

uncles and cousins who love us,

and a God who gave it all to US!

 

Today, think about all the little things God has blessed you with

and remember all the children without a warm place to sleep,

all the people who will go hungry today,

and all the orphans around the world with no mom or dad to care for then.

 

Thank you Jethro (who is 2 years old) for showing me how blessed we are and I thank God for the plate I eat off of, the pumpkin on our table, being able to eat three meals a day, my mom and dad, the chair I am sitting in, the T.V. I watch, Uncle Dave, Noah and for everything else he has blessed us with .

 

Good by Mustache Van

Well it is time to say good buy to our beloved mustache van. 

It has taken us from the Atlantic to the Pacific and every where in between. I estimate he took us over 15,000 miles this year.

Well on our way to Phoenix we broke down on the side of the road. It was late and we where in the middle of the reservation. Smoke was bellowing out of the car, semi trucks where speeding by and the res dogs started to bark and surround us. After the smoke cleared and I was able to asses the situation I realized we would not be going far anytime soon. 

Uncle Dave also came to the rescue. 

I called up my old friend Eric that lives in Gallup. He came to the rescue with water, nutty butters and a sawzall (yes we cut part of the van apart). After a cut finger, tired eyes, and disappointing spirit we decided that the time of death for the van was 3:12 am on September 6th 20012.

We have such good friends that saved us from a night that could have been so stressful. If it would not of been for Eric and his wife we would have slept in our van and ate only the snacks we had with us. Because someone acted as Christ would of we had a nice bed to sleep in and a good breakfast. We are so thankful for them and hope to be able to repay there favor someday. 

Two conversations and a thought.

Today was just another day at work. I arrived grabbed my camera and got on the train to take and sell photos to the guest riding the train. Little did I know that God had planned a special purpose for me today. 

While in one of the train cars a lady over heard me talking to another employee about Africa. So she stopped me and wanted to ask more about me and what I was doing. We had a great talk about God, our faith, and purpose of life.

Then in the evening I had finished working so I sat to read a book. I sat next to this young couple. Turns out that his Grandfather started  Frontier Baptist here in Durango. We had a good conversation about the mission field and he really challenged me in my walk as a missionary. He hit me with some really strong questions. 

As I sit and think about my two encounters today I realize that God is always working in our lives. It does not have to be on Sunday morning or at a mens breakfast. You don't have to be in your Tuesday night small group. God is working all the time as long as we are open to him. I challenge you this week to not put borders on when and where God will speak to you. 

What will happen?

How will your life be changed?

How much closer will you grow in Christ?

Have Jet pack will travel....

Who new how much time we would spend traveling around the US when we got back.

I surly did not expect this much.

I have calculated that we have done well over 10,000 miles in driving, seen 19 states and touched both the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. 

6 months ago the farthest Jethro has gone was about 3 miles to the doctors office.

Now he has been in three countries and traveled across the world.

Just as the translation of his African name Mukisa, which means Blessed.

This little guy is so blessed and is such a blessing to us.

Once an orphan with no parents, no future, no one to love him.

Now a kid full of energy with the proudest parents in the world.

Friends from 8000 miles away

Families have family reunions each year to get together for the same old stories, good food and great laughs.

Class reunions gather old class mates together

after many years. They reminisce about high school and bring each other up to date. 

Well while in California we had not one but two Sanyu reunions. Jethro got to see two kids from Uganda that he grew up with.

Good friends of ours that we met in Uganda that adopted from Sanyu where passing through Bakersfield at the same time we where there. 

 They met up with us at the church one evening. The two of them ran and played for about an  hour. They did not leave each others side for more than one minute. It was so awesome to see the connection they have. 

When they left Jethro kept singing "Bye bye Evie, bye bye Evie, may God bless you" 

Then we headed South to Costa Mesa to see a few more friends we have made through our time in Uganda.

Through a friend of a friend a play date was set up for Jethro and Jackson. When Jackson showed up Jethro's eyes lit up. He ran to the door and gave him a huge hug. 

The two of them wrestled and played together as if they where best friends and had been playing together there whole lives. They acted as if they where brothers. It was one of the sweetest things I have seen with him. It makes us so excited that Jethro has these kind of opportunities. We pray that we will be blessed to be able to bless him with these type of moments. 

Last night we had a wonderful opportunity to be part of Valley Baptist's women ministry kick off. My Aunt Debbie goes to church there and was able to get us connected with them. They are such an outgoing and caring church. 

A few days ago we walked around there campus

and every staff member as well as church members where so friendly and caring.

Tonight was no different. We fell like church family with everyone we spoke with. A true church family is one who loves and cares for each other. 

We where able to share our story and visit with many people.

I was very touched by one lady tonight in particular. She came up to me and told me how thankful she was for the work we do.

She was tearing up as she was talking to me.

She prayed for me and I started to tear up.

The power of compassion is very moving.

Jethro's First beach day

We have been in America for four weeks now. We have been to a wedding, a family reunion on Sarah's side.

My Mom has joined us for a road trip to go see friends and family. 

Playing on the bed at the hotel

We have driven over 2,700 miles so far in our $700 Toyota van. Many have been skeptical but it gets us from point A to B then C,D,E and F.

This has been a week of first for us.

First ferry ride

The beach was one of my favorite times so far. When Jet saw the beach he was so happy. he did not know what to think. He kept saying "whoa whoa". he was a little unsure about the water. The waves where crashing close to the shore and it was loud. he would scream and laugh every time the waves came in. 

First time to see the ocean (biggest sand box ever)

First time in the Atlantic

Mom come back!

Not my first ice cream but cute photo

We are having a blast. God has blessed us and we are so thankful for His love.

Time with family

The past 3 weeks have been such a great time for the 3 of us. We Arrived on the 20th of May in Nashville where Sarah's family lives. We went to her little sisters wedding and had a blast. Sarah found a tux with penguin tails for just $20. As Sarah says "he is such a ham." 

Dancing with his beautiful Mom

 We have had many first with Jet. It seams like every day there is something new and cool with him. I remember Mom telling me how when they got me Dad would go everywhere showing me off. I think I have a lot of my Dad in me, I do the same as much as I can.

First ice cream truck

First discovery museum

 We went to Texas and had a blast with the Whitworth clan. We swam, played volley ball, ate, visited, ate, played games, swam, visited more and even ate more. It was a great time, I wish the weekend would not have ended. Jethro Got to meet so many family members. They where such a blessing to our blessed Jethro.

Whitworth Family Reunion

Hanging tall with Jay

Playing with Jody
 Jethro has two cousins on Sarah's side. Noah and Judah. They have spent just about every day together. They are best buds. Every morning they see each other they give hugs and great each other. They all love playing with cars eating lots of food and sleeping.

My favorite way to drive in the car. Very very quite.

New best buds

Jethro's first flight

We have left Uganda and are now in Nashville with Sarah's family. It has been so good to be around family. Jethro has had so much fun with his cousins, they play all day and don't stop till they pass out for nap or bed. He has been sleeping so good. He goes to bed the second we lay him down but he has a tendency to get up around 5 am, not my favorite time to get up. 

Our overall trip back was a bit over 30 hours. I was sure this would be the ultimate test of our parenting. I was sure that there would be many melt downs from all three of us. I figured Jet would have problems with his ears. Sarah would get fed up with the wining from me and Jet. For me I expected to just be a baby and break down over something small. Well by the grace of God we had a fun and stress free trip. Jethro slept most of the flights. The crew was so nice to us on all of the flights. In Amsterdam there was a play place were me and Jethro had a blast at and Sarah got a good nap on a couch there.

At the airport

We have eaten Mexican food and seen family. My Mom flies in on the 4th and is going to spend the next month with us as we travel around. This is a good life God has blessed us with. I am excited for each and every new day.  

It is Finished

Take a big breath.

No, even bigger.

Now let it out and relax.

Yes!

That is how we fill. 

It is all finished!

We have the court ruling.

It is signed.

We have the birth certificate.

It is correct.

We have the passport.

It is official.

We have a Visa.

it is in hand.

We have plane tickets.

We are going to use them on Saturday night.

America here we come!