Little Feet

Just a couple days after arriving at my new home, it was hard to ignore the many neighbor children standing outside my gate greeting me with smiling faces and shouting auntie! auntie! every time I arrive home. They have given me the most sweetest welcome to the neighborhood. Every morning I wake up to the little feet scurrying around under my gate and the tiny voices outside giggling asking if they "can enter" and come play. It has been a joy to have them around. We have already had so many sweet moments together reading on my porch and playing games. 

Several nights ago we made a tent with my mosquito net in my empty living room, watching veggie tales and eating popcorn. My cute little neighbors have made sure that I will not be lonely here. As I am slowly trying to remember everyones name (even the hard ones to pronounce), there are a few children who live very close by and I see them everyday. I'm slowly learning more and more about each of them and the things that make them individually special. Each one has brought so much happiness to this already wonderful home that God has provided. I don't mind their tiny muddy foot prints on my kitchen floor, I don't mind putting on bandaids when they stub their toes, I don't mind carrying them home after dark when they fall asleep and I love that they are my neighbors.

Very soon after moving in it was necessary to set up my water filter for easy access to clean drinking water. The kids gathered around as I began putting it together. 

And were so excited to be the first ones to test out my new water filter system

Thanks Dots!!

As the weeks pass by. Our house is slowly coming together and the neighbor children are such a sweet edition. For a muzungu (white person) I do a lot of walking. We don't have a car and I avoid taking boda boda's (motorcycle taxi) as much as possible. I'm often carrying bags of groceries from the store to the top of the dusty road all the way back home. When I reach close to home, my little friends never fail to come and meet me and insist on helping me with my bags.

Each one of these little ones come from different backgrounds and it has been a delight building new relationships with them and their families.


Along with the little feet outside our gate..
Also came little paws..

The second night after moving in we came home late to find a scraggly little cat running under our gate. He was skin and bone, (literally) because he was missing a lot of fur, his wiskers were burnt and cracked and he looked to be blind in one eye. 

We have since named our new kitty "Zero"

. 

He eats well and has been quickly growing, finally his fur is starting to come back. The gentleman who came by to vaccinate our pets, told us that Zero is blind in one eye, but that didn't stop us from praying healing over Zero's eye. Which is now almost completely cleared. Zero has beautiful bright green eyes. 

One evening.. 

About a week after Zero arrived the kids came rushing through my gate dropping something small and yellow on my doorstep and running away. 

I was wondering why they did not bring me the ugandan traditional Chicken as a gift..

but instead another kitten...

(Polly)

We have since told them, please, no more cats. 

But egg-layin' chickens are always welcome! 

Along with the little paws..

Also came some bigger ones..

JANGO

Jango, is a great dane but a gentle giant and does great with the kids.

The kids love picking flowers from my tree to stick in his collar. 

The children LOVE our animals and have so much fun together. 

Great Danes in Uganda are considered an "imported breed" and rare to find. It was a blessing how Jango came home to us and we feel so fortunate to have him here! 

I love my new neighbors

 and I am so happy they are becoming fast friends. 

Thanking Jesus for these little feet.

Home Sweet Uganda

After a few long weeks…

moving from my first guesthouse…

To staying at a babies home…

and

Many days of searching for a house…

I am finally settled.

For the first few weeks me and my friends prayed hard that God would lead us where he wanted and we trusted that He would pick out the most perfect place to make our home. Everyday for the last few weeks we would set out looking at homes all over Kampala, but each house we visited just wasn't quite right. We continued to pray and believe that God had the right house for us… Somewhere!

I had moved from my first guesthouse to the babies home and had been sick for a few days. I was ready to find my house and finally be settled in one place. One morning me and my friends gathered together and prayed that today would be the day we would find our home. That very morning a friend came and asked if perhaps we try looking in a new area. The area he suggested was somewhere I was familiar with. I had taken many walks down the quiet roads, escaped to relax by the pool in this area and spent many weekends at the mall on this side, I like this mall because it is never busy. I am not a fan of busy places. Crowds make me anxious. Coming from small town Indiana, I am not use to sleeping with loud sounds of traffic and the booming prayers coming from the loudspeakers at the mosques. I was excited to check out this area because I knew it would be quiet and peaceful. We continued down a long dirt road, passing each gate and I sat wondering which house they were bringing me to. I saw in the distance a cute white house sitting up on hill, I silently prayed "Jesus, I hope that is the house we are going to!" and was absolutely delighted, laughing in my head when we pulled in the drive. The very last gate down the long dirt road. When we pulled inside the gate my excitement grew.

I have stayed at a number of different guesthouses and friends homes during my times in Uganda and am familiar with the typical layout of the ugandan compounds. It is necessary here for our windows and doors to have bars and for our houses to be surrounded by a wall with barb wire on the tops to keep thieves out. Personally, this layout is not my favorite. Along with my personality, I am very much a free spirit, I love wide open spaces and more than anything I HATE feeling caged in. I was dreading getting a house that would make me feel caged in, with the big walls, barb wire and bars on my windows. I prayed and asked God to pick out my house, after all He is the one who created me this way and He knows where I will thrive at the best.

As we pulled in the gate and got out of the car to look around. I was laughing with God in my head, I knew almost immediately this is the house God has been keeping for me. We crossed the lawn, admiring the flowering trees, over to a picket fence surrounding the side of the house. Because this house sits on a hill, it is elevated above the other homes surrounding it. The wall goes half way around the house and then is open, with a beautiful view of the country side down below. On that one side all that is necessary is a small picket fence. The rest of the wall and barb wire is down below completely out of view from the yard, I had never seen a compound in Uganda like this one. I was absolutely thrilled with the view and the openness of the home. We moved on past a dirt plot beside the yard, perfect to put a large garden. Next we explored the house, as we walked from room to room, I loved how open and bright everything was. It was so peaceful here. I walked over to the white bars on the windows, the white paint made them bright and cheery, again the design made me laugh with God in my head. They were hearts! The bars on the widows and doors are designed with hearts. I love them and I wouldn't have them any other way. As if everything was not already wonderful enough, I noticed the front door behind the bars was made of glass, a beautiful accommodation to the open living room. I most certainly did not feel "caged in" here.

Things I told the realtor I needed:
enough rooms to house people
a yard with grass
a place for a garden

Things I secretly asked God for:
A place I won't feel caged in
flowers
a picket fence
(The picket fence was a huge request! Not common in the least here in Uganda.)

The first day at our new home, we did a lot of cleaning. 

And because we did not yet have our bed frames, we had a slumber party with our mattresses on the floor! Nothings says house warming like PIZZA for dinner. This was the most "american" pizza I've ever had in Uganda. 

Because we do not yet have an electric stove I am learning how to cook many new local dishes on our outside charcoal stoves!

Soon…

We were able to get our bed frames and mosquito nets up! 

The day we brought our beds home, I had taken a boda (small ugandan motorcycle) around to compare prices of bed frames in our area. On the way back, my boda driver, who lives in the area, struck up conversation with me as he turned down my road. "Do you know the name of your road?" I answered, "yes" and told him the simple ugandan word, that I quickly learned to be able to direct people to my house. "Do you know what that word means?" I didn't know. "It means Princess. You live on Princess avenue." 

Now I felt like God was just flattering me. 

God is a good Father. He provides. He gives us good gifts. 

We are sons and daughters of the most high king. 

And he takes care of us accordingly. 

Praising God for my new home! 

Thank You Is Not Enough

As the days inch closer and closer to my departure for Uganda

AUGUST 2ND

I am overwhelmed with gratitude towards everyone who has supported and encouraged me. Since being home I have been blessed with several opportunities to go and speak at different churches in the surrounding area. My sincerest gratitude to all who allowed me to come speak and for everyone who has come around me in support and prayers for my ministry in Uganda.

Ridgeville Methodist Church

Westchester United Methodist 

The Rock Church

Evangelical Methodist Women's Group

Union Chapel, Bryant

Christ Chapel, Fort Recovery

Bearcreek Church, Winchester

Asbury United Methodist

West Missionary Church, Berne

Thank you for loving the Orphan and the Widow so sweetly!

You have humbled and blessed me and my ministry in so many ways with your kind words of encouragement, financial support and prayers. I am so proud of my little community here in Indiana and honored to have such wonderful friends and family around me as I begin this new journey in life. 

Behind the scenes there is a great group of business men from my area who are on the board for my non-profit, they have given me wonderful advice, support and wisdom during this new transition in my life. Along with these great gentlemen is a small group of women, who I like to consider the "Heart Team" of my ministry, standing with me in prayer and love. I am so extremely thankful for these amazing Godly men and women standing beside me as I establish my home and ministry in Uganda. 

A special Thank You to Michael Bear and Dots in Blue Water, who donated water filters for my home and a few extra for friends. One of my expenses in Uganda is clean water safe for drinking. Normally we would boil big pots of water on the stove and then wait for the water to cool. Now I have my very own water filter that immediately starts filtering out bacteria and supplies me with safe water for drinking in half the time!

Thanks Dots!  

You can read more about Dots in Blue Water

HERE

Also a special Thank you to Naomi, who is 83 years old and sews bibs, booties, dresses, shirts and aprons to send with me to Uganda. She also writes and illustrates her own children's books, that she has donated for me to start a small library of books at my home! Never retire work for the kingdom. 

THANK YOU!
Everyone for your support, prayers and encouragement.

Timeless Wisdom

Dear Jesus, help me to spread Your fragrance everywhere I go.
Flood my soul with Your spirit and life.
Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly,
That my life may only be a radiance of Yours.

Shine through me, and be so in me
That every soul I come in contact with
May feel Your presence in my soul.
Let them look up and see no longer me, but only Jesus!

Stay with me and then I shall begin to shine as You shine,
So to shine as to be a light to others;
The light, O Jesus will be all from You; none of it will be mine;
It will be you, shining on others through me.

Let me thus praise You the way You love best, by shining on those around me.
Let me preach You without preaching, not by words but by my example,
By the catching force of the sympathetic influence of what I do,
The evident fullness of the love my heart bears to You.

Amen.

-- Prayer of Cardinal Newman

In times of difficulty pray "Jesus shine through me"

Separate Boats: One Mission

There is a couple from my church.

 That is doing something pretty AMAZING...

They set off on a Kayaking Trip!

But not just ANY trip...

They are traveling 1591 miles by Kayak!

They started at the source of the Wabash and will end at the Gulf of Mexico.

Camping & cooking outside.

They even packed all their own dehydrated meals, full of food from their own garden.
They are on quite the adventure!


If you would like to follow their adventure you can find their stories
HERE

This trip is pretty exciting and special.

But there is something that makes it even more special.

They are raising support and awareness for
 The Fortress

The Fortress is a home in Uganda, Africa for pregnant teenagers and vulnerable women in Uganda.  Their passion is to empower women and girls to overcome their circumstances and fulfill their God-ordained purposes.

(Me & Josephine)

The Fortress was birthed by Josephine Nsubuga Nambatya, a midwife and professional counselor after years of helping pregnant teenagers who contemplated/tried abortion as well as women in abusive relationships, prostitution and those unable to sustain themselves and their families.

Her ministry is truly unique and Josephine and the girls at The Fortress have become dear friends of mine. Each girl and their baby have a story to tell. Theses girls have been through some very tough circumstances including prostitution, being misplaced from their homes and abusive relationships, God has been faithful and carried them through it all.

The fortress serves as a safe and loving home for these girls during their pregnancy. Here the girls are accepted, loved and supported in different ways. They are also provided with counseling, discipleship classes and life skills. The girls are taught the love of Christ through devotions and bible studies and also learn about restoration through talks about forgiveness, hope and the purpose for their lives. They are provided with a safe living environment, meals, medical care and basic needs for a mother and her baby. The girls are also given an opportunity to go back to school so that they can continue to support their children. Eventually the girls are resettled in their own homes and The Fortress continues to follow up with them.

The Fortress is continuing to grow and they are in need of a bigger housing unit. The wonderful Kayaking couple shown above are hoping to raise support through there trip. There efforts have won a lot of attention, however, not much support has yet been raised for this ministry.

Please consider giving to help fund a new home for
The Fortress



DONATE HERE

Collective Culture

The other day, I sat with my sister-in-law in her living room as we worked on my logo for Love Remedy 

(which is finished by the way!!!) 

As I sat there working with her I started to laugh in my head. 

She has a beautiful spanish accent, because she is originally from Spain. As I was working with her I became more acquainted with her little traits that I assume she has picked up from her culture back home. Things she would say and do when she became more concentrated on the project. My brother was in the room with us and I said to Jordan, "Doesn't Lucia remind you of Grandpa when she *does these little things she was doing*" 

He laughed and agreed that Grandpa says and does similar things, we concluded that it must be a European thing, because both Lucia and our grandpa are from European countries. 

I sat there silently laughing in my head and started thinking about how cool it is that God gave me a sister-in-law all the way from Spain and a grandfather all the way from Ireland (Gallic accent, Irish features, ability to dance little jigs all included haha) 

(My beautiful sister-in-law and yes she painted that picture!)

Grandpa with my two brothers terrorizing poor baby Brady.

I hope I can go to Ireland with my grandfather one day! 

I feel fortunate that growing up my parents encouraged a "cultured" lifestyle. We visited many art and world history museums together and I loved learning about all the different places all over this earth. My favorite part about our Florida vacations growing up was always our trip to Epcot where I could walk from country to country exploring each culture, trying new foods and I loved how every part was so uniquely different. 

In high school I studied abroad a summer in Germany and also had a foreign exchange student from Germany. This country will always have a piece of my heart and the language will always be dear to me even if I don't have many opportunities to use it. 

(Anja muller,  foreign exchange 2009)

Not so long from this same time God blessed my cousin, Emily and her husband John, with their son Jaun Paublo all the way from Guatemala. He has made such a sweet edition to our immediate family and oh how I love how uniquely he comes with his very own culture!!

In 2012 God blessed me with an opportunity to visit Guatemala, days before a team was leaving and days before returning home from Africa last minute a spot opened up and a ticket completely paid for! Only I was crazy enough to go on such short notice, but hey, this is what God has created me for! 

And my sweet Africa… 

Even my time spent in California was such a meshing pot of wonderful cultures! I lived in a house full of girls from all over the united states ( and one from South Africa!) and believe me each state has its own culture which came out in each of them so beautifully. 

The church is one nation not just in (your culture) but in ALL cultures.

"Our father has a heart for all ethnicities. He desires a multi- ethnic family. The Gospel has the power to not only save people but also break down barriers that divided people for generations." -Matt Moore

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Touch The Sky

I wanted to share another guest post from a friend of mine.

Her words are beautiful.

I hope that it would be an encouragement to anyone grieving a loss in their life.

Blessed Be the Name of the Lord

No 23 and 24-year-old should have to bury their father. No 57-year-old should have to bury her brother. No 93-year-old should have to bury her son. No 63-year-old should be taken from this world. It just doesn’t seem fair. He was gone too soon.


Just over a week ago, I was sitting at a fast food restaurant with a close friend of mine who used to be a housemate. By the end of this week, what was once a house of nine girls will be a house of three. Over the past eight months, one by one, my friends have been moving out of the house I currently call home. Each time one leaves, it’s the same sadness over and over again. And as I lamented these loses, as well as the upcoming ones, I asked my friend, “Why does God keep taking everything from me?” But she reminded me, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD" (Job 1:21). I had no idea that these words would become all too real just eight days later.


Last night I lost my uncle to cancer. He fought long, hard, and strong, and I honestly believed that God would heal him. When I was home for Christmas, he was looking so well. But then his last round of chemo led to an infection that destroyed his lungs. He was only 63-years-old. He was gone too soon.


Losing a loved one is never easy. It is never the “right” time for someone to leave our presence. But looking back at the situation, I can see that God is still good. A week prior to my uncle’s passing, my mom and two older sisters were in Boston with me to watch me run the Boston Marathon. God could have chosen to take my uncle while we were all away. But instead He waited until my mom returned home and gave her the opportunity to spend another week by his hospital bed. My older sister came back to California with me after the marathon to see some much needed sun. God could have chosen to take my uncle after she left, but instead He blessed me with the amazing gift of having my sister at my side when I heard the news of my uncle’s passing. It was so hard not to be with my family at the hospital during this difficult time, but having at least one member of my family with me was a huge blessing. And what a huge blessing to have the comfort and support of the amazing roommates (past and present), friends, and church community God has given me. From the time my uncle was diagnosed, they have all been praying for healing and comfort and have been a huge support for me. One of my roommates was also there with my sister and me when we found out my uncle had taken his last breath and, when I broke down in tears later that night, she was beside me to embrace me with the hug I didn’t realize I needed. As I crawled into bed in tears, another roommate came beside me and prayed. Today, after crying all the way to church, I was greeted with flowers and a card from my pastor’s wife and received condolence after condolence from other church members. What a blessing to have members of the body of Christ come together to support the mourning: “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” (Romans 12:15)


While driving on the freeway the night before my uncle died, my sister was marveling at the mountains surrounding us. “There’s beauty even in the sorrow.” Life is full of sorrow. Sometimes we think we are expected to put on a smile and pretend everything is alright. But why? The shortest verse in the Bible describes Jesus doing what I’ve been doing all weekend. John 11:35 says that Jesus wept when he went to the place Lazarus had died. But why would He weep when He knew that in just a few minutes Lazarus would be raised to life again? Because Jesus knew the sorrow of Lazarus’s friends and family. He knew their pain and sympathized with them. He mourned with them in their mourning. Jesus does not turn a blind eye to our suffering. Praise be to God! He is a God that rejoices with us but also mourns with us, weeps with us, and shares in our sorrows and sufferings. We are not only allowed to feel and express our sorrow, but Jesus was the example for us that it is okay to weep. And when we do weep, Jesus will be right beside us weeping too. Blessed be the name of the Lord who comforts us in our sorrow. Blessed be the name of the Lord because even among the sorrow, there is beauty surrounding us to remind us of His goodness.


In times of trial, it’s easy to ask, “Where was God?” Prayer warriors across the country were lifting up prayers for healing. But God decided the time had come for him to go. Why didn’t He answer these cries from His children? Why was he taken from us so soon? Because the Lord gives and He takes away. But even in the taking away, I must continue to say, “Blessed be the name of the Lord.” What the Lord had given me, 27 years of wonderful memories with a loving uncle, He has now taken away. And so now, I must remember that I do not deserve anything I have been given and everything that is given to me will eventually be taken away. We are not promised anything for an eternity here on earth. I must remember to praise and thank Him for what I have while it’s here, all the while continuing to say may God’s name be blessed when it is taken away.


“What treasure waits within Your scars. This gift of freedom gold can't buy. I bought the world and sold my heart. You traded heaven to have me again…I found my life when I laid it down... I touch the sky when my knees hit the ground. Find me here at Your feet again. Everything I am, reaching out, I surrender. Come sweep me up in Your love again.” (Touch the Sky, Hillsong United)


These lyrics have been running through my head nonstop since Friday afternoon. Since purchasing the song, I’ve been playing it on repeat, and I am moved to tears every time I hear it. A life found in Jesus is so backward. We sold our heart to this world, giving into our own desires, so He gave up a perfect place in heaven to come down to save us. God willingly gave up His Son because He couldn’t imagine a life without us. Is there anyone in the world I love enough that I would sacrifice someone I dearly love, my uncle for example, for their sake? I don’t think so. But God felt that way for me. And all He asks of us is this: a life surrendered to Him. We find our life when we lay it down to Him. We touch the sky when our knees hit the ground in surrender to Him. When we fall at Jesus’ feet, He sweeps us up in His love in a tender embrace. When I mourn, He mourns with me and provides comfort from others who mourn with me as well. And when I cry He wipes the tears from my eyes and shows me beauty among the sorrow. He gives and takes away, but blessed be the name of the Lord.

- Shauna Potrawski

Embrace the Good-Bye

As much as I hate it, life is full of good-byes.

One of the hardest part of life is growing close to someone, sharing your laughter and tears, trials and joy and sometimes shame and regret, only to have that person removed from you life.

Yesterday I skyped with a sweet friend of mine and old roommate in California.We started talking about change in our lives and in the lives of those close to us. It was nice to be able to share with each other heartache that change can often bring but also the new blessings that so often come with new opportunity. Me and this friend once shared a house together with a few other girls. All of us became wonderful friends and it is a sad feeling knowing that although great memories were made, our lives are all going in so many different directions. I have a few friends getting married this year, some others moving out of state or even out of the country! Changes are hard, but necessary in life.

We both confided in one another how we struggle with trusting God when it comes to these changes and good-byes. It can be a sad and scary feeling walking into the unknown and we are both feeling these effects right now in our lives.

My friend sent me a blog post that she wrote upon moving from Chicago to California for the first time.

" Before moving forty-five minutes west at the age of fourteen, I had to say good-bye to my neighbors, my friends, my home. Nine years later, I had to say many more good-byes. This time it included twenty-seven piano students and their families, twenty-one foster children and their families on my case load, a secure job and many great coworkers, not to mention my own friends and all my family, the city where I had lived for years and knew so well. Essentially my whole support system was left behind me as I made the trip to California. I have made it evident that I do not like change. I do not like leaving my comfort zone. So these many good-byes were very challenging for me. And each time I return home to visit, only to have to say good-bye again a few days or weeks later, it is just as challenging. But one thing I’ve learned since my life-changing move is that sometimes you must embrace the good-byes.

Not too long ago, a close friend of mine gave me some great but extremely challenging advice she herself received from someone close to her: love deeply, hold loosely.

I told her I have the love deeply part down, but the hold loosely part is what challenges me most. As people become close to me, as we invest in each others lives, it becomes easier and easier for me to care about them, to pour into them, to give up a part of myself while loving them deeply. But as this thing called life continues on and takes people down different paths, letting them go is very challenging for me. What if I don’t want to hold them loosely? What if I want to hang on tightly, not willing to see them go, not willing for the relationship to change?

Oh, but what if by holding loosely, surrendering what, after all, is not really even mine to grasp, allows me to gather in my open hands something I could never have imagined? What if Jesus is holding behind His back something far greater, just waiting to give it to me once I hand over what I so desperately cling to?

And so I keep returning to these friend’s words of wisdom when I am reminded that life is but a vapor, things are always changing, and relationships are not exempt from that.

Nobody in a healthy state of mind would willingly choose pain and sorrow on themselves. Not unless they knew something good would become of it. Despite the pain and sadness the good-byes bring, there is a positive in them: new hellos. Because I was willing to hold the relationships in Chicago loosely and surrender the changes to God, since moving to California He has blessed me with so many amazing people I never would have had the chance to meet had I not been willing to say good-bye to the many people in Chicago. Families I have babysat for, people at my church, women at my Bible study, friends at my community group, and roommates in my new home have all made an impact on my new life in California, enriching it, and blessing it.

I have been loved, challenged, and encouraged by the relationships that have been formed in my new dwelling place. And while it doesn’t take away from the relationships I desperately miss back in Chicago, I must remind myself some good-byes are only temporary. Many of the relationships in Chicago will last a lifetime no matter where I am living. And even if the farewells are permanent, I must remember those relationships too had an impact on my life and molded and shaped me into who I am today. And that will never be lost.

So my advice to you: when the time comes, learn to embrace the good-bye, as difficult as it is. Because not only does it bring new hellos you otherwise may never have had, but when the time comes to say hello again to the ones you know and love, it makes the encounter that much greater."

Appropriately when I woke up this morning
I found my devotional entitled
Pain With A Purpose.

Again God was comforting me about the many,
sometimes painful, changes in my life.

The other day I sat on the floor in our basement,
looking through old childhood and family photos.
Of my parents, my brothers, old pets.
And I couldn't help but feel sad.



(Me and my two brothers)

In my devotional a women talked about
the most difficult time in her life being when
her first son was born. It was a long and
painful labor. But looking back she said she
considers it joyful,

"Because the pain had a big purpose."

Change may be hard, sad and painful sometimes.
But it can also have a big purpose.

Here's to brighter days!

- This blog post was co-authored by Shauna Potrawski