GSF

this past Sunday, instead of going to Worship Harvest, i accompanied Juliana (head of the staff here at the James' Place) to an outer village to visit Good Shepard's Fold, an orphanage where she used to work as a nanny. it's been twelve years since Juliana left GSF to come work with HEAL Ministries.

having the opportunity to see Juliana reunited with her "children" at GSF just made me smile. it was beautiful. she kept saying "i can't believe it - you all are so big now!" as she hugged her (once babies) now grown up kids. 

it made me almost sad to see how much she loves these kids and this ministry, and how she no longer is a part of it - but then again, she is. during the church service at the GSF's compound, the pastor addressed Juliana as "a member of the family" and expressed how grateful he and the congregation were that she and i had come and that we were more than welcome to come back any time! we listened to one of the most powerful sermons i've ever heard and all lifted our voices in songs to the Lord. the church building was a large, circular wood frame with pupalas poles packed tightly as the walls and a thatch roof. there were many drums and shrill calls of worship - just that awesome African church experience!

after that, while Juliana ate with the children and nannies, i was invited to have lunch with the director and his family - and had some good, insightful and encouraging discussions about running a ministry. they encouraged me to pursue getting a degree - saying that i will most definitely use it and benefit from that later on, especially if i am feeling God's calling to serve over seas long-term.

Juliana and i said our goodbyes, and took botas back to the James Place. i really love the outer villages - the poverty is extreme, but there is also much beauty there. the people are so friendly and worship-oriented. the air is so fresh and the scenery so green. 

more than likely i will return to Good Shepard's Fold for a visit the next time i find myself in Uganda!
it's my favorite drive so far - nothing beats Uganda's palms and banana trees and its red dirt roads!!!