Eagles Wings Orphanage

Sorry it has been so long, I have had a long chaotic week on my first project trip about 3 hours south of Kampala, Uganda down in Masaka…

Well, I am not even sure where to start, the week has been absolutely amazing.  The ministry, Eagles Wings Children’s Village, is just incredible.  So strange to think that we were the ones supposedly going to serve them when truly we were the ones being served on so many different levels that it feels in a way that they served us in a far greater way than we served them.

I suppose I will start with our team that consisted of 11 members from the USA and Canada, including Civil Engineers, Architects, a landscape architect, and a videographer.  All very carefully chosen by God to be members of the team.  It was very clear that God’s hand was in all of the team selection because we got along so well, and had so much fun along the way as well as were there to encourage and help one another with anything.  Everyone having such a servant’s heart to help with whatever was needed.

We definitely laughed a lot throughout our time there.  It seemed to be a battle of what was getting poked fun at the most between our 4 Canadians and our Kansas representative, for those of you who don’t know Kansas is in the US kind of right in the middle of the country if people have heard of it.  Contrary to popular belief, they do even have electricity there and maybe just heard of this new phenomena called the internet… he he jk… part of the jokes this week and then Canada ( the big area of land above the US is called Canada) also took its abuse as well with the funny words and customs, kind of hard to type the funny ascent on here though, Eh? 

I definitely came away though learning a lot about Canada.  I really actually now want to go visit!  Made some great friends that I really hope to keep.  You definitely bond with these people in a really amazing way that only God provides as we are all there with the same purpose and love of the Lord.
Here are a couple of our Canadians, Patrick the Surveyor on the left and Pat a staff Civil Engineer in Uganda

Many things really impacted me on the trip.  The people who started this organization are Canadian as well.  They are just incredible.  They are 67 year old, Bill and Ann Peckham.  They retired at 55 which is very common in Canada and the Lord gave them a mission and a calling after visiting Masaka, Uganda.  They were burdened of the heart crushing statistics of Masaka County having more than 60,000 orphans.  I cannot even comprehend this. Then they did just like Jesus says, “ sell everything, pick up your cross and follow me.” (Mark 10:17-31).  Amazing, they were retired ready to just kick back and enjoy being retired playing with their grandchildren, traveling enjoying whatever just like a normal retired person.  They had no plans of starting this ministry until God took them to Uganda.  Then they couldn’t go on, not doing anything and now Uganda is home and they will never leave.  Talk about what we would call sacrifice, but they don’t think it is. 

Amazing and so encouraging to see their faith.  God has provided for them land, which they have already built a Christian Primary school, a church, and 2 children’s villages.  Children’s villages are the new kind of orphanage where they put 24 orphans with 2 house parents to love and take care of them.  The primary school serves the 48 orphans on site as well as an additional 250 children from the community.  Many hearing about Jesus for the first time and choosing to follow Him!  Hallelujah!

One Children's Village

Here's what I did and the Drawing from the Survey and can see how little is on there and what is existing, all the little blue buildings.

So then with the vision of Eagles Wings when the Lord provides as He has so much already and will continue to is to have:

·         8 more Children’s village (totaling 10 villages and 240 orphans)

·         Hospital

·         Secondary School (High School)

·         Another Primary School

·         Vocational School

·         Kitchen to feed all the children that attend the school

·         Church/Dining Hall

·         Admin Building

·         Soccer Field

·         Agriculture Area

·         On-Site Housing for Teachers

·         Hospitality Center for Visitors

·         Baby Center specifically for Orphaned babies

·         And of course a small Directors House for Bill and Ann to move out to the site.

Quite the list right. So they have 70 acres they are going to fit this on… a lot of stuff for that space, but we have an amazing landscape architect who came up with a design to fit everything

Gorgeous huh?
And a 3D model our Architects did that you see the little family clusters in the front and the schools in the back.

The 70 acres I had the pleasure along with Patrick Cochrane to survey, in some intense “bush,” or thick trees and weeds and everything in between.  Many times in reeds and thick stuff taller than me, but I had a GREAT time doing it.  Really I did.  I would be our wondering by myself and trip and fall trying to trample through this junk and would just lay in the junk laughing having a good old time by myself.

With that as well, I got a lot of time to think, and spend alone with the Lord, which was really challenging, but SO GOOD!  Culture Shock symptoms had begun to hit me.  As I would wonder surveying, I would go through many ups and downs of loving the culture and Uganda and never wanting to leave, then going to a very negative place of dwelling on all the comforts that I am missing and the negatives of being here, which really stunk because I am such a positive person usually so I hate feeling negative towards things and not looking for the good and grace in things.   I am trying so hard to be “in tune” with God and what He wants for my life that I am hyper critical of things that I feel here.

One second, I am like oh I love it here, God must be calling me here then I don’t like something so I think God isn’t calling me here and just around and around I go, so silly.  But God through this trip and Pat, one of the leaders, helped me just have a peace about God will open the door that He wants for me as long as I just continue to seek Him.  If He wants me to be here in Africa,  He will make that happen.  If not, then that’s okay as well.  I know such a Basic Truth, but you know so often all we really need is just the basics and try to focus on those so our hearts feel them.

I am starting to think and actually believe that very few people actually feel so many basic truths otherwise our lives would be so dramatically changed.  Think about if our faith was greater than a tiny little mustard seed Jesus said that we could move mountains.  I don’t know about you, but I haven’t seen or heard of any mountains moving (Mark 17:20). J So our faith is so small.  Our heart and mind can’t wrap our brain around the simple truth of John 3:16.  God so loved the world that He gave His Only Son that we may have eternal life.  If I really believed that with all of me, would I ever worry about anything… NO.  Because there is an omnipotent, omnipresent God who loves Me and loves You personally, that Jesus personally died for me.  Oh man, if our hearts could just get this, we would change the world or we would take such steps of faith like the Peckhams to say I am dying to this world to go Africa and serve the orphans because Jesus loves them too!  So I love them!  Or wherever God may lead us which could be in the States or anywhere because people are hurting everywhere in all different ways.

One other thing I just thought of as I wrote that, it came back to me a part of Ann Peckham story as she was an orphan in the foster care system, who hated herself and her life and so many things, didn’t ever feel loved til someone told her that Jesus love her when she was 7 years old.

I don’t think there are many more simple truths, but Ann has clung to that truth since that day and now look where God has her with that heart for those orphans.  It is amazing.  They are the grandparents to 72 orphans and hope to be for 240 orphans.  They know each one by name and their story and remember them because they love them with the Love of Christ.   Perfect example that simple Truths change lives!

So there is a bunch more so this will be a multiple part post, but here is something for now.

Also, a short AMAZING video clip can be found of our project if you go to the Halle Project’s website and look at the video for Eagles Wings Orphange

 The Halle Project

or I will post a link as well on the side bar.  Watch it, be encouraged and see what God is doing J

Love to all, May God open the doors of a new truth to you today that blesses you, changes you and others around you for the Glory of the Lord and Savior of the World, Jesus Christ.

K2
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