Do you see the forest or the trees?
Vision and the mission get confused a lot as we move forward. How do we make it easy for people to participate in the mission by seeing the vision of the founders. All said and done it comes down to what the heart feels and what the eyes see. Do you feel something missing in your life? Missing in your walk in faith? Do you see a glimmer of excitement and possibilities in what the world offers you?
We have a purpose that’s both too exciting and too big for us to undertake alone and that’s where we need you to trust us with the empty spot in your heart today. That sense of wanting to do more with the resources given to you but not knowing how that sometimes leaves a tinge of sadness on your mood.
Do you see the forest or the trees today? It’s easy to see a bunch of trees all together to form a forest and miss that one tree standing to the side in need of a little watering. No matter where you go in the world you see the same things. A bunch of trees (people) all trying to be noticed in a crowd. One day a bunch of kids played football for the first time and screamed and yelled and laughed for hours in the hot son. A small good deed but in that kid’s life for ONE day they could escape from the hunger and neglect of their reality. All those small moments add up to a blessed life but none of it is possible without each of us saying yes to the question. That question is can You help put to use your resources today and catch a glimpse of a vision where orphans can feel noticed, neglected can get an hour of attention, and the wounded can get a bandaid put on with a touch of love mixed in.
One day a girl of about 11 years walked several kilometers to find an adult to clean the gaping hole in her leg that was festering for a month. She had a mother but the same story we hear every day is the mother is too poor to pay for treatments, or the father is too drunk to take notice, or even worse the child was never taught to SEEK help when HURTING.
Healing Eyes was founded out of pain and loss, it has gone through many ups and downs on what it’s trying to accomplish and where it needs to be. Buy land, build a school, take in children, so many earthly things to be done.
One reoccurring theme is to just BE there and SHOW compassion to those hurting even when we don’t have all the answers. Make Love your Aim in life ~1 Corinthians 14:1.
If you feel empty today and want to experience a blessed life please consider giving what God has already given you. We can build something today that’s bigger than us. ~2 Corinthians 9:11
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Hello America..again
It’s so awesome to see how God is working and even growing Healing Eyes support family.
I am sitting here alone writing thank you notes to those who gave over the last 3 months either regularly or spontaneous one time gifts towards the mission. Some of the most amazing gifts were given while serving in Africa. By both donors and the people in Uganda we serve.
While there I got sick more than half of the time but we still persevered through the trials we faced. The local people weren’t always the nicest and even cheated me a few times. The people who drink the local brew all day were oblivious to their children with numerous wounds, many wounds weeks old and highly infected.
The community was still indifferent to the project Pastor John was trying to do and were turning on him because they thought he was just being greedy and seeking land for himself. We pulled a community meeting together and cleared up some of the rumors going around about what I was doing there and what the project was. The project simply is to buy land, build a real primary school for orphans and disabled, build a small clinic, and build up a community of widows forgotten amidst the HIV epidemic that wiped out many families.
We also have planted the seeds for theology training with the local pastors by sitting down one hot afternoon to talk about T.U.L.I.P and Pre-destination.
Did we succeed? YES! the district leaders pressured a man to sell us land and to even explain to the villagers why this project will help them. The leaders pleaded to show me more kindness and to look after my safety while there. The widows met and hopefully will be starting up a small savings group to try and create their own loan network. The kids were treated and have started to learn basic first aid. Lastly, I am over my stomach illness, ear infections, and diarrhea. Hallelujah!
Thank you for joining us on this story and praying for Healing Eyes and me. Please continue to follow the story as the rest of the year enfolds and I go back and forth between countries to raise money and awareness of how bad off most of the world is. Our monthly support is an encouragement when just a year ago it was about $50.
We still need more monthly partners as the need in Uganda grows and also, well, I need to start getting serious about how to feed myself and pay for gas and my car insurance. Eventually I will be in Uganda long term and its crucial to go with support of friends and family here to keep God’s work going over there.
Thank you again
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Compassion doesn’t stop at religion
A muslim and a christian both have the heart of compassion and were good Samaritans in Uganda today. First let me tell you how but my day started off with a bit of do-it-yourself first aid in the village.
I brought my handmade first aid kit complete with nearly everything to bandage a wound just in case any child came up to me with a burn or cut. Of course one by one they showed up and I treated about 4 of my kids with burns from a fire to cuts from trees. These wounds left alone would become infected and surely cause serious complications for their future, their is no hygiene or disease education here..
After a morning of bandaging children we headed back into town and that’s when we saw her.
A young girl walking naked on the side of the road as we returned to town at 2pm. We went past and I had this sinking feeling we must turn around. We see crazy people often but she was naked! I tell my driver we have to help. He says no…i almost agree but I say what would Jesus do? We have too try to at least put her clothes on or she will be raped. We turn around and once she sees me she runs. We get in the car and Chase her. We try again and she runs. We then decide too follow on foot. I yell for people to stop her but no one cares. Finally a group of men help and we hop on two motor bikes and Chase her through the town, thru alleys and roads. I yell for a kid too stop her. We almost have her cornered when she finds large rocks and throws them at me. So we chase her again and finally a man who owns a tailoring shop restrains her.
At the police station they send us across the street and then they send us back and then they send us back again after being stern we must help her. Finally we took her to the main hospital and insisted they refer us too a mbale private hospital that can actually treat her and not throw her back on the street.
We arrived safely in mbale with the girl, about a 45 minute drive, and brought her to the psych ward of the hospital. It was dark by now and a crazy lady greeted me, she was actually very nice but at first scared me by grabbing tightly to my arm in the dark. The nurses had to sedate our missing girl and she struggled immensely and even spit at my driver. But my new muslim friend held her down tightly and we were so blessed tonight to have met him and to see such a caring heart in another African here.
As we sat with the girl until she fell asleep I talked to the man about his religion a little and we found a commonality between us and that was, suffering. We are tested in life by suffering and its our faith in action that shows true humanity.
So now my missing girl is sleeping in mbale and I am back in Tororo and tomorrow I’ll have to go back and feed her food (hospitals here do not provide food) and hopefully the doctor will have an answer to her sickness in the head as well as figure our her identity. She talked a little bit and said she was from Kampala and took a motor bike and walked the rest of the way but not sure if this was delirious talk or truth.
Tomorrow I have to go redress the wounds in the village too… Yikes too much to do!!!
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Being tested with Patience and Endurance
What we do now will affect our eternity. That’s what I at least keep reminding myself as I am bed ridden for another day from an infection in Africa.
We helped 5 kids last week with wounds on there legs and feet and shortly after sending them home I fell ill with an abdominal infection.
I can’t lie I am feeling pretty down in the dumps and wishing to go home but if a little infection stops me NOW what does that say about anything bigger later on?
Persevere
What if trials are a way to prepare you for something more and if we don’t endure we will never know what ‘could have been’.
At least that’s my rationale for the current situation of Healing Eyes and myself.
All around there is wickedness and deceit and every step I take forward I am pushed back farther. Last Sunday I confronted the village about some lies and wickedness going around while I preached at their church. Each Sunday I am visiting churches that Pastor John takes me to and we do our dog and pony show. I sing and preach and then he follows up with a summation. Last Sunday I got too choked up while singing Amazing Grace and made a fool of myself by crying in front of everyone. Then I proceeded to talk about Ezekiel 33-35 while my body was fighting the recent infection.
Monday I went back and did some first aid on the kids I returned home since they are not keeping there newly patched up wounds clean. Now today I am on day 2 of laying in bed, too exhausted from not being able to eat anything of substance and in too much pain from the stomach cramps.
No words of inspiration on this blog entry today…but perhaps a bit of reality of serving in a third world country where you are most definitely a foreigner!
Widows home destroyed in the night
After a storm comes the clean up and sadly in my little village in Africa one of the widow’s I know there has been hit hard. Her house was destroyed by the strong winds and heavy rains in Eastern Uganda. The roof blew away first and then a large tree collapsed the smaller room where 15 children and adults were huddled in during the storm. Luckily by the grace of God they moved to the larger house after the roof blew off just in time to escape the tree that fell. If they had not moved they would have certainly died, and faced the same fate of another family who lost a life during the storm.
Agatha is a
humble widow who opened her home to us on several occasions and cooked us a traditional African lunch.
I’m estimating $100 for the roof if anyone can help me help a widow in need. I would like to get her some new clothes and supplies that the storm destroyed if possible but need the extra funds to do so. Any amount of support would be a blessing to her and the many children she cares for in the village.
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- Half of the house is gone, this used to be a room.
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- Widows home destroyed.
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- What’s left of the iron sheet roof.
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- The small room was where the children were right before the tree fell
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- This is what is left of the small room.
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- Some of the kids under the widow’s care.
Not my prunes!
It’s with great sadness I must announce that sacrifices are to be made in preparation for departing this Sunday for Africa. My beloved Prunes can’t make the journey with me and so the African diarrhea will be highly probable while there. But it is for a good cause I say goodbye to my prunes because I am bringing some beautiful children’s books donated by the Theological Book Network in Kentwood Michigan. I know it’s a tough choice but as I sat looking at my 2 boxes that I can only get 50 lbs each in I thought well the kids sure would smile at the sight of colorful books.
March 13th I fly out again and begin another journey of discovery into the rabbit hole of Africa. What will I find this time? Who will I become? and most importantly what will we at Healing Eyes see revealed to us by God’s leadership?
Land? ….maybe
Laughter? …I hope so
Tears? …definitely
Worth it? …Definitely!
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- Goodbye Fiber
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- Awesome children’s books donated to Healing Eyes
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- 2 crates of supplies
When life isn’t as we want but as He wants.
“I am a stranger in a foreign land and quite worn from it. My time here feels like an eternity indeed! I long for home even though my home is gone. Where do I belong, Oh God, where do I call home? I feel lost in a sea of people, in both lands I am not at ease. Torn from my life, in grief I now live, longing for the day long passed.
When my husband held me at night and morning. But gone is he and I remain to wander the earth in mourning – but for how long will I roam? Is there hope for me? Can I ever smile again and feel safe?
My soul feels like dust and my bones are weak, if only you would save me from my grief and restore my splendor to what it was and more. Let my teachings not be in vain and don’t leave me in the shadows of death. A life bearing fruit again, where my education is used and I can prosper in my works.
I will praise you in the evening and praise you in the morning and wait in hopeful expectation for the plan you are artfully displaying before my tearful eyes. Let me see your beauty and not become bitter or angry at my circumstances but see beyond them knowing you are at work to rescue me.”
– A widow cries for the past, journal entry from June 6, 2015 while serving in Kenya Africa (Sarah a missionary).
Psalm 116
1 I love the Lord, for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry for mercy.
2 Because he turned his ear to me,
I will call on him as long as I live.
3 The cords of death entangled me,
the anguish of the grave came over me;
I was overcome by distress and sorrow.
4 Then I called on the name of the Lord:
“Lord, save me!”
5 The Lord is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.
6 The Lord protects the unwary;
when I was brought low, he saved me.
7 Return to your rest, my soul,
for the Lord has been good to you.
8 For you, Lord, have delivered me from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling,
9 that I may walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.
10 I trusted in the Lord when I said,
“I am greatly afflicted”;
11 in my alarm I said,
“Everyone is a liar.”
12 What shall I return to the Lord
for all his goodness to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord.
14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.
15 Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his faithful servants.
16 Truly I am your servant, Lord;
I serve you just as my mother did;
you have freed me from my chains.
17 I will sacrifice a thank offering to you
and call on the name of the Lord.
18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the house of the Lord—
in your midst, Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord.
Q&A revisted
Is this a non-profit you started or another organization you joined?
Answer: It’s a brand new 501c(3) non-profit that Sarah started after becoming a widow at 33, it was started in 2014 and became an official 501c(3) 1 year to the date from the passing of Sarah’s husband.
What do you do?
Answer: Support a ministry team to train and educate the local leaders on how to administer the school and provide support for widows and orphans. Provide quality Christian education for orphans and impoverished children by constructing a school building. Provide meals to children who would normally go without. Support the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of widows and struggling families. Assist in community development.
What are your projects?
Answer: Project 616 and Child Sponsorship
How do you pay for all of this?
Answer: Donations from individuals and a couple churches. Fundraisers.
When does Sarah go back to Africa?
Answer: March 13
Do you have enough money to build a school and buy land right now?
Answer: Nope but we have faith.
How many times has Sarah been to Africa?
Answer: 4 in the last year
Is this an orphanage?
Answer: No it is not. The children go home each day to stay with caregivers or parents if they are alive.
Do you find homes for the orphans?
Answer: No there is no adoption program. The orphans are cared for by the village and grandparents.
How many kids are you trying to help?
Answer: About 200 kids currently learn under the 2 shade trees. There is no school building and the teachers are volunteers from the community. We want to buy land and build a school some day.
Do you feed the kids?
Answer: We are setting that up now for the 31 most needy children. It consists of Posha and Beans, a staple in Africa. But we still need help from donors like you to keep it going.
How does this affect me?
Answer: It doesn’t but it might be shocking to learn most of the world lives in extreme poverty and lacks common comforts like clean water, regular meals, quality education, and shelter. Long term what happens in Africa can play a part in our life here as we become more global and the pain of others impact our lives here.
What can I do to help?
Answer: Pray and consider donating monthly to help ministry costs which includes: financial help for Sarah (founder and missionary), feed and teach the children. Share with churches and pastors, volunteer your skills in grant writing or fundraising experience. Or just contact us to start asking more questions
Starting small and growing
Grow with us and Learn with us in a foreign country.
Healing Eyes is a charity that you can grow with instead of being lost in those larger charities. If your the type that likes to see something begin from the ground up and hear amazing stories of God working in broken lives than go no farther.
Today I woke up to an email from Uganda from the pastor there who was bringing one of our boys to a boarding school for the deaf.
Our Emma has safely arrived and joined the baby class, even though he is about 8 years old already. We are so excited to have our 4th kid placed in an already established boarding school. We are praying he adjusts well and finally gets the education he craves.
We also found out great news about our 2 kids who had surgeries in January, Sinambio and Sarah.
Widows everywhere can relate
Adjustments everywhere and all the time…the life of a widow living a very odd life. When I get comfortable in one spot I move again and then shortly after I move again. Why? God works quite clearly when my comfort is taken away and his work begins. Yesterday I moved to a new home in the country while I am in America and even though it’s not what I wanted to do per se I was still thanking God for finding me a new home and providing help to move my couch. I thanked him for the hot shower and roof over my head, for my couch and bed in now located in one room, and I thanked him ALL night long as I lay wide away listening to every single creak in the floor boards and creepy footsteps above my head.
The life of a widow….solitude after 14 years with a man at my side. Time may heal a great loss but it sure does mess up your ‘normal’.
James 1:27…Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
I know I’ll be ok as the years pass by and the memories fade of my husband. New memories will appear and many more losses will happen until I am no longer here on this earth. One thing for sure is I’ll look after other widows and orphans in there distress because I understand what those lonely dark nights feel like and the tightening around ones heart as they relive each past memory over and over. The best part is that we can all look after orphans and widows together, while on this earth, by taking a chance on a little non-profit called Healing Eyes founded out of loss and a reawakening of what is important in life. Compassion pure and simple.
Compassion can change lives and we can show you how by partnering with monthly support. Join us for an unbelievable adventure into Eastern Uganda where a village of orphans, widows, and impoverished children are surviving each day.
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Partner in Confidence: Safe and Secure.. Your personal information is encrypted and transmitted without risk using a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol. We are a 501c(3) non-profit organization making your donations tax deductible (receipts mailed at the end of each tax year)
