Blessings

Hello there friends!

I hope that this blog finds everyone well and happy. 

After a couple days traveling around Iganga dropping off various supplies, going to church, and visiting friends, we were glad to have a day to spend at Musana. Most of my day was filled with staring at a blue wall while I painted it. Another wall of the dining hall is officially finished! This one is covered with clouds, sunbeams, and hot air balloons. I had to explain to the students and staff what a hot air balloon was, because apparently they aren't common in Uganda. Musana had also previously asked us if we could redecorate a bulletin board used for hanging and displaying jewelry for sale in Sol Café. Originally, the sign had cloth words stitched onto it saying Musana Children's Jewelry. This gave off the wrong impression that this jewelry is being sold to support some poor orphans at a home. Musana is not about using pity to try and buy support for their students. It is almost entirely self sufficient with over six hundred students, along with wonderful teachers and staff. They support themselves through a very large farm, Sol Café, a new bakery, and the craft room. Any donations they receive are used to help start up new programs and business ventures like a brand new hospital here in Iganga. The beautiful crafts sold at Sol are made by women in the community who were previously in unstable conditions. Musana seeks to empower these women and everyone else associated with the school including their students and staff. Therefore, the sign will soon be changed to say "Musana Crafts". Sue went into town with our driver Kymba to purchase some navy blue fabric for the sign and pick up some beautiful tie dyed fabric scraps from the women in the craft room. Samantha has been using the scraps to cut out the new letters to be sewn onto the sign. After a busy day, we were all back in our room around six o'clock exhausted. After seven hours of painting, I laid on the floor of our room for a while not even wanting to get up and shower. Thankfully for the sake of Sue and Samantha, I managed to shower before we headed to the dining room for dinner. Sarah had prepared rice, g-nut sauce, fresh pineapple, and Irish potatoes. Leah, Yvonne, Andrea, and little Dezi joined the interns and us for dinner tonight. It is so strange to think that we only have four days left here in Uganda, but I think that will be the perfect amount of time for Sue, Samantha, and I. While we will be very sad to leave Uganda and our friends, we are also looking forward to getting back home to our families and friends in the States. It has really been a special trip for us all. God has really blessed me personally on this trip with so many new friends and experiences. While the team was here, Tamara gave a BEAUTIFUL devotional about blessings. A blessing from God is not wealth or success or even health necessarily, even though it might include those things. Being blessed by God means to simply be in His presence and have your heart changed by experiencing His Glory. I can say for myself and the whole team that we have truly been blessed by God here in Uganda with His presence and perspective. We look forward to returning home soon with hearts that have been grown, stretched, changed, and matured. 

 

Thanks for reading,

 

Love Hannah

 

(P.S. Mom, Please buy me some dark chocolate for when I get back! I love you!!)

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