Bound for Buliisa and back again!

"Our Vision for every child, life in all its fullness; our prayer for every heart; the will to make it so"

World Vision Uganda

Helen Keller is said to have written, "Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it." To our friends and family who are reading this blog, we want you to know that our trip to Buliisa was filled to overflowing with "the overcoming of it."  And it is with thankful hearts that we want to share a final snapshot of our experiences of this first journey to this part of the world.  We look forward to an ongoing and fruitful partnership with the people of Buliisa for we found Uganda to be a country of beauty - in the landscape of dusty red roads framed with green vegitation - and especially in the hearts and minds of the people we were privileged to get to know.  The needs in Uganda are real.  85% of Uganda's population lives in rural areas where child well-being is poor.  Buliisa is one of those areas where problems such as poor health, poor nutrition, wide spread poverty, the lack of clean water and sanitation, and low levels of completion of primary school interact to make life a struggle for many.  The good news is that each of these factors is being addressed, and we were able to see resources directed through the loving stewardship of our new friends on the World Vision team in Buliisa making a real difference in children's lives and in the future of their communities.  

Jennifer meeting her sponsored child Hillary and his parents

Meresi bringing Debbie the gift of a rooster - one she had to respectfully decline explaining we wouldn't be able to take it on the plane - but he agreed to care for it in her absence.

Carolyn getting a helpful hand from new friends as we experienced our own "walk for water"!

Our experiences were rich and varied as we met people of all walks of life eager to make a new friend, share their way of life and learn something about our own.  We were touched by graciousness and generosity everywhere we went and were offered precious gifts as a way of saying thank you for caring and supporting their efforts to create healthy communities. We will be forever blessed by our experiences in Buliisa and are excited about the ongoing opportunities available as the Body of Christ at CUMC and in Bloomington Normal to continue to reach out with support and love.  Here's to a shared future with our brothers and sisters in Buliisa; we are truly united in our desire to love God and to grow in our understanding of what it means to love our neighbor.