A Dream Come True

I thought I would take the time to formally let you all know what is going on in my life and most recently, my journey to Uganda! ☺

After working at a summer camp my freshman year, I found a love for kids that I never knew I had. I then realized I was in the wrong major and needed to be doing something with children rather than being stuck in a cubicle all day long doing a job I really didn’t have the heart to do. I then decided to switch my major to Pre-Art Therapy (which is basically just a double major in Art and Psychology) and transfer to Indiana Wesleyan University, the same university that my wonderful sister graduated from! It is my dream to work with kids, primarily doing art with them, mainly in either camps or possibly even in orphanages overseas somewhere.

While attending IWU last year, I randomly heard of an organization called Invisible Children. For some reason I was so fascinated with this organization, almost to the point of obsession. I constantly wanted to learn more and more about it. I went to their website, www.invisiblechildren.com, and absolutely fell in love with the children of Uganda. I watched video after video on the website and was so heartbroken. Due to war, so many children have been forced to be soldiers and many are left as victims who don’t survive or are left alone with out any family. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to be an adult by the age 8. With that said, within the last year, I have absolutely fallen in love with these kids and have wanted to do anything I can to help them. Most of all, I have wanted to go to Uganda myself and just give all the kids giant hugs and show them my love, as cheesy as that may sound!

Every year our schools student missions’ organization (World Impact) offers about 25 mission trips around the world for students to go on. However, due to the lack of funding, only 11 trips were offered this year, one of which happened to be Uganda! Trips all vary in purpose from anything to ministering to the elderly, people in hospitals, children, or more on the aspect of manual labor, such as building homes and tasks of that sort. Not knowing what the trips purpose would be, I applied and was hoping and praying that the trip would have something to do with children, primarily the ones left in the orphanages. Two weeks after I found out about the location of the trip and already committed to applying, more information was released and the trips primary focus was to work with the children in the orphanages in the capital city of Uganda, known as Kampala. I was stoked! It could not have been more perfect! After applying, I was so nervous and tried not to get my hopes up since I knew that 55 other people were intending on applying and there were only 8 spots open. After being told I had exquisite recommendations, I was contacted about an interview. Two weeks ago, I had my interview and was so incredibly nervous, but felt confident afterward and thought it went well! After my interview, I knew there was nothing else I could do but wait patiently and pray that I would be accepted. We were told that we would find out by November 4th by receiving a letter in the mail, only if we were accepted. I have never been more nervous in my life to check my mail, hoping that my letter would be there. Anyways, today we all received emails rather than letters in order to speed up the process congratulating us on our acceptance to the team! I was ecstatic and so very excited!!! I still don’t think it has really processed yet. I keep going back to my email and re-reading it to make sure I read it right and I’m really going!

As of right now, I don’t really know much besides that I’ll be going to Kampala, Uganda to work with the children in the orphanages in May for about 3 weeks; the official date has yet to be set. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t scared or nervous. I know there is a risk with going (even though our school isn’t going to send us anywhere that’s not safe and they’ve been sending students to Uganda for years), but I do know that God has placed a deep love for these children in my heart and it is my greatest desire to go there and to love them and I have 100% faith that we will be kept safe.

As I find out more, I will keep you updated and let you know all the exciting news about this exciting journey I am about to take! ☺