P.S.

I know I already wrote today, but tonight's moments are worth adding to my earlier list. Our wonderful host families organized a bonfire by the lake tonight for all the kids. We experienced smores together for the first time and then were dazzled by a terrific display of fireworks which lasted at least 30 min. The children cheered and screamed and clapped and giggled to their hearts content. the whole evening was an overload of sensory experiences and sugar, but all worth it in the end. As I tucked the boys into bed, Nelson was under the covers giggling, which is so unlike him. Surely it was the sugar speaking! Happy Canadian Thanksgiving to those in Canada...I might not be Canadian, but we sure celebrated today!

Little Moments

It's the little moments in life that make is so special and put a smile on my face everyday. On this journey I have laughed and smiled more than ever before. Let me share with you just a few of the random moments that have brought happiness to my life lately:

1. Spending time with friends who have attended our concerts and encouraged me.

2. The night Karen, the head teacher from choir 10, attended our concert and introduced herself to me. She gave us a box of pencils that belonged to choir 10 that she has been saving for 15 years!

3. Past host families who have travelled to attend recent concerts and commented that the kids have really improved in the last few weeks.

4. Praising the Lord through song on the bus

5. The moment when Hannington and Lillian both lost teeth on the bus. Hannington lost both front teeth and has a priceless grin now :)

6. Reading letters from choir 30 and choir 31 that they have written to our children.

7. On the drive to Wisconsin, Uncle Andrew said, "Children, if you look out your window you will see people falling from the sky." Boy was it funny trying to explain to the kids that people jump out of planes with parachutes for fun!

8. Early morning walks in the crisp Wisconsin air, surrounded by colorful trees.

9. Playing fusebol with little Hannington.

10. Singing Bless Yaweh with the boys as I tuck them into bed at night.

11. Reading my favorite books to the kids

12. Eating homemade apple crisp!

Enjoy the little moments today! That is what life is all about. It's made up of many little moments. :)

Moody Chapel

I walked in to the church last night and informed Andrew that it had been one of the best days of my life. He chuckled at me, but I wasn't kidding or being sarcastic. Yesterday really does rank as one of the top three days of my entire life so far. The kids sang before a packed audience at Moody Bible Institute, my Alma Mater. I've been looking forward to this day ever since the school agreed to host a concert. Torrey Gray Auditorium was packed with probably 1200-1300 people and I have never seen such energy in a Moody chapel. The students were on their feet clapping and and cheering the entire concert. The kids were excited, as this was by far the largest, most energetic crowd they have sang for. I stood in the front row, surrounded by good friends, just trying to take it all in. My heart was flooded with emotion and excitement. At the end of the concert I took the stage to share a bit about my experience of graduating from Moody and then getting connected with the African Children's Choir. All the days I spent sitting in that chapel as a student, I never imagined that I would have the chance to get on stage and speak to the whole student body (especially flanked by 22 African children!). It was a very exciting moment for me, which I will never forget. The kids ate lunch in the student dining room and the whole place was buzzing with excitment. It was a beautiful moment for me when I got to introduce my kids to Mrs. Kendrick and Mrs. Fledderjohann, who taught me how to teach. The kids greeted them with hugs and I smiled at how God has brought me back to this place where he prepared me in so many ways to travel this journey He has me on. Every day is exciting, but this day was quite memorable.

A Great Saturday

Tonight I am enjoying a night alone in a hotel room and it couldn't have come at a more perfect time. Usually, Andrew, our tour leader stays at a hotel, but on Saturdays he lets somebody else have a night to themselves. Tonight, he chose me and I am so grateful to have a night to work on lesson plans and only have me to worry about. Saturday's are nice for us..the girls and I slept in this morning, and I finally had time to get up and go for a run. Instead of rushing off to the church this morning, we got to linger over our french toast and hot tea and the girls had a chance to play catch with a very energetic little pooch. Lillian made the quote board when she was talking to Jack the dog this morning; she told him to go to Gladys and when he didn't listen she said, "excuse me..are you listening properly?" She repeated this several times, before I informed her I didn't think that the dog understood. :)

We had a nice little bus ride from Grayslake to Naperville this afternoon that was very pleasant, except for our first vomiting disaster. Thankfully, it only ended up in the aisle and Uncle Steve bravely cleaned it up without complaining. Kudos to him!

Today, I feel a renewed excitement to be here with the kids doing what I am doing and I have noticed that my love for them is becoming very deep. Some days it feels like all I do is give them instructions and correct them, but I was reminded today of the importance of really pouring into them and training them and disciplining them in love. I'm beginning to feel like a real parent!

There is a knock at the door and my dinner has just arrived...I guess that's all for tonight. As you read this, I hope you are reminded of all you have to be thankful for and especially for the poeple in your life that you love. Go give somebody a hug and remind them tonight how much you love them.

Angela

Chicago!

First, I must say my life has been blessed by the many churches and homes I have stayed in that have wireless internet. Second, it stinks when you are just about to post something or send an email and the internet decides to stop working. This was the case last night as I sat down to write about my day. O, well....on to the next church and next host family and here I am waiting for the kids to wake up, so let me briefly share about yesterday's wonderful events. Yesterday was my first day off since the beginning of August and of all places, we were in the Chicago suburbs! So, I handed over lesson plans, wished everybody a great second day of school and headed off to the city with my fellow chaperone, Laura. After dropping her to drool over the paintings at the art institute, I excitedly headed to Moody (my Alma Mater) to visit friends. Being at the school was a bit surreal, but it still felt a bit like "home." I was so blessed to spend time and get my fix of hugs from so many dear friends. If any of you are reading this...I love you so much and thanks for being so amazing! Laura and I did a quick bit of sight seeing and shopping before taking the train back to Waukegan. It was the perfect day off.

I chaperoned boys for the first time at a host home last night and it was quite enjoyable. As I was tucking the boys in I asked them about their favorite part of the day. My teacher's heart was blessed when they enthusiastically replied, "school!" I'd like to share with you a few lines from Gilbert's bedtime prayer as well. It blessed my heart greatly. "Lord, thank you for our host family. We have nothing to give them, but we pray you bless them Lord Jesus. Thank you for this soft bed and thank you that Auntie Laura and Auntie Angela had a good day in Chicago and came back safe. Thank you Lord Jesus that we are still alive. Amen"

A few quotes from our team for your enjoyment:

"What did you girls want to be when you grow up? Did one of you say teacher?" -host auntie

"No, that's Gilbert Big. But only when he's on stage. When he's not on stage he wants to be a gorilla when he grows up!" -Lillian

"Do you have corn in Canada?" -A host auntie to Uncle Steve

"That is my enemy" -Gilbert said, pointing to his carrots

"I will save these two photos of me-I want to remember my host families, but I like looking at myself best." -Racheal

There are many more to come I am sure! I'm off to dinner....

Angela

First day of school

I arrived at the church this morning and was immediately blessed by a woman who walked in with a donation of three big dry erase boards with markers and a few bags of other school supplies. I can't imagine more perfect timing as today was the first day of school. We have been so blessed by the generosity of God's people during this past week..it almost brings me to tears. I have jumped for joy and done a little dance as I have sorted through boxes of donated children's books and school supplies. It's like Christmas all the time! The kids did well for the first day of school since arriving in America. We handed out brand new backpacks full of school supplies and their was much clapping, shouting, and rejoicing. For those of you who are familiar with children's literature, I read "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" to all the kids at the end of school today and they LOVED it :) I'm happy to finally have the chance to read to them, as it is one of my favorite activities.

Do you remember the first time you ever made chocolate chip cookies? Well, tonight I got to relive that experience as we taught the girls how to make cookies with our host family. They were pro's and enjoyed the fruits of their labor at the end very much!

Hope you are enjoying the beginnings of fall wherever you are (except for those on the other side of the world :) The temperature is dropping here in the middle of the cornfields in Illinois and the leaves are falling. It's my favorite time of year and I am happy to experience it in so many different places.

Shalom,
Angela

The First Week

Thank you to those who have been praying for me and watching this blog faithfully. Life on the road moves so quickly and I can hardly believe that we have already had a week of concerts. Sometimes it feels like so much more than that becuase so much is crammed into our weeks. We have had 9 concerts since last Saturday (four were mini concerts at the same church). I am amazed at how quickly the kids are adapting to American culture. Sometimes it is a good thing and sometimes it is a not so good thing :) I've already noticed their English getting noticably better. It feels like I am travelling with a bunch of movie stars sometimes because everybody wants to talk to them and take pictures and pinch their cheeks and spoil them. I have to be the "mean" auntie who tries to protect them and make sure their are not comletely spoiled, but so far all of our host families have been wonderful. We have enjoyed big fluffy beds, amazing food, and adventures to the park, etc. The other night Lydia and Gladys and I enjoyed a nice ride to the park in a convertable, which was a grand new experience. Imagine a car with no roof! The fluffy white dog in the front seat, on my lap was an added bonus :) Today we took a few of the kids on a carousel ride and they were all smiles and squeals of joy. We also took the kids swimming for the first time at the YMCA which was quite an adventure. They were very ambitious and excited, for people who have never swam before. I had to rescue Racheal from drowning in the deep end when she followed the big boys down the slide. Yikes! Tomorrow we start school so I am frantically trying to get lesson plans done. Pray for me as I try to figure out how to do this school on the road thing. We are excited to start! If you have access to my facebook account, check out all the pictures I have posted. If not, then I will try to figure out how to post pictures here soon.

Auntie Angela

Let the tour begin!

The day we have all been waiting for has finally arrived. After a week of rehearsals, learning about American food, and getting new clothes and shoes, we loaded the bus today and headed to Chicago were our tour begins. The kids were excited to see the Sears Tower and the many buildings, but I think I was even more exited to roll into Chicago, my second home. I couldn't help but point out everything to the children. Tomorrow is our first concert at First Baptist Church in Oak Park at 10am...I look forward to seeing some of you there :)

Peace, Scovia, Sarah, and I are enjoying our first host family experience. The girls were overjoyed to have a very African meal of rice, beans, chicken, corn, and pineapple. They were introduced to popsycles (can't for the life of me figure out if that is spelled right :) for dessert and the shock of the cold led to some pretty hilarious facial expressions. Peace told me that the popsycle was biting her tongue and Sarah just giggled the whole time. The night only got better when they got to take a bubble bath for the first time (I had to stop them from blowing the bubbles all over the bathroom!) and do a little rubber stamping before bed. Life is so enjoyable and simple as a child. What a pleasure it is to enjoy life with them.

Newsflash! 30 weary travelers arrive in America from Uganda

Please settle in with a cup of coffee or tea and a blanket, while I share with you stories of the last month in Uganda. my internet access was very limited there which made it difficult to write much at all, so I will try to recount for you the highlights of my three weeks in Uganda. I must begin by praising the Lord that I didn't experience any kind of sickness at all...for which I am eternally grateful. Our time at the Makindye training center was filled with interesting experiences. The cultural differences I experienced were as I expected...the people were wonderful and I fell in love with so many people whom I didn't want to leave behind. Traffic in Kampala was probably the biggest shocker...cars, taxis, people, and boda bodas everywhere, with no lanes, no rules, and no lights. I am quite sure if I drove there I would kill somebody every day! Boda bodas are like motorcycle taxis that weave in and out of traffic and people ride side daddle with no helmet. I was warned never to ride one, however I got into a situation where it was my only choice, so against my better judgement I rode on a motorcycle in a skirt and flipflops with no helmet. It wasn't too bad and God protected me! Each day of driving in Africa was like an off-roading experience in the mountains. when I told the people we do that sort of thing for fun in America, they laughed at me.

Throughout our time in Uganda we had the chance to visit the homes of many of our choir kids in the various villages around Kampala. Many come from one room cement buildings or huts, so it was quite a humbling experience to go and visit with their guardians. Wherever we went we were treated with the utmost respect and curiosity. Children always flocked around and waved, while yelling mzungu (white person)! The guardians of our kids would kneel to show us respect and they always gave me special attention and thanks when they found out I would be educating their kids. What a humbling thing! The parents happily sent their kids off, saying this is a miracle from God that they get to go to America, and they had no reservations. What a difference from the way Western parents hold on to their kids!

Music For Life has several schools in Uganda where former choir kids attend. We were able to visit those schools and see what the kids are doing now. What an encouragement! These kids are truly growing into amazing leaders. I got 150 hugs in 10 minutes from them...and I was sore from hugging :)

Our one big tourist adventure on this trip was to the Nile River. We visited the source of the Nile (Lake Victoria) and slept at a retreat on the banks of the river. I enjoyed falling asleep to the sound of the Nile and showering the next morning with a panoramic view of the Nile! the next day we rafted it, which was a thrilling adventure. I must admit, when the boat flipped and I was thrown around underwater it was the most terrifying experience of my life, but in the end it was totally worth it!

One of my favorite days was the day we visited a home for babies...we spent an entire afternoon just holding and playing with 50 Ugandan babies. Life doesn't get much better than that. I have always thought about adopting from Africa, now I am even more convinced that I will have an African child someday.

Our last few days in Uganda were a huge test of faith. The kids were not able to get their visas until the day before our flight, but we continued on with plans and were able to celebrate and leave on time. However, Frank, our conductor was not able to get his visa then. He should be joining us later this week. The kids held a going away concert for thier families and friends, which was quite a treat. They had the opportunity to show what they have been training to do and say goodbye to their families. There was much rejoicing, good food, and a few tears. Saying goodbye to Abraham and Barnett, and Auntie Ruth and all the rest who have been training the kids was difficult.

We boarded a plane on Friday for America and kids did very well. Nobody through up and they all enjoyed the plane ride. I had to laugh as they put on the headphones and wrapped up from head to toe in blankets, the moment they sat down :) Flying is totally different through the eyes of 22 children who have never been out of their village. When Nelson was asked the other day what he fears, he replied, "airplane toilets!" I guess I don't blame him.

We flew through London and New York and arrived in Chicago Saturday to find the airport partially flooded. It was a long and adventurous journey, but we are happy to be here. This week we are at Cedar Lake Camp in Indiana, getting over jet lag and learning about American culture. Sunday we will begin our tour in Chicago! Please pray for our tour leader, Andrew who went home for a few days to be with his father who is very sick, and pray for Frank, our conductor, that he would get here quickly. I covet your prayers as well, as I try to figure out all the teaching details and help the kids adjust.

If you have made it this far and your still reading, thanks.....:) I hope you find yourself blessed today.

Angela

please pray

I only have one minute but please pray..the kids are interviewing to get their visas and we are planning to fly to the States Friday morning. I'llwrite more when we arrive!