The Peace of Release

For the last ten months or so, another missionary with the agency I am with has been fighting brain cancer.  A wonderful man named Roland.  I have read the updates from his wife about his surgery, chemo, etc.  Every time I read, I prayed, and cried.  Not always visibly, but always none the less.  I am ashamed to say I never contacted Patricia, his wife personally.  I was surprised how her updates triggered such intense feelings for me.  I know you can not project your life's journey onto someone else, but my heart felt so heavy for them.  On Christmas day, God took his loved one home to heal him completely.  My heart breaks still for Patricia, but I am happy with her for his release from pain and suffering.  I hope that the next time I am faced with a similar situation that I can act on the faith I hold precious and move beyond my personal comfort to offer God's comfort for a fellow traveler.  May God give me grace to do that. I prayed for them and thought about them often but my fears of "loosing it" kept me from contacting them.  Yes, I am cutting myself a break, I have been a widow for only a little over three years, but life is hard. People's needs don't diminish because I am not ready to deal with them. Life is hard and God is good. God is truly good.   During my journey of brain cancer with Jeff, the hardest part, the very hardest part, was truly giving Jeff back to God.  I thought I did early on.  It wasn't till the end and he was praying for God to take him home and Jeff asked me to pray with him that God would not allow him to suffer more did I come face to face with that hard reality. Jeff did not belong to me. I had faith to pray and ask God to heal Jeff and make him whole, but I wanted him to live.  When I finally prayed that God would end his suffering and we both woke up the next day; to face the tears of disappointment and longing on his sweet face, then I broke down.  I remember the night well, lying in bed saying over and over again.  I can't pray for him to live and I can't pray for him to die.  God he is yours.  I give him to you.  I know he wasn't mine to give, but my heart had to release him, and that was when I finally had peace.  When God DID take him home I was not sad, but I was not happy either.  I simply was.  So I grieve in bits and pieces.  I grieved at the home-going of Roland.  I grieve at sad movies. I grieve at the injustices of this world.  But I also rejoice.  I rejoice at birth announcements.  I rejoice when someone is healed here on Earth. I rejoice when compassion is shown to others.   My journey is not over.  Not yet.  My prayer is that God would give me courage to show the peace of release to others who are hurting.  God loves us so very much more than we can ever think or know, and His ways are perfect.  We can trust Him in every situation.  I pray for you and me more Grace, Love,Trust, and Peace in 2013.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  John 14:27

So What Exactly Are You Doing?

I get that question a lot, "what exactly are you doing?"  The answer is not so easy.  My title at my job is Direct Support Specialist (DSS).  But is sort of like calling the driver of the garbage truck a sanitation engineer.  Is the title a pretty version of something else?  Yup.  Here are some synonyms: Behavior coach, mentor, and friend.  Probably the best one is behavior coach.  I work with children and teens that have serious behavior issues.  Yes the work is exhausting, but it is also really fulfilling.  The method behind our approach is called the "wrap-around method". It  basically surrounds the family with all of the services the family needs to move forward toward their objectives.  Some of the young people I work with are in families, some are in CPS custody in group homes.  They are all amazing kids who just need an additional pair of purposeful hands working with them.  I have been stretched in ways that I never thought possible.  I have worked with MMR kids, kids with autism, kids that have been abused, and kids with pretty serious mental illness.  ALL IN SIX MONTHS!  This job can burn people out quick!  If it were not for my family and friends I would also be right there.  I still have my pets to play with, my good friends to go to lunch and "thrifting" with, and my granddaughters to play with.   That is what keeps me sane.  My church keeps me grounded.  My lifegroup prays for me.  I am blessed.  What is sad is that every child in foster care who is in a group home could really use a mentor.  Not because they all have behavior issues that need immediate attention, but because they need the presence of a caring adult in their life to prevent those behaviors FROM becoming a problem.  Do you have time to commit to a hurting child? Consider being a volunteer mentor.  But take that commitment very seriously BEFORE you sign up.  Adults run through these kids' lives like water through a sieve.  You will need to make a longer term commitment for the sake of the child.  To provide stability where there is none.  I am blessed to know a woman, Mary, who has made that commitment.  She is a mentor to a girl who is in a group home and probably will be for the rest of her life.  She has been spending a couple of hours with her for almost a year.  Thank you Jesus for people like Mary!  I get paid, she does it only for love.  I am humbled whenever I hear her talk about her girl.
So what do I do?  I actually view each day as a challenge to make a difference for a hurting family or child.  Some days I blow it big time and go home and cry, other days I see a glimmer of hope.  I am trusting Jesus for each new day. That is what I am doing!

Social Justice in my experience

I have now been in school, at ASU, for five weeks.  I am taking two classes, one a comprehensive overview of Social Justice and Human Rights and the other a seminar on Economic Crime, Political Evil and Alternative Forms of Incarceration.  So what have I learned so far and has that critical eye changed the way I viewed my time in Uganda?  Hmmmm, I have learned a lot, thought a lot, and yes my view of my time in Uganda has changed.  Not in the way you might imagine.  I have absolutely nothing negative to say about the NGO I worked with.  They are wonderful people who care about the work they are doing and the people they serve.  This post has NOTHING to do with them, but rather is a larger view of social justice work in Uganda and the role I played while there.
Social justice and human rights work is concerned in making sure that all human beings are treated with respect, honor and true justice. The work also can give a voice and power to the disenfranchised, and advocate for strong vibrant communities.  Tall order.  Is that work taking place in Uganda?.  A mixed bag for sure.  Uganda, just this month, celebrated 50 years of independence from Britain. Colonialism and its effects are still everywhere and I have to be careful that I don't approach the struggles of Ugandans through only western eyes.  When I look at Uganda's human rights record, I find a mixed bag.  Without the personal, first-hand testimony of Ugandans striving for dignity and a better life, I might think Uganda's record was pretty good. This is because any government (not just Uganda) or large institution can easily hide behind misleading statistics. Are women and men treated equally in Uganda with equal access to the same services?  Not always. Are children living on the street or families living in slums treated with compassion and dignity, receive justice, or are their voices even heard?  Not always. Are HIV infected individuals given access to quality medical care? Again, not always. No easy answer here.  Can the United Nations address this?  I don't think so, because there are laws on the books that give equal access, provide community development funds, micro-loans and free healthcare .  The difficulty comes in the implementation.  Social Justice has two fronts for me: the political and the personal.  Activists  involved in the political side seek to affect the "law making and enforcing" part of Social Justice and Human Rights.  Without them, we would be in real trouble.  The activists that work in the personal strive to alleviate suffering and advocate for  individuals, families, and communities and work to empower them.  The two are absolutely dependent on each other.  I am at this point unsure whether an activist can truly wear both hats.
My last year in Uganda I spent in training and empowering HIV infected women. I worked to listen to the women, become their friends and empower them to become change agents in their communities. But I suffered from the "I am an Island" syndrome. I can now recognize it as a lack of perspective of all the tools that an activist should have; namely the community leader empowerment piece and the political side.  I did not do enough to connect with natural supports and place myself in a place of accountability to them.  Yes, I really cared for the women and children that I worked with, but I ignored the political.  I would never want to sacrifice the personal for the political, but the political is so critical to effect long term change. I listened to the women, but I think I could have listened more.  I sought to understand, but I think I could have understood more.  I read books and newspapers, but I think I could have learned more.  I connected with a few well established change makers in Uganda, but I could have connected with more.  I had little contact with other NGOs, or governmental authorities, and none with  International bodies like the UN, and I certainly should have done at least some of that too.   This is what I have learned: Activism means connection and empowerment for indigenous based change. If I can be a part of that...count me in!  Now let's see if I can do it!

Educating Gina

So I have been back in the USA for just over 2 months.  I have been employed now for 7 weeks and today is Friday the 13th.  Not much connection there, just trivia.  My job has been a wonderful and yet heartbreaking learning experience.  Most of you know that I am a mentor for children and teens with a great agency that really cares about kids.  Some of the kids are starting to open up to me and as they do my heart breaks for them.  The abuse and abandonment.  The betrayal and the trauma. The anger and fear.   But even within that there are smiles and hugs and signs of hope.  You can read all you want to about children in crisis, and even after my own childhood of dads, men, alcohol, poverty and neglect I had to see it through their eyes to appreciate it.  The sight is not pretty.  It is adults behaving badly and the organic effects of a fallen world.  Come Lord Jesus!  No I am not a fatalist, I actually think my cup is usually more than 1/2 full but I still long for Jesus to come and make it right again.  Until then I am glad there ARE people who care.
I am scared to death about starting school t ASU this fall.  Those people are really smart and really passionate, and I wonder if I can keep up.  So I got my reading list and it is filled with books addressing social justice issues.  I am currently reading The Activist's Handbook and two other books for work:  The Changing Behavior Book and Everything is NORMAL Until Proven Otherwise.  All interesting and very challenging.  None are books to fall asleep to.  But I can't read all of the time and my real weakness is TV and movies.  I get talked into going with one of the teenagers I mentor to Prometheus.  Ummm yeah...scary and yucky.  At home I can't get Netflix, no internet, and I am almost out of reruns of my favorite shows.  So I decided to start watching documentaries.  I have been going to the five storied main branch of the Phoenix Public Library where the collection of non-fiction videos is huge.  I have seen four documentaries so far.  Today I was able to get one that I have been waiting for, for the last two weeks.  One Small Act.  SO VERY MUCH WORTH THE WAIT.  Watch this video.  It will inspire you and encourage you.  I also saw Waiting for Superman and The Interrupters.  Both in the top three documentaries for their years of release.  Watch them too if you get a chance.
I am expecting my friend Amanda to come and visit us here in Phoenix and I am trying to set up speaking arrangements or jewelry selling opportunities for her.  If you are interested give me a call.  Her organization, Lot 2545, takes teen aged boys off the street in Uganda and gives them a second chance.  She needs prayer partners, sponsors for the boys, and just support in general.
That is the tie in for all of these thoughts.  I would like to encourage everyone reading this blog to take to heart the idea of really loving other people.  Love just one today.  Make a commitment to educate yourself about the real lives of other people and then don't be afraid to get involved.  If you don't know what to do or say...find out.  Lifelong learners are usually the happiest people.  Share that happiness with a hurting world.  Live social justice everyday.  I truly believe that Jesus did.  True social justice is never without the Gospel, although many try to share the Truth without justice.  Don't be one of them my friends.
Some blogs are funny, some are full of pointers or instructions.  Mine is well...sort of like reading a letter from me or sitting down with me with a cup of coffee.  Sort of rambling but hopefully makes you think a little.  So send me your best books and best movies.  I would love to hear about what you are experiencing too.
May God richly bless you my beloved.   -Gina Jaye-

New Beginnings

I have now been back in the US for just over a month.  I finished my first week of work.  It is amazing to me how events in my life come together to make sense.  You would think that after all this time I would be used to how God makes it all work.  But nope, still in awe!  My job is direct support of families.  I work in the behavioral health field.  I am a mentor for families that have experienced trauma and abuse along with organic issues that cause behavioral issues.  The biggest problem I am having so far is trust.  The agency expects me to leap right in (understandably...since I am getting paid for this) but the families don't know me or trust me.  So I feel like I am taking baby steps with them, encouraging them, looking for causes for celebration, and trying to let them know that I do care about them along with intervention.   The agency told me I would hear a lot of swearing and so far they are right.  So my new mantra is a "a soft answer turns away wrath."  I wonder what it would have been like to have a person like me present in my home when my children and I were in the middle of it.  When Jeff was working three part time jobs, I was working one part time job and we had three children six and under.  A person who is paid to be calm and to help you look for alternatives to bad behaviors.  Would I have liked it or would I have resented it?  Not sure...probably both depending on the day.  So I am dancing with these families.  It certainly makes me long for extended families for these folks.  I also have no biological extended family close by.  My faith family makes all of the difference in the world.  But I don't remember sharing with too many people when I was hurting the most. Hmmmm.  Listen  (or read) to the words of Lean on Me.
Lean on me
When you're not strong
I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
for it wont be long
till I'm going to need
somebody to lean on
please swallow your pride
if I have faith that you need to borrow
For no-one can fill
those your needs
that you won't let show
just call on me brother when you need a hand...

Church, let's be that place where the hurting can find help.  Not because we have ALL of the answers but because we are ALL honest with our hurts and suffering, without passing judgement.  We cry together and laugh together.  That is a journey that I want to be on!

This is the last email I wrote about my journey for the last 18 months in Africa, from here on it is just me and my thoughts on this little blog.  Here is the email:  This is probably the last support e-mail that you will receive for a while.  No, I am not planning on dying tomorrow, but my ministry has changed.  Some of you may not know that I am back in the US.  I arrived on May 6.  I left Uganda on May 1 and I spent a few days in London.  I am back in the US for good.  I am going to use Phoenix as my home base.  I am hoping to expand my involvement in Mexico.  I am hoping to continue to work in training lay leaders in the area of child and family support.  Helping women heal from sex trafficking is in that mix too. 

I found a job and have already started training.  I am so very excited to be joining an organization that provides direct support to hurting children and young adults.  I will be working with older teens and young adults.  My beliefs about how to work with families and young adults align very well with the core beliefs of this agency.  I am so excited.  So I will be continuing to learn how to minister with hurting young people.  I have been applying for jobs online since February.  Last week was my "get serious" week.  I had an interview and I went to a job fair. I was planning on Friday starting to hit the retail outlets around where I live (Safeway, Target, Walmart, etc) and early Friday I got a call and a job offer.  Monday I started training.  I will be a direct support specialist with at risk and vulnerable youth and young adults at a wonderful agency that shares my values.  

Many people have asked "why did you leave Africa?"  The short (and truthful) answer is because God called me to.  No...no voices.  But circumstances, Scripture and personal conviction came together in a perfect storm pointing to the fact that it was time.  The women's program that I have been so involved with will be ending early this summer. I was deeply moved by the trauma training I attended in September and loved being part of a training team in December in Mexico City.  I also was deeply moved by a sermon series that the pastor at my church did on Social Justice, and wanted to learn more.  So I followed what I believe was God's call and came back to Phoenix. I hope to go back to Uganda  for short term visits.

I will re-join my church family and enjoy being a grandmother and mother in my own family.  

The bottom line is that you won't here ministry news from me until I go back to Mexico as a part of team.  As one friend said I will be going from Jajja (Grandmother) in Luganda to Tia (Aunt) in Spanish.  Not too many people send info about their private lives and secular job to 100+ people.  But I promise to send you any updates I get about the women or the boys.  Also If I go back to Mexico as a part of a team I will want your prayer support.  So thank you for reading my updates and praying for the women and boys.  There is great work being done in Africa with A Perfect Injustice, so please pray for the staff and the volunteers there. 

I will continue to blog about my journey into the behavior health world and Social Justice activism.  My blog is http://reluctantjourney.blogspot.com/  

So thanks again for all of your prayers and support.  As one of my favorite radio preachers, Dr. J. Vernon McGee, used to say, "May God richly bless you my beloved".

Random thoughts as I leave Africa

During the last two weeks I have re-discovered some things about my self and discovered some things about my Lord and Savior...Jesus.  Both have been truly eye opening and I hope life changing.  For the last six weeks or so I have had the pleasure of living with a young couple adopting a child from Uganda.  Because the adoption process was taking a long time the orphanage allowed them to have temporary custody of him.  So Sarah and Jethro joined me on many occasions.  During that time I watched how people reacted to them.  A white couple in Uganda, adopting a Ugandan toddler.  Some people were quite nasty, "I know that baby", "Give me my baby." Others were very nice, "Thank you for your good work."  But the way people looked at us was truly eye opening. They were obviously adopting a child.  Their family was different.  Jethro loved to have me carry him and would say to me, "Up Jajja!"  A Ugandan baby calling me grandmother. What a blessing.  Then last Sunday in church the pieces started coming together.  What does adoption into the family of God really look like?  Even though I know I don;t deserve salvation, I can fool myself into believing that it is the most natural thing ever.  No big deal.  Then I remember Jethro.  His parents adore him.  They jumped through many hoops to get him.  When the adoption got tough and was delayed, there were those that said, "You can always try again with a different child." But Shawn and Sarah loved Jethro.  Jethro didn't deserve to be adopted, but he is.  Yes, I know all children deserve a family.  But he didn't do anything for Shawn and Sarah to earn their love.  They freely gave it to him.  He is very different from them.  But after being with them for 4 weeks he already has some of Shawn's mannerisms, and he clings to Sarah when he is scared.  I am sure that all of these parallels to the spiritual life are obvious to most of you, and to be honest...I knew them too.  But I never saw them so clearly illustrated.  I need to NEVER forget that God wants me...despite my flaws...despite my being different.  Satan and his demons will taunt me from the sidelines, but God's Holy Spirit will give me words of comfort and hope. You know... Shawn is adopted too!  What a great gift for Jethro!  His father will always understand that piece of him that wonders, "Why me?"  I too ask, "Why me Lord?"  For now, I will have to be content with the loving words He speaks to me through His word and the comfort of the Holy Spirit.  But there is a part of me that wants to ask Him face to face, "Why me?"  I can't wait to hear Him say, "Because I loved you."

April 3, 2012-Whew what a week!

Dear Family and Friends,

April fool's day went off without one trick but the week leading up to it was pretty crazy.  Two Saturdays ago, the laptop of a volunteer was stolen from the house.  It was during the afternoon and I was here alone.  I was working in my room and listening to music.  I now know that a former street boy from a friend's home had come over without permission and the temptation to take the computer was just too much.  As soon as we found out that it was missing I called a friend that works at the home and told him to keep his eyes and ears open.  The next few days were difficult.  I am going through a Bible based study on healing from trauma and abuse with the women of Hope House, and that week was the characteristics of an abuser and of an abusive family.  Very tough stuff.  All of these women have been traumatized and the Ugandan way to deal with it is to pretend it didn't happen.  I am encouraging them to absolutely think out of the box and expose their hurts for God' healing and forgiveness.  But it is very painful for them, and for me.  We cry together, pray together and laugh together as well.  Tuesday I got the word that a boy had come home with a new cell phone and cash in his pocket, and not hiding it.  So the workers and the other boys kept pressuring him to tell the truth.  Wednesday AM he confessed and we all got to work.  I met the uncle(male leader in the home) with a bunch of money.  He took the boy to the place where he originally sold it and then got the police involved to find the next buyer.  In the end, we recovered the computer.  The money...well it oiled the wheels of "justice".  I also paid to keep the boy out of jail.  So why pay to keep this boy out of jail?  He is 15, spent a year living on the streets of Somalia, and has been living on the streets in Kampala for a long time.  No parents, he is in third grade and is learning a whole new way to live.  The prisons here in Uganda would not have helped him in ANY way.  He is a new Christian, a young man who needs loving guidance and  compassion.  Has he stolen before?  I wish I could say no...but that would be a lie.  He has, but he hasn't experienced unconditional love, the feeling of family, and the respect of others and to return respect to them.  Please pray for him.  Thursday I took the computer out to Bombo where the volunteer is staying, only to find him scary sick with chills, fever and headache.  So back to Kampala Friday morning and straight to the clinic.  I thought for sure...malaria.  But no, it is a virus that he has had to just wait out.  On Thursday, a volunteer couple who are adopting a boy were able to bring him home.  He is 19 months old.  Whew!  

For me, I know have a month left here.  I am already grieving the loss of day to day friendships I have made.  But looking forward to the next chapter of my life.  I have been applying for jobs that have anything to do adolescent behavioral issues, foster parenting, adopting and refugee work.  Probably over thirty jobs, but no responses yet. If you know of ANY job openings, I am willing!  Maybe not Starbucks...I can't get up that early...ha!   But anything else, I am willing.  I am excited to transition into working more in Mexico and Phoenix with sex trafficked girls and women.  And some of you don't know that I have been accepted into the masters program of Social Justice and Human Rights at ASU.  I will start taking classes this fall.  I still am planning on staying on with GTN as a missionary.  I will be working to develop leadership training opportunities for women that I can facilitate.  I have already spent some time with ReviveMexico in Mexico City and will return there.  They work with street children and trafficked girls.  Unfortunately, I am sure that there are opportunities to serve in my own backyard.  For those of you that support me financially, you are under no obligation to continue since my focus has changed from Uganda, Africa to Latin America and Latinos in the US.  If you do desire to travel down this path with me, I would be honored.  But if you want to continue to see your donations make a difference in the life of Ugandans I can recommend a number of ways to do that including supporting the group I have been working with.  It is entirely between you and the Lord. I will be back in Phoenix late the night of May 6.  So I will see my church family on  Mother's Day and the rest of family and friends as soon as I possibly can.  

New Job!

Dear Family and Friends,

I can not believe that I have been here almost two months!  It has flown by.  Last week the team and I made valentines day crafts for the street boys and it was a blast.  I also went and did crafts with Josephine's girls.  One of her girls gave birth to a baby boy early Valentine's day.  The perfect gift of love!  Another girl is due this coming week.  I am so grateful for Josephine and her ministry to these teenaged girls.  The boys in Bombo are all back in school.  The three that are in secondary school started on Monday.  The women of Hope House and I have been growing closer together and hopefully closer to God as we have been exploring true Biblical friendship.  American and Ugandan culture does not line up 100% with what the Bible has to say about friendship and it has been eye-opening for all of us.  There were no specific prayer requests this week because many of the women were at home with sick children or they were sick themselves.  So pray for them to be strong and be healed.  

On Wednesday, Uncle Eddy and Shawn Ferrell (he and his wife are working with API for 5 months) came to Hope House to help us move a very large cabinet. It is probably 12 feet long and about four feet high and divided into individual lockers.  It is where we store beads and the women each have their own locker as well.  Long story short...I have NEVER seen so many roaches in my life!  The ladies that were there, Sarah(Shawn's wife) and I were screaming and stomping and laughing... it was awesome.  We cleaned out all of the lockers and sprayed them with bug spray.  We are painting this coming Saturday.  I hadn't laughed that hard in a long time.

Next week, I am finishing the series on friendship and I am starting a series on the Bible truths from the MTS model of healing.  I am then hoping, after that is finished, to have a small group with a few women.  I am also praying that God will spark a fire for leadership in a few of the women, and they may become the next community leaders.  Please pray for me about this next session.  I have been praying about it and listening to God for about six months.  That is the reason why I went to the conference and training in Mexico, to learn more. The years in the Peace Corps, years of schooling in multicultural education, being a children's Pastor, mission trips, trauma in my past, even my own children and becoming a widow are sort of like the perfect storm for this time.  I am excited and and feel like it is the reason that I am here.

I firmly believe that every missionary should work themselves out of a job, NOT MINISTRY, just a job.  What I am leading to is that I strongly feel that God is calling me to a different job within ministry. When I first came here I thought I would be ministering to the boys only.  I lived with them and loved them for a year.  Amanda and Abby were running the women's program.  As they gave me that responsibility, I could hear God telling me, "this is where you should be."  Me, the woman who was never THAT involved with women's ministries before.  God has a great sense of humor!  Here my heart found a home.  My heart and my pull is for women.  More specifically, sexually trafficked and exploited women. The field is OVERRIPE and the workers are few.  So why do I feel that God has another job for me? Because the women that I have been working with have moved from a place of spiritual and sexual bondage to a place of safety and rest that only God can provide.  Have they arrived?  No!  None of us has.  But God has given them some rest and I strongly believe that He is preparing them, Ugandans, to be the light for other Ugandans.  They can re-integrate into their communities and lead other women to that place of rest as well.  Are there other prostituted women in the slum?  Yes, but ultimately it will be Ugandans helping Ugandans that makes the difference.  I am committed to continue to train lay and church leaders but I know God is calling me back to the States.  If He wants me to return to Uganda for training purposes, I will go, but I also feel like he is calling me to the eye of the storm in Arizona and Mexico. 

Sex trafficking is the number two illegal activity in Mexico and it is quickly approaching number one (one is currently drug trafficking).  However, the difference in Mexico is that girls are kidnapped, brainwashed, and then sold to the highest bidder. They are sold and sold again until they are used up.  The primary consumer of Mexican girls is American men. Who will be their voice?  Who will wrap their arms around them when they find themselves dirty and alone in a foreign land?  The same perfect storm that made it good for me in Uganda is working on my heart for these girls even in Arizona. I am not totally ready to leave Uganda, but the pull is great.  I have been watching and listening.  It was no accident that I went to Mexico for a healing conference of sex trafficked girls and it was no accident that I returned a short while later to help establish bonds with churches in Mexico.  God is not a God of accidents or coincidences.  God may have to use a 2X4 to get through to this hard head of mine but my ears and heart are hearing Him loud and clear.  So when I return to Arizona in May it will be a step of faith into the next area of ministry, most likely in Phoenix with time in Mexico, and Lord willing training trips back to Africa.

You all have been my support and strength lifting the ministry here of API in prayer and we have all been blessed by you.  God has used you to encourage so very many people here, people you may never know this side of heaven.  But know that we have been a team, a precious team, and it was NO accident even if it was for only a year and a half.  I love you all and I look forward to what God has for me and us all in the days to come as we anxiously wait for His return!

Dear friends and family!
With great joy I am writing to you about the PLE scores for our boys.
First just a quick explanation of the PLE.  The PLE is the Primary
Leaving Examination.  It is a very big deal here.  It is a
standardized test.  There are four areas:  Math, English, Sociall
Studies, and Science.  The top score you can get in any one subject is
a 1.  Then they add all of the scores together and you get an
aggregate score.  Then there are four divisions.  The prize is to be
in Division one.  It goes down from there.  I am so excited to say
that Peter got an aggregate score of 7 and is in Division 1, Sadic got
an aggregate score of 12 and is in Division 1, William missed Division
1 by only one point with an aggregate score of 13.  So he is Division 2.  They all did so well!
On another note, The three boys that ran away are doing fairly well.
Godfrey will be going to boarding school in Entebbe, a Swedish young
woman has sponsored him.  Dissan will be going to boarding school with
the sponsorship of a man named Sebastian.  Davis is still struggling
but Abduhl and I are both counseling him to behave well to be able to
get a second chance.  Praise the Lord he has not been doing drugs!
That in itself is a huge improvement.  He is a very hard worker and
will do just about anything to earn money.  Please pray for these
three boys.  We still love them (of course) and want the best for them.
The other boys are doing well.  School starts for them on January 31.
It is a new school year and all of the boys were promoted to the next
school level.  WooHoo!  They will be starting at a new school in
Kalule, the area outside of Bombo.  The boys in secondary will be
going to boarding school to help them really focus on their studies.
Thank you all for your prayers and support!  Please don't forget to
write to the boys.  The address is Box 4981, Kampala, Uganda, East
Africa.  Please just address the letters to A Perfect Injustice.  If
you want you can put the boy's name on the back.  Please never mention
money, do not give out e-mail addresses or phone numbers. They are
your friends and we do not want them to view you as a bank.

Super-woman, thou are not!

Well hello again from Uganda.  If you read my last blog entry you would think I was superwoman.  I am not!  In my quest to bring all of Africa to the people who love and support me and the boys and the women, I think I made it sound like it was all up to me.  Ha, that is the funniest thing I have ever heard.  But I have to ask myself, do I sometimes think that way.  I just finished the book, Crazy Love, by Francis Chan.  He writes with his heart, and I like that.  He posed the question that I need to be constantly reminded of, "What if you died in the next 30 seconds?"  Possible?  Absolutely!  Could Jesus come and take me home now? Absolutely.  Am I living like I am homeward bound?  (to coin a phrase from Simon and Garfunkle).  Is my pride keeping me firmly attached to tera firma, or is my love for Christ keeping my eyes on him.  A bit of self reflection never killed anyone.  Yes I am blessed to live out an amazing journey in Africa, but it is a SEASON, of my life.  What if my next season was being a clerk at a Walmart?  Would everyone still want to read weekly updates?  Probably not.  But the fact would remain that God is still on His throne, and that he could still use me to be His hands and feet in Walmart.  W.A.L.M.A.R.T.  Yep!  Are there hurting people that need encouragement in Walmart, probably.  Can I be seeking social justice working as a retail clerk?  Yes...which leads me to gently prompt..you can too!  Take the time to look up for yourself the word justice in the Bible...and let those verses soak deep into your soul.  I will be doing my own research on pride.  None of us is a finished product, all of us has work to do and needs the author of justice and humility to fill us every day with His power.  So yes my life looks really interesting...but really it is only because it so very different from suburban American life.  God loves and is calling us to help the broken-hearted in America.  He loves homeless children, HIV patients, victims of sexual violence, the poor, the hungry, the hopeless if they live in America, or Mexico, or Uganda or China...you get the idea.  Please, please, please, continue to support me with your prayers and your money but please, please, please...be His hands and feet wherever you are. And know that Social Justice is messy, and you may have your heart broken a million times...don't worry God is the mender of the broken-hearted, even yours!  I love you all and call it a privilege to be working with you in Africa.
My biggest struggle right now is what should I be leading the women in?  They are struggling with identity, jealousy, envy and feelings of worthlessness.  Tough stuff.  I am not really a preacher.  I just love Jesus and I love these women.  So I will be praying that God gives me all of the right things to say that honer Him and help them.  Jeff Merry always said, "What do you want people to 'know' 'feel' and 'do' with what you are bringing them.  So yes Jeff, I am thinking about that.   If you have any ideas or suggestions...I am very open.  Just shoot me an e-mail.  You are my partners.  Oh and check me out on pinterest.  I am trying to put up pics that reflect the real African life.  Plus you might really find some inspiration from other people.  God bless you, please keep praying for the ministry here.

Ten Days in Africa

Dear Friends and Family,
this has been a whirlwind of a week.  My first ten days in Africa a
year ago were slow and full of watching, listening and learning.  This
time I hit the ground running.  Please pray that I don't EVER forget
the watching, waiting, and listening.  Ha!  I went to visit the women
last Wednesday.  It was so nice to see them.  We all went to a local
restaurant for lunch.  It is a tiny little restaurant and we filled
the whole place.  There were 12 of us.  They all send greetings to
you.  If you want to get updates specifically about the women, please
let me know.  Then I got a boda-boda (motorcycle taxi) and went to the
slum to visit the street boys program.  The driver did not speak
English so well and dropped me off in an unfamiliar part of the slum.
I knew where I was and wanted to go but could not figure out how to
get there.  The slum is filled with tiny little alleys and some larger
dirt streets.  As I was contemplating and sort of wandering, Davis
found me!  Davis is a boy that ran away from our home after I left.
So he took me to the programs.  It was good to see him.  He was clean
but very thin.  He had not been doing drugs either. WooHoo!  The boys
at the programs were busy making jewelry so I took Davis and another
teenager, Joel out to lunch.  Two lunches in one day!  I just drank a
soda the second time.  Joel is one of the boys that my friend Amanda
will take into her home for older boys, check out her link
http://www.indiegogo.com/LOT-2545?c=home .I also am serving here as a
quasi bookkeeper.  Some of you may know that I did the books for Jeff
for 10 years, yes we still had an accountant.  A degree in forestry
does not really prepare one for bookkeeping...ha! But anyway, I have a
lot of experience using Quickbooks.  So we bought a ministry computer
right before I left and put Quickbooks on it.  I am now going back and
entering all of the receipts for A Perfect Injustice, the NGO I
volunteer with, starting from January 2011.  So last week I got one
month done.  I am a little rusty!  On Thursday I went to visit the
boys in the homes in Bombo.  These are the boys I lived with all last
year.  They had taken sheets, and palm fronds and paper and made a
royal path for me to walk on as I entered the house.  It was so very
cute.  (I am going to post all of the photos from these events on my
face book page.  just look for Gina Jaye.)  The homes are beautiful!
The boys were all doing well.  I played with them, hung out with them,
looked at photos and listened to music.  I stayed in Mama Joyce's
room.  I told her I could sleep anywhere, but she wouldn't have it.
So sweet.  They are building little houses for visitors, but they are
not finished yet.  I came back on Friday and brought Peter with me.
Saturday at about 10:00, Godfrey, another boy that had run away came
over.  Then at 10:30 Joel came.  At 11:00 Davis came.  So we watched
movies and ate popcorn.  I took them to lunch and then Godfrey went
back to Kivulu.  Joel went back to Bead David's house and Davis and
Peter went home with me.  Davis ran errands for me to earn some
"little money" and I gave him a back pack and a set of clothes that I
had brought for him.  It was a basketball outfit that I had worn at an
event at my church.  I love to dress in costumes.  It fit him really
well! So then Davis went back to the slum and Peter and I listened to
music and I made Chinese food for dinner.  So fun! Sunday we went to
church.  Nothing like a Ugandan Choir! Peter got on a taxi for Bombo
and I returned home.  Whew!
I tried to skype my friend and found that my my audio on my computer
is on the fritz.  I can still message, but for now I can not talk.  I
have tried everything.  So if you have any ideas let me know.  I have
an HP mini with windows 7.  I have adjusted everything I know how to
adjust.  I downloaded updated drivers and visited help forums.  No
luck.  Oh well.  I do have skype on my new phone so I can call you.
or if you want to message through skype just look for
gina.jaye.rizzo.orr .
This week two of the ladies and I are going to go and look for a
treadle sewing machine for the project.  A friend donated money for
that!  Thank you!  Also one of the uncles, Eddy, is staying with me.
he is so funny.  I am really enjoying his company.  Some robbers tried
to break in to Abby and David's place that is in the same compound as
where I am.  So I had to have some muscle! ha!  Well I better go.  I
have to go to the bank here and try to get some money issues
straightened out.   I appreciate all of your prayers and support