Hello from Uganda!

 To Gulu, 

To  Gulu,

As this is my first two weeks and it was jammed packed, so here are a few highlights of my trip so far!

The first week we went to a Village to sleepover! And if you know anything about me, I am a city girl! My idea of roughing it is staying a night or two at the family cottage just outside a city.
This gave me a good idea of everyday life here in Gulu… and it’s hard work!
Other than playing with the children, I went for a walk with some of the ladies my age to get some “clean water.”  When coming back, I asked the girls about their lives and families. Let’s just say I was glad to be wearing sunglasses!
Here is a nugget from what I had heard. This young adult was my age, with three children and two children who had passed away.

When the wars and fights were still happening here, she was 15. Her parents and elders of the village were helping some of the soldiers and let them stay in their home. This young teen was raped and abused many times. She ended up having her first child at 17. When I was 17, I was so focused on school and worried about my GPA for college! Anyways, somehow this man passed away. However, the fighting was still going on. Her parents, again let someone stay in the family hut. Again, this poor girl was raped and abused- and she showed us the scars that were left behind.  I couldn’t help but put on my sunglasses on again, and let the tears come. My heart ached for her.  That man passed away as well.

Now, she is married and is living a happy life. This man had a good job and brought his two children to live as a family. Her first two children had passed away, the one was only three and was playing by the fire were the mothers were boiling water. He tripped, and the pot was spilled all over him. He suffered for three days. The other child was sick, I didn’t hear what kind of illness, but it took the child fast.
Together they have an 18-month-old baby that screamed every time I went near him!

I know it’s a sad story. But she spoke with strength in her voice, and a smile on her face. This 24-year-old has gone through so much in such a short time, yet she is so brave. The things I went through like being bullied  in school was nothing compared to this.
I looked around and all the ladies my age roughly had the same story. You can see the marks on their backs, yet they are not afraid to hide them. She has taught me to be brave, no matter what people have done to you and lived a life of joy rather than pain.

Every scar has a story, and within that story, it has made you stronger.  Either you have learned from past mistakes, or let that past hurt you. ( Yes I got that from lion king!).

That leads me to my second highlight! 


There was a little girl who was about 11 whom I went to play with not long after I had heard the story above. I asked if she went to school, she still had her uniform on. Then I asked what she wants to do when she grows up, she smiled and said she wants to be a mama! I wondered how many kids, she responded with 6! “6 Kids! That's a lot, are you sure!? I have 3 brothers and a sister, I cannot imagine having one more kid in the house!” I told her. I asked at what age she wants to be a mom, and with my north American thinking, I was guessing she would say 25. I was wrong, she had a big smile on her face and yelled 16! As soon as she finishes school, she wants to be a mother.
I lost count on how many times I was glad I had my sunglasses, as it covered the pain in my heart and the tears running down my cheeks.
I looked at the other girls, one who I adored ( she was 2) thinking about their futures and how I can make a difference. From there, I started praying for all the little girls in this village. I wrote down the names I could remember. I believe these girls are going to make a change.

The last highlight was from this past week, we went to the children's jail. Here it is called the Remand Home. At first, I had tears in my eyes as I saw young boys ( ages 13-17) and two girls ( ages 14+) with their head down, and back hunched as this showed respect. It was an eye opener for sure! I have heard stories from Bob Goff and a few other lawyers who have personally worked with these children to get a reasonable sentence. However, it is different once you see it for yourself. Again, I had to quickly hide my tears as we were there to show God's love and joy. We pulled out minute to win it games, I believe there was 7 stations total. And they played, laughed, and challenged each other. For a few moments, I had forgotten where we were. I had asked the teacher, and over the next year I will go over a few times to have fun lessons, and let them be a child again.
Although I could not talk to them on a personal level, you can see the pain in their eyes. However, while they were competing for a smaller candy, that pain faded and laughter grew in the room.
I also hope to go to some of the court dates to learn about the children of Gulu, God’s children.

The lesson I learned from all three stories was, you are placed where you are for a reason. You grew up in the family you were raised in for something unthinkable. God has a plan for every single person on earth, some just need help finding the right way.
We also have others around us that have a similar story, find these people. Build them up and learn from each other!

I just wanted to thank everyone who has supported me so far! I literally would not have been able to come if you did not donate! If you still would like to donate,  go to
lakemount.ca
click Give
click Missions- other
In the next box click shelre prankard- Gulu

To learn more about World Embrace, the organization I have joined, feel free to head to the website
www.Worldembrace.org.

With love, 

Shelre